Legalization Of Marijuana Argumentative Analysis

The use of marijuana in the United States has been widely discussed and debated throughout the years if it should be legalized. Some states, such as Colorado, have benefited tremendously through the act of legalizing marijuana, either through recreational or medical purposes of the drug. Some studies even show the dropping of crime rates, and drug affiliated gangs in the state of Colorado has considerably gone down. As a society, many young adults throughout the nation are taught through their parents and schools that those drugs are bad, and they are dangerous for their health and safety. Surprisingly, many scientists and other lab experts are opening up to the idea that marijuana can actually be used to offset and improve some symptoms, but

This proves that the legalization of marijuana, like some are led to believe, will not increase the amount of crime or gang related incidents within an area. The results of less crime were seen in less than three months of legalization, which made some people praise the legalization of cannabis in their neighborhood. Studies between the year of 2013-2014 show that the crime within the city of Denver was at an all-time low of 14.6% in the area due to the legalization of cannabis of Colorado, “It’s all kinds of crime that has decreased, and not even all dispensaries were able to be up and running in Denver since January 1st due to regulatory hurdles and licensing issues still being sorted out. Property crime is down 14.6%. Violent crime is down 2.4%” (Sarich). Also brings the freeing up of law enforcement resources to deal with much more serious crimes, rather than petty marijuana bust in illegalized areas of the United States. Thus showing how the widespread legalization of marijuana would greatly benefit the United States and its individual citizens as a whole. By creating a safer much habitable living conditions due to fewer crimes and other disturbances due to the legalization of

Furthermore drug laws within the United States for marijuana are leaving many people being issued harsh jail sentences, due to marijuana charges against them. Even though some states, such as North Carolina decriminalize marijuana, numerous amounts of states are treating their citizens with cruel and usual punishments just by having a small possession on them at a given time. During the years of 2001 and 2010 8.2 million people were arrested due to marijuana type drug charges, and out of that group of 88% were based on just having a little bit of marijuana on them at the time. By legalizing cannabis in the United States it would free the already overcrowded prisons in the country, due to the harsh minimum sentence laws placed on them. An instance of these harsh minimum sentence laws is with the case of Joe Pinson, who was sentence to a mandatory 5-year sentence in jail because he cultivated and possessed marijuana, “Joe Pinson, convicted in 1993 of marijuana cultivation and possession - his first offense - and sentenced to a mandatory five-year jail term, despite the fact that he grew the marijuana because it helped treat his debilitating asthma symptoms” (Goddard). Just proving how so much of the resources and space of prisons are being filled and used up by just small time marijuana users who were caught with barely anything. Also having a family member sent to jail for the first time due to marijuana would greatly devastate a family household, and disrupt the stability