Marijuana Should Be Recreationally Legal Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. A massive issue with the prohibition of marijuana is that it transforms it into a gateway drug and familiarizes you with illegal drug dealers. There are hundreds of ways the plant can be used medicinally. States that have legalized marijuana recreationally have been extremely successful and have made a surplus of tax revenue. A massive issue with the prohibition of marijuana is that it transforms it into a gateway drug and familiarizes you with illegal drug dealers. With marijuana being illegal, it is like a forbidden fruit for many teens (Nadelman 3). If it were legal, like alcohol, less teens would want to try it. They would not think it …show more content…
If it were legal for recreational use in America, it would save taxpayers 100 million per year in police, court, and prison costs (Ross 4). It would lower the number of police on duty and inmates in cells. Over 10,000 people were arrested in 2010 in Colorado for possession, which costs taxpayers an estimated 3.8 million for incarceration, police, judicial, and legal expenses (Ross 5). It would save courts time and taxpayers money. Banks will not deal with dispensaries because it is federally illegal which forces them to keep making cash targets out of dispensaries (Turkewitz 2). If it were federally legal, burglaries would be less likely. In Alabama first time offenders with an ounce or less, get a civil fine that will not appear on their record, which helps them get jobs (Ross 2). The state still makes money from the fine, and the cited are still employable. In the District of Columbia, possession of an ounce or less is a $25 civil fine (Ross 7). If it were legal, the state would gain more money from the jobs the arrested could have gotten. It also discourages people back into a life of crime. Young combat veterans have been able to find work easier running security for dispensaries (Turkewitz 1). It works well, because they are already trained. There are many unemployed vets looking for work as well. “It’s about money and I don’t think people understand the profit available” (Beck