Running head: Marijuana

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Marijuana: Pros of Legalizing Marijuana

Luis F. Vasquez
Engl 1302
Research Writ \ Lit Analy
El Paso Community College:
Campus: Northwest
Instructor: Sabrina Vargas-Ortiz
May 6, 2015

Running head: Marijuana

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Marijuana is quite possibly the finest of intoxicants. It has been scientifically proven, for
decades, to be much less harmful to the body than alcohol when used on a regular basis (Google
Science).Nick Offerman. The media has made a great job in making the people think that
Marijuana is more harmful to its users than alcohol or tobacco. The benefits that marijuana could
have nationwide if it were to be legalize would be economically and medically. Also, the U.S.
Department of Justice would save millions of dollars each year, by not having to work on
marijuana related cases. It is time for us to open our eyes and see the benefits marijuana could
have on our society.
Taxing Marijuana would help out the U.S. economy. Already, since the legalization of
marijuana Colorado has seen the benefits of taxing it: The state has garnered over 10 million in
taxes from retail sales in the first 4 months. The first 40 million of this tax revenue is earmarked
for public schools and infrastructure, as well as for youth educational campaigns about substance
use (Roberts, 2014, par. 5). For simplicity if we were to legalize marijuana in all the 50 states
that would generate a revenue of 500 million dollars in four months. That is a huge amount of
money that could be used for government spending to help out the government. The jobs opened
by the legalization of marijuana would put people to work. This would new open sector would
benefit those in search of jobs: The marijuana industry has developed quickly, generating
thousands of new jobs. It is estimated there are currently about 10,000 people directly involved
with this industry, with 1,000 to 2,000 gaining employment in the past few months alone
(Roberts, 2014, par. 7). If there is a way to put people to work we should spread the availability
giving everyone an equal chance of opportunity. Giving a source of income has been proven a
major factor in keeping people off the streets. Legalizing marijuana would benefit the economy
and would create jobs across the country.

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The U.S. Department of Justice would no longer waste unnecessary resources on

marijuana related cases. By, doing so the federal government would be saving millions of dollars
each year: the state could potentially save $10 to $40 million from no longer prosecuting minor
possession cases, according to the Colorado Center of Law and Fiscal Policy (Rucke, 2014, par.
17). The U.S. Department of Justice could now persecute more serious offenders instead of
wasting resource on marijuana related cases. In the process we would be saving millions of
dollars each year. Legalizing marijuana would take off a major workload from the U.S.
Department of Justice letting them focus on more important cases.
Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. Tobacco and alcohol are more
harmful than marijuana: Marijuana is safer than alcohol. That's not to say it's completely risk
free, but it's much less addictive and doesn't cause nearly as much physical damage (Loria,
2014, par. 76). It does not make sense for alcohol and tobacco to be legal if they are more
harmful to us. For those opposing the legalization of marijuana you should not be as concerned
since it has been proven that marijuana is safer than other legal substances.
The legalization of marijuana would benefit our economy and put people to work. Also, it
would free up resources from the U.S. Department of Justice so they can focus on more serious
cases. If you are against marijuana by now you should know that marijuana is less harmful to
you than other legal substances. As a people we have to inform ourselves and inform others to
the positive effects that marijuana could have on our society.

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References

Loria, J. (2014, April 20). 23 Health Benefits Of Marijuana. Retrieved May 7, 2015, from
http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4
Roberts, J. (2014, September 13). 7 Ways Marijuana Legalization Has Already Benefited
Colorado In Only 8 Months. Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.collectiveevolution.com/2014/09/13/7-ways-marijuana-legalization-has-already-benefitedcolorado-in-only-8-months/
Rucke, K. (2014, June 30). Six Months In, How Has Marijuana Legalization Treated Colorado?
Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.mintpressnews.com/six-months-marijuanalegalization-treated-colorado/193172/