Legalise Marijuana

This is important because as adults, we should have certain controls over our lives. It seems completely ridiculous that drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are not only legal but sold as a commercial product, yet marijuana is treated as an obscene drugs. It can be argued that marijuana can lead to mental illness but not only has this not been supported by research, but this seems like a hypocritical argument considering that alcohol can lead to numerous illnesses and is one of the leading causes of death in the UK. Not only that, between the years 2011-12, the Office for National Statistics found that alcohol accounted for 63% of violent crimes in Scotland, and 40% of all violent crime throughout England and Wales. Similarly, the risks associated with tobacco such as lung cancer are commonly known, yet both it and alcohol can be legally purchased by anyone over the age of 18 in the UK. We live in a culture where binge drinking seems socially acceptable but smoking marijuana can result in a criminal record.

The UK is being left behind by countries who are realising that the war on drugs has failed. Trying to use scare tactics such as prison sentences for the mere possession of a naturally growing substance is ludicrous. Perhaps later down the line, other drugs will become decriminalized but I think it is high time that marijuana is not only decriminalized, but fully legalised. We only need to look to Portugal to realise the effect that decriminalisation and legalisation have on drug use and society overall. A war on marijuana use is not only a war on drugs, it's a war on our basic human rights and our freedoms as human beings.

While it is possible (and in fact occurs more often than it should) to die from consuming too much alcohol, the possibility of overdosing on marijuana are inconceivably small. When do we ever hear news updates of somebody dying from a cannabis overdose? Never.

For those of you worried about the societal impact of the legalisation of this substance, one only need to look to Colorado to see that legalisation has a vast array of benefits. While this was a fairly recent move and it is still early days, things definitely look positive in areas such as crime rate.