Mary Jane should be Legal

Some of the following arguments are brief, more elaboration will be given in the next round where needed. Scratch Much? A) This argument is true and simple, so it does not require a detailed explanation: Marijuana is the least addictive substance (including alcohol. ) B)HEMP 1) Hemp cultivation and its production do not harm the environment. It does not require herbicides nor pesticides. It converts CO2 to oxygen much more efficiently than trees, and it controls erosion of the topsoil. It also replenishes the soil with nutrients and nitrogen, making it quite ideal. As a sign of its benefit to earth, industrial hemp was used to remove contaminants from the soil after the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant incident in April of 1986. 2) Production. It produces more oil than any other crop, which can be used for many products. It also produces bio-fuel and ethanol, and it does so more efficiently than corn. And it can, very importantly, it can be cropped more than once a year. So what do we know with these facts: Its safe, incredibly efficient, breaks the monopoly of the corn industry, and would, subsequently, increase the exports of the United States. C)? Prohibition? In the status-quo, there is a prohibition of marijuana. This argument seeks to show that not only does the status-quo not fix the "problems" of this substance, but it actually creates problems that would not exist otherwise. Huffington Posts writes, "In, fact, it [the prohibition] is getting worse, as the Obama administration is continuing a crackdown on anyone who is approaching the problem in any sort of sane or rational manner -- including local and state government officials. .. the much-longer insanity of marijuana prohibition that doesn't just continue to this day, but is actually getting worse. " 1) Criminalization of marijuana consumes significant fiscal resources and organizational resources beginning primarily with local law enforcements. There is no good evidence linking criminalization and decreased distribution, price, and use. This lack of a link shows the efforts of prohibition are futile. We spend 600 million a year on holding people in prison for Mary Jane offenses. Jeff Miron, an economist from Harvard, estimates that government would save an annual amount of 7.7 billion dollars in expenses. These resources can be allocated for many superior reasons, for at least something that without doubt shows a result, as 85% of high school seniors consider it "very easy" to access. Go prohibition! You waste our tax dollars to stop the least addictive substance from being sold! .. .But wait we waste all this money for only 15% to find it difficult to find the substance. .. ? 2) Prohibition creates disrespect for the law. As a significant number of people have tried marijuana, it clearly depreciates the seriousness of laws. They begin to be seen as whimsical, unimportant, and rather irrelevant. It is not seen as protective and good and important. This sets a perceptual barrier that leads to a decrease in obedience to the constructs of U. S. law. 3) Prohibition causes gangsters not only to be well paid, but well liked. Since in many regions of the United States gangsters have a monopoly of distribution, they, in the status-quo, have an opportunity to gain support of the community since they supply. This support is only unique to the status-quo, as the alternative world takes the major supply power away from gangs. No Capone if no alcohol prohibition, type reasoning. "the neighborhoods which are overrun with black market drug activity inevitably become recruitment camps for young people to become involved in the drug trade. " 4) "Marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could" the southern border gang wars have cost more lives than marijuana has (which is 0 of itself. ) Prohibition puts power in the hands of dangerous criminals, particularly in southern Texas, Arizona, and California. Gang wars = death, injury, psychological trauma for the victims and their friends and family members. 5) State legislations often allow police departs to keep a portion of their seized assets. Research has shown that asset forfeiture provisions leads law enforcement agencies to shift their priorities from preventing and solving property and violent crime to "asset hunting. " A recent study done in the state of New York found that a rising number of marijuana arrests lead to a significant increase in assaults, robberies, and larcenies. But lets not stop there, as the prohibition know no ends to its genius, for every 10 marijuana convictions in the state of Florida there were an additional 7 property and violent crimes. 6) So how do we get this glorious business done? ?? ? We use constitutionally controversial police tactics, challenge civil liberties, we over-crowd the courts, and the diversion of treatment dollars. 7) In 2009 no deaths-by-cause were related to marijuana. In fact marijuana is one of the only substances that you can not over dose off of. Alcohol--23,199. Pharm. drug induced--37,485. When I look at these numbers, and think about what legal and what's not. .. well it's just frustrating. Another Simple Truth D) Marijuana is incredibly beneficial for cancer patients and patients with various painful diseases. Access becomes much more easy for these suffering people. Marijuana should always be favored over Pharm. drugs, as it has little to no side-effects. ---Zaradi states, "The BOP is on my opponent to prove why "Mary Jane" should be legal. " --- There is one problem with this statement, the parameters of the challenge for this debate were stated as such, "This round's winner should be determined by who's arguments outweigh in regards to the implications of both possible worlds. " Meaning each debater weighs the impacts of the side they're on. Therein the burden of proof is on both debaters to prove why their side is better. And you accepted said challenge. Viewers should favor this paradigm more, as it leads to the most informed/educational conclusion for people to draw their own opinions from. Conclusion: 1. Marijuana is addictive to a very small amount of people. 2. Hemp WOULD be invaluable to this country. 3. The Prohibition causes way more devastation than marijuana can ever have the potential to do. 4. Marijuana is a great medicine. 5. BOP is on both as that is the best way for on-lookers to determine their own mind on the topic. Sources: 1. . http://drugwarfacts.org... 2. . http://www.patheos.com... 3. . http://stopthedrugwar.org... 4. . http://www.aclu-wa.org... 5. . http://www.hemp-technologies.com...