One of the growing debates in the United States is the legalization of marijuana. States are debating on whether or not they should legalize cannabis for either recreational use or medical purpose Legalizing cannabis will benefit our economy and increase medical research, and is less harmful than legal drugs.
The government could tax marijuana like they do tobacco and alcohol, which will help out our economy. Many of the tax payers’ money goes towards housing marijuana convicted inmates. The prison and jail populations would decline if marijuana is legalized because many prisoners are there solely because of a marijuana conviction. In 2014, “the average cost per year to house an inmate in the Massachusetts DOC was $53,040.87.” (Massachusetts DOC) Tax payers’ money that comes from housing
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“Currently only 6% of studies on marijuana analyze its medicinal properties.” However, new laws will help researchers study cannabis medicinal uses and better understand its effect on the body. Cannabis stops cancer by turning off a gene called Id-1, which helps kill cancer cells. Also, it improves lung health based on a study which claimed that the drug “does not impair lung function and can even increase lung capacity.” In another study, researchers tested the lung function of 5,115 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung function over time, but marijuana users actually showed an increase in lung capacity. Marijuana isn’t as harmful as tobacco because it is not responsible for more than 480,000 deaths annually. Cannabis prevents epileptic seizures and treats severe seizure disorder like Dravet's Syndrome because the active chemical in pot is THC which relaxes the brain during episodes. The medical benefits of marijuana are that it prevents cancer from spreading, improves lung health, and treats people with severe seizure