1. CRITICAL READING 101 PHYLLIS SALSEDO DECEMBER 13 TH, 2012 BY: EMILY MYRICK Should Marijuana be legalized for recreational use?

2. My personal experience Marijuana has had a very big impact in my life in a positive manner. My grandmother is seventy eight years old and is fighting for her life, and what the doctors say to be her last years. At one point my grandmother was taking around seventeen pills every day. The majority of these pills were pain pills, depression pills, and heart medication. My grandmother was completely incoherent every day because of all the synthetic prescriptions being put into her system daily. She could not have a conversation with you because she could barely talk or pay attention. She could not drive or even walk across a room because of the extreme drowsiness encountered with her medication. My grandmother was not my grandmother in her own body anymore. This broke me and my family’s heart to pieces and hated watching her in this condition. My mother finally decided to take my grandmother to a naturopathic doctor to see how she could get off all of these pills. The doctor prescribed her medical marijuana for pain. About three months after she started using marijuana she in completely off all of her medications except for her heart medication. She is now able to have full conversations as well as something as simple as taking a walk. My family and I are so happy to have her back. Even though she is now legally using medical marijuana she still struggles with the cost of the marijuana from the dispensaries. This is why I am for marijuana being legalized for recreational use so people like my grandmother can afford to purchase her medication as needed. As well as being able to purchase it locally and easily without hassle.

3. Introduction As of 2012 more and more states are starting to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Marijuana is proven to be much safer than many other controlled substances. Marijuana is also proven to help individuals survive life threatening diseases and even terminal illness. Marijuana could help the United States by stimulating the economy by being taxed. Marijuana has proven to be the most effective controlled substance in various states.

4. Cartoon More than 22,000 individuals in Arizona have obtained their medical marijuana card this year 80% of these individuals are between the ages of 31-80 The majority of these individuals have internal illness and disease

5. Video Pros and Cons video on legalizing marijuana for recreational use http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/fallon- legalizing-marijuana-pros-cons_n_2131378.html

6. Legal vs. Illegal Alcohol causes 85,000 death annually in US Marijuana has zero reported deaths Marijuana is proven to be extremely safe and has no reported negative side affects

7. Marijuana is Safe Tobacco kills 435,000 people annually 106,000 die annually from reactions to prescription medication Marijuana is the safest therapeutic substance in American today

8. Marijuana is safe(cont) Marijuana is a much safer alternative than synthetic prescriptions controlled by the Food and Drug Administration Every prescription medication has at LEAST five negative side affects, some of them being sudden death! 100,000 Americans die every single year from prescription medication, whether it be over dose, allergic reaction, or side affects!

9. Boost Economy By legalizing marijuana this will save US 13.7 billion annually just in prohibition enforcement costs Washington state has legalized for recreational use and is expected to make 500 million dollars in tax revenue People incarcerated for marijuana charges alone is costing prisons 1 billion dollars a year

10. Conclusions Based on all the research on marijuana, it could really turn this country around. With marijuana being taxed and sold America would bring in billions of dollars to help our economy greatly. Opening up numerous dispensaries would also create thousands of jobs for Americans. It would be a much safer medication for the terminal ill and those with serious disease than anything the government could ever create. Marijuana is completely natural and many would prefer to use this for medical, therapeutic, and recreational use. The pros greatly outweigh the cons of marijuana which is why I am for the legalization of marijuana.

11. Works Cited "100,000 Americans Die Each Year from Prescription Drugs, While Pharma Companies Get Rich." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Bradford, Harry. "14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost The Economy." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. "Data: Many Medical Marijuana Cardholders Are Older than 50." Azcentral.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. "Seven More States May Legalize Medical Marijuana In 2012." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.