marijuana legalization
...l in the treatment of ailments such as glaucoma, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.” (Transition): Which takes me to the next problem that is; a. We’re missing out on valuable medicines that could be made from certain extractions of hemp. Marijuana has been used for medicine for 4800 years, and is proving effective in treating the aforementioned ailments, along with nausea, pain, and certain eating disorders. Many very sick people are being denied appropriate medical care because it’s a crime for a doctor to prescribe, or even advice the use of marijuana. b. Another problem is with the social and economical aspects of marijuana prohibition. Economically, keeping marijuana illegal is expensive. It costs around $50,000 a year to keep one inmate in prison. If you multiply that figure by the 50,00 people that are now incarcerated for non-violent marijuana offenses, we can figure that approximately 2.5 billion dollars a year is coming out of the taxpayers pockets to keep non-violent people away from their families. Also under the current law, many more people are eligible for a spot in jail. Possession of any amount of marijuana is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. According to a 2003 national survey on drug use and health, 3.1 million Americans use marijuana on a daily basis. Should they all be in prison? Also, stiffer sentencing has meant jails overcrowded with drug offenders, forcing the early release of violent criminals, including murderers and rapists, to make room for guys who’ve been given life without parole for a third time drug offense. America is now the greatest jailor nation, with a prison population consisting overwhelmingly of drug offenders. On average, we sentence non-violent drug offenders to five times more jail time than those convicted of manslaughter. c. And perhaps the biggest argument in favor of legalization of this plant is it’s material usefulness. It’s a valuable agricultural product. It can be used to make clothing, shoes, diapers, rope, cellophane, paint, fuel, grease, biodegradable plastic, food, cosmetics, soap, and, most importantly, paper. One acre of hemp plants can produce the same amount of paper as four acres of trees. Hemp paper is more durable than tree paper, and can be produced quicker, as hemp only requires a growing season of 100 days, while tress must be grown for 20 years or longer before they can be used commercially. III. This can all be avoided by simply legalizing this plant. IV. Think of all the benefits: we won’t have to parole violent felons from prisons to make room for drug offenders, police will be able to focus on violent thieves, rapists, and murderers, drug prices will go down, resulting in less thef...