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Persuasive Essay Marijuana Legalization

785 Words4 Pages

The existing drug regulations in the United States seem to be having more negative results than positive. If marijuana was legalized for both health and recreational purposes, our country would be a better place. A few of the many reasons marijuana should be legalized is because it has economic profits, medical benefits, and it is harmless compared to other drugs.
The history of how marijuana became illegal is something most people are not informed of. Marijuana started becoming illegal in the United States in the 1910s. For states in the East, it was fear of jazz musicians and African Americans who used marijuana to “take advantage of Caucasian women.” When it came to states in the West, a motivating factor was fear of Mexican immigrants who …show more content…

According to a 2005 report done by Dr. Jeffrey Miron, Harvard University economist, legalization would reduce government spending by $10 billion to $14 billion per year. In broken up terms, substituting marijuana prohibition with a system of common-sense taxation and regulation similar to alcohol and tobacco products would in fact save the country $6.2 billion annually. If it were taxed like all other goods, legalization would spare $2.4 billion annually. The report also found that if marijuana is legal, it would save $7.7 billion a year in government spending and enforcement because of prohibition. Amendment 64 which is Colorado's cannabis legalization legislature, is projected to create $60 million for the state in joint savings and supplementary tax revenue, Colorado Springs Business Journal reports.
In relation to the recent BJS report, "Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004," about 13 percent of state convicts and 12 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are serving time in jail for marijuana offenses. More than $1 billion annually is spent by taxpayers to put away marijuana lawbreakers. Nearly 1 in 8 American citizens end up being locked up for cannabis. In addition, hundreds of thousands of other Americans are arrested each year for violating marijuana laws, costing taxpayers an extra $8 billion dollars yearly in criminal justice

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