Should Marijuana Be Legalized in the U.S.?

This is paper that I was assigned for my class on Drug Use & Abuse. It probably would have been much longer but it was only supposed to be one page and I barely managed to keep it that short XP. It is not highly polished either, because I didn't have the time to work on the actual writing portion of it that I would have liked, since I spent a little extra time on research.

I was actually surprised that the conclusion I came to myself! I totally changed positions from when I started thinking about the paper to when I finally started writing it. It was a bit of an internal struggle to decide what sort of a position I should take, but eventually I realized what I needed to do to remain consistent. I hope that it will be fairly self-explanatory once you read it. I definitely welcome any other thoughts or comments on this, as I am quite curious to hear what other people have to say! Any corrections or updates of my information are welcome as well. I don't mind if you tell me I'm wrong as long as you can tell me why ;-).

So, here it is:

Zachary Stuckwisch Should Marijuana Be Legalized in the United States? 02/14/09

In short, my answer to this question is “yes.” However, the complexity of this issue requires that my answer be a qualified yes, accompanied by some explanation. There are many factors at play on this subject, and I must address some of them if my opinion is to bear any weight.
First of all, with any question of legality, the purpose of the government must be considered. It is my belief that the government exists to serve its people primarily in a protective fashion. This means that the job of our government is, first and foremost, to prevent harm from befalling us as citizens, and to punish those who succeed in causing harm. If the government is the servant of the people, however, I believe that it would be overstepping its bounds if it were to attempt to protect a person from himself. For this reason, the government's protective powers extend only to situations in which one person causes harm to another person in some way.
The law, then, must prohibit activities which are directly harmful, such as murder, assault, or rape. It should additionally outlaw activities which cause harm to property, as it is, in a sense, an extension of a person. It would also be reasonable to restrict and control behaviors and substances which have a potential to cause direct or even indirect harm. This final function is essentially the one which is under consideration in relation to the legality of Marijuana. It is with this understanding that I approach the question.
So the question must be whether or not Marijuana and its use pose a threat. Nearly 100 years ago, it became a widely held belief that Marijuana caused insanity and criminal (or harmful) behavior in its users. It was with this understanding that it was made illegal, and rightly so. However, since that time, it has become clear that Marijuana has no such effect in the vast majority of cases. In fact, it is much less apt to predispose individuals to commit violent or destructive acts than alcohol. This assumption certainly can no longer be used as a basis for outlawing in any longer, then.
Marijuana use may have other potentially harmful affects on its users. These include, primarily, impaired mental and social functions while under the influence, and possible long-term physiological damage. The psychological effects are generally not extreme or long-lasting, however, and there is, at this point, little evidence to suggest that the long-term physiological damage is great, either. What is more, as these effects primarily concern only the individual user, and have little potential to cause harm to others, they should not be used as criteria for legality either. It may be reasonable to enforce regulations or warnings about these products, especially for younger users, but anything more would be inappropriate.
One final area of concern is the indirect effects of the primary form of Marijuana use—smoking. It has become increasingly clear that second-hand tobacco smoke is harmful to those who breathe it, and it is possible, although not currently verifiable, that Marijuana smoke may cause similar harm, as it includes many of the same or similar substances. This would, in my opinion, be a matter of major concern, and justifiable grounds for outlawing the smoking of Marijuana. As of now, however, tobacco smoking remains legal, despite it's high potential to cause harm to others, and that potential has not been proven in Marijuana smoke. Therefore, without further investigation, and as long as tobacco smoking remains legal, even this consideration is not grounds for outlawing Marijuana.
In addition to all of these things, two theories have been raised which would indicate that it would actually be beneficial to our society to legalize Marijuana. First, it appears that Marijuana may be useful in some medicinal applications, including some areas in which there currently are few forms of treatment available. Second, it is quite possible that the legalization of Marijuana would lead to improved terms of use, as it would be possible to better regulate its creation and sale. It is also quite possible that fewer people would abuse it, or even use it at all, if it were not illegal to do so.
I reserve my right to change my position should new, contra-indicative information become available. However, at this time, for the reasons stated above, I must state my answer to the question “should Marijuana be legal in the United States” as a “yes.”