Your Weed Payed for My Child's Education!

First off, let me make it clear that I do not engage in the consumption or sale of marijuana. I am proud to say that despite peer pressure and other situations, I have never smoked weed. However, its legal status is a national interest to many, and I think it is an interesting topic. I am not an expert on the issue itself, so bear with me. I will just give my opinion on what this country should do concerning marijuana and its legal status.

If I remember correctly, there are a shocking number of people in jail for non-violent marijuana crimes. The figure is something like one out of every six people in jail is there for these non-violent crimes. To me, prison is a place for violent and dangerous people. The people that go to jail for breaking the controlled substance laws with marijuana are generally non-violent, or at least do not have a history of violence. So why are they going to jail, other than because it is simply against the law? Their imprisonment is contributing to the overcrowding of jails, and allowing many violent criminals to stay on the streets.
In my opinion, marijuana should be a personal choice, like alcohol or cigarettes. Some may argue that it alters the mind and decision-making of the user. However, so does alcohol. I remember reading that people who consume alcohol are more likely to act violent than those under the influence of marijuana. Prohibition and the 18th amendment show that we clearly could not live without alcohol and it is almost inevitable that marijuana will be an aspect of society regardless of legalization or not. So why not legalize it? Why not tax it and use the money for other things? After all, this is a free country, and if these people want to risk their health with marijuana why can’t they?
The laws against marijuana have created an underground society that often does involve violence in terms of smuggling and transporting the drug into the United States. If it were legalized, this trend could be eliminated with production occurring within designated parts of the country, and becoming self-sustaining. This would likely eliminate most of the incoming smuggling, and the violence associated with its transportation. By taxing the substance and incorporating regulations, it could be just as efficient as the alcohol business. The money received from the taxes would stay inside the country, rather than venture to the drug lords of third-world nations. We could enhance infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Although it sounds like a simple and easy process, it is not.
Should marijuana be legalized, it would not be surprising if other drugs such as heroin or cocaine were pushed for legalization by its users. Also, health issues would be inevitable no matter what people say. Putting smoke into your lungs is simply not good for you, whether it is tobacco, tea, or marijuana. Also, with legalization marijuana could potentially become more accessible to children and secondhand smoke would also become a health issue.
Ultimately, I think there is a lot of potential for legalizing marijuana for the good of our people. So much money is spent on it today that often leaves the country when it should be staying. Also, like alcohol, people are going to continue to use this substance regardless of regulation, so we might as well utilize the habit of some to benefit all. It is already making advances in California with medicine, so it is not out of sight for future legal changes to occur.