Due to the simple fact that if people are smoking marijuana freely there are still other "illegal activities"" to be participated in. Its inevitable that people want what they can't have. It's human nature. It's who we are as a people. Take alcohol for instance, its perfectly legal if you are age appropriate. Guess what? Alcohol still causes family disputes, rape, robbery, reckless driving, and murder. According to Trebach, "some opponents of legalizing marijuana believe that individuals involved in illegal buying and selling of the drug are more likely than average to be involved in other crimes, and that society is safer with marijuana offenders incarcerated"" (Trebach). .
One of the commonly used arguments against the legalization of marijuana is "The Gateway Effect"." I always hear people say smoking marijuana isn't as bad as smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol. Charles "Cully"" Stimson, author of "Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No," states "Marijuana advocates have had some success peddling the notion that marijuana is a "soft " drug, similar to alcohol, and fundamentally different from "hard " drugs like cocaine or heroin. It is true that marijuana is not the most dangerous of the commonly abused drugs, but that is not to say that it is safe. Indeed, marijuana shares more in common with the "hard " drugs than it does with alcohol"" (Charles). The gateway effect explains that the use of "not so harsh drugs" can lead to the subsequent use of "harder illicit drugs." .
A really good analogy I found that proves this argument effective was said by Maia Szalavitz of Time Magazine who wrote, "So what accounts for the massive correlation between marijuana use and use of other drugs? One key factor is taste. People who are extremely interested in altering their consciousness are likely to want to try more than one way of doing it.
