A ton of mixed emotions are going around about the legalization of marijuana. Some say it shall be legalized while others say it should not. State lawmakers of Illinois, recently had a meeting on this topic looking at both the pros and cons.

This is a harmful drug, in which I recommend authorities continue to keep off of the streets in Chicago. One of the reasons being, the majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana. Also youth consumption of marijuana has increased.

However, some pharmacists have prescribed this drug to patients as medicine for glaucoma and extreme pain. The government sees this as a way to bring in revenue to a safe and secure environment.

In contrast, marijuana has proven to be highly addictive. The British health research journal “The Lancet Psychiatry” recently said that teens who smoke marijuana are “also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide.” To add onto this, people who use this drug have lower educational abilities than non-using peers, and they are more likely to use other illegal drugs.

Furthermore, drugged driving surpasses drunken driving among drivers killed in crashes, according to CNN. Lastly, half of all drug arrests in 2010 involved marijuana.

Overall marijuana should not be legalized due to its shortcomings on how it can help us and its flaws that can hinder us. America must focus on improving young adult health. These are the future doctors, scientists, lawyers, activists, and all forms of world change.