It is commonly believed that success lies in simplicity. But when one thinks of the American government, “simple” is not characteristic. Similarly, the debate about the legalization of marijuana seems simple, but it brings two of the three most valued American ideals into head-on collision- freedom and virtue- and is therefore quite complicated. The black and white answers come with problems that are unacceptable. Therefore, the alternative is to add a third option, one that lies in the grey area. The government should legalize marijuana while making it extremely clear that they do not support the use of marijuana. This seems like an unrealistic paradox, but it is the only way both values are compromised. The government should legalize marijuana for many reasons. With the legalization of marijuana, drug dealers go out of business and the government saves money fighting those that no longer have a cause to fight for. They should also legalize marijuana because partakers would lose the rebellious satisfaction of doing illegal activity. In addition, the government would make millions on tax revenue. Lastly, legalizing marijuana acts in accordance with the declaration of independence: it allows …show more content…
For example, using marijuana would increase the chances of drunk driving. Marijuana has also been shown to have detrimental effects on the human body manifested in ways such as anxiety, depression, and forgetfulness. In addition, legalization means that more children and youth would have access to the drug. The underlying issue behind this serious problem is this: if the government legalized marijuana, Americans would assume that the government also supported the use of marijuana. Therefore, in order to legalize marijuana, the government would need to find a way to show that it didn’t support the use of marijuana. In other words, America would need to balance both freedom and virtue in one