Should Marijuana Be Legalized In Texas Essay

With drugs being more common each and every day, and the fact that they are easily accessible, it is causing a dilemma in Texas and in our nation as whole. Texas is the most impacted with being exposed to drugs due to the fact that Texas is right on the Mexican border and with all the drug traffickers being located in that area their only option is to smuggle them through Texas. Due to the high amount of the smuggling of drugs in Texas it is causing the idea of legalizing marijuana. Marijuana is a cannabis that is most often smoked in order to relax the body. Marijuana is not only smoked but it is now being used for medical purposes to treat anxiety, stress, and sometimes even pain. But the real question is whether marijuana should be legalized in Texas. People strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized due to the fact that it would create revenue for Texas, it will also be legal to utilize it for medical purposes, and it has also become a norm for Texans to see and use since it is so easily accessible.

The truths about marijuana are slowly starting to resurface, the government keeps ignoring that cannabis could one day be as powerful for the U.S. Unfortunately, these truths about marijuana are under a lot of criticism because of the stereotype of what people see as a "marijuana or cannabis smoker." There is a great difficulty in this law because marijuana is still recognized as a harmful and dangerous substance in some states. This can cause problems because each state has their different views and opinions on the matter, and have their own rules and how the rules apply towards it. The twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form, but California, Massachusetts, and Nevada just passed the law for recreational use. The states that have medical marijuana and recreational legalization are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Alaska. The states that only have medical marijuana legal are Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii (Ingraham). However, legalizing marijuana could have some benefits instead of being a drug with some bad reputations. Marijuana should be legalized because of medical reasons, safety reasons, and have some benefits to society.

One argument is that marijuana could never be a suitable medicine because of the damage that can occur from smoking the plant. The Institute of Medicine addressed this argument in the report, “Marijuana and Medicine,” "Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. However, except for the harm associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications. Thus, the safety issues associated with marijuana do not preclude some medical uses."(126). Although the Institute of Medicine have shown through studies that the benefits from marijuana out-weigh the negative aspect of smoking the plant as a delivery system, there are many other types of delivery systems available to eliminate the need to smoke the plant. Some of which include digesting the plant. Also extracting the THC and inhaling the vapors released when heated to boiling temperature. Marijuana has also been used to make many medications, including: Marinal, Cannibinor, Naboline, and Sativex. These medications were made from extracted THC or synthetic THC.(MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org)

This tax revenue could fund the environment. Also, opening of new schools and supporting current ones. Furthermore, it could enhance the building of new roads. It could also help create hospitals and clinics. Moreover, the tax revenue could help build new police stations, and firefighting stations. It could even help the homeless. Marijuana could also bring jobs to America. In fact, it could bring thousands of new job opportunities which will reduce our unemployment rate.

Marijuana is not a recent discovery, but the mysteries surrounding the controversial topic in question remains to be disputed since its prohibition. Classified as an illegal substance, cannabis has been restricted in Canada and around the world. Marijuana is a complex drug and its contradictory claims of medical purposes, and harmful destruction, fuel the debate on whether or not the legal constraints of consuming marijuana should be reconsidered. In consideration of academic journals and news article, citizen welfare, economy benefit, social progression and legal system implications, will be focused on. Despite opposing beliefs, prohibiting the recreational usage of marijuana does not counteract the dangers of the practise thus legalizing marijuana in Canada will allow greater benefit than harm.

According to a recent article from Huffington Post; in Washington alone, the legalization of marijuana could bring in an estimated five hundred million in additional tax revenue. Along with tax revenue, reducing the added cost of marijuana could greatly drop the price per gram, resulting in more money to spend in the local economy. Currently, one billion dollars is spent in prisons for inmates that have been charged due to marijuana-related crimes in result of marijuana being illegal. Time magazine reports that, as a crop, marijuana farmer's in California have found a surplus of sales. An estimated fourteen billion dollars a year on average, making marijuana the most profitable cash crop in the state. If legalized, marijuana could help add countless amounts of jobs into the formal economy instead of the illicit market (Bradford, Huffinton

The article “Should Marijuana Use Be Legalized” states, “Supporters say regulating and taxing marijuana will bring in much-needed revenue to state coffers” (2015). In the state of Colorado, where the drug is now being sold for both medicinal and recreational use, tax revenue has shown a flourishing increase. A Denver Post article from October 2015 states, “Colorado racked up $700 million in sales of recreational and medical pot last year- nearly $76 million dollars in tax revenue, including $13 million dollars in licenses and fees. The industry is expected to top $1 billion dollars this year” (Bunch). The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has had an enormous financial effect on the state. There has been an increase in sales of real estate and a boost in tourism for the state. While many opposed the recreational sale of the drug because of a fear of increased crime, traffic accidents, and teen use, there is no evidence to support an increase in any of these potential problems. While many citizens and politicians continue to oppose the legalization of marijuana in other states, it is proven that in Colorado, the recreational sale of marijuana is a profitable money-maker for the state.

In a study by New Frontier data, it is predicted that after the nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana, the marijuana industry will create around $132 billion in tax dollars in the next decade. In the 2017 fiscal year, the federal deficit was $666 billion dollars. Tax revenue from marijuana sales can lessen the deficit if legalized nationwide. Colorado is just one example of this – from January 2014 to May 2017, its tax revenue from marijuana exceeded $500 million. Colorado used the extra revenue mostly for K-12 education, but also for public health initiatives and infrastructure projects. Brian Vicente from the Vicente Sederberg Law Firm, which specializes in marijuana law, says “the impact is really felt at the local level. Some counties have done 20 years of infrastructure work in just one year's time,” he said. “They've provided lunch for kids who need it.” These things are crucial to Colorado’s well-being, but also stimulate the economy. In another state where recreational marijuana, Washington, the revenue from marijuana income and processing fees was $319 million in the 2017 fiscal year. In Washington, the excise tax is 37% for retail sales of marijuana. This high tax rate contributes to the substantial revenue from Washington’s marijuana industry. Washington uses $3 million of its revenue from recreational marijuana to fund substance abuse prevention programs and drug education. The

According to Mitch Earley, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the State University of New York at Albany and the editor of “Pot Politics: Marijuana and the Costs of Prohibition”, says, the United States government spent over five-billion-dollars on marijuana prohibition in 2000 (Earley 24). Earley also stated that legalizing marijuana would generate over six-billion-dollars in revenue annually if it were taxed like tobacco and alcohol (Earley 29). The national reporter for The Huffington Post, Matt Ferner wrote "Why Marijuana Should Be Legalized: 'Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.” In this article, Ferner concluded that Colorado will revenue about 60 million-dollars and experience a stimulation in job growth. In the same article, Ferner stated that “marijuana use among high school students in Colorado has decreased significantly since the state began regulating the sale of medical marijuana.” Not only will America have the ability to profit, but simultaneously regulate who purchases

As shops for recreational and medical Marijuana open, more purchases of the product will be made which impacts the tax revenue. An example would be Colorado (a state that legalizes Marijuana) where “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fee on medical and recreational marijuana” (Krishna, 2017). Arcview Market Research also predicts that “Sales in North America grew 30%, to $6.7 billion, in 2016, and is projected to increase to $20.1 billion by 2021”. The legalization of Marijuana will also provide many job opportunities since a variety of different jobs will be needed that relate to Marijuana. Investopedia.Com states “A RCG Economics and Marijuana Policy Group study on Nevada says that legalizing recreational marijuana in the state could support over 41,000 jobs till 2024 and generate over $1.7 billion in labor income. The ICF study estimates at least 81,000 additional direct, indirect, and induced jobs in California as a result of legalized marijuana sales. It also projects an increase in total labor income by at least $3.5 billion”. Another way legalizing Marijuana would impact the economy positively is that the government can save money spent on enforcing the law of Marijuana being illegal. Huffington post states “Inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U.S. prisons $1 billion annually, according to a 2007 study, AlterNet reports.” and “The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana”.This low risk substance saves the economy a lot of money and support it

Three of the most abused drugs in America; OxyCotin, Valium, and Ritalin, are just a few of these prescription drugs that are being abused and used recreationally. Although they are highly addictive and the most abused drugs in America, they are still being sold, prescribed and used everywhere. Nobody is trying to prevent them from being sold or for doctors to use their best interest when prescribing them to patients (Mathis, Boychuk). Marijuana is one of the safest drugs that can be prescribed to a patient to treat many different ailments, mental illnesses and physical illnesses because it’s physically impossible for someone to overdose on marijuana. Marijuana is one of the safest alternatives drugs to use for treatment of chronic illnesses rather than physical ones, this is done safely and no wrong could come of doing so. Medical marijuana has been used for centuries to treat mental illnesses and physical problems (Jack). There has been a significant drop in the hardcore drug use rates in California, where medical marijuana is legalized, and the entire city has not “gone to pot” like many had thought it would. Vaporizers are common and safe uses to deliver the THC to the system of the patient. Vaporizers heat marijuana [cannabis] to a point just below the level of combustion where the fumes from doing so aren’t noxious and toxins associated with this noxious gas are not produced (Armentano). The

To explore the economic benefits of marijuana legalization we must first look at the amount of marijuana that is purchased by users. The White House Office of National Drug Policy reported that between 1988 and 1995, Americans spent about 7 billion dollars on the illegal substance, averaging about a billion dollars a year (Prislac, 2009). This means that annually there is a billion dollars out there that is subject to no sales tax. The national average for sales tax is 5%, so if you calculate the billion dollars being spent on marijuana, this means there is approximately 50 million dollars in sales tax that our government never gets

The use of marijuana for medical purposes and personal use can be recorded as far as 12,000 years ago. Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. Schedule 1 drugs are drugs are drugs that have the potential for abuse (Drug Scheduling,2016). The government contains the high-level drugs, this is the reason we have pharmacies. Pharmacies are regulated so that people can not get medicine that can be easily abused. Pharmacies require a medical prescription from a certified doctor for any drug that could be used improperly. Marijuana should be in the same category as prescription drugs because, like any medicine/drug it can be easily abused. Decriminalizing marijuana is not helping millions of people that could benefit from its medical benefits from legalizing it. Even though legalized marijuana may result in an increase in black-market drug trade, marijuana should be legalized because its sale could benefit the economy and can also be used for medical purposes.

Marijuana is a cannabaceae plant, which has always been associated with negative connotations until recently, when it has been discovered that this plant may be used to cure diseases and improve a country economy. Thus, the American opinion is split on the question of “Marijuana Legalization”. In fact, a survey undertaken by CNN/ORC International Poll states that 55 % of Americans believe that the use of marijuana should be legal, while only 44 % think it should be illegal (CNN). I also share the American majority opinion since there is some evidence that marijuana yields positive results.

Since Colorado legalized marijuana in November of 2012, the state experienced massive economic growth. Licensed dispensaries generated more than $14 million within the first month of sales. In total, about $69 million was collected from taxes on marijuana in 2015 (Borchardt). If marijuana were legal in all 50 states, each state most likely would not make this much. Instead, the money would be distributed throughout the states rather than being put into one single state. Although they would not all make almost $70 million, they would still receive a very beneficial economic boost. Marijuana taxes almost doubled the money made on alcohol taxes ($42 million) (Borchardt). Even though marijuana is now legal for recreational use in Colorado, it is still bought on the black market simply because it is much cheaper. Legal marijuana is taxed at 29%, which means that $30 of pot would cost an additional $8.59 (Borchardt). That is $8.59 more than most people are willing to pay; but it would be much easier to pay some extra money and not