Essay --

For more than 30 years, marijuana use has been associated with harsh penalties and irrational consequences. Millions of people are sent to prison each year for simple possession or consumption of this plant. This issue has fueled political disagreements over the years increasing conflict between both state and federal governments. Both sides have strong and supportive arguments; which still is an ongoing battle to this day. However, marijuana is here to stay; the state of Colorado has already fully legalized recreational use of marijuana. Looking at the amount of revenue Colorado brings in from marijuana sales, it's clear that marijuana has a significant potential in bringing money into the economy. Many would agree that the war on drugs has deteriorated our personal freedoms and has wasted money over the decades for both the government and people. Marijuana should be legal because prohibition has been proven not to work. Taxing the sales of marijuana, similar to alcohol, will help boost the economy. Regulating marijuana in an orderly way will make it a safe and healthy environment for users and families in the United States. Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's is very similar to the prohibition of marijuana in recent years. The main reason the government made drinking alcohol illegal in the 1920's was to reduce the number of people consuming alcohol and to help lower crime levels. It was also enforced to protect minors from becoming alcoholics at an early age (Blocker 233-243). However, as much as prohibition had good intentions to stop people from abusing alcohol, it only made things worse. It triggered major strikes, raids in alcohol warehouses, and created a mass underground black market in which violence and crime leve... ...of Colorado and Washington. People wouldn't have to resort on getting their marijuana from shady dealers that could potentially cause harm to them. Marijuana alone doesn't lead people to trying harder drugs; the black market has opened the doors to people to try harder drugs because dealers carry a variety of them. Our economy would save billions from having to build prisons to jail innocent people. People with diseases would have a safe alternative to prescription drugs which have caused more deaths than marijuana. The production of hemp would benefit many farmers and industries. It will greatly reduce the amount of cotton used for many products. If more people open their mind and get educated in seeing the benefits that marijuana can bring into our society, marijuana legalization throughout the country will be the greatest decision to the United States in decades.