Prostitution, considered one of the world's oldest professions, was legal until 1915, when most states passed laws making it illegal. One of the main reasons for the ban on prostitution was to keep soldiers away from brothels so they could focus on the war. After World War II, lawmakers left prohibition laws in place rather than repealing them. Prostitution should be legal, regulated and taxed. This would increase the quality of police protection, reduce waste in the justice system, decrease the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and increase federal tax revenue. By legalizing and regulating the act of prostitution, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) will decrease. . Opponents of legalization believe that sexually transmitted diseases will increase dramatically. However, licensed brothels will have to enforce testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Implementing weekly STD testing for all licensed workers will reduce the likelihood of spreading diseases to multiple partners. Furthermore, having laws in place to enforce condom use by stipulating that anyone (worker or customer) caught not using protection will be arrested, fined and lose their work license will ensure that the spread of sexually transmitted diseases is reduced. Brothels are legal in ten of the seventeen counties in the state of Nevada. These counties are Churchill, Esmeralda, Pershing, Storey, Lander, Lyon, Humboldt, Elko, White Pine, Mineral, and Nye. “In these ten counties combined, there are fewer reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases than in the other seven counties in the state” (Nevada State Health Division STD Program 2013). The Nevada State Department of Health collects data regarding sexually transmitted diseases from each paper port group and, following the protests, the legalization of prostitution may result. Works Cited “Nevada brothels want to be a good neighbor” Associated Press 10 May 2014. 11 April 2015.http: //www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7805733/“STD Statistics” Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. 2011. April 11, 2015. http://health.nv.gov/CD_HIV_STDProgram.htm#statsPuzzanchera, C., B. Adams, and W. Kang “Easy Access to FBI Arrest Statistics 1994-2012” Online (2009). http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/ezaucr/“Prostitution Related Arrests” Department of Arlington Police, 2014. April 11, 2015.http://www.arlingtonpd.org/Prostitution/ProstitutionArrestsFebruary.pdfCundiff, Kirby R., “Prostitution and Sex Crimes” The Independent Institute, April 8, 2014. April 11, 2015.http ://www.independent.org/pdf/working_papers/50_prostitution.pdf