By Marianna Michael–

America’s war on drugs has been at the forefront of political and social debate for years and is becoming more prominent as pushers for marijuana legalization gain attention. Although its historical popularity can’t be pinned to one culture, our current generation makes its use apparent.

This topic has continuously been a major subject in all presidential elections, including the 2012 Primary Debates. Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich all strongly oppose the legalization. However, it’s interesting that certain candidates have allegedly smoked marijuana.

Ron Paul is the only candidate that is in support for legalizing marijuana and even introduced a bill in its favor.

The pros to legalizing marijuana are plenty and adhere to America’s capitalist nature. Millions of dollars of revenue will be added to America’s Gross Domestic Product since there will be a deficit of illegal, black market sales. Why should our country not exploit something that can help get it out of debt? This question lives in the same forbidden category as why it is unacceptable to build casinos in Kentucky, even though the Kentucky Lottery provides the KEES scholarships.

It is only fair to look at the con side of legalizing this drug. The cons include a list of unanswerable questions. How would it be sold? Would there and should there be an age limit since its greatest use would be for medicinal purposes? The truth is that those two questions can cause enough controversy to put a bill on hold for a few more decades. The ultimate question would be, is all this time and trouble worth it?

The government should attempt to have a trial period in which this drug is sold legally. After about a year, the statistics should be looked at. If there is an increase in GDP and fewer deaths reported from marijuana use, then this law should remain intact for the rest of eternity. It should be an employers right to fire anyone who is high during work, because it could effect the safety of others around them if they are operating machinery or have to work with people. If anything else comes up amendments can be added to the law, since that is the purpose of amendments. America was built on the concept of freedom, so citizens should hold the right to do what they want with their bodies.

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Photo/Flikr: Bob Doran