Unlike Texas, many states like Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Oregon passed a bill that permitted the decriminalization and recreational use of marijuana (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). Washington State was one of the first among these states to decriminalize the use of marijuana across the board and the effects of this has been broadly studied by many across the nation. Since then, Washington has benefitted from a dramatic 98% decrease of marijuana convictions as well as tax revenues (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). Washington has also experienced a decrease in the rate of violent crimes, while the rate of other crimes have remained stable or non-increasing. In addition to this, rates of marijuana …show more content…
With this surplus in tax revenues, Washington has been able to redistribute funds towards resource programs like substance abuse and treatment programs, youth and adult drug education, state infrastructure, health care services for the community, and other research programs displaying the beneficial effects of the legalization of marijuana (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). Support for the bill that passed this new policy in Washington has only risen since its implementation in 2012 (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). Statistics show that 77% of Washington’s population believe that the legalization of marijuana either provided a positive influence on their life, or it had no effect at all (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). While Washington continued to reap the benefits of having passed their amended policy, other states such as Alaska and Oregon followed suit and passed similar policies that decriminalized marijuana possession, sales and …show more content…
Marijuana legalization in Texas should include mandatory taxation and regulation of all sales. As stated in the previous section Washington generated eighty-three million dollars in tax revenue from the sale of legal marijuana (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). If Texas taxed legal marijuana, the tax revenue received from it could be used to fund education or other civil services that are in need of state funding. Washington has proved the effectiveness of marijuana revenue by its funding of “substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, youth and adult drug education, community health care services, and academic research and evaluation on the effects of marijuana legalization in the state” (Marijuana Legalization in Washington State, 2015). The distribution of tax revenue received from the sale of legal marijuana in Texas is something that would have to be carefully analyzed to determine which specific state services need additional funding. The reduction of violent crime and marijuana conviction rates in Washington are key components in supporting similar marijuana legislation in Texas. Texas has three great examples with evidence to support the effectiveness of legalizing marijuana.While Texas has had a mixed history with marijuana, there is nothing stopping it from beginning a new
Legalization of Marijuana has quickly become a controversial issue in America. In the United States, legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is spreading to the state level. For example, in November 1996, the people of California and Arizona voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal reasons. As a result of Proposition 215 in California, patients now smoke marijuana provided their physician recommends its usage. A prescription is not required, and marijuana continues to be illegal to prescribe. The Clinton administration responded that it “would not recognize these decisions, and would prosecute physicians who recommend or provide marijuana to their patients.” Although California and Arizona are the only two states to have already passed laws regulating marijuana usage, twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws and resolutions regarding marijuana usage. These laws and resolutions range from establishing therapeutic research programs, to allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana, to asking the federal government to lift the ban. Despite the states’ desires to have marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes, the US National Institutes of Health examined all existing clinical evidence about smoked marijuana and concluded that, “There is no scientifically sound evidence that smoked marijuana is medically superior to currently available therapies.”
Strict approval processes are limiting the research necessary for such advancements (Medical Marijuana Research News). Despite federal and state illegalization, twenty-one states over the past decade have made advances to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes (“State Medical Marijuana Laws”). It is time for Texas to acknowledge the benefits and eliminate the stigma surrounding medicinal marijuana. Medical marijuana should be legalized in Texas because of its’ medicinal benefits associated with many chronic diseases and the potential revenue the state could benefit from during this time of recession. Marijuana in America became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was openly sold in pharmacies in the late nineteenth century (“Busted-America’s War on Marijuana Timeline”).
Today’s economy is struggling and it is in dire need of relief. As of 2013, the United State’s debt was $17 trillion, and if marijuana were to be legalized than it would help raise more money. It could be taxed and distributed for consumption sold like alcohol and tobacco. Taxes on cigarettes amounted to more than $43.3 Billion in 2012 (RJReynolds). The legalization of marijuana could possibly one day make that money helping to reduce this nation's debt. But, as the United States continues to prohibit the use of marijuana, it will make the taxpayers pay more money each year on the illegal usage of the drug. The marijuana prohibition costs both state and federal governments more than $20 billion a year (CATO Institute). One drug policy could change how much it wastes on the prohibition but the government has done so. A study by the CATO institute showed that...
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While marijuana has a small amount of negligible effects to its users, the herbal drug more importantly has remarkable health benefits, and legalizing one of the oldest and most commonly known drugs would redirect America’s future with the advantages outweighing the disadvantages.
The future of marijuana in the United States is uncertain. Whether it is truly on the path to legalization on a nationwide scale, no one knows. But one thing is for certain: marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. It has currently; the move towards legalization on a small scale has taken even further strides with Proposition 19 gaining approximately 44% of the California’s votes. One of the leading causes of the gradual tolerance of marijuana use has been the change in the perception of the substance among the older segment of our society. Since 2000, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of frequent marijuana users that are age 55 and above. This paper will seek to examine some of the major factors that have contributed to the significant rise in the prevalence of marijuana use among baby-boomers, the short-term effects of marijuana with an emphasis on how those effects would impact older individuals, the long-term effects of heavy marijuana use, and the potential political and social implications of extensive marijuana use amongst the United States’ older individuals.
Marijuana is a shredded mix of dry flowers, stems and the seeds of a plant called cannabis and people usually smoke it in the form of cigarettes for relaxation. Ever since marijuana hit mainstream America over 30 years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate. Should marijuana be legalized? Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Therefore, prohibiting it intrudes on personal freedom. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2011 Gallup survey, a record high 50% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 4% increase compared to the previous year. Support for legalizing marijuana was 30% in 2000, 40% in 2009 before reaching 50% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. More and more people realize that legalizing marijuana brings a host of benefits. It not only offers medical benefits to the terminally ill but it could also be a source of tax revenues and could save the tax payers billions of dollars that is spent on enforcement costs.
Nowadays many people want to fight for their right either for support or prevent the legalization of marijuana. According to Altieri, 58% of Americans say marijuana should be legalized, while 42% are opposed (2013). In one perspective, marijuana is no longer a strictly partisan issue in some cities, such as Colorado and Washington, which convenes a lot of supporters to raise their voice for the legalization of marijuana (Lyman 2014). However, on the other hand, there are many people disagreeing for the legalization of marijuana because of the negative consequences that marijuana produce. To illustrate, the legalization of marijuana is a debatable point between advocate and opponents. Although many people say marijuana should not be legalized, there are many reasons why marijuana should be legalized, such as economic, medical, and social.
In the last fiscal year alone, marijuana brought 70 million dollars in tax revenue in the state of Colorado. Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana recreationally in the fall of 2012, and since then three other states and the District of Columbia have legalized the plant. Based off of sales in states that have legalized marijuana recreationally, if all fifty states legalized marijuana, they would bring in a combined 3 billion dollars in tax revenue yearly. That much money from sales of the plant alone could help to stabilize the suffering economy. Moreover, the American Government would be able to control the plant and distribute it how ever they see fit. The economic growth marijuana legalization could bring to the United States outweighs any argument against
With an estimated twenty-five million active marijuana smokers in America that consume nearly thirty-one million pounds of marijuana each year, we are missing out on extreme revenue that this country cannot afford to go without for much longer (Krulick). Specialized government funded programs such as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) cost around $7 billion and are in danger of being defunded to save money (Whitehouse). Marijuana tax revenues exceed $6 billion and would help less fortunate women in need of assistance when they are raising a child. On the state level, Alabama has a projected profit of $8.9 million in tax revenues alone from marijuana sales (Miron). States could increase pay or set up better retirement for police, firefighters, teachers, or any other underpaid public service.
Legalization of marijuana has become an increasingly popular topic for debate in society with “sentiment in favor of legalization [increasing] by 20 [percentage] points in just over a decade,” bringing support for legalization to 52% (Dionne and Galston). The most common arguments for reforming current legislation are the following: enforcement wastes public resources, taxation can provide a new source of revenue, and enforcement of current laws is discriminatory (Dionne and Galston). It is necessary to look at the impact on the primary stakeholders by analyzing the various harms and benefits through application of the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology, in order to determine the solution that will result in the best possible outcome.
Walsh, John. "Q&A: Legal Marijuana in Colorado and Washington." The Brookings Institution. Washington Office on Latin America, 21 May 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Let’s begin with US revenue gain that would occur from legalizing marijuana. Marijuana Offers Extreme US revenue boost in several different ways. Shouldn’t we want to collect revenue due to taxation other then criminalization? Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should inst...
Marijuana is the third most common leisure drug in the United States after alcohol and tobacco. Millions of Americans smoke marijuana despite the strict laws against its use. Marijuana is less dangerous compared to tobacco or alcohol. Smoking marijuana can cause breathing problems and coughing just like cigarettes and some people get addicted after using for a while. Regulating and legalizing marijuana will bring Americas greatest cash crop under law, create economic opportunities and jobs in the formal economy as opposed to the underground market. Adopting a legally controlled market for marijuana will ensure that consumers buy the products from a safe and legal source. Marijuana has been approved in some states for medical uses to ease the effects of different health challenges. Colorado and Washington legalized m...
Colorado is the latest state to approve the sale of marijuana for recreational use. This topic has been tossed around by the officials for years now. Legislators in Colorado have “considered excise and sales taxes on marijuana of up to 30 percent combined” (Frosch, 2013). With the rapidly growing market and marijuana industry, rules and regulations had to be put into place. Even this tax charge needs to be implemented and enforced.
With America’s war on drugs being highly focused on the increased use of marijuana, there is not much time for officers to focus on crimes of greater importance. Crimes related to illegal marijuana use are becoming more problematic due to drug deals that go bad, occasionally ending with murder. It has been estimated that one marijuana-related arrest is made every 42 seconds. With marijuana being illegal, keeping crime related activities under control cost the United States approximately twenty billion dollars per year (Sledge). According to Brian Bremner and Vincent Del Giudice, “A 2010 study by the libertarian Cato Institute, forecasted that states could save $17.4 billion annually from reduced drug enforcement costs and increased tax revenue, assuming marijuana production and sales were legal nationwide” (11). Several law enforcement hours are exhausted with pursing, questioning, and arresting citizens that are in possession of or consuming marijuana. There would be a decrease in the number of misdemeanor possession cases that are pending hearing. These cases would be dismissed, decreasing costs affiliated with each case. There are excessive numbers of people who remain incarcerated for nonviolent crimes related to illegal marijuana use. Legalizing marijuana would allow these people to be released, opening jail space for the true criminals. Legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement officers from focusing on illegal marijuana use and allow focus to be put on more serious