Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 1788 Words

The use of marijuana has been around since B.C. times and was banned by the US government in Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. However, the debate over the legalization of cannabis sativa, known as marijuana, has been one of the most prominent and controversial issue in society today besides same sex marriage. Over the centuries, a shift in opinion in the favor of legalization has been seen. There are five jurisdictions in the United State that have rejected the failed prohibition of marijuana and changed their laws to legalize small amount of marijuana: Washington, Colorado, Alaska, Washington, D.C., and Oregon. Recently, Representative David Simpson (R-Longview) filled a bill to legalize marijuana in Texas. Cannabis is the largest cash crop in†¦show more content†¦According to Texas sheriff Gary Middleton â€Å"If you make it legal and available it s naturally, certainly going to increase use and anything that increases use of marijuana or any type of drug is going to make our j ob harder†¦. People that are using marijuana get in more disturbances, more fights, and more trouble across the board it’s not a good thing† (Middleton qtd. Tyler Morning Telegraph).The use of marijuana doesn’t not cause disturbances and there is no evidence that it does. Pauline Reilly states â€Å"the fact that in the 1940s two reports were published in America which showed that marijuana did not cause violent behavior, provoke insanity, lead to addiction, or promote opiate usage†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Reilly 37). Parents are also concerned that making marijuana legal will make it more accessible to the youth. Currently with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington the government regulates every aspect. It is regulated like alcohol and restricted to consumers 21 and older, Colorado has dozens of shops which residents can consume one ounce of recreational marijuana, and visitors  ¼ of an ounce. Therefore there is no way youth meaning people under 21 can consume marijuana legally. Although, there are many reasons to oppose legalizing marijuana it will help more than hurt. Laura Sanders the author of â€Å"High Times† does not entirely agree with my position but she clearly states marijuana is not harmful compared to other drugs. According to Sanders â€Å"though the research