Matt Gregory
11-17-15
Eng105 HA
Mr. LoPinto
Cannabis has been illegal for decades yet most would agree that the prohibition on cannabis has been ineffective. Cannabis is the third most widely used drug in America right behind alcohol and tobacco. It is estimated that cannabis has been used by over one hundred million Americans to date. It is also estimated that about twenty five million have tried it this year, while around fourteen million consume it on a daily basis. With all these people partaking in the consumption of cannabis it would only be right for changes to be made to the law. Not only is cannabis a safer alternative to alcohol and tobacco but it also contains many medical benefits. Of all the negative side effects of prohibition not allowing people access to a medicine that will help their pain/suffering is the worst. It has been shown over the years that cannabis can be extremely helpful with a multitude of health issues. This can include pain relief, …show more content…
Since it is driven by the war on drugs the prison population in the United States is six to ten times as high as most western European countries. “The United States is a close second only to Russia in its rate of incarceration per 100,000 people. In 2012, more than 749,000 people were arrested in this country for marijuana-related offenses alone (Glauser).” If cannabis were to be legalized we could potentially keep around 750,000 productive, non-violent members of society on the streets. This would save the tax payers of America a substantial amount of money as they would not have to pay to keep them incarcerated. Some of these families also cannot support themselves if the head of the household were to be incarcerated because of this minor offense which would lead them to things such as welfare and food stamps which the American tax payer pays for. These are just some small cost examples
11-17-15
Eng105 HA
Mr. LoPinto
Cannabis has been illegal for decades yet most would agree that the prohibition on cannabis has been ineffective. Cannabis is the third most widely used drug in America right behind alcohol and tobacco. It is estimated that cannabis has been used by over one hundred million Americans to date. It is also estimated that about twenty five million have tried it this year, while around fourteen million consume it on a daily basis. With all these people partaking in the consumption of cannabis it would only be right for changes to be made to the law. Not only is cannabis a safer alternative to alcohol and tobacco but it also contains many medical benefits. Of all the negative side effects of prohibition not allowing people access to a medicine that will help their pain/suffering is the worst. It has been shown over the years that cannabis can be extremely helpful with a multitude of health issues. This can include pain relief, …show more content…
Since it is driven by the war on drugs the prison population in the United States is six to ten times as high as most western European countries. “The United States is a close second only to Russia in its rate of incarceration per 100,000 people. In 2012, more than 749,000 people were arrested in this country for marijuana-related offenses alone (Glauser).” If cannabis were to be legalized we could potentially keep around 750,000 productive, non-violent members of society on the streets. This would save the tax payers of America a substantial amount of money as they would not have to pay to keep them incarcerated. Some of these families also cannot support themselves if the head of the household were to be incarcerated because of this minor offense which would lead them to things such as welfare and food stamps which the American tax payer pays for. These are just some small cost examples