Puff, Puff, Pass Marijuana LegalizationMany people long for the time when they can just sit back, relax, and enjoy some down time. Maybe they could take a nice walk in a park, or maybe sit down and watch a movie on TV. However, a large number of people across the country choose to participate in a certain recreational activity to relax: smoking marijuana. In fact, “Washington and Colorado are the first to allow adults to use the drug recreationally” (Legalize Marijuana, par 1). Unfortunately for half of our country's population, the consumption of the cannabis plant has been deemed illegal. “Prior to 1937, marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown and smoked in the United States. Since then, all of these activities have been illegal, but many groups and individuals have fought to decriminalize marijuana” (Rich, par 1). I find this absurd! I believe the federal government should look at what the people want and pass a law legalizing marijuana, while of course having regulations to go along with it. Not only will this please the American people, but our economy could greatly benefit from the legalization of cannabis and it is an aid to medical treatment. It would be in our nation's best interest to have legislation legalizing marijuana not only at the state level, but also at the national level. People ask, “What is the point of legalizing marijuana?” It's a drug for a reason. Well, me and many other questions: "What are these reasons?" What is the point of keeping it illegal? One of the reasons for legalizing the “drug” is that it can save/earn a lot of money in the United States of America. "Nationwide, law enforcement officials made 1.5 million drug-related arrests in 2011, more than 40 percent...... middle of paper .. .... uana should be legal everywhere." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, October 24, 2013. Web. December 9, 2013. “Marijuana Legalization Researcher.” CQ Press, June 15, 2013. Loch, Kathy, “Medical Marijuana Researcher.” 1999. Web. December 11, 2013. Marshall, Patrick. “Marijuana Laws,” CQ Press, February 11, 2005. Web, December 11, 2013. “Wikimedia Oprah Foundation.” Web. December 10, 2013. Rich, Alex. “Marijuana Legalization: An Overview.” » Viewpoints: Marijuana Legalization (2013): 1. Viewpoints Reference Center, December 11, 2013. "Marijuana Prohibition Now Costs Government $20 Billion a Year: Economist." The Huffington Post.com, April 20, 2013. Web, December 10, 2013. “What is the lethal dose of marijuana?” Np, nd Web Dec 11.. 2013.