Legalizing Marijuana
Compared to all industries in the United States, there is no industry growing at a more consistent and faster rate than legal marijuana industry. Notably, this growth will be instrumental in attracting investment dollars in the marijuana industry. At the moment, marijuana is being prescribed and used as medicine in many states, among them California and Colorado. The United States’ Congress classified marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act in 1970. From that time, 29 states have now legalized the medical use of marijuana. California approved Proposition 215 in 1996, which was the first legislation legalizing marijuana for medical use (Martin par. 1). However, the use of marijuana still remains controversial in the U.S. because it is still categorized as Class I controlled substance. This makes the drug to be illegal as per the federal government. All drugs categorized as a Class I substance have a high abuse potential, lack acceptable safety, and have no accepted medical use. Irrespective of this fact, more than half of the states have approved the prescription of marijuana for medical use. Therefore, marijuana should be legalized in the United States. This is because; the drug helps improve the quality of life, it will create a new source of jobs and revenue, it is better compared to other legal drugs, and a majority of people support its legalization.
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According to a study done by the American Public Health Association, from the time Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, there has been a 6.5 percent decline in the percentage of opioid-related deaths (Melissa par. 2). This decline has halted many year trends of increase in the cases of opioid-related deaths in Colorado. Additionally, the study also suggests that marijuana may be used as substitute pain-fighting opioids. The drug is much safer compared to