Dear Future President,

Many people have varying beliefs about marijuana. My belief is that marijuana should not be legalized. There are many reasons I think this. First, a CNBC article reported that marijuana is currently the leading cause of substance dependence other than alcohol in the United States (April 20, 2010). Also, research says marijuana is a gateway to other drugs. There are already too many people in the US using other illegal drugs such as cocaine and meth, and marijuana would just make the drug problem in the US worse.

There are other ways marijuana is not good for the future of our country. A 2014 Harvard/Northwestern study reported, “Young adults who used marijuana only recreationally showed significant abnormalities in two key brain regions that are important in emotion and motivation.” Twenty-something millennials are already plenty lazy-some unemployed and still living with their parents, others getting distracted at work, and legalizing marijuana nationwide would not help that at all.

Some people believe you can’t get addicted to marijuana. Lady Gaga used to be “heavily addicted” to it (she used it to cope with anxiety) and “you can actually become addicted to it”, according to a CNN article about the dangers of marijuana (January 2014). Others still believe marijuana is good. It may have some medical benefits. However, as John Hawkins wrote, “In Amsterdam, it’s been found that crime is now centering around the coffee houses where marijuana is sold. Crime rates are soaring in Seattle and Denver, two cities where marijuana is legal.

In order to help the marijuana issue, you should make any and all types of marijuana illegal nationwide; and put people in jail for up to five years if they get found using marijuana to strengthen our laws and our country.

Sincerely,

Brianna N.