Dear Future President,

The legalization of marijuana is a pressing matter and deserves to be further discussed and voted upon in upcoming elections. In the spirit of support, I firmly believe it is oppressive and somewhat hypocritical for tobacco to be legal but not marijuana; according to the Alternet article "What Are the Risks of Marijuana Smoke Compared to Tobacco?" (Armentano, January 2016), tobacco has more health risks connected to cancer and other heart, lung and bodily-harming diseases and illnesses. I believe it is somewhat of a right to be able to do what you want to your body; as long as there is some sort of compulsory education regarding safe usage of narcotics (which is generally covered in public school health classes) and regulation that the government imposes concerning minors, impaired judgement and anything that the general public/Congress sees fit, marijuana should be legalized.

Considering that marijuana (so far) has only had long-term health effects for minors, who are still in the years of primary brain development, I believe it is safe to say that the effect that cannabis has on the body after the age of 25 is minimal. Even though the temporary impacts marijuana has within the human body, such as hallucinations, altered mood and impaired judgement, can affect how people function in situations where focus and concentration is needed, if the government were to create and enforce laws regarding said situations (meaning things like driving or working), impaired judgement fear due to cannabis would be drastically reduced. Congress could pass a bill saying that a government-issued permit is needed in order to sell or consume marijuana in public places. Maybe there could be specifically-designed establishments to sell, smoke and consume marijuana to alleviate fears of minors being able to legally use cannabis. Medically, marijuana does not have more risk than tobacco or other various narcotics, stimulants or depressants, making it somewhat safer for adults to consume.

Marijuana is not only going to improve the economy in the US but also provide thousands of jobs to those who need it. It will stimulate the exponential growth in liberty and commerce that the US is expected to maintain. It is a movement towards freedom. The legalization of cannabis would not only improve the lives of those who need a natural pain reliever (meaning those who would utilize medical marijuana) but also the lives of the millions who are out of work and desperately need money. The legalization and regulation of marijuana will improve incarceration rates, considering that 80% of those arrested for cannabis use are solely in there for consuming. Overall, the reasons for allowing marijuana to be consumed (for those over the age of 21 and not while operating machinery) much outweigh the reasons for it not to be. Let’s liberate America from the bonds of oppression through the legalization of marijuana.

-Jadie