No one in my family smokes marijuana which is a good thing. We save a lot in money and will be in the clear if pulled over. Everyone knows about this drug and it's a very broad topic but not everyone knows the facts about marijuana including me until I read about this topic. Personally, I think marijuana should be kept illegal but still an option for medical use. This essay will be on the topic of what marijuana is, the pros to legalizing marijuana, the cons to legalizing marijuana, and my personal opinion on if it should be legalized or not. Now a lot of people have heard about marijuana but do they know what it is?

First off, marijuana is a plant called cannabis. Marijuana is also known as weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane and a lot more. They take the leaves off the plant which is known as the flower. They dry up the flower and leaves then break it down into powders. Marijuana has something called tetrahydrocannabinol also known as THC. “ According to CBD Oil Review On August 7th, 2018” This is a crystallized compound that is the main active ingredient in cannabis. THC is the part that gets the user high. The next main ingredient is called Cannabidiol also known as CBD. This is the most critical ingredient in marijuana. While THC gets the user to feel high, CBD is used in the medical portion. Doctors prescribe it to make a patient feel more relaxed rather than physically active. Now that I have talked about what marijuana is, what are some of the pros to legalizing marijuana in America?

First off, “According to Sean Williams At the Motley Fool on June 9th, 2018” are government would save billions of dollars if they stopped trying to chase, find, and catch drug dealers and smugglers illegally selling and distributing drugs. Now in 2013 federal marijuana enforcement costs approximately $3.6 billion a year trying to stop drug dealers, having to put them through trial, jail, etc. If marijuana was legalized it would be removed from the controlled substance list which means fewer court cases which then leads to more money being saved, and the crime rate would be lowered. Next, more jobs will be produced. If a study growth goes through 2025 about 1.1 million jobs would be made. Lastly, medical Marijuana is legal with a prescription, It is used to help people relax, it helps with Pain, muscle spasms, nausea, etc. So, I have listed some of the pros now what are some of the cons?

“According to ProCon.org on Jan 15, 2019, by lots of different writers” When marijuana became legal in Colorado the death rate went up 62% and there were more car crashes while under the influence of marijuana over alcohol. Brains aren't fully developed until the age of 25 and everything a person decides to do will affect the brain. If using marijuana, it can cause short term memory loss. It also makes it very hard to do simple and easy tasks. Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs. 57% of prisoners are referred to treatment from the criminal justice system. Also, about 15.2 million people use it, if legalized the rate would jump even higher. On average about 12.7 Americans will test positive for having marijuana in their body. Lastly, tax revenue would be 8-10x more making taxpayers have to pay more. Lastly, what's my opinion on all of this?

Personally, I think Marijuana should not be legalized in America and only used for medical purposes. One of the main reasons that pursued me over another is the numbers.             

“According to WorldOmeter which is a live count” There are about 328.5 Million Americans in America, 15.2 million use marijuana so that means a good percentage of Americans use it. The numbers may look small but they really aren't. Also, Since Colorado legalized it the death rate rose, If just 62% was there imagine how much higher the death rate would be across America. Lastly, Yes it is known to help when needed but isn't healthy especially if doing it for fun. It can and sometimes will shut your whole body down and there is nothing the user can do about besides choosing not to use marijuana or drugs in general.

In conclusion, I don't think marijuana should be legal but still an option for medical use because it's known to help. My family doesn't use marijuana which saves us a lot of money. I listed what marijuana is, the pros and cons, and lastly what my opinion was. In all, this is what I personally thought about the hot topic on if marijuana should be recreational or kelp illegal.