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Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

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As of 2016, 28 states has legalized the usage of medical marijuana. Only eight states has allowed the sale of recreational marijuana. However, a majority of research poll participants believed that marijuana should be legalized with 61% of participants supporting the notion. (AP-NORC, n.d.) Some people view marijuana as a dangerous drug that is classified in the same category as heroin or cocaine. Incidentally, marijuana is listed as a schedule 1 substance. These people stigmatize marijuana due to pop culture references where it is shown as a drug that can be detrimental to one’s health but medical marijuana can actually be helpful to those with health problems. Recent studies shows that THC, the chemical found in marijuana, can help to slow …show more content…

It is estimated that the marijuana industry at the current moment is valued at $45 billion per year. In fact, just the state of Washington alone incurs about an average of $2 million a day in tax revenue. In Colorado, it is found that tax revenue will exceed $140 million at the end of 2016. (Tax Foundation, 2016) These amounts are considerable and offset the regulatory costs incurred by the states. The states has several options as to how they want to tax the sale of marijuana either by imposing a $23 tax for each pound of pot brought or 10% sales tax. (Tax Foundation, 2016) All the while, legalizing marijuana will allow new jobs to be created. There has been pushback by other people where they believe that legalizing marijuana will open the door for abuse. Smoking too much marijuana can be harmful to the human body. Also, legalizing marijuana would allow anybody to obtain weed. In the long run, this can mean that more people will use marijuana since it is now legal and can lead to a higher number of people who abuse the drug. Additionally, others believe that the legalization of marijuana can lead to a domino effect where more harmful drugs can get legalized as time goes

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and article ‘Potential Tax Revenue from a Regulated Marijuana Market: A Meaningful Revenue Source’ by Michael R. Caputo and Brian J. Ostrom states, “The demand for marijuana has created a multi-billion dollar industry.” If the Drug Enforcement Administration would allow marijuana to become legal, it could potentially boost our economy due to taxation, create employment through marijuana dispensary collectives as well as stores, and provide another source of revenue in each state. “... A consumption of 13,600 metric tons would entail 38 million people smoking one gram each, 365 days a year ” The concept of taxing marijuana would essentially be exactly the same as how the government taxes cigarettes or alcohol today.

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In the state of Colorado in the U.S marijuana is completely legal for both casual and medical use. Many had speculations over if the experiment of legalizing the drug in a state would be a success, the doubters were proved wrong as it has been a huge success especially from the economic point of view. In 2014, retail cannabis sales raised some $76 million in tax revenue and fees, according to data compiled by the Colorado Department of Revenue (ARMENTANO, 2015). Marijuana sales in the past year totaled some $700 million (ARMENTANO, 2015). If marijuana was not legalized this revenue would have gone to the black market where most of the marijuana was being sold, but instead can be used to stimulate the economy and raise tax dollars.

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But the financial benefits of legalization go beyond taxing the sale of marijuana and keeping drug money out of the hands of criminals. All across the nation, wherever the drug is illegal, state and local governments spend enormous sums of money on the enforcement of marijuana laws, the prosecution of offenders, and incarceration of the convicted. The Wall Street Journal estimates that the American taxpayer spends $40 billion per year on the administrative costs associated with the criminalization of marijuana (Becker). On the state level, we can again look to the example of Colorado. Conservative estimates by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy show that legalization will save the state $40 million per year by no longer administering marijuana laws (Drug Policy Alliance).

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531 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine the potential for lower taxes, lower crime rates, and better medical treatments. For instances thanks to Colorado we know that the legalization of marijuana has a chance to lower taxes due to how much it makes from income taxes. As well as the legalization of marijuana has lowered the illegal sale and distribution arrest by 10%. Finally it has improved medical treatments by allowing cancer patients to use it instead of doing chemo and can be just as helpful. The legalization of marijuana just might be that second step to building this government back to what the people want.

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1230 Words | 5 Pages

Legalizing Marijuana Nationally: Is it Worth It? Marijuana, also known as "Cannabis" or "Weed", is a highly addictive drug created by the leaves of the hemp plant. The use of this has been around for decades, but has only recently come to the attention of the people of our nation as this once illegal drug has already been legalized in some form in twenty-three states in the United States, with Colorado being the only state where marijuana is completely legal (Harkinson, 2014). The debate on whether it is a good idea to legalize this drug or to not legalize this drug is still ongoing as the remaining states decide whether or not to legalize marijuana.

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1728 Words | 7 Pages

With the amount of money the marijuana business has consumed, it is a no brainer that it would be something that would only help our economy prosper. In his article “How Legalizing Pot Could Save America’s Economy,” S.E Smith mentions that “Legalizing marijuana on a federal level would provide economic benefits for the United States in the billions, precisely at a time when the federal economy needs a major boost” (3). With that being said, it could help the nation gain some money, as well as save money on law enforcement trying to keep it off the streets and out of hands of those who should not have access. Having marijuana legal gives opportunity to improve the economy with the ability to tax on it, create more jobs, and regulating the amount of marijuana out there. It is able to create more jobs that involve the growing, packing, as well as the distribution.

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According to http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org in 1972 the Federal Food and Drug Administration FDA classified the marijuana as a Schedule 1. This is the must restricted of the drugs meanwhile others more harmful drugs are categorized as a lenient schedule. The schedule 1 is composed of drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical

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1126 Words | 5 Pages

Marijuana is classified along with LSD, Heroin, Ecstasy, and Peyote as a schedule 1 drug meaning it is banned from medical use, has high risk of abuse, and runs a high risk of harm to the user. This is a ridiculous notion, when marijuana has no reported deaths and no harmful long term effects. However, many Schedule II substances such as hydromorphone (Dilaudid), methadone (Dolophine), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), and fentanyl (Sublimaze, Duragesic), have killed many people and/or caused major addiction problems. Although the number of states legalizing marijuana for medical use is steadily rising, the federal government and agencies such as the DEA, Drug Enforcement Agency, have yet to legalize or reschedule this harmless, helpful plant. Marijuana is a plant that helps and is loved by millions of people, why is it still illegal?

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760 Words | 4 Pages

By taxing marijuana it could put money back into our government when people buy it. America taxes anywhere from $10-14 billion per year, money that could be spent on education and health. Almost 8.2 million people were arrested for weed related crimes between 2001 and 2010, 52% of the drug arrests were pot related incidents. Of the 8.2 million arrests, only 6% were for sale marijuana. Most people were going to jail for possessing the

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700 Words | 3 Pages

Diseases Where Medical Marijuana Could Have Impact.” ) When you are diagnosed with things such as epilepsy you are put on many medications to prevent you from having an epileptic seizure, these work for many people, however; many people feel out of it ‘like zombies’ when they take. These patients find that marijuana works just as well just without the side effects. This has not been scientifically proven.

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867 Words | 4 Pages

It is estimated by a Harvard study, that if Marijuana were legalized, and then regulated and taxed like other commercial goods, it would bring in huge dollar amounts to the federal government. It’s estimated that the tax revenue generated from marijuana would be upwards of $2.4 billion annually if it were taxed like everyday goods, and as high as $6.2 billion annually if it were taxed like alcohol and

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472 Words | 2 Pages

Marijuana should be legal in all 50 states because it has benefits for certain medical conditions and it is not lethal. There are no specific amendments that prohibit or regulate the use of marijuana in medical or recreational purposes. For medical purposes, it has been proven to help with numerous illnesses and diseases. For recreational purposes, it has been proven to be safer for most people than alcohol and other substances. If marijuana were to be legalized, it would be a good thing because millions of people are already using without legalization, so legalizing it would allow more people to use it and for them to use it in a more positive manner.

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475 Words | 2 Pages

In 2016 it was around 6.7 billion and in 2017 around 10 billion these numbers will just increase with the more we legalize it. According to National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws(NORML) if they taxed $0.50 to $1 per joint they make $3.2 to $6.4 billion per year and $2.2 to $6.4 billion in taxes from these. And those number are just joints imagine adding the other forms into this equation. These numbers are from a survey and this is based on the people that actually said they use marijuana, and like they said there is definitely others that either didn't take the survey or said they do not use. If the people that answered that they would prefer not to say or just answered they don't when they do these numbers would be higher.

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638 Words | 3 Pages

As you can see marijuana has many different opinions and change is necessary First and foremost, marijuana is classified under a Schedule I drug which is extremely inaccurate. The Schedule 1 class describes a drug that has no use medically and is not safe to use under any circumstance. Research has been shown that it aids cancer patients and plenty patients who are terminally ill. Even recreational use has never been linked to causing any sort of real illness.

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1461 Words | 6 Pages

Although there is a chance for addiction, medical marijuana should be legalized in all states because it has accumulating health benefits, is administering relief to pain, and is less threatening than most opioids and

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