Legalizing marijuana would allow for the local, state and federal government to tax and regulate it like other goods. In the Miron Report, it states that if marijuana could be taxed like other goods it could produce revenue of $2.4 billion annually. The same report states that if we were to tax the sales of marijuana like the sales of alcohol and marijuana, then that would produce revenue of about $6.2 billion
South University Legalizing Marijuana Computer and Literacy ITS 1000 Michael L Smith October 18, 2013 Michael L. Smith Computer and Literacy: ITS 1000 Instructor: Carmen Flores October 18, 2013 Legalizing Marijauna In regards to illicit drugs, an epidemic that has a stronghold on our country caused a movement. That movement was and still is today, “the war on drugs”. Illegal drugs enters this country at an unexplainable alarming rate. In the United States alone the drug market is one of the most profitable in the world. (Agency, 2004) My intent is not to focus on the profitability of illegal drugs but the debate of legalization in particularly marijuana.
America should have learned this from the prohibition of alcohol. The government uses criminal penalties in an attempt to stop users, but over 25 million people use marijuana annually. Cannabis is the largest cash crop in the United States, currently. I believe prohibition could actually increase drug use for teenagers. Marijuana, now days, is extremely easy to get, and most drug dealers don’t have age restrictions.
They believe that since alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous so why shouldn’t it be legal if regulated in a similar manner. Many people are curious to see how this works for Colorado. With the passing of Amendment 64, marijuana will be distributed under the same guidelines as alcohol; meaning residents must be 21 years of age or older to purchase and possess the drug. Alcohol can lead to disorientation and uncontrolled behavior. Although marijuana can lead to a relaxed and euphoric feeling it will not cause you to make decisions you would not normally do.
However, the pro-legalization Americans respond in saying increased marijuana use has no lasting health effects, legalization will allow for better regulation of distribution, and marijuana legalization will reduce alcohol consumption in America. There is no empirical data to support that marijuana use will increase when legalized or that we will see an increase in automobile crashes. Those who are not necessarily marijuana users but support legalization argue that the financial benefits of legalization outweigh the negative implications that come with
Legalizing Marijuana Pamela Horton SOC 120 Introductions to Ethics & Social Responsibility George Greaves October 29, 2012 Some people believe that marijuana is not a drug it is a plant. Many my agree that it is a natural herb planted to help cope with stress of everyday hectic lives. Anything that alters your state of being, or have you doing things out of the norms is a drug. The pro-legalization argument was that if we legalize marijuana it could not be controlled and the efforts to try to control marijuana uses causes more problems than they solve. I feel that if we legalize marijuana we would have a bunch of fried brain lunatics running around committing all kinds of crimes.
A War That Can’t Be Won Should the United States fight a war that can’t be won? The war against marijuana is a costly and inconvenient war that the United States seems to be losing. It started in 1915 when Utah passed the first law against marijuana and it is still going to this day. Recreational use of marijuana has been increasing and is easily accessible. The money that our government is spending on this fight against marijuana could be saved and instead of losing money the government could make money by taxing legal marijuana.
It is then left up to the patient to find a medical marijuana clinic and obtain a legal medical marijuana card. Marijuana has a plethora of benefits not only to our society but more for medical purposes. In an article written by John Burnett, he discusses possible outcomes if marijuana was legalized. He states that legalizing marijuana would drop crime and addiction rates. People who are addicted to narcotics due to chronic pain, would more than likely stop using if they could legally obtain marijuana.
Legalizing Marijuana The legalization, or decriminalization, of Marijuana has been one of the leading controversial political issues in the past decade. Made up of dried leaves of the Cannabis Sativa plant, with THC as it’s main psychoactive ingredient, Marijuana has proven to be less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, and even non-addicting. According to the Drug Awareness Warning Network, “There has never been a death recorded from the use of marijuana by natural causes.” (DAWN) Many people ask why the government would add one more substance to the list of the harmful, legal ones already, but I’m a firm believer that if we do not use our rights they will be taken from us. So should it not be a right of the people to decide whether Marijuana
Mohamed Alamoudi Why We Should Legalize Marijuana Many people believe that legalizing marijuana is only an issue of importance to “stoners” and other stigmatized groups in society; they couldn’t be more wrong. Marijuana is much less unhealthy than prohibition propaganda would lead you to believe. Furthermore, the government wastes vast resources on prosecuting and incarcerating nonviolent marijuana users. For these reasons, the United States should legalize and tax marijuana. The examples of the Netherlands and Portugal show that decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to “pot epidemics”.