Marijuana should be legalized in the US

my opponent's first point against legalizing weed is that Marijuana is the second most abused drug in the US. Imagine that. I say: - Of course it is, being cheaper and more common than most other drugs, as well as less dangerous (no one has ever died from marijuana). Also a factor contributing to that statistic is that the government considers USE of marijuana to be ABUSE of marijuana. They are, in fact, quite different things. The fact that it's less dangerous means we should legalize it. here's some statistics: ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS TOBACCO . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 400,000 ALCOHOL . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 100,000 ALL LEGAL DRUGS . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 20,000 ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 15,000 CAFFEINE . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,000 ASPIRIN . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 500 MARIJUANA . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 0 ---------------------------------------- Source: United States government. .. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bureau of Mortality Statistics 70 million Americans have used MJ. What would happen if MJ was legalized, regulated, and taxed by the government? Those 70 million would become a huge source of revenue. "Marijuana legalization offers an important advantage over decriminalization in that it allows for legal distribution and taxation of cannabis. In the absence of taxation, the free market price of legal marijuana would be extremely low, on the order of five to ten cents per joint. In terms of intoxicating potential, a joint is equivalent to at least $1 or $2 worth of alcohol, the price at which cannabis is currently sold in the Netherlands. The easiest way to hold the price at this level under legalization would be by an excise tax on commercial sales. An examination of the external costs imposed by cannabis users on the rest of society suggests that a "harmfulness tax" of $.50 -$1 per joint is appropriate. It can be estimated that excise taxes in this range would raise between $2.2 and $6.4 billion per year. Altogether, legalization would save the taxpayers around $8 - $16 billion, not counting the economic benefits of hemp agriculture and other spinoff industries. " - Dale Gieringer, Ph. D. Reprinted from Ed Rosenthal, ed. , Hemp Today pp. 311-24. (Quick American Archives, Oakland, CA 1994) UP TO SIXTEEN BILLION PEOPLE! THAT'S $16,000,000,000! -Basically, any drug can be abused, but MJ is abused more often because it's more available than other drugs. If i was to say wal mart was the #1 shopped-at store in america, we could assume that's because there's more of them, it's better prices, and its more available. The same goes for MJ. My opponent's next argument is that it effects memory, learning, and social skills. I addressed memory already, although it is included in what i will say. Look to the study that provided this information. It was conducted on 129 college students, 65 of which were classified "heavy users". this means they used Marijuana 27 of the last 30 days. The study focuses on these. It fails to mention problems with the 64 other users who were "light users". Why? because there weren't problems. Heavy use does have problems, there's no doubt about that, but the same goes for alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drugs. Word to the wise: Heavy use is stupid. besides the effects above, the high you get is not as good as when you use MJ occasionally. If you use it then wait for a time, then use it again, it is much better than using it everyday. The point is, MJ has effects of long term heavy use, but so do most legal drugs. Next my opponent speaks of lung cancer. cigarettes cause this as well. i also addressed this in my first speech. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SMOKE MARIJUANA. you can use it in a variety of different ways. The reason smoking it is more common is because it is considered a crime to use it, thus you want to leave less evidence of use. Smoking would provide less evidence than, say, baking brownies or using a vaporizer. Then my opponent mentions the ability to fight infections, i will address this in a later speech. his next and longest point is that MJ convictions lead to more convictions. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. most people who smoke marijuana are only criminals because mj is illegal. that is their only crime. simply because "dangerous people" us mj does not mean that it should be illegal. simply because it can get people into jail doesn't mean it should. it's the same crooked idea as "gateway drugs". Simply because you use MJ does not mean you will use harder drugs. and simply because you use mj does not mean you will commit crimes other than that. think of it as an elevator on a 10 story building. Simply because you go to floor one does not mean you will go to floor ten. "Like most Americans, people who smoke marijuana also pay taxes, love and support their families, and work hard to make a better life for their children. Suddenly they are arrested, jailed and treated like criminals solely because of their recreational drug of choice. State agencies frequently step in and declare children of marijuana smokers to be "in danger", and many children are placed into foster homes as a result. This causes enormous pain, suffering and financial hardship for millions of American families. It also engenders distrust and disrespect for the law and for the criminal justice system overall. Responsible marijuana smokers present no threat or danger to America or its children, and there is no reason to treat them as criminals, or to take their children away. As a society we need to find ways to discourage personal conduct of all kinds that is abusive or harmful to others. Responsible marijuana smokers are not the problem and it is time to stop arresting them. " -PureTHC. com Now to review: if taxed, sales of MJ could generate revenue of up to $16 billion, not including the growth, etc. of MJ. MJ can be abused, but likewise it can, and often is, used responsibly. USE of marijuana is not ABUSE of marijuana. and once again the effects of MJ, both short and long term, are less than or equal to the effects of LEGAL drugs. and once again, no i am not a "Crack head". are you jesus? cuz you have long hair.