Argumentative Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

In American society, the use of marijuana, whether it’s medical or recreational, is a highly discussed topic. There are arguments for and against both recreational and medical marijuana. Between the arguments of safety and practicality, the truth about this drug has gotten mixed around and changed. Although it is believed that marijuana would only negatively affect our society, the use should be federally legalized, at least medically, in all 50 states because it has a very low risk when it comes to an individuals health, would improve the economy, and aid medical advances.
Although marijuana comes with health risks, an appropriate amount is no worse than any legal drug. In fact, there has been no reported cases of anyone dying from a large dosage of marijuana only (Washington Post). This isn’t to say that consuming a large amount of marijuana, in any form, isn’t harmful at all. Although it can lead to chronic cough and respiratory infection, marijuana has no connection to lung cancer. It is less addictive

In places like California, three-fifths of the tax revenue from sales will be put towards anti-addiction programs and education on drug abuse. A fifth goes to cleaning up the environment that has been damaged due to illegal marijuana growth (The Economist). Oregon has paid out $85 million to education, police, public health, and local government (The Oregonian). Colorado’s market in total is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent from 2014 to 2020. Their annual tax revenue is already increasing by millions of dollars each year. Along with this, the the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics states that American taxpayers spend more than $1 billion a year incarcerating citizens for using pot. Jon Gettman, who has a Ph.D. in public policy at George Mason University, suggest that “$10.7 billion can be saved each year in annual criminal justice