Legalize it

Marijuana. Pot. Weed.

Depending on your upbringing and experiences, these words can hold very different connotations. They can be viewed as a pathway to enlightenment or a one-way ticket to damnation.

Marijuana is, at times, labeled as a medical miracle, combating cancer, pain and depression. Other times, it is viewed with disdain; an evil plant that leads to harder drugs and a life of crime.

So where is the truth? It lies somewhere in the middle, as it often does.

As an initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana makes its way to the state Legislature, it is time to take a logical look at this controversial plant.

Smoking marijuana is not going to turn you into a criminal mastermind or a sexual deviant. A joint is not going to make a person rampage through the streets.

However, a joint might make you laugh a little a bit, crave a cheeseburger or want to lay on the lawn and watch the clouds go by.

Marijuana is not only a proven mood elevator; it is also an economic leviathan. In 2005, Nobel Laureate of Economics Dr. Milton Friedman and over 300 other respected economists released a report projecting $10-14 billion in savings and revenue from the legalization of marijuana.

One only needs to take a glance at the financial crisis in this country to see that an extra $10-14 billion could go a long way to fixing a lot of problems.

Prohibition never works. It only succeeds in turning criminals into millionaires.

Just as alcohol prohibition made mountains of cash for people like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Joe Kennedy, marijuana prohibition is making boatloads of money for Mexican drug cartels.

The DEA estimates that over 65 percent of cartel drug money comes from the sale and distribution of marijuana. That translates to roughly $6 billion dollars a year.

These drug cartels are spending that money on instruments of death. The war over the drug trade has made Mexico the murder capital of the world. And that war is spilling across the border, with tens of thousands of Americans caught in the cross-hairs.

In California, the growing and distribution of marijuana for approved medical use has cut into the drug cartels profits by an estimated 45 percent.

The big issue of legalization is money. Money makes the world go ‘round, especially in politics.

Big pharmaceutical manufactures don't want to see a simple, natural product replace the drugs that make them billions.

Privatized prisons need inmates to fill their beds, so the owners can fill their wallets. What better inmate than a non-violent, low-risk marijuana user.

The level of hypocrisy in this country regarding marijuana is palpable.

Turning on the television a person finds shows like "Two and a Half Men," "Family Guy," "American Dad" and a host of others joking about marijuana use with a little wink and smile to the audience.

One can see commercials for living above the influence followed by an ad advising you to meet up with some friends and "Grab some Buds."

It is time that we all open our eyes and see that marijuana is not an evil destroyer of men nor is it the perfect savior. It is a simple plant whose benefits far exceed its drawbacks. It is time to give America back some of her freedom and let the people decide if marijuana is right for them. It's time for federal legalization.