So, we all remember that Marijuana was legalized in both Washington and Colorado. Many seem to hail this as a good thing, but why? The main argument for marijuana is the revenue it can raise. If the government can regulate the marijuana industry, they should be able to tax it. Considering the copious amount of support that has been predicted for the drug, the government should be able to make quite a bit of money off the sale of marijuana. Furthermore, with marijuana under government control, they
should be able to control it and make it safer to consume.
However, there seems to be trouble in paradise and pot isn't necessarily what its cracked up to be. Mainly, all the
problems with marijuana's legalization comes from the lack of regulation the provisions have. Because there is very little control, the government really can't do much in the way marijuana potency and the tobacco industry. In terms of potency, stronger marijuana causes much more damage to an individual and is has a much higher chance of causing a car crash or some other physical injury. This results in increased spending for the government, balancing out the revenue gains marijuana originally offered. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry is able to take advantage of the small amount of regulation and sell marijuana easily (which includes possible advertisements aimed at attracting younger kids). You know something's up when the tobacco industry likes something.
It's very difficult to weigh the issues with marijuana legalization. Each side, pro or anti, both have something to gain by taking their side, causing fairly strong bias. If one supports marijuana, it's probably just because they want to smoke it, or they want to make a profit (hello there tobacco industry). On the other hand, those that want it gone may just think it's icky or have some fundamental disagreement with marijuana consumption. Then there are the people who really just don't care either way who can just sit back and watch.
So, is marijuana legalization important, and should we care at all? Is it ultimately harmful in the long run, or is it helpful and this is just a biased article?
6 comments:
First of all, I wish to disagree with the statement that "If one supports marijuana, it's probably just because they want to smoke it, or they want to make a profit," as I support marijuana legalization yet have no desire whatsoever to actually smoke the stuff, a sentiment that multiple people have agreed with me on. I believe that legalization requires a high level of regulation in order to ensure safety, which the government may not currently be providing. If this regulation isn't reasonable under current circumstances (such as the economy), maybe now isn't the time for legalization However, once it is possible to reach the appropriate level of regulation, legalizing marijuana seems just as reasonable as legalizing alcohol or tobacco. Until then, decriminalization might be a good middle ground.
I don't see much harm with the legalization of marijuana. Another fiscal perk to consider is that police and narcotic forces won't have to spend money chasing around petty little marijuana dealers. More money, energy, and time can be spent on high profile crimes: rape, murder, robberies, etc. I agree with Shannon that there needs to be a code of conduct for buying and selling marijuana. With a hands off approach, people (especially drug abusers) could go haywire with the legalization. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an increase in obesity rate either. There is a distinct correlation between smoking marijuana and being hungry. However, I do agree that there is profit to be made here with the legalization. In this economy we should let Colorado and Washington take a test drive down the legalization lane.
I also agree with Shannon with her disagreement to that statement. I do not think much will change in regard to health costs and amount of physical injuries with the legalization of marijuana; thus, I think any possible losses due to these will be negligible to the accrued revenue from taxation. Those who are already into marijuana find it easy to acquire even in states where marijuana is illegal, so the increase in marijuana consumption might not be as significant as some assume it may be since it is not as if marijuana fanatics will suddenly be weeded out of dormancy and start smoking it all the time. Although, research on the aforementioned effects taken place after a substantial amount of time has passed in Washington and Colorado following this legalization will be telling as to whether the downsides/upsides are actually valid and will provide evidence for future debates for or against the legalization of marijuana.
Here is an old little sketch from college humor. There are actually some good points in the video such as who handles the growing process. Just because the government can regulate marijuana, does not necessarily mean it will. We should be more wary of some claims such as making weed "safer." How is the government supposed to make it more safe while turning it into a large profitable market that will supposedly rake in millions in tax revenue? Furthermore, won't there be a chance that it will end up like those shady tobacco company's who tried to cover up the negative health effects from smoking tobacco in the past? Oh yeah, these are also the same guys who aimed a lot of their marketing towards kids. It seems like we get too caught up in trying to justify it to other groups and forget to try and look at the situation from the point of view of people who will actually smoke the weed.
I do have to agree with most of the people above. I think marijuana legalization wouldn't be such a bad thing to do. If people are worried about how well the government would regulate it, they should remember that the government has regulations on tobacco and alcohol. Adding marijuana to the list isn't to crazy an idea. Legalization could help weaken the drug cartels by taking away some of their major business. Alcohol has killed far more people than marijuana has and I don't see any prohibition movements coming back. If people want to smoke pot recreationally, they should have that right without having to worry about defying the law.
Seeing as how some foreign countries have legalized this substance and haven't shown any drastic signs of change in politics or the economy, I think that legalizing marijuana isn't all that important in general.
It would certainly be a beneficial move for the government to tax and then regulate the rules on this new potential marketplace (as stated by Shanon earlier), but I believe that this may never happen. Just as stated by Preston earlier, a lot of people cling to their own ideologies surrounding the plant, and that alone has continued to keep it illegal in most of the country for the past few decades. At the end of the day, a real big issue concerning this is simply whether one is okay with the substance being present in their surroundings, of if they absolutely can't stand it.
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