Legalizing Marijuana "The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) estimates that the government's war on pot smokers [alone] costs taxpayers $9.2 billion annually" (Feder, Murdock, "Symposium"). Possession of marijuana was made a crime within the United States in 1937 when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. Besides this law the drug has been commonly used among US citizens. Washington DC, in recent years, ... is grim, man, get weed."" After being in remission for nine years, Shapiro said "the marijuana helped him stay functional despite the notoriously-debilitating chemotherapy" (Sealy, "Thanks Mo...

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... be a limit on how much marijuana a single person could have concealed on him/her at one time. If marijuana were legalized the government could then heavily tax the sale of marijuana and use the extra money to improve drug rehabilitation programs for people who have uncontrollable drug problems ... smuggling marijuana from other countries, and fewer people will be killed in the illegal trade of marijuana that continues to proceed under the law enforcement of our government. The drug lords that import marijuana in large quantities and sell it to make a tremendous profit will be put out of ...

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... be a limit on how much marijuana a single person could have concealed on him/her at one time. If marijuana were legalized the government could then heavily tax the sale of marijuana and use the extra money to improve drug rehabilitation programs for people who have uncontrollable drug problems ... smuggling marijuana from other countries, and fewer people will be killed in the illegal trade of marijuana that continues to proceed under the law enforcement of our government. The drug lords that import marijuana in large quantities and sell it to make a tremendous profit will be put out of ...

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... to slowly diminish their habit, and their lives slowly worsen. The government has tried for years to battle this enormous problem. Attempts at winning this war on drugs have had little success. Law enforcement has little effect, and it alone cannot defeat the giant problems ... drug legalization would reduce the amount of money needed to spend on law enforcement. The U.S. government spent $1.5 billion on drug enforcement last year ("Drug Enforcement Statistics"). This money could be spent on other important government programs. In addition to lowering enforcement costs, legalizing drugs...

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... illegally. People were also making there own booze cheaply and had dire health consequences were a result. People would sell aftershave or rubbing alcohol passing it off as liquor. Our government realized that there laws were doing more harm than good. The 21st amendment repealed prohibition and alcohol taxes were increased. The same thing should happen with drugs. Marijuana should be ... controls it better than waging war. Because with war, there are always casualties The most important gain would be in the quality of government. The sorts of temptations and opportunities that lead to c...

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... for the war on drugs was to show individuals taking part in this illegal activity that their participation would cause serious consequences. The government has taken drastic measures to keep drugs out of our nations streets, from attacking the frontline in The Columbian drug fields, to making ... action. The Government wanted to do whatever it took to rid its streets from drugs and crime, which in time the War on Drugs was created. Nixon launched programs with efforts to crackdown on illegal drug use. He created the Office of Drug Abuse and Law Enforcement (ODALE ... Prisons, total sen...

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... help. Nowadays, some people are abusing the system and using welfare as a permanent crutch. Some states in America have already passed some kind of law that there is to be a drug test in order for them to receive a certain kind of welfare benefits such as TANF, and food stamps. ... that you need probable cause to search a person, and drug testing is considered a type of search for lawful reasons. Florida, was a state that passed the law and then was later dismissed by a federal judge. There was a U.S. Navy veteran that refused to take the test in Florida; for his actions, he was ... den...

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... forfeit of property to the growing list of consequences of drug use and possession. Since this Act, even higher punishment has been implemented. The government has demonstrated incredible hypocrisy on the issue; federally overruling State laws that allow medical use of marijuana. Today, sixty percent of federal prisoners ... year. When added to the costs of welfare for the families of offenders, foster care for children of offenders, court costs, attorney fees, and law enforcement budgets, over $30 billion is spent on the War on Drugs every year. That's a lot of money to spend, especiall...

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... writer, Julian Beltrame, makes a good analogy in her article, Reefer Madness: The Sequel: "The chief rationale for defending the cannabis law is protecting youth. But by ensuring the only supply for marijuana is from the same people who also sell crack cocaine and heroin, the ... law is actually making it more likely they will get access to harder, seriously harmful drugs. The analogy with booze in contemporary ... if legalized, ill people who have never tried marijuana, may now be asked by a physician to use marijuana, and may discover it helpful. The Canadian government spends billio...

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... grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn't the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit... unnatural?" Bill Hicks, a writer for the online magazine 420TIMES.com, gave this statement in an article ... medical profession for treating spastic conditions, headaches, labor pains, insomnia, and menstrual cramps. In December of 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was signed into law initiating years of marijuana prohibition. The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there are not very many legitimate reasons that marijuana ... should be illegal. Individuals w...

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... would increase the amount of use, Marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amount of money spent on the related law enforcement and there are many benefits to be considered especially in pain reduction for the terminally ill. Legalizing marijuana would increase our country's ... would come out into the open. Another significant gain would be the quality of government. The sort of temptation and opportunities that lead to corruption would be minimized. The illogical pattern of the law enforcement which now treats marijuana as more dangerous than alcohol would end. I...

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... life. The solution to Marijuana Illegalization is Simple: The U.S. Should first allow Marijuana to be used for medical purposes. As the government sees that it begins to work, congress should pass a law making the commercial sell and distribution of Marijuana legal. The government would then place F.D.A. regulations on Marijuana, therefore prohibiting the inclusion of toxins, and other drugs in the plant. Then, just ... as it does with its other goods, the government could heavily tax Marijuana, increasing our country's revenue. These solutions would have almost immediate ... ...

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... encourage a much higher usage leading to more deaths and a greater rehabilitation cost to society. There would be greater demands for medical services and rehabilitation clinics provided by the government at taxpayer expense. The counter to the opponents view is that legalization is not encourage or condoning the use of drugs and that a transition to legalization should be accompanied ... definitely don't wont to loose their massive profit's arising from illegal drug dealings. "Continuing the 3 war on drugs on the grounds that it destroys neighborhoods, enriches organized crime, corrupt...

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... treating it like other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, the nation would gain immediate and long-term benefits. This change in the law would greatly improve the quality of life for many people. Victims of glaucoma and those needing antinausea treatment, for example, would find ... return, the companies that make the cigarettes would also pay income taxes.. Second, there would be a reduction on the amount spent on law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of marijuana. The drug enforcement authorities might reduce their budget requests, or, more likely, ... d...

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... treating it like other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, the nation would gain immediate and long-term benefits. This change in the law would greatly improve the quality of life for many people. Victims of glaucoma and those needing antinausea treatment, for example, would find ... return, the companies that make the cigarettes would also pay income taxes.. Second, there would be a reduction on the amount spent on law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of marijuana. The drug enforcement authorities might reduce their budget requests, or, more likely, ... d...

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... treating it like other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, the nation would gain immediate and long-term benefits. This change in the law would greatly improve the quality of life for many people. Victims of glaucoma and those needing antinausea treatment, for example, would find ... return, the companies that make the cigarettes would also pay income taxes.. Second, there would be a reduction on the amount spent on law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of marijuana. The drug enforcement authorities might reduce their budget requests, or, more likely, ... d...

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... states include: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, and Colorado. However, "the Supreme Court rules there is no exception in Federal law for people to us it." (McKenzie). Marijuana has a wide variety of therapeutic uses, and is helpful in treating these following conditions: Aids: reduces vomiting ... more effective than many of the pharmaceuticals. This shows not only how marijuana is not only harmless, but is also more effective. The law against marijuana is causing millions of patients to suffer from needless pain, slowly waste away because they can't eat, a...

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... absolutely no impact on the drugs issue itself. The war on drugs is a great miss-conception and a failure. The only successful thing the government has accomplished over the last decade was wasting tax money, and filling up the already crowded prison system. Information from the Office of National Drug ... funding for the war on drugs increased from $1.65 billion in 1982 to $17.7 billion in 1999. Despite all efforts made by the government the usage of drugs has continued to increase. Statistic from the Office of National Drug Control Policy show that in 1999 more than half of ... thos...

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... of drugs into the U.S. is costly and has no end in sight. Though several small areas throughout the country have reformed their drug laws, the federal government seems pretty set on its drug policies. It seems like this is a battle that neither side will ever win. Since the decision to make certain ... of drugs. Many others believe that treatment and education to reduce the demand for drugs is the right path to take. It seems that most government officials who have addressed the drug problem want to come off as coming down hard on drug users and not tolerating that kind of person in .....

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... , well that statement is not true. Many wealthy men in large corporations smoke marijuana. This is not a problem we should be worrying about. There are many more important things our government could be focusing on other than prosecuting every person that has ten dollars worth of marijuana in their pocket. Year after year marijuana is imported into America from Canada, Mexico ... suicides each year due to the drug nicotine. These drugs have been legal ever since this great country has been here. When the government presented prohibition to the American people they went crazy and began fi...

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... legalizing marijuana would increase amount of use, marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amount of money spent on law enforcement and will also be useful in treating certain medical conditions. The marijuana plant is also a valuable natural resource. This change in the ... to safer yet illegal. Last, all prohibition has done is increased crime and cost the American taxpayers millions of dollars. The government spends 15 billion dollars on a war that they are losing. The legalization of marijuana will allow for money spent on drug ... law enforcement to be spent...

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... long standing history as a cash crop gave way to its new image as the "Devil's Weed." In 1930, the government founded the Federal Bureau of Narcotics who started a misinformation campaign against marijuana citing reports of insanity and violence known as "reefer madness." Because ... currently bills in Congress to allow physicians to legally recommend or prescribe marijuana to patients where state law permits. In fact, the United States Supreme Court upheld a ruling this week that the federal government may not revoke the licenses of doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients. A m...

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... and has introduced a bill to the US Supreme Court that would legalize medical marijuana. The bill is based on a law enacted by Hawaii's legislature in 2000 allowing patients to grow, possess and use medical marijuana with physician approval. One option the government has is legalizing marijuana for medical use. A lot of people have their facts wrong about marijuana. They usually place this ... be no doubt in anyone's mind that marijuana should be legal. Who are the people pushing for the legalization of marijuana? A group of potheads? Most people don't realize that some government offic...

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... Right now, the use of marijuana for medical purposes is only legal in California. In 1996, voters in California approved a law that eases regulations on medical marijuana. The federal government cannot take action against California doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients. Supposedly, many people have benefited greatly from this bend in ... the rules. Legalizing the use of marijuana could also have many economical benefits. The government seems to be always looking for new ways to tax people. Instead of spending all the money they spend on arresting people in possession of ......

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... Technically, the experiment was a success, overall crime lowered, accidents too, but because most people went to illegal measures to obtain alcohol regardless of the law, it had to be repealed. Although the prohibitions of drugs still stand, these laws are not necessarily obeyed by the citizens of the United States, ... old religions and customs were, and they started new ways of thinking. This new way of thinking made people much less obedient to the law. Most people did not care about the prohibition of alcohol. They just went on drinking and selling as they did before the prohibition...

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