Marijuana Should be Legalized in the United States of America.

I understand the Pro attacking my government sources since the government is against legalization of Marijuana. But not all the sites I listed are controlled by the government, the only one that is government controlled is drugabuse .gov, the other 5 websites i gave are independent sources that just like the Pro's sources only state the facts regarding Marijuana use and its dangers. Marijuana is a very addictive drug, it is not as addictive as many other substances but it still is addictive. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org... http://www.spiritualriver.com... http://recoveryguy.hubpages.com... http://alcoholism.about.com... http://www.psychologytoday.com... All these sources are independent of the government and show that while Marijuana does not cause a majority of users to become addicted, Marijuana CAN be addictive "Also, if a substance is that harmful to your body, and it is something that people wouldn't do normally, what makes you think that legalizing that substance would cause more people to do it? If heroine were to become legal tomorrow, I still would not use it. I do not need the government to save me from myself, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." The reason that many people do not try it is because they do not have access to it or is too expensive for them to buy it from dealers. If like you said Heroin would become legal tomorrow, not everyone would immediately use it. How ever some people would use it because they now have access to it and may use it simply by urge or even from peer pressure. We dont need the government to take care of either of us because we are very smart people and know the harmful effects of Heroin, but not everyone does, and others do not care about the damage they could do to themselves. "Marijuana is generally in the top 10, if not the number one cash crop in pretty much every state in the union." You did not cite the source but it is true. If you investigate further though you will see just exactly who is growing the Marijuana, it is not the states or the government. People grow Marijuana (and lots of it) and the reason why it is considered a cash crop in many states is because of one report. http://www.drugscience.org... One person (who did not work for the government) estimated the value of Marijuana and then multiplied that number by how much is grown to calculate the enormous sum. People have illegally grown Marijuana and because it is an illegal substance it has a high price, but it is grown simply to be sold to others which classifies it as a cash crop. My point is, Marijuana is not being grown on wide open farms like cornfields in Iowa or Orange Groves in Florida and then sold to other countries for a price that is competitive to other nations exporting the same good. It is grown illegally indoors and in secret places like sheds with lights where people then sell it to other Americans for an ungodly high price because it is an illegal substance. http://stopthedrugwar.org... ^ that source may appear biased, but it just provides facts you can see for yourself. If you dont believe my argument consider this. 1 bushel = 30 to 60 lbs Amount of corn grown in the US = 9 to 10 billion bushels Amount of Marijuana grown (illegally) in the US = 1.5 million pounds were confiscated so estimating that only 10-20% of all grown Marijuana is found that would cause production to be between 7.5 to 15 million bushels Bushels of corn = 9 to 10 BILLION Bushels of Marijuana (guess) = 8 to 15 MILLION Price of one bushel of Corn = $2 to $3 Price of one bushel of Marijuana = $70,000!!!!!!!! :O http://www2.econ.iastate.edu... http://www.druglibrary.org... http://www.interstock.ru... http://www.cnbc.com... My point is, its not the states that grow all this weed, its illegal growers. The reason its the number one "cash crop" is because 1 bushel of weed is literally about 3000 times more valuable then 1 bushel of corn. Tons of Marijuana is grown and the government is doing a rather crappy job of trying to limit access to it. But since it is illegal the government has been limiting access to it, even if its only 10 to 20% You make an assumption that all teenagers in rehabilitation centers were caught, arrested, and then given an unbalanced choice by a judge to then be forced into rehab. That does happen but when you examine the teenage population (those who often go to rehab more than any other age group) it is often because their families have decided to put them in there and pay for it out of their own pockets. To assume that ALL teens are in rehab because they were ALL caught and were ALL given a choice of either rehab or jail is false. Marijuana deteriorates memory, attention, and learning skills http://psycnet.apa.org... http://www.springerlink.com... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... http://bubl.ac.uk... All are independent studies carried out bu universities and doctors with no government interference There is a difference in being emotionally creative and emotionally healthy. I was referring to how Marijuana could cause depression and feel physically weaker and lazier http://www.sciencedirect.com... http://www.jstor.org... http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org... As for the 2012 study, relax I made an honest mistake, it should have been 2009, http://drugwarfacts.org... I have provided many independent sources showing the dangerous side effects of Marijuana, and have only used statistics from what the Pro claims are questionable sites to show that the US should not legalize Marijuana