About 42% of Americans in the United States smoke weed. That’s about 160 million people. Legalizing marijuana will make the government money, create jobs, and reduce harm. The legalization of marijuana has already begun in some states. Legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the United States would greatly benefit the country. One reason marijuana should be legalized is because it will make the government money. The sale and distribution of marijuana will increase tax revenue. This tax will help the government with projects like road repairs and new parks (“19 Primary Pros and Cons of Legalizing Weed”). Police officers will be able to focus more on safety instead of people smoking marijuana which will reduce corrections and court costs (Marijuana Legalization and Regulation”). The current estimated size of the marijuana market is $45 billion per year. This is about 0.28 percent of gross domestic product and that consumed by year is over 26 million pounds of marijuana. A marijuana industry could have an income of $28 billion in tax revenue for local, state, and federal government including federal tax revenue of $7 billion. Of this $7 billion, $1.5 billion was from income and payroll taxes and $5.5 billion was from business taxes. The federal tax on tobacco is about $23 per pound and when that tax is put on marijuana it could produce $500 million per year. If they instead put a 10% sales tax on it, it could produce $5.3 billion a year (Ekins and Bishop-Henchman). In
The Detroit Free Press Editorial Board’s Article Let the people decide about legalizing marijuana(2016) was an attempt to convince readers that Michigan Legislature is currently a “dysfunctional waste,” determined to keep Marijuana legalization off the ballots.The Press got their opinion across by using uncredited polls, tugging at the reader's emotions when describing both parties, and overall biased tone with underlying motives. The author uses pathos, ethos, and logos very effectively when trying to persuade the reader. Pathos is being used when the author attempts to appeal to our emotions while trying to pity MILegalize. Logos is being used when the authors tries to connect with our common sense in order to persuade by reason. Lastly ethos is being used when the author attempts to sway our opinion of michigan legislature, but altering our view of their character and morals.This article was written with intentions to get voters riled up, discredit the michigan legislature and provoke change within the court systems. The Editorial Board only presented their side of the argument, concluding they are targeting left-wing moderates that are for the legalization of marijuana.
Legalizing marijuana for health and municipal purposes in the United States Of America, personally I think it's a great idea. A lot of other people don't think legalizing marijuana is the greatest idea in the world, they think that people will use it in the wrong ways and not to help with any diseases that it can kill. Legalizing marijuana in the United States should be done because it can help people with diseases that they can’t fix with just any medicine, it can kill most deadly diseases, and it keeps people from taking multiple pills a day.
Finally, the main reason millions of Americans want marijuana decriminalized is the positive effects it could have on our despicable economy. First off, decriminalizing marijuana will prevent users from going to prison which will save all us tax payers a whole lot of money. In California alone, the cost of marijuana enforcement can be estimated at over $200 million per year (Gieringer). The money is being spent on state prison, jail costs, court and probation, felony arrests, misdemeanor
Have you ever wondered when and why marijuana was made illegal? The herbal plant, commonly used in medicines, was not considered a drug in the early 1900s. The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 banned the use and sales of marijuana. This act was put in place due to careless slander. Marijuana, in America should be legalized because it is safer than alcohol and tobacco, marijuana funds gangs and cartels, and marijuana can replace toxic, addictive pharmaceuticals.
Legalizing marijuana is one of the biggest controversial debates in America today. Although legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to America, the government will not allow it. Marijuana should be legalized because it can help in medical areas, help the economy, and lower crime rates
Legalizing recreational marijuana will help the United Sates economy by combating the war on drugs. Regulation of the drug will bring money into the state and to the nation as well. Moreover, Clare Howard in his article, Why legalize recreational marijuana states, “America has lost the war on marijuana. The cost to taxpayers has been $1 trillion and has resulted in 40 million arrests. The war on marijuana needs to end like Prohibition ended in 1933 with the country recognizing failed public policy and formulating another plan with reasonable regulations and restrictions… perhaps regulating marijuana like alcohol and keeping it illegal for
The fact that Marijuana is still illegal is mind boggling to me. The fact that Marijuana, after being proven to have numerous medical benefits, and being proven to cause little to no harm whatsoever with long term use, is still labeled as a schedule one narcotic, is even more mind boggling to me. State and federal governments spend so much money trying to get rid of marijuana. State and federal government's spend even more locking up these "drug offenders" for the most harmless crime you can commit. This is a free country right ? So why are these marijuana users not free to put whatever it is they desire into their bodies? Now, of course there are violent crimes assosciated with marijuana, however a simple solution to that would be to legalize
Additionally, marijuana prohibition only allows the underground drug market to flourish and, as a result, cartel violence escalates and the cartels’ profits continue to fund terrorism. Due to this indication, the policy makers need to consider a policy shift that can be more effective than prohibition. Alternatively, the legalization of marijuana will establish control and regulations of its use. The illegal drug market is saturated, which means that decriminalizing certain drugs would contribute substantially to the economy through the establishment of their legal distribution and taxation. Marijuana is the cheapest intoxication that most individuals have access to in most parts of the world. Moreover, it can be even cheaper when legalized. An excise tax on its commercial sales, excluding the economic benefits from the other industries such as agriculture, will save the taxpayers a lot of money which can be used in community development. In the state of Colorado where marijuana is completely legal, legal marijuana sales raised tax revenue of $6.17 in January and February 2014 (Stuart). In the state of California, medical dispensaries generate about $105 million annual sales tax revenue (Stuart). Taxes raised from legal marijuana will be utilized to
In a country where tobacco products and alcohol are legal, I have always wondered, why not cannabis? Why did this plant still have the stigma of being illegal when it does not cause any deaths, is not nearly as physically addicting, nor as harmful as its legal counterparts? Clearly, the law of marijuana prohibition is one that is up for debate and one that is up for change. Currently, many state laws have been passed that are either decriminalizing marijuana or allowing it for purely medicinal purposes. Although these laws are moving towards legalization, they do not come close to the actual goal. The definition of “legalization” advocates are striving to reach refers to legalized wholesale production, distribution, and sale to all marijuana users even for recreational purposes. Citizens have to realize that legalization is a realistic change that our country might be facing in the near future. Although liberals are leading the fight to end prohibition while conservatives are helping the law stand firm, this fight should not be one divided by political party. Every individual ought to be educated on the issue before saying yes or no to legalization. Before voting on this issue, I ask: What would the country actually be like if marijuana was legal?
Marijuana will increase Americans profits greatly. About half of all U.S legalized marijuana giving us true answers how it has benefitted. Legalizing marijuana gives us a big profit and giving people better jobs, Denver is a good test case. An article the Freedom Beat cited, “In February, 1938, Popular Mechanics called Hemp a 'Billion Dollar Crop.' It was the first time a money crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars if not more.” Legalize marijuana has and will boost the economy more and
The legalization of marijuana has been debated to be a harmful substance for so long. Marijuana is a drug that is always being talked about all over the media. There is constant debate on whether it should be legalized or not. It's also, debated on if it were to be legalized, how would it would affect society. All these questions are things the government takes into account every day. There is a big divide between people’s beliefs on this matter. Some people think it should be, others think it shouldn’t, and some think it should be with some modifications on the usage. When you look at the benefits, there is no question that marijuana should be legal throughout the entire country. There are way more positive things that could come out of
The legalization of marijuana has been questionable for years now, but the government always declines. I feel that marijuana should be legalized because it helps reduce crime in our cities, its not a toxic substance, and helps with medical problems.
Marijuana is a gateway drug for many people. It is a way for them to get relaxed, to get their mind off things and to relieve stress. Many are trying to legalize the use of marijuana. Marijuana has been a main social issue in many states. Recently, the House of Representatives has passed a bill in 13 states called the “Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013.” This act forbids the federal government from imposing with a state’s marijuana laws. This act will not make it legal, but it will freely allow the state to write their own marijuana laws. Although marijuana can be used for medical benefits, marijuana should not be legalized because of the risk of danger increasing and it falling into the wrong hands, such as children and the unstable,
Does marijuana hurt your bodies health, or can it help it in some ways? This debate has been controversial for a very long time now but both sides have some arguments about whether to legalize it or not. This is important because it could affect our futures and our children’s futures. People want to legalize medical marijuana so for people who can’t have regular medication pain killers, so they have something that eases the pain. I do not think that Medical Marijuana should be legalized because some people will try to use this to get marijuana not for medical purposes but for recreational uses.
As has been demonstrated already many, many Americans currently use, or have used, marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes. This has resulted in billions of dollars every year being spent on the drug. Currently, that money lines the pockets of drug cartels and gangs, but it doesn’t have to. If we legalized marijuana we could tax it just like we do for other substances such as alcohol or tobacco products. This has already been done to great success in Colorado which allows for use of marijuana for both recreational and medical use. In 2015 alone Colorado brought in over 87 million dollars in revenue on taxing marijuana alone (Hernandez). This is not even including the revenue from taxes on property, income, and sales of accessories for marijuana that will inevitably arise as more and more places of businesses take advantage of the growing industry and open small businesses to sell the product. Furthermore, we would save billions of dollars that the United States government spends each and every year prosecuting the over 750,000 arrests that occur every year for possessing small amounts of marijuana (Why I Support). Legalizing marijuana would also open up jobs as more and more people join the marijuana industry, both in production of the drug as well as the distribution and sale of it. Additionally, without the need to enforce the ban on marijuana, which accounts for nearly 40% of all