Over 94 million people in the US have admitted using marijuana at least once. Whether or not this a a good statistic is debatable, but one thing that is certain is that the drug is becoming more and more common and widespread across the US and the world. The rising popularity has forced the question of whether or not weed should be legalized into politics and four states have legalized the drug for recreational use by people over the age of 21. Twenty-Four states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes and it seems as though more will legalize it in the near future. However, though the legalization of weed has given some benefits to the states that have chosen to allow the drug, it is not a perfect scenario and there are downsides and negative factors to …show more content…
This is becoming an increasingly popular opinion because there are more pros than cons to legalizing marijuana and for many states it would be beneficial to the local and state economies. One major benefit of legalizing marijuana is that it would boost state revenue by a large sum. In states that have not legalized weed, there is an entire underground economy that is supported by marijuana and other drugs. “Drug dealers and cartels are making millions of dollars every year” (“Federal Marijuana Smuggling is Declining in the Era of Legal Weed” 1); money that the US government could use for improving infrastructure and public projects. Instead of illegal cartels controlling the import and sale of weed and other drugs, the state would directly control the production and sale of marijuana. The legalization of pot would mean that large farms “monitored by the state would be the main source of the drug” (“19 Primary Pros and Cons of Legalizing Weed” 1). This would be a significant upgrade considering the current sources of marijuana production and sales in states that have not legalized pot. The main source of marijuana in states such as Massachusetts are illegal drug dealers who get their drugs