A Gateway to Success The legalization of marijuana is a topic of great debate in the United States. Is it a gateway drug or a gateway to eliminating multiple issues that plague our economy and judicial system? With the current legislation, states are given the right to choose if marijuana should be legal and for whom if they choose to legalize it at all. There are many advantages to decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana. I do believe marijuana should be legalized in Texas for a few key reasons. The first reason is that there are economic advantages to the legalization of marijuana. Currently, the state of Texas has a budget surplus of $32.7 billion. But in Houston, there is a budget deficit of $300 million (Chandler). Not all areas of the state are benefiting from the state surplus but by legalizing marijuana in Texas, cities and local government could benefit. Not only can marijuana sales be taxed, but it can also create jobs for many residents. Farmers, distributors, and other facets of the industry could help to decrease the unemployment rate of 3.5% in Texas (Pandey). Experts have calculated that if marijuana was legalized for medical and recreational use in all