Legalizing Marijuana has been a controversial issue since its ban in 1937. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States and it is estimated that almost 5 million Americans use it regularly. Marijuana should be legalized in California because it’s one of the least harmful drugs, it would reduce crime, and taxing it would make a lot of money for the California government.
Though there have been many studies that say weed is harmful, it’s been shown that it’s not nearly as dangerous as other drugs, especially when used in moderation. In fact, in a ranking of the most harmful drugs, cannabis was number eleven while alcohol ranked number five and tobacco as number nine. Please also take note that marijuana is a plant, grown naturally without any man-made chemicals. It can be mentally addictive, but anything can be mentally addictive, people can be addicted to chocolate or video games but your body doesn’t depend on it or go through physical withdrawals. The withdrawal effects are small, such as irritability, trouble sleeping, and headache. Although marijuana smoke does contains 50-70% more of the cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke does, an estimated 400,000 deaths each year are caused directly from cigarette smoking. But reports show that there has never been any death caused by an overdose of marijuana alone.
Legalizing marijuana would also reduce crime. Professor Jeffrey Miron, a professor at Harvard University, calculated that the government would save $7.7 billion a year if it didn’t have to spend money on regulating and prosecuting marijuana activity. It could possibly improve public safety, keeping law enforcements focused on more serious crimes. And with the limited space in jails and prisons, legalizing pot for recreational use would make more room in the jails for people who have committed more severe crimes.
Taxing marijuana would make a lot of money for the California government. By some estimations, marijuana is a $14...