The legalization of marijuana would:

1. Save incredible amounts of money in the legal system. Not having to prosecute hundreds of thousands (720,000 people were arrested for marijuana in 2001-see #3 below) of people and jail tens of thousands would reduce pressure on our already overstretched law enforcement and legal systems as well as reduce prison overcrowding, which is becoming a huge issue.

2. Legalizing marijuana would reduce crime. Besides eliminating the crime of being a smoker, legalizing marijuana would reduce all sorts of other crime such as violent crimes (drug dealers would no longer shoot each other for deals gone bad, because people could legally get it and thus there would be no profit from it), and it would reduce the amount of money that gangs and the like could make to fund their activities.

3. Legalizing marijuana would provide a higher level of control over the product. Buyers of marijuana would no longer have to worry about their weed being laced with harmful drugs or produced in situations using pesticides that are illegal in the US. Governments could tax the use of marijuana that is sold to consumers, providing an instant revenue stream.

4. Legalizing marijuana would reduce human suffering. Marijuana is one of the only known effective treatments for a host of conditions ranging from multiple sclerosis to glaucoma and HIV-related problems such as wasting away due to lack of appetite. Marijuana also reduces the pain and loss of appetite associated with chemotherapy.

5. Legalizing marijuana would help American farmers. Being able to grow a mixed crop of smokable and industrial hemp would help small family farms. Many small family farms currently do grow marijuana as a way to help them compete with huge agribusinesses as there are few other alternatives available to remain financially solvent.

6. Legalizing marijuana would reduce its use by children. Studies have shown that marijuana is usually easier to get for high school students than alcohol due to the fact that it is unregulated. Though marijuana should be legalized, it should not be used by children at any point unless prescribed by a doctor (and even then only eaten and not smoked).

7. Legalizing marijuana would not increase its use. Studies of marijuana use in the Netherlands have shown that since its decriminalization there has been no increase in its use. Removing the taboo of its use would reduce its use among children, as there would be less of a dangerous mystique about it. Though there may be an increase in use just after legalization, over time the overall numbers would decrease significantly.

Cons to marijuana legalization:

1. Large pharmaceutical companies may lose some profits if marijuana is legalized. Keeping marijuana illegal is in the interests of many large pharmaceutical companies because people would be less reliant on them if they could grow their own inexpensive medicine.

2. Alcohol and tobacco companies would lose profits as well. Deaths related to alcohol total about 75,000 per year and tobacco use results in about 440,000 premature deaths per year. In contrast, the number of known marijuana overdose deaths throughout history is about zero. Cannabis provides both the smoking pleasure and relaxation benefits of both tobacco and alcohol with fewer risks to responsible adults.
 

i've found my happiness.
i've found my place.
fuck it feels so good.

i know who i am, and i know what i can do.




ps,
i love you.

 The hardest thing for most to understand about major life changes, is that it's so easy.
It was never meant to be hard.
You're a creator.
You can have Anything.

one thing i absolutly love is..
when everything feels like it couldn't possibly get any worse...
everything turns around and ends up being amazing and better than ever.


i had a good weekend, and now i feel really happy and excited =)

i miss my friends,
but i can't go back to them.
i'm becoming the person that i've always wanted to be.
and i know they won't be ready for me yet.
that's the part that hurts the most.

after everything that's happened,
after everything we've been through,
i can't continue to live like that.
i can't continue to watch the people i love fade away as their emotions disintegrate into almost nothing.
but then i feel like i've abandoned them,
until i realize that i'm the one who is alone.

people change and head into new directions,
they gain new morals,
and open their eyes to view new perceptions of reality.
we all know better than to run on ice,
because we'll slip.
i've decided to stay off the ice and keep my feet on solid ground.

life is only going to be as hard as we make it,
we can all be happy when we choose to be.
to all those that have come and gone...
my friends: i love you all more than you'll ever understand, and i'm always here for you; i love you, and i miss you.