This house would legalize the use of marijuana

INTRODUCTION In this debate, I firmly stand for legalization of cannabis. As a Pro, I will carry the burden of proof to show why legalization of marijuana is justifiable and will offer few benefits that follow. I will answer some questions regarding the regulation of marijuana that my opponent made. The term “legalization” in this debate would be appropriate to define as “to legalize but regulate in the similar manner with alcohol and tobacco”, meaning no driving under influence, smoking in specific zones, taxation, ban for underage etc. For the sake of keeping this debate simple, it would be appropriate to only debate for marijuana for smoking. But if my opponent has objection, I expect a justification. ARGUMENT 1: Irony of the ban Many sources point (including studies and statistics) that marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco which are legal substances being widely used. Research by British Medical Association showed that nicotine is more addictive. More deaths are caused by alcohol and tobacco. Nevertheless, marijuana that causes less harm is forbidden. By harm, there are two types: harm to user and harm to others. I will split this argument into two sub-points and explain how marijuana is not so harmful to user and others. Sub-Point 1: Harms to users It is beyond doubt that overuse of marijuana, just like any other things can result in undesirable result. However, reasonable dose of marijuana do not cause so much of addiction [1], increased risk of cancer [2] and long-term cognitive impairment [3, 4]. It is undeniable that marijuana is completely harmless. So by saying marijuana is “not so harmful” I am not arguing marijuana is harm-free but I mean that the harm level of marijuana is not bad enough for it to be banned. In England and Wales in the year of 2006, cannabis caused 17 deaths when alcohol and tobacco each caused 6,627 and 86,500. Aspirin which is a completely legal headache medicine caused 22 deaths. The fact that marijuana usage is lower than alcohol and tobacco usage does partially contribute in such a low rate of marijuana death. However, taking the fact that 7 million people in UK are estimated to smoke marijuana, marijuana’s danger is significantly lower than alcohol and tobacco. Sub-Point 2: Harms to others Before anything, I would like everyone to take a look at this grpah from Lancet. <http://www.economist.com...; From the graph already, we can see that cannabis has such a low rate of harm on others. Even considering the fact that cannabis figure can be shaken due to its illegality, the figures are still very overwhelming, along with other figures I have given previously. Again, 22 deaths were caused due to aspirin, which is a perfectly legal headache pill when 17 died from marijuana in the UK and Wales. The major way that a substance can harm others is through driving under influence. However, marijuana does not impair driving ability but in some cases make drivers more cautious since marijuana causes nerve to be more sensitive [5]. But as stated in the introduction, driving under influence of marijuana will be restricted just like driving intoxicated is illegal. Accidents caused due to marijuana-influenced driving are not a massive problem currently as well. If my opponent wants to argue on this point, he has to show what makes marijuana's danger a bigger problem than current problems that legal drugs cause. ARGUMENT 2: Benefits of legalization There are three main benefits of legalizing marijuana: economic, individual and social. Sub-Point 1: Economic Due to sizable market of marijuana, legalization of marijuana in Washington State is already expected to generate enormous amount of tax revenue. Economists predict if marijuana is taxed similarly to tobacco and alcohol, the US government can have about $6.2 billion of tax revenue each year [6]. Budget used on War on Drugs can be reduced significantly as well. In the year of 2010, The US federal government spent over $15 billion dealing War on Drugs. That is about $500 a second. The fact that out of all drug arrests in the US, marijuana arrests comprise 52% should be considered [7]. This means when marijuana becomes legal, the budget dealing illegal drugs can be decreased to about half and be concentrated on the rest half of arrests. Sub-Point 2: Individual About 7 million people in the UK are estimated to smoke marijuana when 23% of Canadian population admits having smoked marijuana. In the year of 2007, it has been surveyed that about 100 million US citizen have used marijuana. Viewing from the fact that this figure is around 5~6 years old, there is a good reason to assume that the number is higher currently. When marijuana is such a widely used and loved substance for recreational purpose, people should benefit themselves with legalized marijuana without fearing arrest. Just like cigarette and alcohol are also unhealthy substances but people have the freedom to opt to take these substances for recreational purpose, marijuana that is less harmful should be legalized. Apart from this, by legalizing something that is ironic to be illegal in the first place, we can save about 750,000 individuals being arrested each year in the US just for marijuana possession [7]. Sub-Point 3: Social 10,000 lives are killed in the US each year due to territory feud between drug dealers. Gang organizations including Mexican Cartels fight over their business territory in the US soil. Among 10,000 lives, the vast majority is innocent citizen caught in a cross-fire between these aggressive “warfare” of gangs [8]. When marijuana, which is the most widely used drug, becomes legal, better marijuana will be available for sale legally in a cheaper price which will likely to bankrupt many crime organizations and the residual criminal groups could be handled more efficiently and effectively since legalization of marijuana will undermine their business greatly. As I have mentioned previously, around half of labor force on War on Drugs is used on marijuana. As soon as marijuana becomes legal, the labor force can be concentrated into capturing minority of gang groups that survived bankruptcy but is already debilitated economically. When legalization of marijuana can solve so many problems, bring benefits to the society and the individuals but is not as nearly as harmful as alcohol and tobacco, legalization must happen. REFERENCES [1] http://www.psychologytoday.com...; [2] Tan WC, Lo C, Jong A, et al.; for the Vancouver Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) Research Group. Marijuana and chronic obstructive lung disease: a population-based study. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2009;180:814–20. [3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... [4] Block, R.I. et al., “Acute Effects of Marijuana on Cognition: Relationships to Chronic Effects and Smoking Techniques.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 43: 907-917. [5] Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. “Legalization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box”. New York. (1995):36. [6] http://economics.about.com... [7] http://norml.org... [8] http://www.independent.co.uk...