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Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

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The age old debate of whether marijuana should be legalized or not has been a discussion for years among the public and throughout the country. The United States currently four states in which recreational marijuana is legal, along with 20 other states where medical marijuana is legal. The argument that always comes up in discussion is that marijuana is less or no more dangerous than alcohol. These comments are hardly ever backed up with statistics or data. Now with other states looking into legalizing marijuana, several police departments have come together to show what impact and challenges law enforcement has to deal with marijuana is legalized.
One of the many challenges that states are having to deal with, Colorado being an example, is a rise in the homeless population throughout the state. These are not homeless subjects that are having bad luck due to a job loss, or …show more content…

At this point, the only testing to find if someone is under the influence of THC is through a blood test. These test are very expensive for police department compared to breathalyzer tests for alcohol or even blood test for alcohol.
Another challenge and argument among critics is the rise in crime rate due to the legalization of marijuana. Many articles try to show how the legalization of marijuana would lower crimes rates. Some articles even show how there is a drastic decrease in marijuana violations once the substance was legalized. However, the articles fail to show the other crime statistics involved with the legalization of this substance.
The Denver Police statistics show that summing across all crime types -- about 35 in all -- the crime rate is up almost 7 percent compared with the same period last year. Interestingly, crimes such as public drunkenness are up 237 percent, and drug violations are up 20 percent. (Sabet, 2014, para.

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Some people argue that it can be good to use it for medical purposes only while others say it should be legal for recreational purposes as well. My personal opinion, all states should legalize the recreational use of marijuana just as alcohol is sold legally. As far as the crime I think crime rates will decrease, there won’t be a need to hide and sell weed because it’s legal. The reason for drug related crime is it comes with a punishment possible jail time. Selling drugs comes with a risk, a risk that street drug dealers were willing to take for tax-free

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Finally, marijuana should not be legalized because it is a big safety issue for the states. The quote that shows this is, "For instance, low to moderate doses distort perception that is enough to cause traffic accidents. In fact, study shows that weed is one of the most prevalent illegal drugs found in fatally injured and impaired drivers," from NYLN.org(2014). Marijuana is one of the leading causes of crimes, car accidents and other violent behaviors. It[marijuana] contains the chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), which is responsible for stimulating the CNS(central nervous system).

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Some areas in the United States face higher rates of crime and drug abuse. This contributes to the prevalence of health disparities within different communities. In order to eliminate or decrease the distinct difference between areas that are at higher health risks than others one must begin to understand why they exist. Some areas have higher drug abuse rates than others due to factors such as poor education, poverty, unemployment rates, and lack of community involvement. These things play a major role in whether or not a young adult is going to start the use of drugs or drinking alcohol.

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Every 37 seconds, someone is busted for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Started by President Richard Nixon, the War on Drugs prohibits the possession of narcotics that are considered “poisons” by the government of the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 does not allow any possession of the drugs listed in the act, which includes marijuana. People deserve the right to possess marijuana because crimes related to the drug will decrease overall and those that sell the drug illegally will no longer be able to stay in business. To begin with, legalizing the use of marijuana leads to a decrease in crime related towards possession, purchase, and use of the drug.

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There are many cases that people see on Facebook or other social media and news outlets where it is reported that people who commit more serious crimes, such as driving under the influence and hurting people, get off easier on technicalities than people who possess drugs, specifically marijuana, do. With the crime and jail rate being so high in America, that is concerning because it poses questions such as “what does our society value”? In research conducted by the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, it was found that police officers arrest 700,000 people annually for some sort of marijuana violation, and around 90% of those arrests are based on just possessing it (Cannabis Policy). This is a very large number for marijuana alone; imagine the number once all other drugs and crimes are taken into account. Legalizing the drug could decrease that number substantially by reducing the amount of people arrested for possessing it alone.

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There were 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% of the arrests were for just having weed. In the first 11 months of Colorado having marijuana recreationally legal, there was a 2.2% decrease in crime compared to the first 11 months of 2013. Traffic deaths were also thought to increase after legalization but instead did the opposite. In the same first 11 months of 2014, there was a 3% decrease in fatalities compared to 2013. This kept a 12 year long continuing decline to keep going down.

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As well as the automobile break-ins have dropped 36%. To add to that sexual assault has also dropped 14%. These other crimes may not be directly related to the legalization, but happier people mean fewer crimes. However the downside to the legalization of marijuana is other drugs like meth and cocaine have increased in

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In those states that have already legalized marijuana, either for medical or recreational use, crime has decreased (Morris, TenEyck, Barnes, & Kovandzic, 2014). In fact, “…it may turn out that substituting marijuana for alcohol leads to minor reductions in violent crimes that can be detected at the state level” (Morris et al, 2014). Mexican drug cartels have lost money because of marijuana legalization in several states (Grillo, 2015). The savage violence perpetrated by drug cartels in Mexico and street gangs in the U. S. is funded, in large part, by the smuggling and sale of illegal drugs in the U. S. (Grillo, 2015). We’ve seen this before during the prohibition era in America: Organized crime grew by smuggling alcohol while it was illegal (Marose, 2012).

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Therefore, it would be virtually impossible to overdose on cannabis; this instantly makes marijuana safer than most prescription drugs. Violent crime and property crimes have both decreased in Colorado since the state legalized recreational cannabis. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012 , and the majority of these arrests were for nonviolent, low-level offenders. All of this time, cost, and effort takes our law enforcement away from enforcing more urgent issues. According to the ACLU, in 2010, the U.S. spent more than $3.6 billion on enforcing cannabis prohibition.

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6- Legalization Hasn’t Led to Increased Use Among Teens and Minors, due to education and regulations restricting use to adults, the percentage of teenagers in Colorado who admit to using cannabis has been steadily dropping from 22% to 20% between 2011 and 2013, and remains below the national average at

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The sales have not declined and the state does not believe that the pot business will lose it’s status as a multi-billion dollar industry anytime soon, if ever. By legalizing the drug the significant drop in non-violent marijuana crimes, saves money for taxpayers as

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Marijuana should not be legalized for recreational purposes under any circumstance, due to the effects if has on its users and the community. Marijuana has a deceitful reputation of being a non-addictive “safe drug” that does not result in adverse personal effects. Although, research states otherwise. THC

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Since the legalization of marijuana there has been in increase of underage consumption. According to a recent report written by Charles Stimson, “Drug-related suspensions/expulsions (mostly for marijuana) increased 32 percent over a five-year period” as well as “the majority of DUI drug arrests involve marijuana” (Stimson, Charles. Is Legalized Marijuana Going up in Smoke?, infoweb.newsbank.com). Also fifty percent more arrestees in Denver test positive for marijuana since the legalization.

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Marijuana should remain illegal in the United States, and states that have passed laws to make it legal should reverse those laws. Marijuana is addictive and a gateway drug. Legalizing marijuana will make it generally more available to the public, which will also make it more likely to be used by young adults and children that are not old enough to make smart decisions regarding drug

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Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Last but not least, the legalization of cannabis will break the cycle of crime. Surprisingly, capturing and imprisoning people actually lead to an increase in crime. Once someone is considered a criminal, it becomes much harder for them to find jobs, leases and loans. Μany of them believes that they have to turn to the crime to survive.

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