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Should Marijuana Be Legal? Essay

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Medical Marijuana

In this country, there are parents of sick children driving across state lines, breaking state and federal law by transporting medical marijuana. The drug is legal in several states for personal use, and 23 states for medical use. This does not change the fact that it is still a federally illegal drug under the Federal controlled substances act. There are stiffer penalties for being caught with even a small amount of marijuana, than those given to murderers and rapists. The federal government has the right to come into your home and arrest you for an ounce of marijuana, even for medical use. A first offence possession charge, for any amount of the drug is a $1,000 fine and 1 year in prison. Cultivation of the plant, even for personal use will give you 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. It has been viewed by some to be a wonder drug. And yet it remains misunderstood and vilified.

Marijuana has been touted as being 100 times safer than alcohol, which is legal. Per the CDC, excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. From 1999 to 2014, more than 165,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids. Marijuana related deaths are much lower. Trauma from vehicle accidents or other trauma is the prime cause of marijuana related deaths. The long-term effects have not been studied. Unlike other new

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