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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

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Legalizing marijuana: Subsequent crime rates Introduction As the wave of marijuana legalization rolls across the United States from state to state, determining the potential impacts of this change is incredibly important, because it will allow the governments of the states in question to prepare for the potential consequences of legalization. Balancing the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana is an incredibly difficult task, because there are legal, societal, and cultural consequences that can be anticipated, but also many that cannot. Existing research pertaining to the impacts of marijuana legalization in states like Colorado and Washington can shed light on what the potential consequences might be for other states in the future. According to information provided by Weisheit, R. (1991), those who have sold drugs illegally often displayed an industrious, hard-working attitude that could have applied differently, but that often their existing circumstances encouraged a life of …show more content…

If this change were made, it is possible that those who are industrious and willing to work hard would have a higher likelihood of doing so legally. Many of those who sell drugs are doing so for an income which is very close to minimum wage, effectively making the sale of drugs to be a kind of social safety net. In those neighborhoods where very few legitimate jobs are available, it seems that there is a high degree of encouragement to sell drugs. Although, according to studies cited by Kepple, N., and Freisthler, B. (2012), even the legal sale of drugs can attract a criminal element to the general vicinity of those locations where marijuana is sold. The illegal activities are not always related to the sale of other (illegal) drugs, as noted by studies cited by Kepple, N., and Freisthler, B. (2012), that these locations have attracted people who commit violent

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This debate has been going on for years. Should weed be legalized or should it not? Everyone has their own opinion if they believe it should be or not. Personally I believe it should not be legalized. Marijuana can impair your memory, make users feel depressed and also it can be a gate way drug to other worse drugs (pros and cons of weed).

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Marijuana legalization, both recreational and medical, may positively impact the United States economy because of the taxes placed on the plant in several states, and instead of taxing the population, the government receives great revenue. The Marijuana Legalization and Taxes: Lessons for Other States from Colorado and Washington report by Tax Foundation describes the key findings of tax effects, Colorado and its effects tax rate totaling 29 percent, a projection of taxes in Colorado likely to exceed $140 million a year, Washington imposing a 37 percent excise tax, and many more statistics backing up the benefits of certain taxes and legalizations. The legalization of marijuana in present day clearly shows that the economy of the states where this “harmful” drug was legalized went straight up by a high percent in tax revenue. The United States must consider legalizing the drug across the country because not only will it raise the economy, it will also greatly reduce marijuana trafficking incarceration’s which proved to be a huge problem in the country. If the United States legalize marijuana, the crime rates and incarcerations will definitely

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Team Debate Paper: Legalizing Marijuana Legalizing Marijuana in the United States has always been a notorious topic for many, whether the use be for medical or recreational use. While there are benefits to the legalization of marijuana there are also downfalls, and so far twenty states have legalized it in some form. Since the debate between the states has initiated many have debated back and forward whether the drug should be legalized. While there are many advantages to legalizing Marijuana some of them are creating revenue for the states, medical benefits, and relieving the states of man hours and money of placing individuals with Marijuana related offenses into the Judicial System.

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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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Legalizing recreational marijuana is a social discussion that is fashioned with arguments for and against. There are evenly resounding opinions as to why it should be legal or not. Several states have decriminalized the use of marijuana either medically and/or recreationally. This is contradictory to federal law which is still a criminal offense. We will look at what marijuana is, the history, and its effect on users.

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Legalizing Marijuana, Bad Decision? George Bierson’s article on "Marijuana, the Deceptive Drug". He comes to a conclusion that is this, marijuana is a harmful drug that if not controlled can and will cause massive brain damage and harm to the immune system. George also claims that the drug is also the biggest cause of people continuing to use more and more harmful drugs. Even with studies shown, his point isn’t really made.

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The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic of debate for many years not. After looking at the pros and cons of the legalization of marijuana I have came to the conclusion that I believe that the government should legalize marijuana. I have reached this conclusion for many different reasons. With this there would be a present need for new laws to be made in an attempt to keep the use of the drug safe. Even though marijuana does have side effects, none have been proven to be long lasting.

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Marijuana is a substance that is both beneficial and harmful to your body. However, despite the many cons of legalizing marijuana, the pros overlook the downfalls of it. Marijuana could be argued that it’s physically unhealthy for your body, but is actually a very effective medical source. In the United States Marijuana legalization has been debated nonstop since the drug's existence. Marijuana has been proven and tested to be a positive impact on our American society.

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One of today’s world hottest debate topics is the legalization of marijuana. In the United States of America, we have achieved the legalization of this plant in twenty-eight out of fifty states with recreational and medical uses included. The state of Colorado is one of these states with two years since its legalization, it has produced answers on why its legalization has generated huge amounts of income but has also increased fatalities and diminished health on teens and young adults making people wonder whether this was the right thing to do and how it will affect our society in the near future. How does the legalization of marijuana in the state of Colorado affect overall its economy and what are the pros and cons to this legalization

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Colorado a state in United States of America was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana which was in legalized in January 2014. Since they have legalized cannabis employment rates are only increasing as well as the revenue made. No statistics show that crime rates have increased in fact they are decreasing considering Colorado’s government has seen a 98% decrease in cannabis related arrests. “Strauss found that the economic impact of the two dispensaries amounted to 280 jobs and $30 million in total economic output between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014, and that the two dispensaries contribute 10 times the tax revenue of either a typical restaurant or retail store.” (Drug Policy Alliance, 2015).

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Pros and Cons of Marijuana Legalization Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States. More than half of American adults have tried using marijuana at least once in their life. You may have read or heard stories on how marijuana use was mostly linked to people who were very vocal with their opinions. Seeing their favorite performers during a live concert may have been the start of the spreading of this illegal drug which has caused so many lives. When experts found out about the ill effects of marijuana, people who were found to be using them were put behind bars.

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Evan Rice Melissa McCoy Composition II 30 October 2014 Marijuana: Savior or Destroyer For decades, marijuana has been prohibited throughout the entirety of the United States and it has only been in recent times that it has been legalized for recreational or medicinal use in any state. There have been several places and states in the United States that have legalized the use of recreational marijuana, Colorado and Washington being two of the first to legalize it. There are several reasons that this drug has been legalized and maybe should be legalized. One of the reasons these states legalized marijuana is to boost their economy. This increase has given these states a much-needed jumpstart to their economy keeping the states on the incline of growth since the 2008 crash of the stock market.

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One component of this is that in places where medical and/or recreational marijuana is legal alcohol sales have dropped. Alcohol os know to instil violence, whereas marijuana calms most people down rather than riling them up like alcohol. Despite the theories that marijuana instills crime in communities as well as leads to harder drugs, the legalization of recreational marijuana has been shown to create jobs and stimulate the economy, reduce violent crime and steer people away from harder drugs by providing a much safer alternative. Legalizing marijuana would bring millions of jobs to the United States. As well as bringing in huge amounts of tax money that can be used to improve public commodities such as roads and public school systems, a team of economics experts predict that, “The study also calculates

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Today the demands are changing in different states. In States such as Colorado and Washington, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. This move raised several questions as far as decriminalization of marijuana is concerned. Besides portraying the US in a bad light, legalization of marijuana for recreation increases the risk of developing mental problems, increases government expenditure on public health, jeopardizes the future of children, and is a gateway to other dangerous drugs. Increased health problems and public health expenditure-

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The effects of legalizing recreational marijuana in all United States’ societies are still very unknown. Marijuana has not been legalized long enough to give us accurate information on the effects it will have on crime, gang violence, and profit. According to USA Today, test results show both increases and decreases of drug use in different states that have legalized recreational marijuana (Kennedy). A point brought up in the fishbowl which The Washington Post clarified was Portugal decriminalized all drugs and since then there has been a decrease in drug use (Hollerson). Even though seeing these effects can help us infer what could happen in the United States I do not think we can base legalizing recreational marijuana in the United States off of other countries.

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