There are many different views on marijuana. These views range from wanting it totally illegal, to wanting it purely for medical reasons to wanting it as legal as cigarettes or alcohol. These different perceptions on how it should be used create many different arguments, which highlight the pros and cons of marijuana use. .
Marijuana been known to man for quite some time now and has been used for centuries. The Marijuana prohibition has been in effect since 1937 and continues today. The main goal of marijuana prohibition is to stop Americans from using it; it has failed just like the alcohol prohibition did in 1920 when it was enforced. Studies show that out of the substances of alcohol, tobacco (nicotine), and marijuana, that marijuana is the least addictive. This also doesn't mean that marijuana is harmless. Research shows that marijuana damages short term memory, distorts perceptions, impairs judgment and complex motor skills, alters heart rates, and has the potential to trigger severe anxiety, paranoia. According to NORML (The National Organization to Reform Marijuana laws) marijuana is said to be the second largest cash crop in America and has a value of around $14 billion. Revenues for Marijuana is said to have annual sale production as large as the Coca-Cola Company's. If the amount of ma!.
rijuana purchased annually were taxed, it would be around 250 million dollars in tax money that the government isn't receiving due to the fact that marijuana is illegal. Beside the fact that the government is losing out on a lot of tax money, the government spends an incredible amount to keep marijuana illegal. Some of the expenses are: cost of active law enforcement, cost of prosecution of accused offenders, cost of incarceration of convicted offenders, cost of anti-drug education an propaganda, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue that would be generated if drugs were legal and taxed.