Why we should legalize Pot

If you like to smoke marijuana, you might prefer the Marijuana America-- though you might not, since about fifty million other people will also be smoking it. (I would like a country in which I can drive without the bother of a license, but not one in which other people are also exempt from licensing.)
The economist's way of thinking is useful in this connection, though economists do not use it to the full. At the simplest level, an economist would say that Marijuana America is best, because more people are able to satisfy their desires. We do not ask whether someone is better off eating chocolate ice cream or vanilla. Rather, we give them the freedom to choose, and believe that they will choose what makes them happiest. Since happiness is good, we have thereby achieved a good outcome. I personally may prefer chocolate to vanilla, but I have no reason to force my choice on everyone else. Thus, if someone wants to spend his money on Marijuana instead of Mozart, we should let him.
Note, however, that this economic argument only addresses Question 1, not Question 2. The Economist might answer Question 2 by saying he is indifferent, personally, between Marijuana America and Mozart America. In that case, his answer has no implications for Question 1. But what if the Economist says he prefers not to have other people smoking marijuana? That *does* have implications for Question 1, because we now have an "externality", a "spillover". The very fact that some people object to other people smoking marijuana is a sign that they get unhappiness from people smoking it, so we can no longer apply so simply the argument that freely chosen marijuana use increases happiness. Smith's dopesmoking makes him happier, but it makes Jones unhappier, and we have to do some calculations to figure out the overall effect.
Or, it could be that the externality goes the opposite way: that you actually *prefer* other people to smoke marijuana. It might be, for example, that without marijuana, many people would substitute to committing crimes, not quite the example Sailer is thinking of when he urges kids to get off their couches, but an example nonetheless. Crime takes energy and initiative. The question is hard to answer, though, because in fact many people committing crimes purposely smoke marijuana or drink alcoholic beverages before they do it, to psych themselves up. So maybe marijuana use increases crime, rather than reducing it.
So if the Economist remembers the concept of Externalities, he won't be quite so quick to be libertarian. But there is a second economic concept that is even more fundamental: Poor Information. The basic economic argument is that people choose what makes them happier. That's perfectly reasonable when it comes to picking vanilla instead of chocolate ice cream. But should we accept without question that people who choose to smoke marijuana have chosen the best life for themselves?
I think not. We know that people make wrong choices all the time. They buy defective used cars, stock in phony companies, quack medicines, and crazy government policies. They choose to drive their cars too fast on slick roads to eat too much dessert, and to go to boring movies. Afterwards, once they've learned, people regret all these choices. They wish they hadn't made them, and presumably wish they hadn't been given the option to make the mistake. (Yes, I know some people say they wouldn't have done anything differently in their past lives, but I don't believe them. Do you really think they wouldn't rather have bought Microsoft stock in 1985 than whatever investment they did make?)
Many of these mistakes are predictable by other people at the time. So we regulate them. We make it illegal to make false claims about cars being sold and to sell phony stock, and to sell certain kinds of quack medicine. We do allow other quack medicines, and we do allow crazy government policies, but that is because we are worried about overregulation and slippery slopes, a separate consideration.
What about marijuana? Do we think that maybe the best use of a person's time is indeed to smoke dope? If not, then we should ban it. I don't think many old people would say, " One thing I regret in life is not spending enough time and money smoking dope." In fact, I would expect the opposite ( though a poll would be useful.
Let's add yet another variant to our questions: 3. If you had a thirty-year-old son who wanted to smoke marijuana daily, would you be pleased if he were given the legal right to do so?
I think most people would not want their son to smoke dope every day, even if he said it made him happier. And it's not the direct externality-- that he would telephone me less often or something like that. Rather, we want the best for our children, and we don't think smoking marijuana is the best use of their time. But if this is true for our children, why shouldn't it be true for people in general? It seems rather selfish to say that we don't want our own children to damage their lives but we don't care a bit about what anybody else does, and we certainly don't want to spend any of our tax money protecting them from their own actions.
An objection to this line of argument is that it proves too much. Shouldn't we also ban beer? Do any old men say, " One thing I regret in life is not spending enough time drinking beer." Well, yes. I think lots of people wish they had spent more time having fun and less time working. But what the beer-drinking old men would regret is not solitary drinking, but not spending time drinking beer with friends. Marijuana is often smoked in groups too, but it is an introverting intoxicant, not an extraverting one. From what I can tell of its use when legal (see this general history and this good history of use in India, Egypt, and Greece), it was purely an intoxicant or a medicine, not a way to promote good fellowship.
Well, beer has its uses, but how about eliminating mistaken choices of junk music, books, and movies? Should Britney Spears be banned? I am not averse to the idea in theory, but in practice it requires too many and repeated small policy decisions. We can't just ban junk music and appoint a commission, because we can't trust commissions. We could have a national debate and ban just Britney Spears after due deliberation, but what of the next junk musician? New bad music would keep arriving faster than we could debate it, and there's no simple rule we could put into law such as "No music in 4/4 time allowed." Such things as Marijuana and Alcohol are special enough and big enough that we *can* have national debates-- and did-- to decide whether to ban them, without fear that the next year would bring a new variety of the same evil.
And so we return to Question 1: Which America is better, one in which nobody smokes marijuana, or one in which fifty million people smoke marijuana? Please do answer it for yourself, before going on practical issues such as the cost of jailing dope dealers.

There are plenty of other reasons why marijuana should be legal. Just to name a few:

1. Medicinal use: Marijuana can be used as medicine because it helps to stimulate apetite and relieve nausea in cancer and AIDS patients.
2. Hemp: The hemp plant is a valuable natural resource. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate the confusion surrounding hemp and allow us to take advantage of hemp's agricultural and industrial uses.
3. Religious Use:Some religions instruct their followers to use marijuana. Just like Christianity and Judaism instruct their followers to drink wine on certain occaisions, some Hindus, Buddhists, Rastafarians, and members of other religions use marijuana as part of their spiritual and religious ceremonies. These people deserve the freedom to practice their religion as they see fit. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that the government cannot 'prohibit the free exercise' of religion, and so marijuana should be legal.

A new Gallup poll has found that more Americans than ever favor the legalization of marijuana for general use, while the number of people opposed to it is now at an all-time low. The findings come at a pivotal time when California is set to vote on legalization of the crop, and indicate a significant shift in public perception about the controversial plant.

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Gallup first began polling the public about marijuana, 12 percent or less of the population supported legalizing marijuana. That percentage gradually increased to 28 percent in 1978, followed by a short period of decline into the 1980s. Between the mid 1980s and about 2000, support increased only slightly until getting a major boost in the early 2000s.

Today, about 46 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana for general use, while fifty percent are opposed to it. Support for medicinal use only, however, has dropped slightly from 78 percent in 2005 to 70 percent today, even though support for general use is now at an all-time high.

"Liberal" people between the ages of 18 and 29 are the most supportive of legalizing marijuana while "conservative" Republicans are the least supportive. Men are more likely than women to support marijuana, and people living in Western states are more supportive of it than those living in Midwestern and Southern states.

                                           Marijuana  Medical  Uses

Marijuana is one of the most commonly abused drugs prepared from the plant Cannabis sativa (common name, cannabis). Though marijuana is often considered as an illicit drug in which the users tend to get addicted, it is also known for offering several health benefits. Medical researches have been done extensively on the dosage and administration of this drug. Marijuana used for the treatment of different medical conditions under the prescription of a qualified physician is referred to as medical marijuana. Traditionally, the use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes is evident from the cultures of various countries. In China, it has been used since 4000 years ago.

Medical Uses of Marijuana

The medicinally important compounds present in medical marijuana are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and β-caryophyllene. CBD, a neuroprotective antioxidant, accounts to about 40 percent of the plant extract. It can be effectively used for the treatment of inflammation, anxiety, nausea, convulsion, schizophrenia and cancer. Β-Caryophyllene, on the other hand, limits the inflammatory responses of the body. Popular methods of administering medical marijuana are smoking dried herbal form, inhalation therapy, herbal therapy, drinking plant extracts and administering dietary supplements as pills.

Marijuana and Chemotherapy
One of the unavoidable side effects of chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer is killing of healthy cells. Hence, following the chemotherapy treatments, the patient may experience various adverse effects like nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and loss of control over the body. Medical marijuana is an effective natural antiemetic, which helps in overcoming nausea, thus allowing the patient to enjoy meals. Medical marijuana is administered by smoking rather than taking orally.

Marijuana and Lung Cancer
THC, an active ingredient of marijuana, reduces the growth of cancerous cells in the lungs. As per studies conducted on medical marijuana smokers, it is opined that smoking marijuana does not increase the chances of developing lung cancer. Thus, many researchers suggest medical marijuana to be a potential herbal therapy for the treatment of lung cancer.

Marijuana and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system and spinal cord. Its symptoms include numbness, tingling, fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle spasms, difficulty in speaking, eye problems and depression. Till now, there are no effective treatments for multiple sclerosis. Conventional treatment options are temporary causing severe adverse effects. According to studies, medical marijuana is effective to manage the symptoms like muscle spasms and tremors. It helps in restoring eyesight, balance, speech and bladder movement.

Marijuana and Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a vision problem caused due to the damage of optic nerves. It can lead to permanent loss of eyesight (blindness). Conventional medications for glaucoma can lead to various side effects. A recent study on medical marijuana reveals the potential benefits in lowering the intraocular pressures without adverse effects. More clinical trials are required to prove the effectiveness of this drug in treating glaucom


                                     Another Reason Marijuana should be Legal


For many years marijuana, also known as cannabis, has been known as a very helpful plant worldwide. It has been used and cultivated in many cultures traceable back to 6000B.C. where the seeds were eaten as food in ancient China, but unfortunately, since 1937 cannabis was made federally illegal by the Marijuana Tax Act. Cannabis has many uses and should be legalized to be utilized to its full extent because it would be best for many to keep as many people out of imprisonment, legalization would cut back in organized crime profit, the plant can be widely used in medicinal areas, and furthermore, the sale of marijuana to the general public would lead to extreme profits which could help get America out of its current recession.
Obviously, this is a plant that should be taken seriously and looked at from an economic and futuristic view. Though it is a nearly harmless plant, it is still illegal. Every forty-five seconds a cannabis smoker is arrested (Legalization of Marijuana). Of those convicted, it is quickly filling up our jails and prisons. Over the years, close to 6 million people have been arrested because of cannabis related charges, and that is just too much. The average annual cost per inmate is normally “thirty to fifty thousand dollars”, (Reinhart), say only a small percentage is convicted, that is still hundreds of thousands of dollars, even a few million dollars, which is wasted over such a silly offence. On the flip side those people can be earning a living and contributing to our society even with their insignificant little habit. Also with marijuana legal, the lives and futures of America’s youth do not have to be jeopardized by going to jail and getting in trouble at school, especially when at least 20% of teens are involved in the usage of the cannabis plant (Witmer).
This commonly used plant has a bad reputation, mainly for myths about its use could lead to lung cancer, other diseases, and its conflicts within America’s youth. Contrary to this, marijuana has also acquired the reputation of being quite the miracle medicine when used properly. Medically, marijuana can be used in many ways. Its female plant produces the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that has many advantageous effects when heated. It has been tested and proven to help relieve “chronic-pain syndromes, cancer pain, multiple sclerosis, AIDS wasting syndrome and the nausea that accompanies chemotherapy” (Adams). This is incredible to have a natural medicine proven able to help so many without having to spend millions of dollars to alter its effects. It is also perceived to be safer than most other drugs. For example pills can be overdosed on, alcohol can lead to violence and disease, and a lot of chemically produced illegal drugs like cocaine and meth that can lead to life ruining addictions, all of which can kill its user, unlike marijuana, which is a safe little plant from the text books of Ancient China. Little do most people know, but when used amongst teenagers, it is a stress relieving agent and is seen as an anti-depressant, which also falls into a medicinal use category. When asked, an anonymous student of a local high school admits, “Smoking [marijuana] actually helps me chill out and keep my migraines away,” Another says, “If I put it in a vaporizer or make…brownies, it’ll last me a bit and it definitely helps with my depression and most of my sister’s issues…she’ll stop her spastic episodes and it chills her anxiety and OCD a bit too,”. So, as one can see, the true facts about marijuana come from its users that have experienced its true benefits. Also, a Dr. Donald Abrams is a medical marijuana prescribing doctor and “he sees cancer patients in pain, not eating or sleeping well, experiencing nausea and vomiting from treatment, and being depressed about their situation. He says he is glad that he lives in California, where use of medical marijuana is allowed by state law…” (Adams). This is a professional opinion given by a doctor that has evidently witnessed its beneficial effects among those who need it most. Certainly, this is a plant that should be used in the medical fields to help as many patients as possible.
By legalizing marijuana, America can actively decrease sales and profits within the Mob and terrorist organizations. The 1920’s National Prohibition Act expresses the restriction of alcohol, which led to violence, bootlegging, and a lot of Mafia and gang related crimes. Quite similar things are happening today since the prohibition of marijuana back in the 1930’s. Due to the fact that cannabis is not readily available to the general public, people either have to cultivate it themselves or look for other means of its distribution. Countless amounts of alcohol were circulated by the mob during the 13 years of liquor being illegal, now that’s happening with a lot of drugs including marijuana. For example, in Utah during 2006, two men where busted for growing over fifty four hundred cannabis plants for the Mexican Mafia, and they were believed to have been distributing their yields to American citizens (Cabrero). Also, foreign strains of marijuana are being sent from outside of the country and then cultivated and sold locally. A lot of these strains are known to be Afghani sativa breeds, and could be produced and distributed by terrorist unions. By not legalizing marijuana, the American government is basically allowing this to happen. By not legalizing marijuana, America is supplying the terrorist with money. By not legalizing marijuana, we let the terrorist win.
Due to the fact that this THC producing plant cannot be easily obtained at a local store, some have started to support their own habits and others by cultivating and selling it to others. The average plant yields 40 grams. At $20 dollars per gram with 5 plants, the average person doing this could possibly gain around $4000 a month with a large supply of consumers and the proper growing rotations. Calculations show if marijuana was produced and legally sold in America, it could bring close $520 billion in profits to its distributers. Billions of dollars could most definitely be put to good uses in government with health care, scientific research, and more importantly the current recession. One could just say with over 90 million adult users and the 14.6 million (Kids and Marijuana) out there, with decent prices, selling marijuana daily to the average Joe, who has at least a 20-35% chance of smoking cannabis (Aki), there is a pretty nice amount of cash that could be made. Now, how on Earth could the American government get its hands on that kind of money while helping its people and striding out of debt? For the good of America, cannabis should be legalized especially for production and distribution.
Ultimately, as one can see the good aspects of the plant obliterate any sort of misconception gained from hear-say about it. The cannabis plant should most diffidently be legalized for the safety of our citizens, medicinal use, the downfall of terrorist, and America’s economic benefit. There is no legitimate reason for its prohibition that cannot be outweighed by one of the greater aspects of its use and as Americans we should embrace its advantages as soon as possible.