Miguel E. Oklahoma

Marijuana

Benefits of legalizing marijuana

Dear Future President of the United States,

The topic I would like to address is the legalization of marijuana. This topic has always been on my mind and legalizing this herb has many benefits, ranging from a boost in revenue to medication for those who need it. You may be thinking, "Marijuana is bad for your lungs though?" and yes, it may be a little harmful, but there are safer alternatives such as edibles or vaping. Another reason for legalization is that there have been no deaths recorded from "over dosing".

First, legalizing the herb will bring a huge profit to the U.S. According to CNBC, in 2015 legal marijuana dispensary was 5.4 billion, which is 17.4% of the revenue in 2014. And that was only half of our states. Just imagine the income that the U.S can receive if all 50 states legalize the herb! And with the income we can begin to fund more projects like building roads, lowering tuition, funding projects and much more.

Secondly, we should legalize marijuana because many patients with health conditions can benefit from it. There are already a few states that allow patients to use marijuana under certain guidelines; some of these states include Massachusetts, California and New Jersey. Marijuana is used to help many people undergoing health problems, including chemotherapy patients.  Some benefits marijuana has on patients with cancer are relieving nausea and vomiting, helping maintain weight, acting as an anti-depressant, and helping with pain and sleep.  There are many more things the herb helps with; these are just a few.

Finally, marijuana doesn't have any deaths recorded. Things such as alcohol and cigarettes cause many deaths yearly, but they're still legal. 

According to CDC, yearly, about 88,000 people die from related alcohol abuse, which is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. Cigarettes are even worse then alcohol, and yearly cigarettes take 480,000 lives a year, and a lot of it is also through second hand smoke, yet they're still legal. Alcohol also has many bad effects such as liver damage, and taking too much can cause you to vomit and even have amnesia, and marijuana does not and actually helps you concentrate more and works as an antidepressant.

This is why I believe marijuana should be legal. Thank you for taking time and reading this. Hopefully, as our future President, you could do something about legalizing marijuana. Do you believe marijuana should be legal or illegal? I hope you will consider supporting this idea.

East Central High School - Tulsa

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