Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs throughout the United States with roughly around 22.2 million users. Only 8 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use and a handful of states have legalized medical use of the drug. The research that has been conducted proves that legalization of marijuana may lead to a more rich and flourishing economy, fewer people being locked up in confinement, Better access to a safe and effective medicine and a more robust functioning society. Today , marijuana is one of the most controversial topics with about 40% of adults and politicians still not comfortable with the concept of marijuana being legal for recreational and medicinal use.
Marijuana has medicinal properties that greatly
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In 2016 there where 1,572,579 arrests in the united states for marijuana possession and other related violations (NIDA). Many of those who are locked up are younger adults and students who have just began to start their lives. Jail time for these young people have led to the loss of scholarships, families breaking apart, and potential of being involved in more crime after being released. Around 200,000 students have lost federal financial aid eligibility because of a drug conviction. Legalization of marijuana would mean that the states would decriminalize certain amounts of marijuana that a person could have on them so that people would stay out of jail for unnecessary purposes. Currently, people who are serving jail time for possession are costing the american courts just roughly around 7.5 billion to 10 billion dollars prosecuting individuals yearly. In cities like Atlanta Ga, Senators have proposed a law that decriminalizes posesion up to one ounce, which in return has proven to be beneficial to the city as well as the individuals .If marijuana was decriminalized, that would mean that less people would be put into jail, and our law enforcement resources would be able to deal with more serious crimes that is putting the public at