Weed. Cannabis. Pot. Ganja. Mary Jane. Whatever you call it, marijuana and its use is a topic that receives mixed opinions based on who you’re talking to. Some believe it’s a dangerous gateway drug that can damage the user both physically and mentally and that its legalization in the states will do more harm than good to our nation. After visiting Amsterdam recently and seeing firsthand how marijuana legalization works there, I wonder why it couldn’t have the same positive effects in the States.

Weed is known globally as a “soft drug,” or a drug that does not cause psychological or physical dependence. The reason why weed was legalized in Holland was because during the 70’s and 80’s, hard drugs such as meth and cocaine were being used and abused throughout the country. The use of these drugs got so dangerous for the country’s wellbeing that Holland decided to impose a law that would make soft drugs (marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms) legal for distribution and consumption, while imposing strict regulation on hard drugs. This law not only reduced the usage of hard drugs, but also bolstered the country’s economy by bringing in new money from the weed business.

Here in the States, weed is legal for recreational use only in Alaska, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. As you probably already know, many people use marijuana anyway, illegally. The scary thing is how strict the other 46 states are to those who are caught growing, selling, or consuming weed.

People have been known to get up to 55 years in prison for nonviolent cases of marijuana usage. These mandatory minimum sentences are terrifying, especially because of how harmless the drug is when used practically. When the government imposes strict laws against soft drugs, all it does is make users obtain it illegally and potentially increase the ever growing United States prison population for just smoking pot. Right now our prison population is roughly 2 million, which is enough to be its own country. And it’s very clear as to why the government’s “war” on drugs is still in place. When local governments send nonviolent drug offenders in jail for the possession of weed, it shows the voters that they’re being hard on drugs thus putting them in better shape for re-election.

Bernard Noble in Louisiana was sentenced to 13 years in prison for being arrested with two joints of marijuana. The even sadder part of these arrests for nonviolent drug offenses, is that while these people are in jail, they often have little to no resources to get an education or rehabilitation. And even when they get out of jail, their chances of getting a job are greatly decreased due to them having a felony on their record. Meanwhile, the federal and local governments and police departments are making money everyday these people are in prison.

After looking at the benefits of legalizing marijuana in the States, I have a hard time finding any valid reason for it to not be legal. It’s hardly harmful, and if anything, it can be extremely helpful when used for medical purposes.  Not only that, but it  would also bolster our economy by taxing it, and could most importantly, just maybe, get harmless citizens out of prison just for wanting to get high.

When looking at a city like Amsterdam and seeing how well the legalization of marijuana has worked for them, I can’t think of any reason as to why it wouldn’t work in the United States. Holland has seen a reduced rate of citizens doing hard drugs, a decrease in crime rate, an expansion of the economy, an increase of tourism, and a decrease in prison population–all the things the majority of the U.S. should want for the best of the country.