Marijuana is one of the most commonly used illicit drugs throughout the United States with roughly around 22.2 million users. Only 8 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use and a handful of states have legalized medical use of the drug. The research that has been conducted proves that legalization of marijuana may lead to a more rich and flourishing economy, fewer people being locked up in confinement, Better access to a safe and effective medicine and a more robust functioning society. Today , marijuana is one of the most controversial topics with about 40% of adults and politicians still not comfortable with the concept of marijuana being legal for recreational and medicinal use.
Marijuana has medicinal properties that greatly
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In 2016 there where 1,572,579 arrests in the united states for marijuana possession and other related violations (NIDA). Many of those who are locked up are younger adults and students who have just began to start their lives. Jail time for these young people have led to the loss of scholarships, families breaking apart, and potential of being involved in more crime after being released. Around 200,000 students have lost federal financial aid eligibility because of a drug conviction. Legalization of marijuana would mean that the states would decriminalize certain amounts of marijuana that a person could have on them so that people would stay out of jail for unnecessary purposes. Currently, people who are serving jail time for possession are costing the american courts just roughly around 7.5 billion to 10 billion dollars prosecuting individuals yearly. In cities like Atlanta Ga, Senators have proposed a law that decriminalizes posesion up to one ounce, which in return has proven to be beneficial to the city as well as the individuals .If marijuana was decriminalized, that would mean that less people would be put into jail, and our law enforcement resources would be able to deal with more serious crimes that is putting the public at
This subject has been debated numerous times over the past few years. People’s points of view and researches about the topic have varied greatly. Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized, while the rest feel should stay prohibited. Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of teens and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.
Legalizing marijuana in all 50 states would not only help the united states but everyone who lives here. Marijuana is proven to help many cases of kids with seizures and other medical issues. With marijuana being decriminalized/legalized there would be less police brutality, properly medicated people, and the power would return to the states.
I Prison and Enforcement Prisons are being overcrowded in the U.S and if nonviolent marijuana smokers were let out it would decrease prison population by over 3%. When they get out they can go to rehab and get over their addiction. The government could save money convicting prisoners and keeping them in jail. Fewer law enforcements would be required in prisons.
If marijuana is regulated and taxed properly, it can generate millions of dollars that can help pay the debt of the US and/or help cities rebuild a better infrastructure. Marijuana has become the third most popular drug in the US behind alcohol and tobacco. It is a renewable resource and is not just used for smoking; it can be used to make paper, oils, and cloth. Every year millions of tax dollars are being spent to enforce marijuana laws. If these laws were repealed and marijuana was legalized, we would not only make money from the marijuana, but we would also be using a lot less money to enforce marijuana laws.
If marijuana is taxed as much as tobacco, $500 million can be produced to federal taxes per year (Ekins & Henchman, 2016). In Colorado alone, a very high increase as high as 57.2% in marijuana taxes from 2015 to 2017 fiscal year. As of January, Colorado has successfully collected $119 million in taxes, much higher than the tax collected from alcohol which only produced $38 million. Among these marijuana tax revenue, the state has been able to put $16 million for the Affordable Housing Grants and Loans (Borchardt, 2017). If only the government focuses on the budget allocations and taxation, the nation would gain more economic benefit than they already have rather than spending billions for a criminal justice system which has shown little to no
According to research from Amanda Froelich, over 100 studies have found that zero people have died from marijuana each year, whereas more than 480,000 people die from cigarette smoking, 38,329 from abusing pharmaceuticals, and 30,722 people from alcohol poisoning annually, all things that are still legal in the US. Today more and more people are coming to the realization that marijuana has more than just one use. It can help the government create billions of dollars of revenue, it will decrease crime rates, and it can save thousands, if not more, people's lives. Marijuana should be legalized in the US because of all the additional revenue and the lives it will save.
Legalizing Marijuana Marijuana has been used since the seventeenth century as a household drug for many things. Now, years later, nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once. Over 700,000 people are arrested annually for drug charges. There are growing alternatives to smoking marijuana. The obstacle used to be that inhaling the smoke was deplorable.
With marijuana being illegal police officers have to focus on the non-violent, low-level offenders. The New York Times states in the article, Repeal Prohibition Again, “658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, according to the F.B.I figures, compared with 256,000 for cocaine, heroin, and their derivatives.” As stated by the Huffington Post, as of 2013 the U.S spends $20 billion a year on marijuana prohibition. Legalizing recreational and medical marijuana has already impacted the illegal sales of marijuana greatly.
For one, legalizing it would bring jobs for many people. What many people don’t take in to consideration is once it’s legalized and businesses are opening that gives the opportunity for jobs in warehouses and/or farms where it’s grown, retail shops where it’s sold, and security jobs at these places. The list of jobs could go on, but secondly, the amount of taxes the state and government would generate from it would be considerable. And this doesn’t go without proof, for example, the state of Colorado raked in more than 117 million in taxes after a year and a half of the state legalizing it for medicinal and recreational purposes (ferner), according to the Huffington Post. California has made marijuana legal for recreational use and will soon be taxing it like alcohol (Ferner).
Pot legalization could save the economy $13.7 billion per year (Berman). If you had plans to celebrate 4/20 this year you could actually make the government some money, if only these activities were allowed. More than 300 economists suggest that if the government legalized marijuana it would save $7.7 billion annually (Berman). The report added that legalization would save $6 billion per year if they taxed marijuana at the same rate as tobacco and
Marijuana is part of the “drug war”, it is a narcotic that is illegal in most of the american states. Its legalization could help to control its production and quality, the companies that are producing marijuana could be under health norms, Legalization of Marijuana would work to increase liability on producers forcing health standards. Legalization of that type of drugs, judged “soft” in comparaison with other drugs such as heroine, LSD, ecstasy, etc… The prohibition of cannabis is not specify in the U.S constitution, so by the 10th amendment of that constitution, the power to allow its consumption or not belong to the states, So the general prohibition as recreative usage is not justified. Some states are on the way to legalize
From what I understand the war on drugs has been costly campaign which has had no real benefit for the government. It is apparent that the prisons in the U.S. are overflowing, this puts a burden on prisons. This has allowed the private prison industry to come into play which promotes keeping prisoners in prisons for minor marijuana possession. The private prisons then charge a fee to the government if the prisons aren’t kept at a certain capacity. If we are able to make marijuana legal it would assist in freeing up the resources and target more important matters like terrorism.
Regardless of the debates going on or one's belief and opinion, marijuana should be legalized due to its tremendous impacts on physical and mental health. It too would avoid useless money being spent and crimes would decrease. Much can
Marijuana is one of the biggest controversy on our community. There are different questions that are constantly being thrown around. Some of them are, “ Is cannabis really that bad?”, “What good does it do for a person?” , “Should this marijuana be legalized?” Researchers have tried to answer these questions by conducting a study and fortunately, they have shown how useful and positive medical marijuana
One of the most common political debates of recent years that should not be talked about as much as it is, is the issue of the legalization of marijuana. This issue has come up so much recently because many people believe that it should be legal after the discovery that it has medical uses. As of November of 2014, marijuana used for medicinal purposes has been legalized in eighteen states and D.C., while it has been legalized for medical and recreational use in four states (Fritz). Just over half of the United States have not yet passed a law that makes marijuana legal in any way. However, the federal government still views marijuana use/possession as a federal offense.