Should Marijuana Be Legal in Pennsylvania?

     The legalization of marijuana is a hot debate in the United States today, and has been for decades. The rates of marijuana use, recreational and medicinal, have been on the rise recently, and the fight for legalization has grown. Marijuana should be legal in the state of Pennsylvania because the use of it has proven to be safe, and is becoming more and more common to the point that the decriminalization of the drug seems inevitable, it is used to treat many illnesses, and it could help job creation in Pennsylvania and the economy of the state immensely.
     According to The Huffington Post, a poll in 2013 revealed for the first time ever, that Americans are more in favor of legalizing marijuana than criminalizing it, with 58% in favor. The biggest reason that it should be legal is because people want it, and in American democracy,  the people deserve the

freedom to use it if they so please. The Huffington Post article, as well as the article in High Times, both state that there are no recorded accounts of death caused by overdose on marijuana; meanwhile, there are thousands of accounts of overdose on prescription drugs and alcohol, both of which are legal in the United States. In addition, the High Times article states that, "marijuana users are determined to stand up to the injustice of marijuana probation, and accomplish legalization no matter how long or what it takes to succeed." It is clear that the drive for marijuana use is not slowing down anytime soon, and according to the High Times article, the prohibition of the substance only creates problems, and actually increases use, in teens especially, as access to the drug is easier because the illegal market does not care who is buying. The reasons for prohibition have been exaggerated for almost a century, and according to the article, "Many claims of marijuana’s danger are based on old 20th century prejudices that originated in a time when science was uncertain how marijuana produced its characteristic effects. Since the cannabinoid receptor system was discovered in the late 1980s these hysterical concerns about marijuana’s dangerousness have not been confirmed with modern research." 
     Another reason that marijuana should be legalized in Pennsylvania is because the drug serves many medical uses. First of all, it can be used as a safe and useful sleep aid according to The Huffington Post. The article says, in a quote from "Clinical Pharmacology Therapy," that the effect on sleep of THC administration closely resembles those induced by lithium, a prescription drug commonly used to treat insomnia. This article also displays many receipts of marijuana being helpful to cancer patients with sleep and nausea. According to the Discovery Health article, medical marijuana use is on the rise and can be used to treat many ailments, such as vomiting and nausea, loss of appetite, muscle tension and spasm, and chronic pain, all of which are symptoms of large sicknesses like HIV.
     Finally, marijuana should be legalized because it could greatly help the economy. Pennsylvania is currently 47th in unemployment rated, and the cannabis industry would surely create jobs. Also, according to another article from The Huffington Post, the government would save an estimated 13.7 billion dollars on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana. The drug is something that is in high demand, and like alcohol or tobacco, is something that users will still buy, even with high taxes. If marijuana was legalized and heavily taxed, the use of it would decrease, and the cannabis industry would generate a large profit for the government. According to the Daily Chronic, Colorado has saved an estimated 10.8 million dollars in tax revenue on marijuana, and estimated that sales in all marijuana stores will reach 1 billion dollars for the 2014 fiscal year. Colorado's economy has thrived since the legalization of marijuana, and crime rates have actually gone down. This would be a great leap forward for Pennsylvania.

Works Cited

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/marijuana-economy-14-reasons_n_2089107.html              http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/marijuana-legalization_n_4151423.html

     http://www.hightimes.com/read/10-reasons-marijuana-should-be-legal      

     http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/drugs-alcohol/5-common-uses-of-medical-cannabis.htm

     http://www.thedailychronic.net/2014/33932/marijuana-legalization-in-colorado-six-month-status-      report/