[420 Girl]

A movement for the legalization of marijuana is growing in California.

Tom Ammiano, a state assemblyman and former San Francisco supervisor, put forth a bill on Feb. 23, 2009 that would tax and regulate the sale of cannabis in California, according to Salon, a news website.

According to an analysis conducted by the state tax board, the legalization of marijuana could bring in an estimated $1.3 billion in revenues, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The federal government has requested $15.1 billion to spend on President Obama's National Drug Control Policy, which includes areas such as substance abuse prevention, substance abuse treatment and law enforcement, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy website.

Federal government surveys about drug usage have found that about 25 million people have smoked marijuana in the last year and 14 million do so annually, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws website.

All these facts and figures scream at me - legalize it.

The California economy continues to face a huge budget deficit, as does the country.

Costs related to regulating drugs continue to skyrocket.

Marijuana, as an illegal substance, generates $14 billion annually, according to the Drug Policy Alliance Network website.

I don't understand why people don't see the light and tap marijuana legalization as a way to fix these budget crises.

It's like seeing a $20 bill on the ground and kicking it down a storm drain instead of picking it up.

Marijuana is a money-making product and has an industry essentially devoted to it.

Hydroponics is a way to grow plants indoors in liquid nutrient solutions, as opposed to soil, utilizing high-powered lights to grow crops, according to Dictionary.com and the Hydroponics Online website.

I would argue that this industry is supported primarily by people involved in illegally growing and distributing marijuana.

Who else would want to spend all that money on electricity for lighting if it wasn't going to make them lots of money back?

I think the reasons above are more than enough to make a good argument for legalizing cannabis usage.

But more than anything else, I think marijuana should be legalized because it isn't harmful.

Bill Hicks, one of my favorite comedians, had this to say on government regulation of drug usage: "What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see or take into my body as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?"

This is one of my favorite perspectives when it comes to issues such as what people do in the privacy of their own homes.

If you want to smoke weed, do it.

But I think people should be able to smoke weed without the fear of being arrested or denied a job for failing a drug test, because they tested positive for marijuana.

I think it is entirely unfair that marijuana is lumped in with drugs such as *******, ****** and ***************, drugs that severely impair your ability to function on any level.

People who use marijuana are as functional as folks who drink on a regular basis.

The term "functional alcoholic" exists. I'm sure "functional stoners" exist all over the place.

Marijuana's illegality is an injustice to the millions who find enjoyment in using it.

Seeing how legalizing and regulating it could drastically help reduce budget deficits for the state and federal governments, I feel the issue should be strongly considered.

Besides, who is it going to harm?

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