Imagine you are a nonviolent drug user. You are faced with a lengthy sentence, while the rapist a few cells down faces half the time you do. Seems improbable, does it not? Sadly, it's a truth, evident nationwide. Many are sent due to the least harmful of drugs-marijuana. That low dosage of THC will get you slammed with a hefty penalty, if caught. More harmful, legal drugs such as alcohol are sold across the board. Why isn't cannabis? Shouldn't weed be the same as cigarettes or alcohol, sold to those with a valid ID? Many argue it ruins peoples lives. I can't claim it doesn't, but are we forgetting it is THEIR decision as an individual to decide what goes into THEIR body? In legalizing this drug, government could tax it, profiting millions in sales.Prison over crowding would drastically decrease, saving room for the real risky offenders. Obviously, the War on Drugs is a huge failure. In eliminating this, we as a nation save money in no longer hunting down cartel or citizens enjoying themselves in on their own property. Not to mention how violence among drug related gangs would severely decrease, as there is no need for a a black market. Of course, age limits would be established, along with protective casing as with cigarettes. Similar to drunk driving laws operating a vehicle while on a high would be closely monitored. However in moving forth with marijuana legalization, the United States benefits as a whole.