Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

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?

Aside from a multitude of medical benefits, it is important to recognize how the United States economy could save an estimated 7.7 billion dollars annually, if they let citizens to have an alternative legal form of medicine such as marijuana. Many of our country’s money saving would stem from the amount of money which is spent in order to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate those who utilize medical marijuana. Caputo and Ostrom have as well stated, “It estimated that the figure represents 10-15 percent of the total trafficking illicit marijuana sales which, assuming a 15 percent

But the financial benefits of legalization go beyond taxing the sale of marijuana and keeping drug money out of the hands of criminals. All across the nation, wherever the drug is illegal, state and local governments spend enormous sums of money on the enforcement of marijuana laws, the prosecution of offenders, and incarceration of the convicted. The Wall Street Journal estimates that the American taxpayer spends $40 billion per year on the administrative costs associated with the criminalization of marijuana (Becker). On the state level, we can again look to the example of Colorado. Conservative estimates by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy show that legalization will save the state $40 million per year by no longer administering marijuana laws (Drug Policy Alliance).

Every 37 seconds, someone is busted for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Started by President Richard Nixon, the War on Drugs prohibits the possession of narcotics that are considered “poisons” by the government of the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 does not allow any possession of the drugs listed in the act, which includes marijuana. People deserve the right to possess marijuana because crimes related to the drug will decrease overall and those that sell the drug illegally will no longer be able to stay in business. To begin with, legalizing the use of marijuana leads to a decrease in crime related towards possession, purchase, and use of the drug.

(Rabinski, 2015) The Huffington Post listed the many economic advantages of legalizing medical marijuana in the story “14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost the Economy” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/marijuana-economy-14-reasons_n_2089107.html). Some of the surprising benefits include: • $13.7 billion saved on prohibition enforcement costs • Estimated $500 million in tax revenue for Washington State • Estimated $60 million saved by Colorado legalization • Legalization could reduce marijuana prices • Huge prison cost savings (for prisoners on marijuana-related charges) • Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion a year • California marijuana crop worth $14 billion a

The government isn’t just spending too much on the war on drugs, they could instead be making billions in tax revenue from the marijuana trade. There will always be money to be made from marijuana, but the government needs to decide if the money will go into their pockets, along with legitimate business owners, or into the pocket of drug dealers. When regulated and taxed correctly, marijuana legalization can produce remarkable economic benefits for a state. As proven by marijuana trade revenue in legal states, “In 2015, the legal marijuana industry in Colorado created more than 18,000 new full-time jobs and generated $2.4 billion in economic activity” (Ingraham). The fact of the matter is that the jobs and economic activity related to marijuana continue to persist in the unregulated states, however it goes unrecorded and untaxed, because after all it is illegal.

Legalization of Marijuana The benefits from the legalization of marijuana could benefit consumers, owners of dispensaries, and the government. Advocates of medical marijuana believe it should be covered like any other drug. Marijuana could help people get what they need at a cheaper price because a joint may only cost you $2 or $3. As far as paying for it, it could take the price of other medications that group benefits would pay for (Paterson 3-4).

Therefore, it would be virtually impossible to overdose on cannabis; this instantly makes marijuana safer than most prescription drugs. Violent crime and property crimes have both decreased in Colorado since the state legalized recreational cannabis. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012 , and the majority of these arrests were for nonviolent, low-level offenders. All of this time, cost, and effort takes our law enforcement away from enforcing more urgent issues. According to the ACLU, in 2010, the U.S. spent more than $3.6 billion on enforcing cannabis prohibition.

The last controversial point for those who are not in support of marijuana legalization, is the crime rate. People predict that criminal elements would be attracted. According to Scott Johnstone, the author of the article, Five Years in: The effects of legalization in Colorado and Washington State, "On the whole, crime statistics for Washington state reached a 40-year low in 2014, with violent crime down 10 percent and a 13 percent drop in the state's murder rate. Colorado also saw decreases in overall crime rates, violent crimes and property crimes" (Johnstone). Marijuana has the potential to create peace nationwide.

If marijuana is regulated and taxed properly, it can generate millions of dollars that can help pay the debt of the US and/or help cities rebuild a better infrastructure. Marijuana has become the third most popular drug in the US behind alcohol and tobacco. It is a renewable resource and is not just used for smoking; it can be used to make paper, oils, and cloth. Every year millions of tax dollars are being spent to enforce marijuana laws. If these laws were repealed and marijuana was legalized, we would not only make money from the marijuana, but we would also be using a lot less money to enforce marijuana laws.

Furthermore, legalizing would enable that every marijuana purchase would be documented since a prescription is required to make it a valid sale. Alongside that making it legal ensures that the product that every batch of marijuana shall be pure and safe. Alongside that, there is the constant re-assurance that every batch of marijuana sold shall not exceed the recommended daily limit. Furthermore, a pharmacy shall sell quality weed for less thus eradicating the need for the marijuana black market, which ensures that most customers shall prefer visiting a pharmacy than the illegal suppliers. This will also boost the country’s economy because there will be eradication of black money.

On average there is an estimated 113 billion dollars worth of marijuana trading in marijuana. That is 45 billion dollars in taxes getting away from us (Smith, 1). In a different sense, legalizing marijuana would help farmers. This would cause almost more of an effect than when cotton and tobacco came into play in our economy.

LEGALIZE IT — The Economic Case for Authorized Marijuana Bringing a storm into scorching hot summer, the legalization of recreational marijuana, also known as cannabis, has brought about hot and cold feedbacks from the critics worldwide since it is becoming a more general reality in the United States. Certainly, the corroboration of marijuana is a stirring new development. Two states (i.e., Washington and Colorado) had full legalization, while others are mulling over the gains and glitches, with more states likely decriminalizing over some subsequent election phases in a sense that the benefits of permitting the drug outweighs the cons.

Revenue is expected to even double over the course of next year. This revenue was used to improve everything from school funding, to creating programs that help citizens who struggle with drug addiction. These are only a few programs that the revenue from the legalization of marijuana has

2. Marijuana is already helping the economy Colorado and Washington state voted Tuesday night November 6, 2012 to legalize marijuana, sparking celebrations different but not mutually exclusive from those rooting for Barack Obama. But it’s not just stoners and Democrats who should be Exhaling a deep cough of relief — economists too may find the news worthy of some bubbles or bubblers. 2 a) the states have seen a major economic benefit because of the legalization. The measure has brought the two states more than $550 million combined, 2 b) with more than 300 economists previously estimating that legalizing pot could save the U.S. up to $14 billion a year.