Evan Hochstedler – Staff Writer/Future Opinion Editor
Almost 50 years ago former President Richard Nixon started the “War on Drugs”, which claimed that drug abuse is America’s number one public enemy. In some cases this can be true, but there is one drug that the war shouldn’t be waged against, and that is marijuana.
People claim that marijuana is a gateway drug that just makes citizens lazy, and they claim for it to be bad for you. When in reality, Marijuana has shown great progress in multiple health issues. From back pain to helping Veterans deal with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this drug works miracles for many sufferers.
“It is similar to to alcohol in the sense that it’s a natural substance, except it is less addictive, and if a person has the desire to put this substance in their body and it doesn’t affect those around them, then I believe they should have the right to do so legally,” said Halli Davidson ‘20.
Marijuana isn’t as bad as everybody makes it seem. In fact, it has been proven to be a better recreational drug than alcohol and nicotine. Marijuana contains THC, which gives you the “high” and it is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or nicotine, yet these drugs are viewed as normal in today’s world.
The fact is that there is such a stigma on pure marijuana that makes it seem like a horrible substance. If we made this drug legal, not only would it help with pain management, anxiety, and PTSD, but it would also stop putting so many people in jail. Some 89 percent of all incarcerated people in the US are in jail for marijuana.
Instead of paying taxes that go towards their upkeep behind bars, why shouldn’t we be making money off them by making it legal? We could generate one million jobs and over 132 billion dollars in tax revenue by 2025 according to the Washington Post. These jobs would involve work at marijuana dispensaries and farms. We could use the tax revenue from it to fix roads, better schools, or other economic advancements.
“Legalizing marijuana is the right way to go. It could create so many more job opportunities and help out tons of veterans dealing with post traumatic stress disorder when they come home from battle,” said Reece Comerford ‘20.
Some athletes around the world also believe that marijuana should be legalized, because they say that it is so much less addictive than opiates that they’re being prescribed everyday by their team doctors to help deal with different pains suffered from constant physical contact, and tons of athletes continue to abuse opiates after their careers are even over as a result from using them during their times as a professional.
Overall, legalizing marijuana is the correct thing to do in today’s society. It could create better lives for everyone, unlike most drugs.