Decriminalization On Drugs

To add, recreational marijuana is taxable! Therefore, it is money that can be put into our communities. Recreational marijuana as intimidating as some may think, can actually benefit our community in many ways. To begin, many believe legalizing marijuana would cause crime to increase, on the contrary legalizing it will lead to a decrease of crime. Imagine that getting your hands on marijuana was as accessible as cigarettes in a gas station, how many illegal cigarette dealers have been punished in jail with the maximum sentence for selling cigarettes?

In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2016 Gallup survey, a record high 60% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 9% increase compared to 2014. Support for legalizing marijuana was 31% in 2000, 50% in 2016 before reaching 60% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. It is clear that

Decriminalization in America Imagine a country where all drugs are legal. Most people imagine a place with addicts lining the streets, needles and baggies full of unknown substances littering the floor, and thousands of deaths due to overdosing. This is because of the stigma around drug use that has risen from the war on drugs, which has turned the use of drugs from being seen as a health issue into being treated as a crime. Instead of trying to help the people who are abusing these substances as an escape from their normal lives, the government decided to blame drugs for causing people to abuse them. But in reality drugs can’t force someone to try one, each and every addict started off as just a normal person experimenting, and sending

“People who consume cannabis products may be more inclined to visit places that have legalized cannabis when considering vacation destinations” (Blackburn 2). There is a big business opportunity because of marijuana. It can provide jobs for people and it can also provide revenue from sales and taxes (Blackburn 2). The legalization of marijuana would be the goose that lays the golden egg to not only the people that use it, but to the government and the economy. The United States is trillions of dollars in debt and legalizing marijuana could over time help reduce that amount a little bit.

Legalizing Marijuana Nationally: Is it Worth It? Marijuana, also known as "Cannabis" or "Weed", is a highly addictive drug created by the leaves of the hemp plant. The use of this has been around for decades, but has only recently come to the attention of the people of our nation as this once illegal drug has already been legalized in some form in twenty-three states in the United States, with Colorado being the only state where marijuana is completely legal (Harkinson, 2014). The debate on whether it is a good idea to legalize this drug or to not legalize this drug is still ongoing as the remaining states decide whether or not to legalize marijuana.

The Devil’s lettuce as some refer to it, is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. It is becoming a growing trend and it might as well keep growing with all the benefits that are being given to States from it being legalized. It’s not just all benefits, in some instances it can be addictive for the user. Although the laws surrounding marijuana is more harmful to the user than the marijuana itself and it causes innocent people to become criminals and instead of consumers in a growing market that can produce money for problems that we have in this country. Marijuana is commonly misconceived.

If there is not a monetary gain for the government from legalizing marijuana, I don’t believe that it should happen. There must be some profit from it to support the regulation of the sales. As can be seen from Colorado, Washington, and other states

In recent years, more and more people's opinions on marijuana have begun to morph. With this societal shift will hopefully come a legal shift as well. Weed culture has been slowly solidifying itself in modern society likely due to celebrities such as Snoop Dogg who has been known to smoke "indo" while "sippin on gin and juice" (Dogg). It is mainly the generations prior to millennials that are hesitant to legalize cannabis, however strong political and societal shifts are broadening the minds of many. Marijuana should be legalized because it is not any more harmful than other legal drugs, in fact it can aid those who suffer from mental illnesses.

In the United States one third of all AIDS cases are the cause of syringe sharing by drug users. (Drug Policy Alliance, 1) This number could be drastically lower, but congress has outlawed all syringe access programs, which would create less syringe sharing, since 2011. The United States has failed at preventing drug use among its population and it has caused great harm to millions of people, efforts of drug prohibition and the so called “War on Drugs” have been shown not to work; it is time for an extensive reform that decriminalizes all drugs for the entirety of America.

Legalizing marijuana for medical purposes is the best solution for patients with illnesses that consist of chronic pain, seizures and scoliosis. Marijuana is natural, although it does have chemicals like THC and CBD, it does not harm one’s body like prescribed medications. Why not use a safe medication like marijuana to release pain rather than medicine that could potentially kill you slowly like morphine and other drugs? Marijuana is a natural plant that has many substances in it that help the human body with problems like eating, sleeping, and can even help with nausea on patients that have been in chemotherapy. Cannabis should be used as medicine rather than products such as morphine or other symptomatic drugs on cancerous or tumorous patients.

Impacts of Decriminalizing Cannabis As a teenager, one would likely assume I’ve been exposed to strangers, and possibly friends, offering me some sort of an illegal substance in hopes of having me as a “customer.” While this hasn’t happened to me, I don’t have to look far for the experience, even though Cannabis is illegal in Canada. Decriminalizing Cannabis is something I’m in support of, even though I have no intention of using it, or any sort of non-perscription drug. When you weigh the positives and negatives of decriminalization, the pros far outweigh the cons, allowing for a more prosperous economy and potentially safer society. The Liberal Party of Canada stated that, “Canada’s current system of marijuana prohibition does not work.

According to Drugpolicy.org the U.S spends annually more than $51,000,000,000 on the war on drugs. The number of people arrested in the U.S. on nonviolent drug charges 1.5 million people . The number of people arrested for marijuana law violation 693,482 and 88 percent of those arrested were arrested for possession only . The tax revenue that drug legalization would yield annually, if currently -legal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco $46.7 billion. As a citizen of the United States we always hear about the deficiency that Americans deal with and the ‘’ recession’’ that we were in.

However from the information that I have gathered from many different articles and news pages, the legalization of marijuana would not only be majorly beneficial to the medical field but it would be an excellent boost for our economy by better spending our money on things that matter. Like repairing our schools, and

Marijuana is an illegal drug in the United States of America, but why is marijuana illegal? Is it not safe? Is it addictive? Will it have a negative effect on society? The medical community is split on this issue; several studies that have been conducted on the effects of marijuana in the adult brain have been inconclusive.

“The price of marijuana would drop significantly—up to 80%—with the market price for users depending on taxes and regulation.” (American Society of Addiction Medicine) this shows the benefits of the legalization process and how it could be helpful in the future. Most Americans are aware of the drug violence that goes on in many states, and as more and more states choose to legalize marijuana, fewer people will have to be illegally getting the drug, leading to crime rates dropping significantly. Legalizing marijuana weakens big drug cartels by taking away their main source of income. In most states drug distribution rates dropped between 20% and 30%