Legalization of Cannabis

It is becoming more difficult for anyone to deny the benefits of cannabis, also known as marijuana. Cannabis is in fact the only prescription or recreational drug that is impossible to overdose on. Marijuana should be legalized because of all the great benefits it has to offer such as medication for diseases and illnesses, increase in money for the economy, and a dropped crime rate.

Patients use medical marijuana for pain, nausea, anxiety and many other symptoms that may cause an individual discomfort during a chronic illness or disease. Cannabis is known to have little to no side effects and works for many different illnesses. Joycelyn Elders, MD says, "The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS -- or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day." All legal drugs are responsible for 20,000 deaths annually and tobacco is at the top with 400,000 deaths a year. So how many people a year die of using marijuana? The annual number of American deaths caused by marijuana is zero. Unlike every other medication or drug it is impossible to overdose on marijuana. Medical Marijuana is legal in fifteen out of the fifty states but each state has its own restrictions.

After realizing the amazing benefits of medical marijuana then look at the next reason why cannabis should be legalized is all of the money that will bring into the economy. Once legal, the plant will become a major cash crop and will be able to be used for purposes other than medication. Before the late 1900s cannabis hemp was one of largest crops in the United States. It was used for rope, twine, clothing and sails. Also hemp could be used to make more paper per acre, of a higher quality, for less money and requiring less chemical treatment than trees. The economy is not in the best shape and legalizing marijuana will bring in more taxes and business. Also making cannabis legal will cause a drop in other taxes when the crime rate drops and there will be fewer inmates in jail. Not legalizing is just throwing money down the drain which is the last thing the economy needs these days in time.

Finally, once knowing of all the money cannabis will bring to the economy next brings the last reason why cannabis should be legalized is because it will cause a decrease in crime rate. The drug war today has caused the U.S. prison population to be six to ten times as high as most Western European nations. In 2000, more than 734,000 people were arrested in the U.S. for marijuana-related offenses alone. Each person that is jailed for these offences uses tax payer's money to be incarcerated. There will be more room in jails and prisons which is something that is really needed due to the overflow of