Whether or not to legalize marijuana has been one of the most debatable issues among many state's governments and citizens. In fact, the conflict over legalization of marijuana has become a war among American, who have different points of view about advantages and disadvantages of marijuana. Marijuana is also known as cannabis, a product of the hemp plant, which is a mixture of green or brown dried seeds, shredded leaves and flowers with a strong smell. On one hand, marijuana has been proven as a potential medicine in pharmacy, and legalizing marijuana would help the government and the society get better due to more funding from increasing taxes. On the other hand, people believe that marijuana should be banned because it makes people addicted and may lead people to mental and physical health problems. Nowadays, marijuana is the third most popular drug in America with nearly 100 million consumers despite the prohibition of marijuana at some states. According to "State Marijuana Law Map", there are 23 states with more than 60 health organizations using Marijuana for medical purposes. Besides, Alaska is the third state following Colorado and Washington , became the latest state to legalize marijuana for recreational use and trade. Although both utilitarians and libertarians agree with the legalization of marijuana for different reasons, I think marijuana should be legalized because it could maximize happiness and bring many benefits to both the people and the government.
Libertarianism is a philosophy that uphold liberty in each individual. One of the major principle objectives of libertarianism is to maximize freedom and individual rights. They believe that everyone is a little government oneself that has rights to make their own decisions even if it conflicts the government laws. In the book "Justice: What's The Thing to Do", written by Michael J. Sandel, libertarians oppose the laws that "protect people from harming themselves" (60 Sandel), which is also known as "no paternalism" (60).