Answer

The Legalization of Marijuana

            The economic, social, and legal history of marijuana in the US is quite complex. Given that marijuana is among the most commonly used drugs in the country, its popularity is growing, especially among college students and the youths in general (Hammond 1). Research in the field of medicine has continued to dispel the negative perception regarding the use of marijuana, with some states legalizing it for both medicinal and recreational use. This paper argues that marijuana should be legalized for both medicinal and recreational use since this decimalization of the drug will promote economic development as billions of dollars will be pumped into the economy through taxation, free up cells, reduce cruel and racially discriminative enforcement rules.

            Marijuana should be legalized since this will create billions for the economy through revenues collected from taxation. For one, the illegalization of marijuana only limits the free sale of the drug in the country, it does not stop it. This is quite clear as it has been widely indicated by the high number of arrests made on grounds of being found in possession of the drug. Legalizing the drug will ensure that such underground businesses are brought to light and that they can be taxed for revenues. Furthermore, marijuana could be exported to other countries overseas, which will generate the country more export fees and revenues. This is warranted by the wide use of the drug worldwide. This indicates that the revenue that could be collected from these businesses are insurmountable, and could be pumped to different sectors of the economy (Asryan 17). For this reason, legalization of marijuana could help boost economic growth as billions of dollars will be made in revenue from both local and international exportation of the same.

            In addition, legalization of marijuana will reduce arbitrary arrests and thus save on the scarce police resources by freeing up cells. Since the illegalization of marijuana in the US, many people have been apprehended and sent to serve jail terms when found in possession of the drug. Despite the recreational use of the drug, many individuals still associate the drug with illegal and violent acts, making the apprehended individuals be treated as criminals. Since most individuals who were caught in possession of the drug were never actually caught committing any other crime other than the possession of the illegal drug, they end up serving jail terms with other serious law offenders. Sometimes, since their number can be very high, they end up filling cells and jails, requiring more such resources. For this reason, legalizing the drug will ease the sale of the same drug and help to reduce the resources used to seek and apprehend those found in possession of the drug. This would essentially help to reduce the number of individuals in the cells and thus free up cells.

            Furthermore, legalization of marijuana could also aid in the reduction of cruel and racially discriminative enforcement rules in the country. Systemic racism, which has been a part of the country since its foundation, is well fueled by the discriminatory ideologies and regarding the use and sale of marijuana. Many people associate certain races with the use of this drug, which causes discrimination and scrutiny against them by the police. If the drug is legalized, there would not arise a need for such racial discriminative stereotypes and thus reduce the same by far.

            However, while the nation could arguably reap the benefits discussed above, opponent of legalization of marijuana argues that making the drug legal would make its use among the youth skyrocket and impact dangerously on the society. Sue to the addictive nature of the drug, many individuals who get addicted to it tend to get into criminal activities as they desperately look for means to satisfy their need for the drug. This ends up leading to high crime rates and poor state of the potential working citizens of the nation.

            In conclusion, it is clear that the fate of marijuana has been under debate for quite sometimes. With many states legalizing the drug, many have wondered whether it should be legalized in the whole country. This paper has argued that legalization of the drug would help increase revenues, free up cells, and reduce cruel and racially discriminative enforcement rules. On the other hand, those who oppose legalization of the drug argue that it could lead to increase in crime rates while degrading the country’s youth and working population. Despite all these, the pros outweigh the cons by far. This insinuates that the legalization of the drug will not only push the country forward, but will also aid in the growth and development of the American society at large.