By 1937, 37 states had made marijuana, which had been in use as a rarely prescribed medicine since 2737 BC, illegal. (“Zimmerman”) Since then, Americans has abide by that law with few questions regarding the medicinal substance that few people had considerable knowledge of. Marijuana was made illegal 77 years ago, before we knew of World War II, color television, or telephones. Doctors and health specialists all over the world now recognize the true benefits, and the few dangers of marijuana. With the knowledge of a changing world, these laws must change. The legalization of all forms of marijuana would be the next step for our country to reduce the effects of drug wars in the border states, to discourage teenagers from choosing more harmful substances to participate in, and for sick individuals to enjoy the medical benefits. In reality, the infamous drug is significantly less harmful than alcohol, and has no addictive qualities, so why should it not be legal?

As of December 2014, four states have legalized recreational marijuana, and 23 states have legalized the use of cannabis for its medical benefits. (“State”) These four states have experienced a lower increase in recreational consumption than what was expected. Additionally, the use of alcohol and cigarettes among teens has droppd significantly since the use of marijuana has been legalized in those select states. Both alcohol and cigarettes have been proven to leave more long term damage than marijuana, according to Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Every year, alcohol causes 88,000 deaths, and cigarettes cause another 7,333. In a study from 2012, marijuana caused no deaths in an entire year, yet it is the only of the three that is illegal. (“Annual”) Since 2006, the percentage of teenagers who have admittedly consumed alcohol in the prior 30 days has dropped from 54 percent  all the way down to 40 percent, an impressive 26 percent decrease. (“Gwynne”) Marijuana has no long term effects on the brain, is not addictive, and influences the mind only vaguely. In an ideal world, teenagers wouldn’t consume any harmful substances, but in today’s society, it is inevitable that many teens and young adults choose to consume harmful substances. In that case, it would be better for those teens to choose cannabis rather than drink or use extremely harmful drugs like cocaine or heroin, then federal laws should not interfere with them.

During the Prohibition era of the early 20th century, the sale and consumption of alcohol was made illegal. As a result of the legalization, mafias began illegally selling beer, wine, whiskey, and other forms of alcohol. Mafias rose to power, and took control of the police departments of many large cities. The cannabis prohibition of modern day is having a very similar effect. Drug cartels have risen to power throughout most of Mexico, and a few border cities in the United States, and have been controlling the distribution of marijuana with violent effects. Since 2006, the drug war has cost the Mexican government over $10 billion, and is responsible for the deaths of over 28,000 Mexican citizens. (“Camin”) According to  surveys, 67 percent of Mexicans agree that the cost of the fight against drugs is unacceptable, and according to 59 percent of Mexico’s population, the cartels are winning the war. (“Camin”)We can help our neighbors to the south, as well as citizens of our own country by making the recreational consumption of cannabis legal. The legalization of recreational marijuana would mean you could buy a bag of pot from the convenience store down the street, making the cartels obsolete in the United States, and minimizing cartel violence in Mexico, as well.

Aside from its obvious recreational purposes, cannabis can serve as an aid to the treatment of several diseases, and functions as a pain reliever, as well as its beneficial therapeutic use. For AIDS patients, cannabis serves as an appetite stimulant. Marijuana helps treat epilepsy, alzheimer’s, hepatitis C, diabetes, ALS, HIV, and arthritis, among others. New, synthetic forms of cannabis are being produced for the use of hospitals, including cannabidiol (CBD), a component of marijuana that takes away the risk of becoming stoned as a result of the drug, while maintaining the medical benefits. (“Zimmerman”) This new medicine has been proved to be equally adept to cure schizophrenia as amisulpride, the other most effective known drug to cure schizophrenia. Even with the revolutionary science of CBD, and similar drugs, in over half the states in our country, hospital patients are being denied the substance due to mild side effects, including  The choice of medication should be left in the hands of the patient, not state law.

With so many reasons to legalize marijuana, our federal and state governments still refuse to acknowledge the benefits of cannabis, failing to look past its infamous reputation. The truth is, marijuana has no long term effects, is not addictive at all, and has valuable medical functions. The war over drugs that has taken so many lives could be reduced dramatically with the creation of a single law. Those with illnesses could cope with the pain and suffering of their sickness. In the current state of American society, the legalization of marijuana is necessary to create a better, safer country.