Zero Death Rate

Another important argument supporting marijuana legalization is that it has a zero death rate unlike alcohol and cigarettes. No one has ever died from marijuana use and nevre will because it is impossible. When it comes to alcohol, the number of alcohol poisoning deaths in the United States is shockingly high, consistently between 300 and 400 each year. The number of annual deaths from marijuana poisoning remains -- as always -- zero. Alcohol and cigarettes are both very dangerous and are both legal. They both have age limits but still contribute to many deaths in the U.S., while marijuana is illegal and has contributed to zero deaths in the entire world. However, that doesn’t seem to matter much to the government seeing as the recent low point came in 2000, with 327 alcohol poisoning deaths overall, 16 of them among college students. In 2001, the Bush administration came into office, with anti-marijuana zealot John Walters taking over as drug czar late in the year. Shortly thereafter, Walters began his anti-marijuana crusade. After an alcohol and tobacco issue, the government came back with an anti-marijuana crusade because it is considered a Schedule 1 drug substance.

http://www.alternet.org/authors/2068/

Doctor Approved

Although there are people who believe marijuana is a dangerous drug, the stronger argument is that marijuana legalization would be of great use to all types of medical patients and doctors. There are many medical benefits of weed, mostly in the treatment of patients undergoing chemotherapy. While some believe marijuana causes depression, others believe it treats depression. Instead of doing intimate research on it, the government often focuses on the negative effects marijuana has on people. Clinical researchers say the federal government has resisted full study of the potential medical benefits of cannabis, instead pouring money into looking at its negative effects. Things that government seems to look past, are that marijuana helps people with eating disorders, depression, and cancer patients in general as well as everyday symptoms as headaches. There has been further research into cannabis as a pain reliever for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and as an aid in treatment of neurological and movement disorders such as spasticity, pain and tremor in patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injuries and other trauma. But it cast doubt on marijuana's efficacy for treating epilepsy and intraocular pressure caused by glaucoma, conditions that cannabis specialists in California routinely recommend be treated with pot. Even doctors and other medical experts agree that marijuana has been completely overlooked for its medicinal purposes and been focused on for its negative factors. While cocaine is one of the worst drugs out there, it is a Schedule II drug, while marijuana which has a zero death rate, is considered a Schedule I substance. Most doctors agree that if they are consistent with previous research it should result in marijuana becoming a prescription drug under Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. Such a process will restore the integrity of the medical scientific process of drug approval which has been undermined by the use of medical marijuana as a political tool by those favoring expanded drug war policies. Even if marijuana cannot be completely legalized, it being a Schedule I substance is absurd and they should at least acknowledge it for its medical benefits in all states.


http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/15/local/me-medpot15

Legalization 2

Legalization 2

Legalization

Legalization

Legalization Will Reduce Inflation

In a time of recession, the government must do whatever they can to get our country out of debt as soon as possible. Seeing as how the United States is in debt over $13 trillion, drastic times call for drastic measures some may say. Marijuana is the United States’ largest cash crop but yet it is an illegal substance. Marijuana is considered a Schedule 1 drug, and this has been a highly controversial issue for decades. Marijuana legalization would not only lower the crime rate, but would also save the economy a lot of money that the government is spending on the drug war against marijuana legalization. If marijuana were legalized it would save the country $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and would even produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana was taxed like most consumer goods. However, if marijuana was taxed like tobacco or alcohol, it might produce as much as $6.2 billion annually. The states alone would be generating about $17 billion, therefore the combined projected total would be around $23 billion per year due to the legalization of marijuana. Not saying that this would end our countries debt, but it would be quite a start. If the government would legalize marijuana, they could not only tax people for it just like cigarettes, but also save a load of money. The drug war against marijuana is so big that since cannabis arrests constitute 44 percent of all drug apprehensions, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) estimates that the government's war on pot smokers costs taxpayers $9.2 billion annually. So marijuana legalization would lower the drug crime rate by 44 percent and save the country billions of dollars. A substance that isn’t addictive, isn’t deadly, and is proven to be better for you than tobacco and alcohol, which are both legal, is still only legal for medicinal purposes in just 14 states.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003482836_marijuana18.html