Article website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/states-legalize-weed_n_5162737.html
Picture website: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/28/us/10-things-colorado-recreational-marijuana/
This Sunday, 4/20, people will gather in Colorado to show their support for fully legal marijuana for the first time. The state of Colorado legalized the sale of recreational marijuana on January 1, 2014. On that day, thousands of people flocked to the Denver store 3D Cannabis Center (which used to be called "Denver's Discreet Dispensary") and waited in line for hours on end to purchase pot; despite the sheer number of people, there were no police reports of violence or problems of any kind with the crowd, and government officials were shocked by how calm the crowd was. Since then, it has brought $14 million in taxed sales to Colorado, and that was just in January; and now that other states can see that legal marijuana can provide a good source of income, it seems that they are starting to become more sympathetic to those who have supported the legalization of marijuana since day one. For example, there will be a ballot measure to tax, regulate, and legalize weed for adult recreational use in Alaska on August 19; and a recent survey taken by Public Policy Polling (which is known to lean towards the Democratic Party) has shown that 55% of voters in Alaska support the legalization of marijuana. There is also the fact that in recent years, the state of Vermont has passed a measure to decriminalize and a separate bill to establish a system of dispensaries for medical patients who use medicinal marijuana. Though the debate on the effects marijuana can have on an individual's health is still going on, there is a definite move towards legalization; activists are making a concerted effort to get voters to sympathize with their cause, and pro-pot legislators are now trying to bring the issue before their colleagues. Do you think it would be beneficial for other states to legalize recreational marijuana? Do you think the flow of income legalization could provide will outweigh any possible health issues that it could create?
5 comments:
I think that it would beneftit other states to legalize recreational marajuana. Seeing how the use of marajuana has become increasingly accepted it wouldnt be surprising if other states followed suit and legalized it. It would be a good investment on the state's part considering all the possible income from taxation. I think that the income would outweigh any health problems that marajuana may carry. Studies have shown that smoking cigarettes has a worse effect than smoking marajuana, yet cigarettes are still legal. If the government was worried about health warnings they could just make it so that dispensaries are required to post a warning sign, like how tobacco products have on their packaging.
I agree with Brandon. Marijuana should and probably will become legal in every state. The economic benefits of regulation and taxation on the sale of marijuana would provide the state with extra revenue while also reducing the amount of money spent on marijuana enforcement. There has been a taboo surrounding weed in the past, but it seems that people are starting to realize it is not very different than alcohol or cigarettes. It is not the very best thing for your body, but if people want to do it, it isn't the absolute worse thing. People will use marijuana whether it is legal or not, so legalization seems like a win-win for the government. It also helps out the people that use marijuana because they can be sure of the quality of their pot. By taking out the street-side drug dealer, the government will actually make weed a safer drug to consume. Overall, weed should be legalized.
The idea that recreational marijuana use has no negative consequences is not true. A recent study on college students and marijuana use confirmed that even "casual" use results in abnormalities in critical areas of the brain. This is especially trouble for the developing brain. So in that regard, I will respectively disagree with Connor and argue that it is not the same as cigarettes or alcohol.
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/04/casual-marijuana-use-linked-to-brain-abnormalities-in-students.html
Effects aside, marijuana can be a cash cow. It raises government revenue, frees up state courts from marijuana cases, and makes life easier for pot smokers. I don't have a strong opinion on this issue, but I do feel its necessary to point out that there is no objective "right answer" to this question because marijuana isn't as harmless as many make it out to be but isn't a death sentence or worth the cost of waging an anti-drug war either.
Thanks for enlightening us on the consequences of marijuana, Bran Yan. While it is obvious that marijuana is not completely safe, I agree with Brandon Dere that marijuana is less harmful than some other social drugs. That statement is nicely summarized and supported by data in this article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkroll/2014/02/01/obamas-right-marijuana-is-far-safer-than-alcohol-but-not-entirely-safe/
Aside from the very helpful graph provided, the article also quotes the NIH's National Institute on Drug Abuse stating that "6.8 percent of drivers, mostly under age 35, who were involved in accidents tested positive for THC; alcohol levels above the legal limit were found in 21 percent of such drivers." That's a pretty nice statistic supporting the pro-legalization side of the argument. If alcohol is more dangerous than weed (as supported by the NIH's statement), why is the latter still illegal in some states?
Like Connor said, marijuana will most likely become legal in every state during our lifetime. To conclude this comment, I'd like to share a very interesting Buzzfeed video I saw a while ago, comparing the abilities of one man when he is stoned and when he is drunk:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/video/andrewgauthier/drunk-vs-stoned
Happy Easter!
Brandon! I recently heard about that study too and the results have definitely had an impact on my view of legalizing marijuana. I understand that legalizing marijuana will raise government revenues from taxation and greatly reduce the black market's prominence (if I'm using that word right). However, I feel that like cigarettes in the past, misleading and false advertising of marijuana will definitely occur, adding on to its acceptance and even abuse. You guys should also check this article out: http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2014/01/21/5-reasons-marijuana-should-remain-illegal-n1782086/page/full
It points out examples from Amsterdam like how instead of preventing crime, legalizing marijuana would only increase it and concentrate crime in areas where it is sold.
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