Pubdate: Fri, 17 May 2013
Source: Times-Press-Recorder (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Pulitzer Central Coast Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.timespressrecorder.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/537
Author: Tyler Cabernoch

MAKING CASE FOR MARIJUANA

To the Editor:

The legalization of marijuana is a huge issue. It should be legalized 
for many reasons.

Clearly, this is a controversial issue, but if we legalized marijuana 
there would be a lot of good that will come out of it. It will also 
solve a lot of the huge problems.

There is a costly drug war going on. It is estimated the government 
spends $10 billion a year in its attempt to keep marijuana off the 
streets. Meanwhile, the state of California has revenue of $14 
billion annually for production of its legalized medical marijuana. 
If marijuana was legalized, government could tax the revenues and 
have additional funds.

Marijuana is one of America's top-selling agricultural products. If 
marijuana was legalized, an estimated $8 billion would be saved 
annually in government spending.

Marijuana is also being used medically to help with pain and 
depression. Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for 
approximately 4,000 years. It helps with depression and relieves 
muscle aches, chronic pain and suppression of nausea. It helps with 
glaucoma by relieving the pressure inside the eye, thereby reducing 
the pain. It has also been proved to help slow down the progress of 
some types of cancers.

If marijuana was legalized, it could help us with money, slowly get 
us out of this humongous debt we are in, help many people with aches, 
pains and illnesses, and it can help slow down the expensive drug 
war. It will bring a lot of good and help out the state of California.

Tyler Cabernoch

Orcutt
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