The U.S Government should legalize recreational marijuana.

Contentions 1. Freedom of Autonomy Famous British philosopher, and political economist, John Stuart Mill theorized that, "The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others"[0]. People should have the right to exercise their autonomy. As the quote above suggests, the only time this can be rightfully restricted is to prevent harm to others. The Government has *no responsibility* to ensure individuals do not harm themselves. This is patently obvious, as dangerous and even lethal activities are not illegal, such as smoking tobacco or GrandPrix racing, the latter killing 1/100 participants [1]. Con will need to show that marijuana itself creates a significant enough harm to others, in order to justify marijuana’s illegality. Not only that, but he must demonstrate this harm to others is *greater than or on par at-least* with the harms that the U. S status quo already permits. It would be *illogical* to have one thing be illegal based on its harm to others, just to turn around and permit something of even greater harm. 2. Low Level of Harm to Self and Others The possible harms associated with several others substances are already legal and significantly more detrimental to society and the individuals themselves. The chart below [2] illustrates the level of harm substances have on their users and those around them. We can immediately take note that the *most dangerous* substance is *already legal*. The simple fact that the government accepts this inherent risk of self-harm and harm-to-others from Alcohol, is plenty of justification to accept the lower risks of another substance such as marijuana. Marijuana is shown to be nearly *five times* less harmful-to-others than Alcohol is. If the U. S government accepts these risks of harm, it is only reasonable that we should allow another substance who's risks are significantly less; that being marijuana. 3. Benefits from Regulation There are several benefits to be had from regulating marijuana on a federal/state level. a) Taxation: It should go without saying that the government benefits from the high revenue taxes generate on tobacco and alcohol. It is estimated that the legalization and regulation of marijuana could generate approximately *8.7 Billion* dollars in tax revenue [3]. This alone is a huge benefit worth the possible harm that legalized marijuana may pose. b) Safety and Reduction of the Black Market: With an easily accessible and safe source, people will not be at risk of obtaining laced drugs or poorly maintained products. Both of which contribute to further reducing the possibility of harming oneself or those around them. Additionally, this takes away revenue from the black market which helps to diminish its existence in the U. S. With the legalization of recreational marijuana in several states, NPR reported that the price of a kilogram of weed as gone from 90$ to 30$, making the illegal industry less worthwhile [4] c) Job Creation: In order to regulate marijuana there will need to be jobs to do so! Jobs in which will involve things such as business management, plant growing, product selling, and even cooking will inevitably be created. In turn further stimulating the economy. With the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, they saw a creation of upwards of 10,000 jobs [5]. Conclusion: Given the great benefits to be reaped from the legalization of marijuana, and the significantly lower harm it possess than what the status quo allows, I believe marijuana should be legalized. [0] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [1] . http://www.besthealthdegrees.com... [2] . http://www.vox.com... [3] . http://www.huffingtonpost.com... [4] . http://www.ibtimes.com... [5] . http://naturalsociety.com...