The legalization of marijuana by the Federal Government

I believe that marijuana should be legalized in the United States for 3 main reasons. 1. There is no reliable evidence of marijuana having negative effects on the body. 2. People have the right to "harm" themselves. 3. People will do it anyway. First off, I would like to say that there is no supporting evidence of marijuana harming the body in any shape or form, and recent research shows that it actually has positive effects. Many people say that it kills brain cells. This is false. A study conducted in 1974 concluded that marijuana kills brain cells, after practicing on monkeys. In 1980, the details of the experiment were revealed. Sixty- three Columbian strength joints were administered via a gas mask within 5 minutes in a time span of three months. Obviously this suffocated the monkeys. When you suffocate, one of the first things that will happen is your brain takes damage from a lack of oxygen, resulting in a loss of brain cells. In 2005, research was conducted that suggested that marijuana stimulated brain cell growth. Others say that marijuana causes lung cancer. There is not a single case in the history of man-kind that has shown marijuana as a direct cause of cancer, brain damage, or death. In other words, it's safer to smoke marijuana than to smoke a ciggarette or drink a cup of coffee. 2. Next, I firmly believe that people have the right to harm themselves. Although I just covered how marijuana does not harm people, I would like to pretend that it does, for the sake of those who won't listen to scientifical evidence. I think that it is very silly to make something illegal because it could harm a willing and consenting adult. If someone wants to inject black tar heroine, that is none of my business, nor is it the federal government's business. Yes, people under the influence could do something to harm someone else, and in that case they will be punished. If they drive while under the influence they will be punished. Sound like anything familiar? Oh that's right! Marijuana has been proven to have less mind-altering and physical effects on the body than alcohol. We should give the same restrictions to marijuana users, if not less, as alcohol users. 3. Lastly, prohibition is one of the number one ways to make sure something becomes popular. If I want to smoke a joint, I'm not going to say "It's illegal, I can't do that!" I'm going to do it anyways, and in many respects, all Americans feel this way. When alcohol was banned in the 1920's, use of alcohol increased, along with crime rate. Prohibition simply does not work. If marijuana were legalized, there would be much less crime rate, and teenagers would do it less. Peer pressure is something we all remember about being a teenager, and it was always with something illegal, because it was cool. If marijuana was legalized it wouldn't be "cool" anymore, and the government could have a much stronger control over who gets it. Many teens find marijuana to be easier to get a hold of than alcohol, because marijuana comes from a dealer. If the government sold it, the same laws for alcohol could be applied, making it harder for kids to get. When it is illegal, teens just have to buy from a dealer, and he isn't likely to care how old the kid is. C'mon people. Rebuttal time.