The age old debate of whether marijuana should be legalized or not has been a discussion for years among the public and throughout the country. The United States currently four states in which recreational marijuana is legal, along with 20 other states where medical marijuana is legal. The argument that always comes up in discussion is that marijuana is less or no more dangerous than alcohol. These comments are hardly ever backed up with statistics or data. Now with other states looking into legalizing marijuana, several police departments have come together to show what impact and challenges law enforcement has to deal with marijuana is legalized.
One of the many challenges that states are having to deal with, Colorado being an example, is a rise in the homeless population throughout the state. These are not homeless subjects that are having bad luck due to a job loss, or
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At this point, the only testing to find if someone is under the influence of THC is through a blood test. These test are very expensive for police department compared to breathalyzer tests for alcohol or even blood test for alcohol.
Another challenge and argument among critics is the rise in crime rate due to the legalization of marijuana. Many articles try to show how the legalization of marijuana would lower crimes rates. Some articles even show how there is a drastic decrease in marijuana violations once the substance was legalized. However, the articles fail to show the other crime statistics involved with the legalization of this substance.
The Denver Police statistics show that summing across all crime types -- about 35 in all -- the crime rate is up almost 7 percent compared with the same period last year. Interestingly, crimes such as public drunkenness are up 237 percent, and drug violations are up 20 percent. (Sabet, 2014, para.
Some people argue that it can be good to use it for medical purposes only while others say it should be legal for recreational purposes as well. My personal opinion, all states should legalize the recreational use of marijuana just as alcohol is sold legally. As far as the crime I think crime rates will decrease, there won’t be a need to hide and sell weed because it’s legal. The reason for drug related crime is it comes with a punishment possible jail time. Selling drugs comes with a risk, a risk that street drug dealers were willing to take for tax-free
Finally, marijuana should not be legalized because it is a big safety issue for the states. The quote that shows this is, "For instance, low to moderate doses distort perception that is enough to cause traffic accidents. In fact, study shows that weed is one of the most prevalent illegal drugs found in fatally injured and impaired drivers," from NYLN.org(2014). Marijuana is one of the leading causes of crimes, car accidents and other violent behaviors. It[marijuana] contains the chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), which is responsible for stimulating the CNS(central nervous system).
Some areas in the United States face higher rates of crime and drug abuse. This contributes to the prevalence of health disparities within different communities. In order to eliminate or decrease the distinct difference between areas that are at higher health risks than others one must begin to understand why they exist. Some areas have higher drug abuse rates than others due to factors such as poor education, poverty, unemployment rates, and lack of community involvement. These things play a major role in whether or not a young adult is going to start the use of drugs or drinking alcohol.
Every 37 seconds, someone is busted for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Started by President Richard Nixon, the War on Drugs prohibits the possession of narcotics that are considered “poisons” by the government of the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 does not allow any possession of the drugs listed in the act, which includes marijuana. People deserve the right to possess marijuana because crimes related to the drug will decrease overall and those that sell the drug illegally will no longer be able to stay in business. To begin with, legalizing the use of marijuana leads to a decrease in crime related towards possession, purchase, and use of the drug.
Therefore, it would be virtually impossible to overdose on cannabis; this instantly makes marijuana safer than most prescription drugs. Violent crime and property crimes have both decreased in Colorado since the state legalized recreational cannabis. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012 , and the majority of these arrests were for nonviolent, low-level offenders. All of this time, cost, and effort takes our law enforcement away from enforcing more urgent issues. According to the ACLU, in 2010, the U.S. spent more than $3.6 billion on enforcing cannabis prohibition.
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.
6- Legalization Hasn’t Led to Increased Use Among Teens and Minors, due to education and regulations restricting use to adults, the percentage of teenagers in Colorado who admit to using cannabis has been steadily dropping from 22% to 20% between 2011 and 2013, and remains below the national average at
Marijuana should not be legalized for recreational purposes under any circumstance, due to the effects if has on its users and the community. Marijuana has a deceitful reputation of being a non-addictive “safe drug” that does not result in adverse personal effects. Although, research states otherwise. THC
Marijuana has existed for many years and has remained illegal in many states but has become legalized for recreational use in four states, which are Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Alaska. Medical Marijuana has become legalized in thirteen states, some of which are California, New Jersey, Michigan, etc. That signifies that medical marijuana is legalized in twenty five percent of the states, and that recreational marijuana is legalized in less than one percent of the states. Some people deem that recreational marijuana should be legalized for numerous reasons including the positive overall health effects they suspect that it provides. Opposing that argument, Recreational marijuana should not be legalized in all fifty states for countless reasons
Marijuana should remain illegal in the United States, and states that have passed laws to make it legal should reverse those laws. Marijuana is addictive and a gateway drug. Legalizing marijuana will make it generally more available to the public, which will also make it more likely to be used by young adults and children that are not old enough to make smart decisions regarding drug
Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Surprisingly, capturing and imprisoning people actually lead to an increase in crime. Once someone is considered a criminal, it becomes much harder for them to find jobs, leases and loans. Μany of them believes that they have to turn to the crime to survive.
Marijuana is a medication that is continually being discussed everywhere throughout the media. There is steady open debate on whether it ought to be authorized or not. Also, debate on if it somehow managed to be legalized, how they might influence it to make it work. Every one of these inquiries are things the government considers each day. There is a major partition between individuals' convictions on this issue.
It is quite possible that its legalization would reduce this crime rate tremendously. With the authorization of crime free weed distribution, the government could yield a remarkable income from the taxation of marijuana.
Since the legalization of marijuana there has been in increase of underage consumption. According to a recent report written by Charles Stimson, “Drug-related suspensions/expulsions (mostly for marijuana) increased 32 percent over a five-year period” as well as “the majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana” (Stimson, Charles. Is Legalized Marijuana Going up in Smoke?, infoweb.newsbank.com). Also fifty percent more arrestees in Denver test positive for marijuana since the legalization.
Legalizing marijuana would drastically reduce the number of crimes, stabilize the number of deaths, and create a more united medical society. In United States, on an average, every 52 seconds, a person is arrested for the possession of marijuana. As a result, more than 7 million people were booked across the country, in 2015. Moderately, the country pays 750 dollars per arrest, 20 billion