Legalizing is the decriminalization of a previously illegal substance. Such as Marijuana that was recently illegal and is now slowly being made legal as a controlled substance. States are now legalizing marijuana for its medical use.(Ross 1) …show more content…
The united states has more marijuana users than any nation in the world. And according to the United Nations , about 44 million Americans used marijuana at least once in the last year.(Bradley 4) There are 323 million Americans so if 44 million Americans smoke once a year that's 7.3 percent of America and with legalization that number will only rise. There's a reason that the drug is being made legal and that is because it has positive effects so we need to take a stand in making this drug not just legal but a controlled substance such as alcohol.
There are numerous health benefits of marijuana. Marijuana can be used as a suitable replacement of a painkiller or muscle relaxer and it can even be better than the other options. “In a forty page document published in 1842, O'shaughnessy called marijuana a “powerful and valuable substance,” effective as a painkiller, muscle relaxant, sedative and stimulant to appetite, and an “anticonvulsive remedy of greatest value.”(Margaret j. Goldstein pg 33) Marijuana can be used for medical use and can even be better with less side effects than normal drugs such as pain