Texas
should legalize marijuana. It should not have it prohibited, the state will benefit
from it. This issue has been going on for many years and still to this day
there hasn’t been a solution to it. Every time the word marijuana is mention
often it comes with a negative connotation. When Colorado and Washington took
the action of legalizing marijuana it caused up some stir. Texas has always
been strongly against the legalization of marijuana for years. Majority of
Americans fully supports the legalization of marijuana. That even some states
have reduced the federal penalties for marijuana.
For
one prohibition has enormous social costs. The police spent thousands of hours arresting
and imprisoning marijuana smokers. Many of the arrestees end up spending a
decade in prison, for nothing more than having possession of it. According to
F.B.I figures there were 400,000 more arrests for marijuana possession than cocaine
and other drugs combined. Every year, enforcing the laws on this issue cats
billions of dollars and it keeps increasing. Some police officers say that these
arrest take up so much of their time, that instead of having to spending hours
just booking a person for possession they could be out there dealing with come
other serious cases. Not only does them going to jail affect a person but the
arrests stay on their records. Which it ends up causing that person problems when
later in the future they want to apply for a job, get a house or even take out
a loan. A marijuana arrest can seriously have some major consequences for a
person.
Second
marijuana has permissible medical effects. Since marijuana has always been considered
a bad drug and harmful, it’s hard for people to accept it for medical uses.
Marijuana has already been used for nausea from chemotherapy and pains from
AIDS and it has shown to alleviate. Although many states have already started
using marijuana for medical uses it’s very hard to obtain it. If the medicals
can get their hands on marijuana without having any problems, they can continue
to test it out and work on medicines for many diseases and sicknesses. That way
millions of people can benefit from it and they can finally stop suffering and
feeling pain.
Third
just because they legalize marijuana doesn’t mean that it will lead to increase
use. If we are able to keep alcohol away from minors and cigarettes use, there
is a way to control this illegal substance. The government can come up with
ways to keep in control the use and who can access this substance. For example,
in California they set the age limit to 21 in order for a person to get their
hands and purchase marijuana. California is taking some action to this issue
even after they have legalized it in their state they are setting some control
towards this substance.
Lastly
marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. The New York Times states
that marijuana is no that harmful, “Casual use by adults poses little or no risk for
healthy people. Its effects are mostly euphoric and mild, whereas alcohol turns
some drinkers into barroom brawlers, domestic abusers or maniacs behind the
wheel.” It’s been said that this substance is less addictive. Marijuana to this
point has not been linked to any serious disease, the way alcohol and tobacco
have. When a person smokes cigarettes for a long period of time they can experience
some of the following symptoms such as bronchitis, wheezing and coughing. And when
a person smokes marijuana they don’t experience those symptoms but instead
their heart rate increases and the volume of blood pumped to their heart, but
they don’t experience any serious risks.
