Why We Should Legalize Marijuana

In the past decade, there has been a constant debate on the idea of legalizing marijuana at the federal level in the United States. This issue has become more prevalent as more states legalize the drug for medical and personal use each year. Although research has – and still is – proving that marijuana has medicinal benefits, many legislators believe that the drug should remain classified as a Schedule I drug. For this paper, I will discuss both sides of the debate on whether marijuana should be de-scheduled and legalized, nationally, under the federal level.
To evaluate the main argument, it is important to understand what a schedule is and why marijuana is considered a Schedule I drug. Per the D.E.A. website, a schedule is a classification
Two of the biggest concerns regarding marijuana is the fact that many consider it to be a dangerous drug and that the industry would place profits over lives. The marijuana industry is new and as such, there are rules and regulations that need to be developed and refined to properly foresee and protect people as time goes on. On the other side of the debate, advocates for legalization believe that the drug would benefit our economy and provide much needed tax revenue to fund programs. Furthermore, marijuana has shown to be effective at combating illnesses and providing patients with an alternative medicine to help cope with side effects of
David Evans, a special advisor to the Drug Free America Foundation argues that “just like the large tobacco companies… [they’ll] argue that marijuana legalization is a “states' rights” issue” (Wanlud, 2015). One speculation is that companies often argue for more freedom for users so that their products can be consumed more. Over the past decade, many anti-smoking campaigns have appeared across the nation and one popular campaign known as “truth,” condemns tobacco industries for being discriminatory and profiling specific demographics to taking advantage and gain more profits. In comparison, the marijuana industry could replicate the "successes" of the tobacco industry and could follow in the same discriminatory steps in order to gain a profit. Additionally, opponents in California such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a national alliance group, compares tobacco and marijuana industries and warn that “… cannabis businesses are trying to profit off an addictive drug that puts lives at risk” (Foerstel, 2016). Many companies disregard ethics and influence lawmakers to write laws that benefit their business and will offer some sort of compensation or bribe in return. Since marijuana would be a new industry, companies will be