Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jun 2011 Source: Centre Daily Times (PA) Copyright: 2011 Nittany Printing and Publishing Co., Inc. Contact: http://www.centredaily.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/74 Author: Cheri Sparacino AN ADVOCATE FOR LEGAL MARIJUANA As a teenager interested in the well-being of our country, I am always listening to the news of our economy's recession and our government's deficit. While this is taking our politicians in Washington a long time to solve, a simple solution sticks out in my mind: the legalization of marijuana. I'm not saying this would be a quick fix, but I think it would provide favorable gains for our country. The legalization would prove to be tremendously beneficial to the United States, allowing for medicinal purposes across the country and funds to be funneled back into our economy. I am an advocate for making chemotherapy treatments a bit less painful for cancer patients; I am an advocate for taxing marijuana, which would allow for some money to be made; and I am an advocate for our government spending its time imprisoning real criminals rather than the "criminals" whose only offense was getting high. I hope this decision will be made before my generation has to pick up the pieces from the mistakes of the nation's current leaders. Cheri Sparacino College Township - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.