Why Not Pot?

I chose to critique an article called California Medical Association Says Legalize and Regulate Marijuana. This article revealed a new development in the support of legalizing marijuana. It revealed that California's largest physician group officially stated that they support the legalization of marijuana. It outlines many medical and rational points on why the group made their decision to support legalization of marijuana. I think the author does a good job of presenting and summarizing the information that is relevant to his point to the reader and then fallows it with a his commentary and support. He says, “for marijuana to be legalized people need to stop thinking of prohibition as some unchangeable fact of life and start thinking of it as another government policy that can be amended, changed or reversed depending on what is best for society.” I think the author makes a valid point, like any other regulated substance or good, marijuana could be regulated very similarly and used for medical purposes. After all, alcohol was once prohibited and is now regulated successfully in a way that allows responsible adults to purchase at their will. Of course it is not always consumed responsibly but there are other laws and enforcement to help regulate how people act while it is consumed.

I agree with the point of view of this author. I think that legalizing marijuana could not only be beneficial for medical needs but also for economic reasons as well. The government could employ more people for the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana. That in itself would provide job opportunities for the outrageous amount of people unemployed in this country. In addition, the government could tax and sell marijuana for a profit. Any profit in this market would be huge in this economy. In addition, farms and stores would be operated in the United States for a good boost for local markets. The author says, “The CMA is calling for the issue to be examined like any other public health issue with the pro’s and con’s weighted against each other.” If food, prescription drugs, and alcohol can be successfully regulated why can't marijuana be the same way? In many peoples eyes it seems that the pros outweigh the cons.