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Why Marijuana should be legalized
Introduction
Various governments have made numerous drugs illegal while others remain legal. Such drugs include cocaine, heroin, methane, marijuana, alcohol, bath salts or synthetic cathinone, hallucinogens, methamphetamine and many others. However, some are legal to use; the use of others are limited while others are illegal. For instance, alcohol is legal in most countries while its use is limited in others in terms of time one can use them and in terms of amounts that one can consume. Nonetheless, most of these drugs are illegal including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and many others. However, even though some drugs are termed as harmful, they should receive some considerations to legalize them due to numerous reasons. Particularly, marijuana should be legalized. Marijuana refers to the dried flowers, leaves, seeds and stems from the hemp plant. Scientifically referred to as Cannabis sativa, that contains the mind-altering (psychoactive) chemical, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), alongside other associated compounds. Commonly, it is utilized for its physiological and psychoactive effects that can elevate euphoria or mood, appetite, and relaxation.
Discussion
Over the past few decades, they have been serious discussion on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Many know the reasons as to why marijuana should not be legalized. Some of the reasons put forward for not legalizing marijuana are that it harmful to one's mental and physical health, addictive and that it decimates the life of many people (Rosenthal 110). However, although some of these statements are true, so do the other legal commonly abused drugs do. There are numerous reasons why marijuana should be legalized.
Marijuana usage must be treated as what it is: not a criminal issue but a health issue
It is true that marijuana is harmful, but it should be legalized. Some legalization proponents argue that marijuana is harmless, but indeed, it is especially to young children. In fact, most of the legalization proponent do not allow their children to utilize marijuana, similar to those that oppose its legalization. According to numerous studies, marijuana leads to functional and structural impairments in brain developments of adolescents. Through stunning communication between the regions of the brains, it damages high-level thinking (Rosenthal 113). Evidence points out that it affects memory, as well, and for a minority of children, it triggers dormant mental diseases such as schizophrenia. Similarly, those that utilize marijuana have a high probability to experience clinical depression though it is not known whether marijuana causes depression. What is commonly known is that the frequent disputation that no individual gets dependent on marijuana is controverted by the actuality that an approximated 9% do (Rosenthal 113).
However, the question is why marijuana should be legalized, and evidence points out that legalization may increase the number of children users. There are various reasons why it should be legalized in light of this statement. First, the supposition of an uptick in utilization does not take into consideration countermeasures, which can be enforced. Science-based regulations should be put into play and enforced. Further, education, alongside other preventive approaches must accompany marijuana legalization. According to Miron Jeffrey, an economist at Harvard. In legalizing marijuana, approximately $ 7.7 would be saved by the government every year in law enforcement expenses.In addition to bringing a further $ 6.2 billion annually in marijuana taxation at rates equal to tobacco and alcohol. These totals to $13.9 billion annually, which could be earmarked to prevention campaigns, in addition to treatment for addicted individuals (Rosenthal 115).
The truth is marijuana's illegal status has not halted millions of children from using it every day. Additionally, the illegal status may stop the children from seeking help. In fact, no one person should be arrested for using marijuana. Adequate education should be availed to children, and whenever problems develop, they should receive immediate treatment so that it does not escalate. Individuals arrested for using marijuana have a high probability of descending into more usage (Rosenthal 109). Therefore, unless governments become extremely effective in their preventive efforts, many children will try smoking weed. A new conversation must be done with children, treating marijuana use for what it is: not a criminal but a health issue. Marijuana must, therefore, be legalized, in addition to taking the choice to utilize or not out of the jurisdiction of judgment and morality.
Liberty
The most fundamental reason marijuana should be made legal is that there exists no good reason for illegalizing it. So many people individuals as the reason marijuana should be legalized but instead, they should be asking why it should not be illegalized (Barbour 201). Philosophically, people deserve the right for making their choices. The only thing that the government should be involved in is limiting the choices in the event that the actions of the individual are a danger to others. However, government limiting should not apply to marijuana, as it is a far less dangerous drug, even far less dangerous than some of the legal ones such as tobacco and alcohol.
Most people have admitted to utilizing marijuana
Most polls about Americans that have utilized marijuana at least once in their lifetime.Points out to around 40% compared to 16% of Americans that have utilized cocaine that is obviously a considerably lower percentage (Barbour 202). Marijuana's ambiguity is increasing becoming more every year in spite of being less addictive compared to coffee. Certainly, there is a reason individuals are feeling safer using marijuana. This leads to the next point.
Marijuana is comparatively safer than most legal drugs
If an individual is fine with cigarettes and alcohol, then there should not be a reason he or she should not take marijuana. As it is evident in the 2010 study below. That was published in Lancet and reported by the Economist.Several experts in drugs in the United Kingdom evaluated the combined marijuana harms to the user and others and established that they were far much less that the harms caused by tobacco and alcohol. The negative stigma of marijuana use has certainly made it appear worse. And because utilizing it is still not legal, the actuality that only people willing to go against the law utilize it has inexorably caused it to be linked with a "pothead" culture (Barbour 203). Succinctly, these are just but the preconceived notions that people have been brought up in though. A world where rather that consuming cheap beer, a hopeful candidate in politics can roll a joint to appear as the people's choice does not have to look crazy. This situation would be the healthier choice.

Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/marijuana-legalization_n_4151423.html
Marijuana has a low abuse risk
Contrary to what many individuals believe, the rate of addiction to marijuana is not as high as one may think. According to Dr. Gupta Sanjay, in his essay "Why I Changed My Mind about Weed", the people have been systematically misled on marijuana. He explains that marijuana results independence in approximately 9% to 10% in adult utilizers. Cocaine results to a 20% dependence on its users, while heroin goes to about 20% (Barbour 206). Tobacco users are the worst culprits, with tobacco addicting about 30% of its users.
Cost: It is expensive to keep marijuana illegal
The government would save a lot of money in legalizing marijuana. For instance, In the U.S, all the three levels of government (local, State and federal authorities) are involved in the drug war. Presently, the U.S is spending money in billion dollars every year in chasing peaceful individuals who happen to utilize marijuana. Once these people are apprehended, they are locked up in jails and prisons and taxpayers' money is used to foot their bills. Taxpayers have to pay for their health care, housing, food, entertainment, court costs, attorney fees, and many other things (Caulkins et al. 254). This is expensive. Millions of dollars that could be saved go into waste every year. However, through legalizing marijuana, millions of dollars could be saved, and the government would be earning revenue through the collection of tax from marijuana dealers.
Exclusion does not help
Prohibition of marijuana does not assist the country in any way, and it causes many problems. There exists no proved evidence illustrating that prohibition reduces the use of any drug, and there are numerous theories suggesting that prohibition increases the use of drugs. One of the intended effects of marijuana prohibition is.It is extremely popular in schools in the U.S. the reason to this is that it is extremely readily available even to people below the age of 21 (Caulkins et al. 258). Usually, people dealing with the smuggling and sale of marijuana do not care how old an individual is as long as he or she has money. In fact, it is much easier for high school students to acquire marijuana than alcohol since alcohol is legal. As well as, regulated in order that it is not sold to people below the recommended age (Caulkins et al. 258). Thus, if the main objective is to minimize drug use.Then more emphasis should be put on open as well as honest programs to educate the young people on the regulations and treatments available for any drug problem. However, the present scheme of prohibition does not permit such sensible tactics to marijuana. Alcohol prohibition has been tried in many countries, and the outcomes are a miserable failure. This should be a lesson, and that mistake should not be repeated.
Medical utilization
It is within the public domain that marijuana can be utilized in treating particular illnesses. In the U.S, particularly in Canada, laws have been passed in the last few years allowing sick individuals to utilize marijuana for medical reasons. According to various reports, there is proof that marijuana is extremely useful in relieving pain, controlling vomiting and nausea, and stimulation of appetite. However, despite this evidence, many governments have not accepted to consider marijuana reclassification. Such countries include the U.S where the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Have officially opposed the utilization of marijuana for medical reasons (Caulkins et al. 265). Succinctly, the sick have their rights also, and these rights should be supported. Thus, they should be allowed to aid themselves through utilizing marijuana as medicine.
Religious grounds
While medical marijuana is receiving a widespread approval all over the world, religious marijuana has received immense resistance from various governments in spite of the compelling reasons to legalize it. Apparently, it is legal to consume alcohol for religious purposes, more so among the Jews. Additionally, more than 25 states permit minors to take alcohol on religious grounds (Ruschmann 301). However, the question still lingers in people's minds, as to why marijuana should not be legalized for reasonable religious reasons.
Numerous world religions include the practice of ritual consumption of alcohol. Communion wine is famous among Christians and Kurdish. Wine and Passover Seder are common among the Jews.Especially in Purim festivals when they celebrate by drinking alcohol to the extent of not differentiating the Haman (Enemy) and Mordecai, (hero) (Ruschmann 302)).
Similarly, numerous religions indulge in ritualistic smoking of marijuana dating back to thousands of years. Specifically, it is utilized in the Hindu deity, Shiva, worship and extremely widespread by Rastafarians as a study of the Bible, in addition to the meditation aid.
Moreover, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was passed in 1993 by the Congress, the government is needed to illustrate a compelling interest to considerably, burden a genuine religious practice. Nonetheless, if hallucinogens such as peyote are legal under these standards, then, more mild drugs such as marijuana should not be any different. Even restriction that banned alcohols in the United States exempted wine for sacramental reasons, or, in other words, religious rites (Ruschmann 310). Alcohol is in the classification of drugs in the same way as marijuana, and it has potentially harmful effects, as well. However, if alcohol is broadly accepted for religious utilization among Hindus and Jews, marijuana should be accepted, as well.
Marijuana is safe and aids in sleep
According to reports by the National Cancer Institute, patients that ingest a marijuana extract spray reported a more relaxing sleep. Further, in an SFGate blog entry, Downs David explores the most excellent marijuana strains to aid in insomnia. David came across a quote from a researcher known as Feinberg.From "Clinical Pharmacology Therapy" of 1976 that explained that the influence on sleep of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration was almost similar to that induced by lithium (Ruschmann 316).
Conclusion
Marijuana should be legalized. The above contest has illustrated a range of logical reasons as to why it should be legalized. Some of the reasons highlighted include that exclusion does not help, it is extremely expensive to keep marijuana illegal, it is excellent on medical and religious grounds, and many other more reasons. In the light of these reasons, therefore, governments should find a way of legalizing marijuana. As evident from the above context, prohibition denies many people their rights, in addition to adding more problems than it solves.Since marijuana is becoming more popular all over the world, and restricting its usage has proved to be of little help, governments should find a way of legalizing it but with certain policies and regulations. For instance, governments could put restrictions against smoking marijuana in public. This would imply that marijuana is legal, but the government controls its consumption. Thus, the reasons to legalize marijuana are more than the reasons to keep it illegal.

Work Cited
Barbour, Scott. Should Marijuana Be Legalized?San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2011. Print.
Caulkins, Jonathan P, Angela Hawken, Beau Kilmer, and Mark Kleiman. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know. , 2012. Print.
Rosenthal, Ed, Steve Kubby, and S Newhart. Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2003. Print.
Ruschmann, Paul. Legalizing Marijuana. New York: Infobase Pub, 2003. Internet resource.