Marijuana Legalization in the United States
Why is a harmless plant like marijuana illegal? Marijuana cost the taxpayers of the United States an estimated forty one billion dollars every year, including a loss in potential tax revenue (16 Facts about Marijuana and the U.S. Economy). It helps people with illnesses ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer. States that have legalized have had a result of twenty five percent less deaths from pharmaceuticals since legalization (Lincoff). With notable results in states like Colorado the United States needs to legalize marijuana nationally to boost the economy and give millions access to jobs and increase tax revenue.
Every year marijuana prohibition cost the U.S. government money they don't have and
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For years people that have used marijuana have been looked down upon in America and it's wrong when a person looks at the facts marijuana is a harmless plant that is more beneficial to society than negative. Marijuana prohibition cost the American taxpayers approximately 41.8 billion dollars annually including a loss in potential tax revenue (16 Facts about Marijuana and the U.S. Economy). Thirteen billion dollars being what the U.S. government spends annually for marijuana to stay Illegal (16 facts about Marijuana and the U.S. Economy). Ninety four million U.S. citizens admit to trying marijuana at least once in their lifetime (Smith). Consequently, six hundred and ninety three thousand people getting arrested each year for less than an eighth ounce of marijuana (About Marijuana). Currently, marijuana occupies 40% of all drug related arrests (Smith). Therefore people that serve jail time for small amounts of marijuana cost taxpayers one billion dollars every year (16 facts about Marijuana and the U.S. Economy). In the past marijuana had a reputation of being horrible for you, but research says that it is a safer alternative to alcohol or tobacco (Whitley). Alcohol and tobacco have a combined death rate annually in the U.S. of four hundred and fifty thousand people …show more content…
The state of Colorado shows that there isn't anything to worry about, Colorado has been the poster child for legalization in America and current crime rates have dropped upwards of ten percent in Colorado and people have realized the benefits far outweigh the negatives. One positive effect is more taxes to fund police forces and schools as a result, there would be more efficient police work (19 Pros and Cons of Weed Legalization). Some negative effects of marijuana are being sleepy , low voiced talking, paranoia and dry mouth. A couple positive effects of marijuana are euphoria enhanced sensations, including taste and eyesight being more aware and time going by slower than normal (Stein). It has been used as an appetite stimulant in HIV and cancer patients, It also helps with pain relief and nausea (About
Marijuana does have some negative effects, but compared to other drugs marijuana is harmless. Other drugs are highly addictive were marijuana is not. Alcohol is one of the most leading causes of car crashes. Marijuana is nowhere near being a leading cause of death. Other drugs can lead to cancer where marijuana is used to cure it, and other drugs can lead to deaths. Other drugs impair you vision, but marijuana does not. All the other drugs except alcohol are gateway drugs, and the only way to purchase them is by smuggling them across the border. Many advocates say “we should begin to reflect that reality in our state and federal legislation, and stop acting as if otherwise law-abiding marijuana smokers are part of the crime problem. They are not, and it is absurd to continue using law enforcement resources arresting them.” (Gary) Many advocates also say, “Far more harm is caused by marijuana prohibition than by marijuana itself.”(Gary)
First and foremost, majority of society is uneducated and unaware of the many benefits legal marijuana can bring about. These benefits are for us as individuals, for our economy, and for our government as a whole. You can have thoughts and opinions, criticize ones who use marijuana, say that they are a drug attics or bad people, but you would clearly be uneducated having said that. The plant, cannabis, “marijuana”, has a class of
The dispute over the legalization of cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is one of the most controversial issues ever to take place in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries across the globe. Legalization should be considered despite efforts made by groups who say marijuana is a harmful drug that will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The legalization of marijuana can improve our society by helping with our economy, freeing legal resources, and benefiting the overall health of the nation though medical uses.
The United States of America stands as one of the leading territories in the consumption of forbidden
The nation that we live in today proudly proclaims its perpetuation of freedom and democracy, and with these qualities it conveys supreme justice. The United States government and its constitution are regarded by many as the pinnacle of civil government, as the ultimate projection of civil justice. However, no government is perfect, for man himself is inherently imperfect. For over two centuries since its birth, The U.S. constitution, which many hold in such high esteem, has been continuously molded to fit our ever changing society. Many of these changes have been good and necessary, while others have caused unforeseen problems. Even in light of harm to society, however, the constitution and its
The legalization of Cannabis in the United States is an extremely hot topic in the current media. Currently, 23 states and D.C. have laws to legalize use of Cannabis (NORML). Cannabis is also known as marijuana, dope, pot, grass, weed, head, Maryjane, doobie, bud, ganja, hashish, hash, bhang (Cannabis). Cannabis is now the third most popular recreational drug in America, this is behind alcohol and tobacco. It has been used by 100 million Americans (Cannabis). Since the legalization of Cannabis is such a hot topic in the United States, this issue is highly debated. Both sides of the argument work towards making educated decisions for their stances. By collecting both sets of data, we can progress towards
Marijuana is illegal in 48 of the 50 states, but the drug will most likely be legal in the near future. The heated debate on whether the “illicit drug” should be legalized in all 50 states keeps resurfacing. The most popular recreational drug in the United States today is marijuana. The formal name for marijuana is Cannabis but it also goes by a number of other street names including bud, grass, weed, reefer, ganja, hemp, and herb. “In 2011, more than 18 million Americans aged 12 and older reported using the drug within the past month” That is a very large amount of people that have used the drug even before it was legalized in two states. The government has thrown unproven facts about the harmful effects of marijuana to the people to scare them. The United States government has stated that Cannabis does cause lung cancer and includes many carcinogens, chemicals that cause cancer. Scientists and researchers have proven the exact opposite considering the drug is now used in many cancer treatments. With this being said, marijuana is not a perfect medicine either. Some of the harmful effects include posing a major irritant to the lungs and increased chance of a heart attack. There are always alternatives to work around these harmful effects. For example, marijuana can be eaten which would cause no irritation to the lungs in any way. As far as the increase chance of heart attack goes, any exercise raises the heart rate just as marijuana does. This means that you
Marijuana use should be legalized throughout the United States. Marijuana legalization is becoming a highly popular argument among the country.
The use of marijuana is a growing industry in the state of Colorado and also a rising conflict. This industry started on January 1, 2014 when the Colorado Marijuana Legalization Amendment passed. Although marijuana has become legal in Colorado, it is still considered illegal in the United States. As a result of being illegal, the marijuana industry is a cash business because banks are federally protected. Although there are many reasons why recreational marijuana has a positive effect in Colorado, including the increase of jobs and also the increase in tax revenue, studies prove that the health risks like altered perception and brain damage to young children are not worth the risk of the profits and jobs created by marijuana.
The legalization of marijuana has gotten to be a very controversial topic over the last few years with many valid arguments for both for and against marijuana. Use of marijuana dates all the way back to 2727 B.C. where it was used by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. By 1515 marijuana spread to the west where it was used for its use as fiber. “... made into things such as paper, rope, and clothing” (DEA Museum). Hemp was even encouraged to be grown by the US government. “... marijuana became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was sold openly in public pharmacies” (PBS). In the United States people began to fear marijuana along with Mexicans after the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The reason for this is that Mexicans initially introduced the recreational use of marijuana in the United States. Anti- drug propaganda warned American people about the dangers of Mexicans and their “Marijuana leaf” (PBS). It officially became illegal in 1937 following the Marijuana Tax Act. Which made marijuana a schedule 1 drug along with meth and heroin. This is simply crazy because when you look at meth users and compare them to marijuana users you can see the vast differences and the reasons why marijuana does not fit in this category. Even with its large variety of uses and low addiction rate, marijuana is still a schedule 1 drug along with way more disastrous drugs such as heroin. The reason for this is simply because of the War on Drugs which spends more than 12 billion dollars
The group Marijuana Policy Project documents the various effects of decriminalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington. Their report contains information like revenue earnings, violent crime rates, and number of misdemeanor cases filed. According to their report, the number of misdemeanor cases and violent crime rates fell. Also, the two states earned millions of dollars via tax revenue.
The United States has been involved in a failing battle versus marijuana since the execution of the Uniform Narcotic Act in the 1930's. Americans are not only squandering almost eight billion a year, Americans are losing probable income. Americans could be in a position to gain a profit of a significant amount of revenues if marijuana were to be legal and structured by the Department of Agriculture (Norml, 2014). Revenue from the tax system of marijuana purchases would extend from about two and a half billion for each year if marijuana were taxed like conventional inventory products to six billion if it were taxed like tobacco or alcohol.
There have been many studies and real life events that point to many positive and negative side effects of the legalizing marijuana in the United States. And many political debates to the same issue. In many states, voters have voted in favor to the legalization of marijuana because of all the positive side effects this drug can bring and they see the negative effects it has brought up in the past. In many ways, marijuana can replace many very dangerous and addictive drugs that are on the market right now. At this point in time, there is a lot more benefits to the legalization of marijuana than there are draw backs. There are many real world examples of the benefits that marijuana has on communities.
Prohibition hasn 't stopped the use and domestic production of marijuana so it 's time everyone faced the facts. Marijuana should be legal because punishment such as prohibition or incarceration does not help the country in any way shape or form but in return causes a lot of problems. There is no true good evidence that prohibition or even incarceration decreases the use of drugs or drug dealing. Actually there are many theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use i.e. the "forbidden fruit" effect, and easier accessibility for the youth. Prohibition and incarceration has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana. The government has tried to use criminal penalties to prevent marijuana use for more than 75 years and yet marijuana is now being used by over 25 million people every year. Marijuana is currently the largest cash crop in the United States, and marijuana is grown all over the world whether it is grown legal or illegal. Claims that marijuana prohibition is a successful policy are outrageous and very much so unsupported by the facts. Arrests for marijuana possession mostly affect blacks and Hispanics and reinforce many people’s perception that law enforcement is biased and prejudiced against minorities. Blacks account for approximately 13% of the population of the United States and about 13.5%
The organization I choose to do was the Marijuana Reform Laws. In this organization the goals are to let marijuna be a legal in the states desired.In many states its banned because its considered a drug and having possession of this drug can lead up to many years in jail or even prison.In some states marijuana its legal because its medical and its used to help many patients out there in world.There are many foundation out there fighting to legalize medicinal marijuana out there in th world because its proven that marijuana is not in fact a drug but a mediceine that has help many disabilties such as (PTSD) shorter for Post Tramtic Stress Disorder, muscle spams, nausea, suizures and so.As an advocacy group called NORML has been active in spreading