Loco Weed, Mary Jane, (department of human services division of substance abuse) is one such substance that most people are familiar with. As this drug has leaked out into our society everywhere, one must wonder how destructive marijuana really is, and whether or not it can be controlled. Then again, the question may be, is it really destructive at all? One issue that has been controversial over the last decade is whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Will the legalization of marijuana really benefit our society or will it just contribute to the increase of its use? Seemingly it can be offered in many different perspectives. As a college student, I agree strongly with legalization of marijuana. Not because I smoke it everyday and worry about the police catching me, but because the number one reason this situation is out of control is due to the strong emphasis our society places on it.

Very few Americans had ever heard about marijuana when it was first federally prohibited in 1937. Today, nearly 70 million Americans admit to having tried it (National household survey of drug abuse 1993). According to gove

rnment-funded researchers, the perceived availability of marijuana among high school seniors has remained increasingly high and steady, despite decades of a nationwide drug war. "With little variation, every year about 85% consider marijuana "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain". (Bachman) In 1993, the federal government spent over $12 billion on the "drug war." Approximately 70% ($8.4 billion) was spent on enforcement, court, and prison expenses. (The rest was used for treatment and education.) In 1991 --he most recent year for which data is available -- state and local governments spent a total of nearly $16 billion, of which about 80% ($12.5 billion) was used for enforcement, court, and prison costs (National Drug Control Strategy, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, D.C., 1994).

Maybe we should look at this situation from another perspective. Perhaps the legalization of the drug will pose as a benefit to society, and help solve this huge problem. Depending on the conditions of how the drug is legalized, what the age limit would be and at what prices marijuana would sell at, it could really be a good idea. Maybe this is one idea that society should look into, or obviously all avenues should be researched before coming to a decision of this sort.

The department of Human Services, Division of Substance Abuse of Utah states that 9,880 teenagers in Utah reported that they started the drug between the ages of 12 and 1

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Approximate Word count = 978
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)