Dear Next President;

I am a student at West Albany High School and I have a problem with the laws placed on marijuana in the United States. The  time is long overdue for the government to remove the law on weed. Over one eighth of Americans smoke and do it illegally when the government could be making millions of dollars just by changing the law. People have been known to use marijuana for centuries and will continue to for centuries to come. With all the margins in the business there is an absolute huge profit to be made all over the country. Medicinal marijuana helps millions of suffering patients relieve stress and pain everyday. It will help schools, businesses, people and communities across the nation by legalizing marijuana.

The organization of Oregon Public Business states , “Last year Colorado brought in over $1 Billion” from selling legalized marijuana to their community. An enormous amount of the profits if not all of them go back to the community. The money received from the community is usually put towards schools, homeless and anything else you could think of. Numbers presented by the organization of Business Insider indicate, “2015 making marijuana almost as big as craft beer by that measure." With the amount of adults that smoke in the U.S. the revenue from recreational sales would be unbelievable across the country. Just one state made a profit over $1 Billion; imagine if all 50 states legalized marijuana and made just as big of a profit. The amount of money the country would have to put back in the community would be tremendous.

Marijuana does not just make people smile and put them in an all around better mood. No, weed does much more than that; it helps the chronically ill help cope with the pain in numerous ways. Take into consideration of people like my aunt for instance who suffers from serious pain from major surgeries throughout her life. The number one reason she has her medicinal marijuana card is for her arthritis. It gets so bad to the point of where she can not open her hand from making a fist. Since she lives in California, a state where marijuana is medically legal, she is able to receive her medication so she can live her life like everyone else. Now if she were to go on vacation or visit someone out of state where it is illegal she would not be able to receive her medication and be able to continue with her day as she would any other day at home. The Business Insider states, “Marijuana alleviates pain, reduces inflammation, and promotes sleep, which may help relieve pain and discomfort for people with rheumatoid arthritis." It is far past time to remove the the law on marijuana and make it federally legal to the people across the United States.

Another reason for the legalization of marijuana across the country is the creation of jobs for thousands of Americans. There is so much that is needed to be done in the market of marijuana that the jobs are endless. In Corvallis, Oregon, a town of only about 55,000 people, there are over 10 medicinal marijuana shops. Each shop generates over 15 to 20 jobs, not including the people growing for the shops. The organization Natural Society states, “Colorado is reporting 10,000 new jobs, all from legalization of both recreational and medical marijuana." With these numbers thousands of people would be employed by one simple removal of a law. The last reason marijuana should be legal is because it does not hurt anyone. The only thing that comes from it is a steady income for our country and a lot of happy people.

The country is beginning to sway towards a nation accepting of marijuana. The organization Drug Policy states, “In 1996, California became the first state to approve the use of marijuana purposes, ending its 59 year reign as an illicit substance with no medical value." In doing this California started a trend in states beginning to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana recreationally for the people's enjoyment. We now see a trend in states realizing the profit in revenue and how it can help improve the state in many ways. Marijuana does more than just make people happy, hungry and sleepy.

Sincerely,

Curtis Z.