This idea is expressed also through Stuart Gitlow, he states that “ Since only a small percentage of state prisoners are there for marijuana offenses, how much would we be saving in criminal justice law?” Stuart Gitlow fails to consider that the number of crimes are increasing more and more every day. For example, going back to Jessica Atkins article she asserts that “ The number of crimes in the state of West Virginia increase more and more each day, and an estimated half of those crimes are due to selling and possession of the substance. Also, The New York Times stated that “ Laws banning the growing, distribution and possession of marijuana have caused tremendous damage to society, with billions spent on imprisoning people for violating pointlessly harsh laws.” These two examples show that marijuana may indeed decrease crime rates throughout the United States.
In conclusion, marijuana should be legalized nationally for both recreational and medical reasons because there are so many positive outcomes within decriminalizing the drug. Marijuana is a natural herb, and it is less dangerous than many other legal substances. If marijuana is regulated like tobacco and alcohol, but at a slight age difference of 25 then it can benefit the United States both economically and