Why the United States Should Legalize Marijuana
Finally, after years of protests and demonstrations’ and the recent 2012 elections in Colorado, and Washington State, The people of these states have spoken and voted to make recreational marijuana use and possession legal in these states. Also people in these states are allowed to grow up to six plants for their own use. I think Marijuana has more uses and benefits to people if it were only legal across the United States. (Coffman, Neroulias)
The new rules for marijuana use in Colorado are as follows Amendment 64 allows persons twenty one and older to purchase one ounce from a specialty marijuana dispensary and personally grow up to six plants in their home. There is a limit only one ounce per person for personal use. Although it has been made legal there, it could take up to a year to devise a system to start the sales. In Washington State it is called Initiative 502, and it makes it legal for persons older than 21 to possess and grow for their own use. It will also be run under the liquor board to regulate it and it will only be sold at fully licensed and regulated businesses in Washington State. I think this is a great step forward for our country to stop these people from Mexico that are bringing drugs marijuana grown in Mexico into our country. We spend so much money every year on border patrol alone fighting them to keep it in their country. Now if people choose to smoke marijuana they can smoke it from local sources. (Jonathan Martin) In both Colorado and Washington they will be creating thousands of jobs whether it’s from the stores that will be selling that need staff, to the growers that need help. People will also be needed to work for the agencies that will regulate the farmers and sellers. We haven’t even begun to speak about the products that can be made from the byproducts of the marijuana plants. The taxes that will be collected can’t come at a better time when our economy needs a boost in the arm so to speak. There is no way to estimate what the taxes will be in Colorado, but in 2011 Colorado pulled in five million dollars in sales taxes from medical marijuana sales alone. In Washington State the estimate is that this legalization could bring in $1.9 Billion dollars in taxes in the next five years to that state. (Web)
We have not talked about the other uses of marijuana that by legalizing it opens the door for new business to develop products that contain marijuana. It is added to bake good products and some herbal teas. There are people who make topical creams to use on your skin, they also make oils for your salad; the list goes on of products out there that can also deliver the effects of marijuana. Also let’s not forget the people who make products for people to smoke their marijuana like pipe rolling paper. This opens an opportunity for people to make money selling these things. We have yet to mention how many uses for the byproduct from the crop there are. Hemp is a byproduct of growing marijuana plants and it has so many uses in textiles, bio fuel, food etc. I am for the legalization so all of these things can start happening and help our economy. (web)
Let us not forget how many people are unjustly spending time in jail wasting their lives away because they got caught with pot. Some may have just been stupid and had some on them at a traffic stop. And think of the money that will be saved on border