A Light Legalization Argument For Marijuana

Here we go, the first true argument I've ever written up regarding the legalization of Marijuana. Not Medicinal Marijuana, but the private use of it, as it should be:

There is a distinct difference between something that can significantly harm the body, and something that can merely affect the body.

For example:

Cigarettes can harm the body.

- They can inflict lung, mouth, and/or throat cancer due to tar build up caused by the burning of tobacco and nicotine combined.

- On top of the obvious cancerous qualities, they also lead to addiction making it that much harder for someone to turn away from the habit.

Cigarettes are one of the leading causes of cancerous deaths today owning the charts with 30% of all cancer related deaths (1) in America, yet they are still sold nationwide in a variety of flavors, blends, variations, and extremes. This statistic coincides with another: 1 in every 4 persons will pick up and habitually smoke cigarettes. From menthol to lights, there's a cigarette to please every person ever considering picking up the habit. While cigarette companies are realizing the beauty of a variation of cigarette choices, 440,000 Americans die every year from tobacco use. "Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined."(1). Yet every year more and more Americans are picking up the habit.

Whilst lung cancer remains one of the hardest cancers to treat, cigarettes remain one of the hardest habits to break. Is there another option? Yes. Is the American government willing to pursue such an alternative? Not yet.

The other option I am presenting is one commonly associated with bad connotations. Marijuana. The "drug" commonly conjunctive with multiple American presidents, including presidents such as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and current Presidential elective Barack Obama, is one given a bad name not by fault, but by necessity. If one takes a look into the history of Marijuana and its' affects, they'll find quite an interesting history. To save on insignificant research, however, I've decided to do it for the reader myself.