According to the federal government, approximately 15 million people use marijuana recreationally at least once a month. In fact, a national survey conducted in 2009 states that more than 104 million Americans over the age of twelve have tried marijuana at least once. These are overwhelming numbers that cannot be ignored. If each of these people were put in prison, that would be more people than in four major states combined! The thought of arresting so many citizens for something so innocuous is ridiculous. Marijuana should be legalized because it would increase national revenue, has medical benefits, and is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. What could our country do with 42 billion dollars? Perhaps the US government could feed the poor or make higher education accessible. These are just two of the many good causes that need funding from the American government; however, US funds are more unhealthy than ever. The government has spent many years mismanaging money, seemingly with no room to acquire more, but there is a place where money can be found. In fact, American taxpayers pay approximately $42 billion per year for current marijuana laws. Instead of taxing citizens to control marijuana, the government should tax the sale of marijuana. Marijuana sales taxes could amount to more than $6.2 billion! In addition to taxes, legalizing marijuana would provide much-needed jobs. The jobs created would then put more money into circulation, which would give a huge boost to the economy. Legalizing marijuana has even greater benefits than financial ones; can be used for medicinal purposes. Medical marijuana has been explored for many years and even legalized in some states. Many doctors… halfway through the paper… failed to support the gateway idea. Time and time again they find that the number of people trying marijuana dwarfs the number of those trying harder drugs. The fact is that there is no “gateway effect”. This argument is just one of the most compelling as it requires real thought to debunk. In conclusion, legalizing marijuana makes sense. The United States government must turn its attention away from policing every illegal way to obtain marijuana, and should instead focus on the simpler task of legally controlling and taxing its sale. Making marijuana available to everyone means more people can enjoy it both recreationally and medicinally. Finally, if you can't find a drug dealer to sell you marijuana, you won't be able to find one to sell you heroin. Removing its illegal status keeps millions of people away from truly dangerous criminals like drug dealers and drug cartels.