A 2003 Zogby poll stated two of every five Americans are in agreement that the government should “treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol.” This same poll reported marijuana has been tried by 100 million Americans at least once (cited in Nadelmann, 2004, p. 125). Political, business, religious and other leaders are among the Americans guilty of marijuana use. This drastic figure of Americans who continue to try and use marijuana illegally could remain high if marijuana regulations and guidelines persist, therefore, marijuana should be legalized. The first reason marijuana should be legalized is the criminalization of this drug is costly and destructive. The negative effect of criminalization is evidenced by Ethan A. Nadelmann …show more content…
One way is the evidence that proves marijuana is less harmful than substances that are legal, such as alcohol. Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol to not only the consumer, but to society as well (Berman, 2015, p. 2). The harm alcohol could cause to an individual is evidenced by Gina Berman (2015), an emergency room physician. She included a report published in Scientific Reports that reviewed the mortality risk related to marijuana and discovered that the risk is “114 times less than that of alcohol, while there has never been a single confirmed marijuana overdose death in history.” In addition, Berman (2015) added alcohol has been proven to have devastating effects to an individual’s health. She continues with a study established by the Centers for Disease Control that discovered alcohol consumption attributes to more than 30,000 deaths annually in the United States (p. 2). The second way is the evidence that proves the effectiveness marijuana has in treating chronic conditions. The positive effects marijuana has an individual’s health is evidence in an article found in Congressional Digest. While the federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance, 21 states have passed laws permitting its use as a treatment for specific illnesses (cited in ?, 2014, p. 9). The article explains there are current FDA approved and prescribed THC-based drugs to alleviate symptoms, such as nausea and