Marijuana has been the source of copious amounts of controversies in the political realm of America. Through its progression from being a medicinal plant to becoming a symbol of crime and youthful rebellion, marijuana is now being legalized in a number of states across America. This raises red flags for the many Americans who grew up in the Nixon and, especially, Reagan era. Nixon’s declaration of ‘The War on Drugs’ in 1971 instilled fear of drugs in the minds of Americans. When Reagan took office, laws that he implemented resulted in colossally increased rates of incarceration. Seeing as it is the duty of the government to protect its citizens from harmful substances, it seems to be good practice that drugs like marijuana were made illegal. …show more content…
This drug ruins people’s lives! The Drug Policy Administrations even states that there are over “700,000 arrests each year” on the basis of marijuana violations. Anyone can go online and find that there are copious amounts of scientific evidence repeatedly showing how harmful this drug is, and how its use does nothing but get people high and degrade cognitive functions…right? Not only has marijuana been proven to have a number of positive medicinal properties, it has been proven to be over 110 times less deadly than alcohol (Lachenmeir and Rehm). As marijuana continues to be studied, more and more evidence is coming to light that marijuana should not only be decriminalized, it should be legalized. As the movement towards the legalization of marijuana gains traction, many people are bringing up their concerns about the effects legalization will have on society. As concerns are brought up, studies will be sure to follow. Although there is still controversy, Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because there is no basis on which to criminalize it, marijuana has numerous health benefits, and legalizing will lower crime rates as well as boost the