When you write about a topic like the legalization of marijuana, you've got to be prepared to be bombarded with opinions. This is a subject about which almost nobody is luke-warm; people tend to be either passionately against the legalization of this drug, or passionately for it. The truth is, there are great arguments on both sides of the line. On the one hand you hear about the dangers of this and any drug; on the other, you hear about its mildness when compared to the world's most popular legal drug, alcohol.
What side of the line do you fall on? Below, you'll find an overview of six of the major --and most logical-- arguments used by those in favor legalizing marijuana.
1. It would help the world go green.
That is, it would help the world go green in the environmental sense. According to those who support the legalization of marijuana, legalizing the plant would help to streamline the use of hemp crops for agriculture and for biofuels. As it is now, strict marijuana laws make it difficult for hemp farmers (and hemp is not the same as marijuana) to develop and use it as a crop.
Simplifying the process of planting and using hemp agriculturally has already been done in Canada and in most of Europe. But in the United States, for instance, the legal status of the marijuana plant creates a lot of regulatory troubles for farmers. If hemp is able to be used more widely agriculturally, hemp-based biofuels may become a popular and effective substitute for oil; and without hiking up the prices of food-based crops for biofuel, as happens with corn or soy.
2. It would reduce overall drug use.
Allowing people to smoke marijuana would reduce the amount of overall drug use? Sounds a little counter-logical, doesn't it? But marijuana advocates insist that legalizing marijuana will, in the end, reduce the use of illegal drugs, especially in teenagers. How? The fact that marijuana is illegal exposes teenagers to a whole underworld of illegal drugs; they will often have their first contact with other, much more dangerous illegal drugs through the person who sells them their marijuana. Legalizing pot would also stop teenagers from trying to make easy money --and start on a not-so-productive path-- by selling marijuana to one another.
3. It would reduce drug-related crime.
Because marijuana is illegal in most countries, producing it for and smuggling it into a country --especially a huge country like the U.S.-- is incredibly profitable for foreign drug cartels. This money gets fed into powerful and dangerous groups of criminals, helping to fund violence in countries like Mexico and Paraguay (the world's largest pot producers). This also diverts money from productive domestic projects, feeding it overseas rather than maintaining it inside the local economy.
4. Smoking pot is safer than drinking.
There's a reason why options to market yourself as a "drinker" or "non-drinker" are offered on all internet dating websites. Drinking is a dangerous and controversial drug-- one which kills thousands of people. According to the supporters of legalizing marijuana, the drug is far less addictive than nicotine or alcohol, and far safer as well. It's incredibly difficult to overdose on marijuana, and the smoke itself is non-toxic. Which begs the question: if pot is so much safer than a drug you can buy for ten bucks in just about any shop, why is it illegal at all?
5. It should never been illegalized in the first place.
This is a major argument that tends to get both pro- and anti- marijuana groups to go for the throat. According to supporters of the legalization of marijuana, the drug's prohibition is based on lies, misinformation, and prejudices. They believe that the hazards of smoking pot have been hugely exaggerated for decades, and were based upon ignorance to begin with. Until the 80s, nobody understood how or why pot affected the brain the way it does. But since science has discovered the truth of this process, marijuana supporters say, it has found nothing to support those old fears and prejudices. In fact, supporters say, adults can smoke modest amounts of marijuana for decades without any harmful side effects.
6. It would make money rather than cost money.
This is probably the biggest and most important argument that supporters of legalized marijuana use. As it stands, enforcing the laws against marijuana --in the U.S. alone three-quarters of a million people are arrested annually for possession-- costs the government incredible amounts of money. It uses up resources, takes up space in prisons, and keeps police officers from preventing violent crime.
On the other hand, if marijuana were legalized, it would become a taxable drug like tobacco or cigarettes. Instead of wasting money trying to prosecute marijuana users, supporters say, governments could make money on the drug's sales, and put that money to good use in the community. And during an economic period where libraries are being closed and funds are drying up, that's no small benefit.
No matter what side of the line you happen to fall on, you've got to admit that the arguments for and against marijuana usage are fascinating ones. Everybody has their reasons to believe as they do; and it seems impossible for both sides to come to a consensus. How do you feel about the legalization of marijuana? Here I focused on only one side of the story... but I would love to hear from both. This is a fascinating argument, so please comment below to give me your side of the story.
