" Such legalization exists in countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland who have a lower rate of adolescent marijuana use than the United States. If marijuana were made legal crime, corruption, and the "black market" would be eliminated. .
To enforce marijuana prohibition, taxpayers shell out an estimated $10 billion annually, with only 734,000 arrests. These are far more than the total number of arrests for all violent crimes, including rape, robbery, and murder. NORML believes that more time and money should be spent on fighting real crime, as opposed to minor offenses such as marijuana use. Marijuana laws aggravate thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, and therefore should be changed. .
Behind alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is the third most popular recreation drug in America. It has been used by approximately 80 million Americans, with 11 million doing so on a regular basis. NORML claims that marijuana use is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, because these drugs account for 450,000 deaths per year. In comparison, marijuana cannot cause death by overdose and is non- toxic. A European medical journal, The Lancet, states that, "The smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco." .
NORML explains the medical advantages of marijuana with fifteen examples. Modern research has proved marijuana aids in the treatment of many ailments. These include pain relief from neuropathic pain, nausea, glaucoma, and certain movement .
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disorders. It also stimulates the appetite, and helps patients with HIV, or dementia. New research even suggests that marijuana may protect the body from certain types of malignant tumors, and are neuroprotective. There are more than 60 United State and international organizations that support legal access to medicinal use of marijuana. The American Cancer Society and the American Medical association support clinical research in marijuana studies.