Legalization of Marijuana

My opponent is still making claims that are not backed by statistics or facts (Rebuttal to round 3)My opponent is still stating things that are not factually backed. Here are examples of statements that my opponent has said that is not backed by any data, yet is still presented to us, from who knows where. Most likely not from a real statistic. First off;"Some people say it kills to many brain cells, but what their not thinking about is that when any brain celldies, a new one is created. Which new brain cells are stronger than old ones, therefore making Marijuana healthy for the brain, if smoked safely."First off, this is not proven factual by science. No scientific research anywhere has ever stated that marijuana is healthy for the brain. Healthy would mean that the substance is benefiting the organ in some way. Fruit is healthy for the body. It benefits us and gives us nutrients. Marijuana is not healthy for the body, like my opponent says, it kills brain cells. And my opponent also makes false claims about when brain cells die, new stronger ones are created. This is also not scientifically backed, and this statement will be presumed false until proven. " Third, we are wasting money by the police using the gas, time, and energy stopping people who are harmlessly smoking the drug. We are wasting money on the gas they use by stopping what many believe is a petty crime." First of all, my opponent claims that police are wasting their gas on marijuana calls. Wasting would beusing gas for no purpose, but they are doing a purpose! They are catching people doing a crime! They are doing their job, catching people breaking the law, therefore, they are not wasting gas, because they are doing their job. Thisstatement by my opponent is also not backed by any evidence or facts. My opponent has not presented a source or number proving that legalizing marijuana will reduce the amount of money police spend on gasoline and resources. Until my opponent presents numbers, data, or facts proving that legalizing marijuana will indeed save the police money on gas, this will also be presumed false. (Continued) Rebuttal to round 3My opponent claims that once legalized, marijuana will not be abused as much by "pot-heads" and will actually prevent these avid smokers from getting marijuana in excess. Now, you are probably thinking exactly what I am, how could making marijuana legal lower the amount of usage by avid smokers. It is absurd, and my opponent actually believes it to be true. Here is my opponent's quote; "Second, I understand if it is used as a medical drug it will also be used for smoking. You mentioned there will be pot- heads out their. I understand that, but if you look on Fox News, today they talked about how if it was sold they would only sell it in four packs so people can't smoke it constantly and they would use a system to tell how recently the bought it." It is just plain logic that legalizing marijuana will not stop "pot-heads" from being pot-heads. Just because it is sold in rationed amounts does not mean that pot-heads will take it in rationed amounts!Marijuana is outlawed and illegal--- Pot-heads and other users still get it and use it despite the law! According to my opponent, when legalized, this is what will happen. Marijuana is legal--- Pot-heads wont get as much marijuana and will not use it in as much quantity. Now that you see a visual model, you can see how absurd my opponents claim is. Marijuana is illegal right now, yet users still get it in excess and use it. When marijuana is legalized, I doubt someone who uses the drug in excess will go buy it from a store that restricts selling it in excess. The pot-head will still go to their dealer and still get just as much. Making it legal is not going to make them stop buying great amounts of it! Which leads me in to my final quote to end my rebuttal, proving my opponent's argument wrong; The only thing marijuana being legalized will do will make citizens that don't usually smoke marijuana want to go out and try it. It will not reduce the amount on the streets, the amount avid smokers get, or reduce the drug in general. The only thing marijuana being legalized will do is encourage new people to try it. Final argument and closing statement Some basic facts disapproving my opponents argument; ( taken from http://www.cnbc.com... ) 1) The rate of current, past 30-day use of marijuana by Americans aged 12 and older in 1979 was 13.2 percent. In 2008 that figure stood at 6.1 percent. This 54-percent reduction in marijuana use over that 29-year period is a major public health triumph, not a failure. 2) Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S. and around the world. Those who support its legalization, for medical or for general use, fail to recognize that the greatest costs of marijuana are not related to its prohibition; they are the costs resulting from marijuana use itself. 3) There is a common misconception that the principle costs of marijuana use are those related to the criminal justice system. This is a false premise. Caulkins & Sevigny (2005) found that the percentage of people in prison for marijuana use is less than one half of one percent (0.1-0.2 percent). Number one shows that marijuana usage in young people has actually gone down. Why? There are stricter laws for using the drug. We should not abolish what is already working! Keeping illegal drugs away from young people.Number two is just restating the fact that marijuana is in fact and illegal drug, and is a problem in the U.S. as it is the most abused drug. Also, since this has been determined by the Controlled Substance Act, will only lead on to harmful drugs, more powerful than marijuana. And finally, number three just restates that marijuana does not "waste" police funds at all, if anything with the lack of marijuana prisoners, it helps the police! The whole "legalizing marijuana" issue in America is honestly irrelevant to what our country is going through right now. Our debt is the worst its been, our country is jobless, and our country is obese. There are at least twenty more important issues in our country right now that are way more important than legalizing marijuana. What exactly will legalizing marijuana accomplish with our country in these tough times? We need to stop focusing on irrelevant issues that only cause harm like marijuana and focus on our debt and our poverty. The trouble it takes to legalize marijuana is just a big waste of time. Our country should stop putting time in effort in laws like this and instead take those resources and use them on important issues, that will benefit our country as a whole. I now turn the debate to my opponent. Sourceshttp://www.cnbc.com...;http://civilliberty.about.com...