Bryan Antolin Prof. Null English 1A 28 September 2016 Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana needs to be legalized because as a society we could lower drug trade, lower crime rates, and marijuana can be a healthier/safer alternative; rather than alcohol and cigarettes (which are both legal). Alcohol is legal, yet it has caused much more deaths than marijuana, actually marijuana has not been the cause if any deaths; but is still illegal. Alcohol is linked to many deaths yearly, and is much more than the zero that have been linked to marijuana. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths are attributed to the health effects of alcohol use, including hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths.” …show more content…
There is plenty of Mexican drug cartels growing and selling marijuana in the United States. “In Pike County, Ohio in 2010 an estimated 22,000-plant crop was found about 4 miles into the woods. Two years later, an additional 1,200 plants were found on the other side of the county.” (Ison pg.3) It is nothing new that Mexican cartels have been heavily influenced in the United States since it has always spread. Following the legalization of marijuana in the couple of states of Colorado, Washington, and Oregon seemed to have an impact on illegal drug trade. According to Grillo, the U.S. Border Patrol have been seizing much smaller quantities of marijuana from 2.5 million pounds in 2011 to 1.9 million pounds in 2014. This decrease has been said to have little to do with law enforcement cracking down more and a lot to do with the legalization in a couple of states. When creating a legal market for marijuana plenty of the people selling on the streets would take a huge hit, because many people would resort to buying it the legal way. “Many people have turned to buying their marijuana in a tax-paying business rather than buying it off the black market.” (Grillo para.