Twenty three million Americans smoke marijuana on a regular basis. The government spends three billion dollars a year on enforcing the prohibition of the beneficial plant. Yet the prohibition only makes the problem worse by producing a “Black Market”, that is profitable to criminals. Prohibition has a negative impact on crime, the U.S. budget, and our adolescents. If alcohol is legal, and prohibition of alcohol proved to be disastrous, why not legalize a plant …showed first 75 words of 638 total…

…showed last 75 words of 638 total…trying to contain cultivation and possession, and as a result provides a profitable “black market” for low-life criminals? I feel that it is time to reprioritize our budgeting, and instead of spending $3 billion on enforcing the legalization of a beneficial plant , we can redirect our priorities to more serious issues like child abuse, gun control, or research for the two biggest plagues to hit the United States in this century, AIDS and cancer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**