Marijuana should be legalized with restrictions and taxed. The cost of battling the use of the substance is too great; billions of dollars are being spent, thousands of man hours are being wasted, and lives are being lost.

The legalization of marijuana should mirror the legalization of alcohol. Sellers must have proper licenses and certificates. Age restrictions must be put on the sale and use of the controlled substance. Laws must be put in place that would prohibit the use of marijuana while driving, while in public zones (such as elementary and high schools), and while operating heavy machinery.

We believe that crime will decrease which will allow for monetary resources and manpower to be focused on violent crimes such as murder and rape. The substance shall be taxed, much like alcohol and tobacco, which will bring in revenue and help relieve the deficit. This will also keep money flowing in the American economy because, as of now, majority of the money spent on the purchase of marijuana is flowing to Mexico, and to a lesser extent, Canada.

The parallels to The Prohibition of alcohol during the early part of the 20th Century are too staggering to be ignored. Billions of dollars per year are being spent on the marijuana front of the War on Drugs; this is much like the millions of dollars J. Edgar Hoover spent battling organized crime, which made majority of the money from bootlegging alcohol.

Ordinary non-violent citizens are made criminals because they buy, sell, and use marijuana. The use of the substance has become far too common to still believe that any user is a drug “fiend” as the propaganda of the mid 20th Century proposed.

Even fourteen time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has done the drug at least once. He stands as a shining example that this drug, when used during the proper time and place, is not a life-ruining substance.