"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." (36123)

His opinions were the same as some Americans feel today over the prohibition of drugs. The criminalization of marijuana, and other substances, has violated the people?s rights. Legalizing marijuana would vastly improve society today.

Possessing marijuana was criminalized when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, in 1937. (Marijuana Legalization) It has done little to prevent people from using the herb. Currently marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in America. In 1998, 76.5million people had browsed the Internet and 71 million had smoked marijuana. (Bonsor)

Marijuana is the dried buds and leaves of the female Cannabis sativa plant. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, the main psychoactive chemical, is one of 400 found in the plant. THC affects

Mr. Schmoke also states, that by legalizing marijuana, the crime rate will decrease in the United States. The streets of America will automatically become much safer. The drug dealers would be put out of business, and the shootouts over drug related crimes would end. Nadelman states, ?One year after [Drug] prohibition is repealed, 1,600 innocent people who would have died at the hands of drug criminals would be alive.? Instead of drug addicts shoplifting, mugging, breaking into homes, and stealing from others to pay outrageous prices for marijuana from dealers they could support their habit by simply holding an honest, decent paying job. (Unanswered)

Many proponents don?t see much of a difference between marijuana and tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana has more harmful chemicals than tobacco but the average amount of marijuana?s consumption is far less than the average tobacco consumption. Therefore making marijuana less toxic than tobacco. Marijuana has a similar affect on the body as alcohol; it alters and impairs the mind. So proponents don?t see why alcohol and tobacco is legal and marijuana is not. One opponent said, ?It [Marijuana] does both. It alters and impairs the mind while, at the same time; it is ingested by smoking and contains more known carcinogens than tobacco. Why make it legal then? If so many deaths are caused by alcohol and tobacco why allow a substance that combines both?? Only if three wrongs made a right.

Marijuana is available almost everywhere, in the suburbs and the city. It is found growing in homes, on farms, on public lands, and in secluded areas. The US forest service seized over one million pounds of marijuana in 1999. (Bonsor) Marijuana is grown and imported from around the world as well.

Marijuana has become a major factor in the American ?Drug War.? By legalizing marijuana it will reduce the violence that is being caused by the ?Drug War.? Former Mayor of Baltimore Kurt Schmoke is a strong believer in legalizing marijuana and all other drugs. In the article, The War on Drugs Is Lost he says,

John Walters, The United States Drug Czar, says, ?Marijuana is detrimental in its own right ? causing driving accidents, domestic violence, health risks and crippling addiction.? (Stein 59) He feels, as most all opponents feel. (Stein 59) He also says ?this is a great talk at 2 a.m. in a dorm room but is impractical.? (Stein 59) He and other opponents are misinformed. Marijuana has caused driving accidents but nowhere near the amount of alcohol. The accusation that marijuana has caused domestic violence is extremely hard to believe because marijuana causes a somber, relaxed and less motivated state of mind. They are co

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Approximate Word count = 1799
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)