S. government could make a fortune off of marijuana if it were legalized, and such revenues could definitely help with our economy right now (Marijuana is California's Largest Cash Crop). Building off the money issue, legalizing marijuana could also raise the production of hemp, which is an industrial "cousin" of marijuana that could be utilized as an alternative source for paper, fiber, fuel, and even food (Hemp Facts). Furthermore, if our country were to legalize and tax marijuana, not only could our government use marijuana tax revenues to start paying off our country's multi trillion dollar national debt, but moreover it could create new employment opportunities for our job market, and people who were previously imprisoned for marijuana-related crimes could be released from our already overcrowded prison system (Pot Legalization Changes). .
Opponents of the legalization of marijuana believe that our currently enacted federal laws should not change and thus stay as they are. They defend their position through their argument that marijuana use causes unnecessary health risks such as impairing short-term memory, slowing down reaction time, increasing the risk of heart attack, and potentially causing damage to the respiratory system and brain (Marijuana Side Effects). For example, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana-use can raise an individual's heart rate by 20 to 100 percent shortly after smoking. Additionally, the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) states how an individual's risk of having a heart attack increases by 4.8-fold after smoking marijuana and how marijuana-use can also affect heart rhythms, which can in turn cause palpitations or arrhythmias (Drug Facts Marijuana). .
According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, a legitimate medicine must have well-defined and measurable ingredients that are consistent throughout all units (Overcoming).
