Let me begin by warning you, this is an extremely controversial topic. Legalizing recreational marijuana should be a top priority for the state of Florida. When put on a scale the benefits outweigh the cons. For one, the crime rate in our state will lower. Secondly, many people cannot afford prescription drugs, recreational marijuana can be used for various ailments and its health benefits exceed expectation. To add, recreational marijuana is taxable! Therefore, it is money that can be put into our communities. Recreational marijuana as intimidating as some may think, can actually benefit our community in many ways.
Out of all the drug in the world marijuana is the one drug that has caused the most controversy in society today. No one has even stopped an actually questions why it’s illegal, when looked back at you can see it was mainly passed to control the Hispanic population that was crossing over after the Mexican revolution. Dr. Markett Bunett, a marijuana law and policy expert, stated in a response paper “The demonization of the cannabis plant was an extension of the demonization of the Mexican immigrants. In an effort to control and keep tabs on these new citizens, El Paso, TX borrowed a play from San Francisco’s playbook, which had outlawed opium decades earlier in an effort to control Chinese immigrants. The idea was to have an excuse to search,
The benefits from the legalization of marijuana could benefit consumers, owners of dispensaries, and the government. Advocates of medical marijuana believe it should be covered like any other drug. Marijuana could help people get what they need at a cheaper price because a joint may only cost you $2 or $3. As far as paying for it, it could take the price of other medications that group benefits would pay for (Paterson 3-4).
There are thirty million Americans that have smoked marijuana in the past year. Sixty eight percent of Americans live in states that are working are trying to reform their laws (2016 Marijuana Policy Reform Legislation). Legalizing marijuana is becoming the number one phenome in America. There are multiple reasons on why it should be legalized but with all the pros comes the cons. By legalizing marijuana America can provide more jobs, and lower the crime rate tremendously.
Starting from the beginning, I will tell you what marijuana - also called grass, ganja, pot, and various other slang terms - is. Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant and is the greenish-brown mixture of the dried flowers of cannabis sativa. When I was younger I used to believe that speaking positively about Marijuana, makes you look like a bad personage or either worse, a criminal. This opinion was based on the false information media produced and on the government laws of my country. However, by enhancing my knowledge, I have decided that cannabis offers so much to humanity, that not only it has many benefits, it has to be legalized. The beneficiary development of the economy, the helpful cannabis medicine and the reduction of the criminality
There were 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% of the arrests were for just having weed. In the first 11 months of Colorado having marijuana recreationally legal, there was a 2.2% decrease in crime compared to the first 11 months of 2013. Traffic deaths were also thought to increase after legalization but instead did the opposite. In the same first 11 months of 2014, there was a 3% decrease in fatalities compared to 2013. This kept a 12 year long continuing decline to keep going down. Crime was just another thing about marijuana that people were misinformed about and it’s hurting the country because so many people misunderstand how helpful marijuana can be to not only the states but to the world as a
Hygienic materials, house material, composites for autos, and construction materials are often made from hemp. Also the whole petroleum/oil war going on the middle east, hemp can make cars mobile. Since hemp is the byproduct of cannabis, these materials would be manufactured at a cheap price. Numerous amounts of farms, stores, and manufacturing facilities would produce employment opportunities for our society, increase industry, and improve the economy. Lawmakers need to open their eyes and look at the bigger picture. Legalizing marijuana can make the state some money and there are many benefits to it.
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. The legalization of marijuana would create an increase in jobs because it will create a new industry. It can create many businesses related to marijuana such as spas, textiles, paper, marijuana dispensaries, and many others. All of these will help boost the economy. The only reason it was banned was because of a man named William Randolph Hearst wanted to eliminate a textile competitor because he was using hemp to create his textiles. Hearst was big in the media so he launched a marijuana prohibition movement and later got marijuana banned in Congress. Marijuana is easy to cultivate. It is illegal to cultivate a lot at once because even though the state allows it because the federal government never legalized it. In the end, it would greatly help the country and we would
Fifty-two percent of all jail arrests in 2010 were linked to marijuana possession (ACLU). All states combined spent approximately 3.6 billion dollars enforcing marijuana possession laws in 2010, according to a new study by the American Civil Liberties Union, entitled “The War On Marijuana In Black and White.” (Huffington Post). Statistics show that over twenty billion dollars will be spent on marijuana law enforcement in the next few years. Additionally, states in America pay at the minimum seven hundred fifty dollars for each arrest involving marijuana. Taxpayers pay over fifteen billion dollars a year to house jail inmates arrested for marijuana
Marijuana is a very prominent issue in society today. Many false and slanderous things have been said about marijuana in recent times. But the truth about marijuana continues to reveal itself. Sadly these truths are being criticised because of the stereotypical view that many people call the typical “pot smoker”. This false perception of a lazy and unmotivated America is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation. In my opinion for many reasons, the Federal Government should legalize marijuana in all 50 states.
With the pressure to legalize marijuana rise for government officials, protesters argue that decriminalizing marijuana would help society and benefit the people living in the Unites States. In states that have already legalized marijuana, it has been documented and proven that marijuana usage has been higher than before legalization, even if the consequences were very severe (“Marijuana Decriminalization”). If people are so highly dedicated to continuingcontinue using marijuana, even with their lives and future at stake, what could stop them?
Millions of people around the world are consumers of marijuana. The demand for legalizing marijuana has grown throughout the years. Users of marijuana pledge for it to be legalized to avoid the prison life. For now, marijuana is an illegal drug in almost all countries. With the demand of it increasing, the legalization of marijuana has grown to be a very controversial topic recently. 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.
As a nation we have come to point where we must take a unified stand on the issue of marijuana. Since 1937 the drug has been deemed illegal by the U.S. government but over the best decade, people have been pushing for the decriminalization of the cannabis plant. As a non drug user, i have researched the internet in search of unbiased information regarding the drugs health, economic, and crime influences on society. The fruits of my labor have brought me to the undisputable conclusion that our continued restriction on possession and use of the drug not only violates the liberties of U.S. citizens, but it also is costing Americans Billions of dollars, and something, our lives.
Marijuana legalization, for whatever reason, has been a topic of heated debate for years now. Different people express different opinions about why or why not it should be legalized for recreational use. The American FDA categorizes marijuana as a Schedule I drug meaning that its benefits are not guaranteed as many people claim. Although the drug has been said to contain medical benefits, the reality is that further research on how and when to use it is needed. Different states have legalized the use of Marijuana for medical reasons. Today the demands are changing in different states. In States such as Colorado and Washington, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. This move raised several questions as far as decriminalization of marijuana is concerned. Besides portraying the US in a bad light, legalization of marijuana for recreation increases the risk of developing mental problems, increases government expenditure on public health, jeopardizes the future of children, and is a gateway to other dangerous drugs.
In 1919, alcohol was made illegal across the United States with the goal to better people’s lives and make society safer. During the fourteen years that the prohibition lasted, crime rate nearly doubled, unemployment rose, and tax revenue decreased. Eventually the ban on alcohol was repealed because of its negative impact on the economy and society. Now fast forward to the year 2015, where a common substance known as marijuana is illegal. It was made illegal in the 1930’s for the same reasons as alcohol, because it was believed that it was going to do harm to society. As years have gone by, it is obvious that a mistake was made. The fact that marijuana was made illegal has created numerous problems for the United States that on the long run could have been easily avoided. Countries in different parts of the world and some states within the United States have already legalized marijuana and they have all shown positive outcomes out of their decisions. Although marijuana is illegal in majority of the states, legalizing marijuana for recreational use would bring about social and economical reforms that would help deter crime in the country, increase the amount of money the government makes, and also help people that are medically in need of the drug.