the legalization of marijuana

Hello fellow debaters. As DDO's most vocal advocate of legalizing marijuana, I decided to challenge my debating skills and argue the opposite in favor of criminalizing one of America's favorite past-times. As the instigator of this debate and the one in affirmation of the resolution, Pro has the burden of proving that the U.S. should legalize marijuana. If I can negate all of his arguments (and I will), then you have no reason to vote Pro. In addition, I'll conclude with some final arguments of my own. Thanks, Pro, for starting the debate and good luck! -- Pro's Contentions -- 1) We could tax marijuana and profit. 2) Legalizing pot would create jobs. 3) A lot of people would leave jail. 4) Pot makes people tranquil; that's how we'll establish peace. 5) Pot would only be for people 18+ 6) Pot has medicinal uses. -- Rebuttal -- In one fell swoop, I can most certainly negate my opponent's first two premises. Pro insists that the government and society would both profit off of legalizing marijuana because we could tax the product and create jobs for the people. Ladies and gentlemen, this is wishful thinking. Consider this: If marijuana plants were legal, would you go to the store to buy it, my friends? No. You would do what Pro suggested in R1 -- grow it in your right own backyard. Or, like most people, in warehouses or little hydroponic containers in your home. This would be faster, cheaper, easier and the overall most convenient and resourceful option on any cost-benefit analysis. Thus legalization would NOT lead to the creation of any new jobs, or bring in any new revenue to the government (who already taxes way too much, in my opinion). This brings me to Pro's next argument. Pro insists that by decriminalizing marijuana, a lot of people would be released from jail. I've got two main arguments here. First, if you criminalize pot, many people will lose their jobs including cops, lawyers, DEA officers, etc. This brings me to my second point. If these people are all out of work, AND a whole bunch of people are released from jail therefore being expected to work, then where do you suggest these people find jobs? Nearly 10% of the population is unemployed at the moment which is one of the biggest detriments to the American economy. I've already proven how legalizing pot won't create jobs, so where do you expect these thousands of misplaced workers to go? The result would be an increase in taxes for the working people, and more people unemployed than ever. This is not only bad to the economy but society as a whole. When people don't have "real jobs," they resort to criminal activity to make money. This would make life unsafer, and for the offenders, their punishments more intense thus leading to their imprisonment and perhaps the ruining of their lives in a more disastrous way. Pro's 4th point is that pot makes people tranquil, and as such it can help us establish world peace. Well, a bunch of Americans already smoke pot, and guess what -- there's not world peace. Again, this is wishful thinking on the part of Pro. We have war and unstable nations/relations in this world for deep reasons - hatred and greed - that even the fattest blunt or greenest bowl could not cure. Additionally, while pot is known to make people feel silly, sleepy and hungry, it's also just as known to make people apathetic, lazy and unproductive. Do we really need an increase of distracted drivers on the road or people being less productive than they already are? Just because people may not get caught or in trouble for their irresponsible behavior while high doesn't mean that the behavior itself wasn't wrong. Next, Pro argues that pot should only be legal for people who are 18 and older. Right... the same way that nobody under 18 smokes cigarettes, and people under 21 don't drink. Ha! Pro and I both know that this law would NOT be enforceable; especially with people being able to grow it in their own home with ease. As such, we can assume that minors will be ingesting THC on a daily basis. Not only is this morally questionable, but it socially irresponsible as hell. We're trusted to encourage healthy habits for our children. And while there ARE medicinal uses for marijuana (I'll address that in a second), there are also known DANGERS of the drug as well. So, on to Pro's final argument: Medicinal marijuana. As I said, though there are known medical uses for marijuana, there are also significant health risks. For instance, smoking pot is known to weaken people's immune system, increase the likelihood of mouth cancer (perhaps other kinds of cancer as well), accelerate some of the diseases it's trying to help, progresses the speed of HIV and AIDS faster, lead to an increase in schizophrenic patients, etc. So, it would seem that the dangers of marijuana cancel out the benefits of marijuana. Plus, let's not ignore the reality that legalizing pot would undoubtedly feed into the obesity problem in the United States (haha pun intended). Not only does pot give you the munchies, but it also encourages the consumption of delicious snacks such as pot brownies or hash cookies. This obesity of course can lead to cardiovascular trouble and diabetes to name a few risks. Finally, pot is illegal and yet marijuana still benefits people in a healthy way. Why? Those individuals have prescriptions. As such, this is a completely moot point on the part of Pro. Illegal pot still benefits those who are deemed to need it by doctors and psychologists. If people would like to self-medicate with pot, they can see a doctor and see if they meet the criteria, and move to a state that allows medicinal marijuana. All of Pro's contentions have been dismantled; Back to my opponent for now :)