Passage 1: In the article Marijuana devastated Colorado, Jeff Hunt shares his reasons for not allowing Marijuana to be legalized nationally. He uses Colorado as a reference because Marijuana has been legalized in that state. The Marijuana Justice Act is the first action, taken by Senator Cory Booker, to legalize marijuana across the nation and Jeff provided extensive facts that negates the expectations Senator Booker had planned. He states that in Colorado the number of “traffic deaths, poison control calls, and emergency room visits” have increased since marijuana was legalized. The fact that marijuana has only contributed “1.18%” of the state's total tax revenue is another factor that supports Jeff’s claim to not nationally legalize marijuana. Senator Booker also stated that his goal for legalizing marijuana is to decrease the incarceration rates of individuals in low-income communities, and for minorities in those communities. Jeff combats this clam with a statement from the Colorado Department of Public Safety that claims the percentage of black and Latino youth who have been arrested for marijuana possession has “increased 58% and 29% respectively after legalization”. The performance of college students who have access to cannabis showed to have a negative impact on their grades and fail classes at a higher rate. Jeff concludes his article with a request for Senator Booker to not legalize marijuana nationally and for him to reflect on his reasons before making a
A controversial topic often being advocated for by sitting governors is whether the legalization of marijuana is more beneficial or harmful to the economy. Marijuana, also known as weed, is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. It’s the most widely used illegal drug in the United States, even though studies have shown results that the benefits of using marijuana for medicinal or recreational reasons far outweigh the negative matters that may be associated with its use. While marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, thirteen U.S. states currently have compassionate use laws in place, which allow for regulated medical marijuana use. By legalizing marijuana, the government is helping the economy by reaping medical and financial benefits, not only at the state level, but also at the federal level. Taking into account the numerous studies done with marijuana on whether it is for recreational use or medical purposes, the government cannot go wrong in legalizing marijuana because of such an impact it will have. Marijuana should be legalized for recreational purposes because it will help society economically and socially.
The closing statements in the previous paragraph lead to the next senior reason for marijuana’s regulation: the marijuana-related crime. Marijuana’s share in the percentage of total drug arrests in California hit a high in 2010, reaching 52.1 percent. While it has ever-so-slightly fallen in the years following, it is still a substantial statistic; more than half of all drug arrests. Legalizing marijuana
The topic of legalizing recreational marijuana in the United States has been a very controversial one. States such as Colorado and Washington have gone on the offensive and have legalized recreational marijuana and have enjoyed the high revenues brought in from cannabis sale. On the other hand other states have kept low profiles because they are wary of the possible negative outcomes of legalizing recreational marijuana and are using the states of Colorado and Washington as guinea pigs to see what their next course of action on this controversial topic should be. This is not only a highly debated topic among politicians, but also by the people. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center 52% of Americans
Marijuana is a drug that is an ongoing issue in the United States for many years debating about whether it should be legal, so in 2010 the state of California proposed the “Tax, Regulate, and Control Cannabis Act” for voters to vote on which would make marijuana illegal. Charles Stimson, a former assistant U.S. Attorney specializing in crime, had strong opinions about what he thought about the issue and was paid to write an article by the Heritage Foundation where he could voice his opinion about legalized marijuana. In his article “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No,” Charles Stimson tries to persuade his audience, voters of California, that they should vote against legalized marijuana. He tries to persuade his audience
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.
In the essay “Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized,” there are four supporting arguments stated of opponents on legalizing marijuana. For instance, opponents argue “scientific reports show harmful effects of habitual marijuana use” (2). In addition, prominent politicians in Massachusetts contend “legalization provides a veneer of acceptance that will encourage children and teens to try it” (3). Furthermore, “legalization will give the cannabis industry the same incentive the alcohol industry has to encourage excessive use and lobby against tax and regulation” is argued by opponents (6). Lastly, the essay counters “legalization has already had negative consequences on
Right after the U.S. Department of Justice announced in March 2009 that it would no longer prosecute marijuana patients and providers whose actions are consistent with state medical marijuana laws (Meyer & Glover, 2009, para. 1), political windows suddenly opened for California marijuana reform advocates to push for legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. As a result, California Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act, became a ballot initiative on November 2, 2010 statewide ballot. Supporters argued that legalizing creational use of marijuana would help California to regulate the use and sale of marijuana, reduce correctional costs, redirect its court and law enforcement resources to other more serious crimes, and collect additional exercise taxes and sales taxes that would help with California’s budget shortfall. In spite of being a
How has the legalization of marijuana affected Colorado? The state has seen some pretty significant changes since the legalization of recreational marijuana. There have been major changes in the economy, job market, and traffic related injuries, but not all of these changes have been negative. There is a split in the public opinion about recreational marijuana use and if the state has benefited since its legalization. Some people think that the state is suffering and have been fighting to repeal the law since it was voted into place. Others have devoted all their money and time into the flourishing business and would be devastated if the law was repealed.
Observing the states in which the drug has already become legal provides one with numerous examples of the negative side effects associated with legalization, just a few of which Coleman points out. One of the most disturbing of these negative side effects I believe, is the obvious explosion of black market drug trade. While legalization laws in Colorado and Washington have only been in full implementation for two short years, it has become widely known that the black market trade of marijuana has begun to flourish in these states. Little effort is needed to link the source of this growth to the recently implemented marijuana laws. Taxes and regulations that accompany the now legal purchase of marijuana have served to propel prices for legal marijuana to a point where users now much prefer the riskier option of illicit black market obtainment, catapulting illegal drug sales to heights previously unseen. Simple assessment of these facts, I believe, should be enough to align anyone against legalization. The negative implications that are associated with black market drug trade are well documented and widely known, and its growth not only supports the determent of individuals, but also society as a whole. However, many people simply overlook these
Marijuana, how one plant spread through the world it has evolved to become a hot topic both socially and politically, towards the better and for the worst. Marijuana has its benefits, states around the country almost more than 23 plus The District of Columbia in total have now legalized medical marijuana. Such as to be use for muscle spasms to relax the muscle from cramping, helps to decrease anxiety to relieve pain and suppress nausea and many more benefits. Now is marijuana use dangerous to your health? Actually, you can have a dry mouth, increase of appetite, fast heart rate, and a few more but nothing major. Which is all temporary meaning that it’s all over the next day. There are
In the preceding years, when ferocious battles were waged over the wisdom of legalization, both in direct conversations and of course, on the internet, marijuana proponents made boasts about what a major positive impact on government budgets making pot legal would have. To people familiar with economics, basic math and tax policy, these arguments seemed very weak, and that is exactly what they have been proven to be in the first years of Colorado’s new drug era.
Imagine a world where marijuana became legalized.Most believe that legalizing marijuana would would be a be dangerous thing to do and should stay illegal , while others see it as a use of good reliable sources.From a philosophical point of view, individuals deserve the right to make choices for themselves. Marijuana has been tested and proven to provide a very positive impact on the American society for many reasons. Some of these reasons are for America’s economy, health and even crime. The debate to legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been fought over nonstop since the existence of the drug and its effects. Marijuana should become legal in the state of New Jersey.
Christopher Ingraham looks into marijuana’s first year as a business industry in “Colorado’s Legal Weed Market”. In Colorado’s first year of legalization, their recreational dispensaries brought in an estimated $700 million in sales and $63 million in tax revenue (Ingraham). Katie Rucke reports that nearly 10,000 new job opportunities have arisen in “Six Months In, How Has Marijuana Legalization Treated Colorado?” The state’s unemployment rate has dropped down to 6%, one of the lowest rates in the nation, and the lowest it has been in the state since the recession (Rucke). Many jobs created by the
In that same year, Congress heard testimony asserting the same notion from the Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Examining Board of Pennsylvania, Dr. Christopher Koch. Dr. Koch warned about “Chinks” who keep white women as their “concubines” in their opium dens. In addition, he said, “The colored people seem to have a weakness for it (cocaine)…It produces a kind of temporary insanity. They would just as leave rape a woman as anything else, and a great many of the Southern rape cases have been traced to cocaine.” Whereas, just minutes later in his testimony he rationalized that white professionals “take morphine to quiet them, and they take cocaine to brace them up.”
Shortly after, Miron starts reffering to and talking about the state of Colorado, which in 2012 became the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Miron states, “Since commercialization of medical marijuana in 2009, and since legalization in 2012, marijuana use, crime, traffic accidents, education and health outcomes have all followed their pre-existing trends rather than increasing or decreasing after policy liberalized” (Miron 1). Expressing this fact in his article is very crucial to Miron’s argument, because one of the big issues some people fear when talking about legalizing marijuana is that things like crime and traffic accidents will increase, but this fact proves them wrong. Shortly following this point he changes his perspective a little, in an attempt to further prove his argument.