Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 971 Words

Economic analysts from all over the United States have predicted that we spend $20 billion dollars a year to fight a senseless war on marijuana. According to the United Nation over 94 million people in the United States have admitted to using marijuana at least once. This number is not shocking, because marijuana is a safe and harmless drug. Marijuana is used for several different medical purposes. It is also healthier than already legalized drugs. The prohibition on marijuana is failing, there is no valid evidence that it decreases drug use. People view marijuana in a negative light, because of the propaganda and bias opinions they have heard their whole life. If people would wake up and open their eyes, they will realize the legalization†¦show more content†¦The United States Government Accountability Office noted Marijuana can be used to treat 16 different medical syndromes from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to even cancer. People are prescribed numerous amoun ts of dangerous and additives drugs, but the plethora of the syndromes that they encounter, can be solved by marijuana. Besides marijuana being harmless and having copious medical benefits, legalization of it will also lower crime rates dramatically. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Uniform Crime Report, in 2012, there were 1,552,432 arrests for drug violations, and of those arrests, nearly half (48.3%) of the arrests were for marijuana. This number is only rising and legalizing marijuana will eliminate that number entirely. The United States has the largest jail population in the entire world. Fifty percent of the offenses are drug related, and of that 50%, 27.6% are marijuana related. Legalizing marijuana will reduce the prison population tremendously. Even President Barack Obama supports legalization stating â€Å"It’s important for it to go forward.† There is a marijuana arrest every 42 seconds, and there are more marijuana possession arrests every year, than all the violent criminal offenses combined. The polices are too focused on fighting marijuana, when they should be diverting all their efforts into catching murderers, robbers, and rapists; the