Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana Analysis

In CNBC’s article, “Why We Should Not Legalize Marijuana”, the author addresses the legalization of marijuana. In the article, the author states his claim that the legalization of marijuana will bring forth more harm than good and that as a country we should not legalize the drug. He decides to first address a claim often made by the opposing side, that marijuana is a large reason for why our prisons are so full. He then brings in a statistic from Caulkins & Sevigny that states that the amount of people in prison due to marijuana only accounts for less than one half of one percent. After addressing the opposing side, he then supports his claim by comparing the legalization of marijuana to the legalization of gambling. Making gambling legal
I do not think that we should legalize marijuana. The drug is illegal for a reason and we need to remember that. The drug brings two benefits one being that the drug is a method of entertainment another being that it will benefit the economy. When comparing the costs and the benefits, it is clear that the costs outweigh the benefits. Marijuana will become easier to access for adolescents and for children. Adolescents brains are still developing and the drug is extremely dangerous to their development. The drug can also lead to long term physical and mental problems. By making this drug legal we are in effect telling our kids that smoking marijuana is okay. We should be teaching our kids the opposite, drugs should not be seen as an acceptable thing to do, at any age. Many people do not hold a strong opinion on the subject because they believe that it will not affect them. With marijuana being deemed legal, we will need to start worrying about people driving under the influence of marijuana. Someone driving under the influence of this drug will put everyone including themselves in danger due to the slowed reaction time. All in all I agree with the author of this article because I as well do not think that as a country, as a state, and as a society we should legalize this dangerous
I as well believe that it is a bad idea to legalize the drug and that it should stay illegal in all states. We should not be encouraging or making it easier for people to try marijuana. The drug was illegal for a reason and nothing has changed. It is something that can cause health issues in the future and can risk others safety everyday. Being in high school I constantly hear about other students using this drug, now that marijuana is legal, these adolescents will have easier access to this drug. I do not think that anyone of any age should be using this drug unless for medical purposes. There are so many teenagers who use his drug daily and appear to be addicted in my opinion. They crave the feeling that the drug brings them and I hate to see them ruining their lives. Now they are going to have an easier time accessing the drug which will only feed the addiction. Many argue that by legalizing marijuana we will be bettering the economy because it will bring in new jobs and opportunities. If we are so desperate for money that we need to make a dangerous drug legal, that is just sad. I am not looking forward to this upcoming year when the drug will officially be deemed legal for Californians over the age of