The debate over legalizing marijuana

For decades there has been an on going debate in the United States (U.S.) about whether marijuana should be legalized or remain labeled as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). With the current status of our economy, the U.S. should consider the legalization of marijuana both medicinally and recreationally to help eradicate the national debt and create economic prosperity.

First of all, in accordance with the Controlled Substances Act, marijuana should be considered a Schedule II drug and should already be legal for medicinal purposes.[1] It states on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Web site that “As of April 2006, the eleven states that have decriminalized certain marijuana use are Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. In addition, Maryland has enacted legislation that recognizes a "medical marijuana" defense.” (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) This in itself should deem marijuana as a Schedule II drug and not in its current Schedule I drug class. Many would agree that it’s only a matter of time before this happens.

According to the Drug Schedule listing on the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Web site, “Tobacco, beer, wine, and spirits are explicitly exempt from the Controlled Substances Act. Some have argued that this is an important omission, since alcohol and tobacco are the two most widely used drugs in the United States. Caffeine is also not on the list.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) These exempt drugs create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue both locally and nationally. Not to mention how they conveniently create billions in Federal tax dollars.

Let’s focus on tobacco alone for a moment since marijuana can be harvested in much the same way as tobacco. According to Mike Charbonneau on WRAL.com “Along with being the country's top producer of tobacco, North Carolina is the leading exporter of tobacco among U.S. states, shipping out $292 million worth of the leaf in 2005, the most recent year for which the state agriculture department has statistics. North Carolina accounts for 38 percent of U.S. tobacco exports and 70 percent of the crop grown domestically.” (Charbonneau) Think about that, $292 million in one year from a single state producing only 38 percent of U.S. tobacco exports and 70 percent of domestically grown crops is an awesome statistic for a product that is on the decline in the U.S.

With the decline of tobacco related sales and jobs we could incorporate marijuana into the facilities already established and begin the ground work for legalized marijuana production with minimum effort. Billions of dollars will be saved by not targeting marijuana in the drug war. There will be a huge decrease in court costs to prosecute marijuana users and traffickers, plus open up prison space tax payers will no longer have to fund. People will actually be able to get better work with no fear of failed drug tests due to recreational marijuana use. Police officers and DEA agents will be able to focus on more pressing issues like murderers, rapists, illegal aliens, and hard drug pushers.

Of course people will have to be responsible and use common sense when using the naturally grown herb. Just like one shouldn’t drink on the job or drink and drive. There should also be an age requirement to purchase or use marijuana similar to those already in effect for tobacco and alcohol. Just as one shouldn’t smoke tobacco cigarettes in public places, marijuana cigarettes shouldn’t be used publically either. As stated before, people will have to be responsible and use common sense, else face penalty of law.

There are arguments that marijuana is a gateway drug and that there are health risks involved with marijuana use. The gateway drug theory is built on statistical evidence that hard drug users first started using drugs with marijuana. This leads one to wonder if the hard drug users also smoked tobacco cigarettes and drank alcohol or liquor before moving on to the harder drugs. Naturally there is a health risk involved with extensive marijuana use, but not nearly the health risks involved with long term tobacco use or alcohol abuse. Besides, this is America and people are still free to do with their bodies as they choose. This is called freedom of choice.

There is no real argument or doubt that legalized marijuana will help eradicate the national debt and create economic prosperity. Just like the monies created when the auto industry first took off, any government official or politician would acknowledge the massive amount of money to be made from a legalized marijuana production. Think, too, about the many other items to be made with marijuana, such as rope and clothing lines just to name two. Perhaps some brilliant minded person could even figure out a way to create an alternative fuel source from the oils marijuana can produce and help with our current oil situation and help with global warming.

With oil up over $115 a barrel, the poor housing market, and “As of April 2008, the total U.S. federal debt was approximately $9.5 trillion, about $79,000 in average for each American taxpayer. Of this amount, debt held by the public was roughly $5.3 trillion.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) The time to act is now, before our economy worsens.

Works Cited

Charbonneau, Mike. WRAL.com. 17 July 2007. 18 4 2008 .
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 18 4 2008 .
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 April 2008 .
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 April 2008 .


[1] Please visit <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_schedule#Drug_Schedules> for more detailed information on the Controlled Substances Act and drug scheduling.