12 Pros & Cons Of Marijuana Legalization

It’s been only almost five years since the first week of November 2012 when Colorado and Washington became the first two states in the Union to legalize recreational marijuana. It’s been only four years since December 2013/January 2014 when public sales of the wacky weed weren’t a criminal offense. Oh how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.

The states that have taken steps to legalize public pot sales can offer a whole list of benefits. The states—and the federal government—that haven’t decriminalized recreational and medical marijuana, are still holding tight to a list of disadvantages. What are those pros and cons? Honest Marijuana has compiled the most common here in one place for your edification.

The Pros Of Marijuana Legalization

This is not an exhaustive list of the pros of marijuana legalization. It is merely a collection of the most common arguments used to support the legalization issue. Many of these benefits, which were once only theoretical, have since been proven true in the states that have gone all-in by legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana sales and use.

1) Dismantling Of The Black Market

For decades, the black market was really the only place to find marijuana. Sure, your friend’s brother always seemed to have some on hand, but where did he get it from? Chances are he knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who was a drug dealer or involved in organized crime (i.e., the mafia or mob). Some of those drug dealers and mafioso even had ties to terrorist organizations in other countries.

The legalization of marijuana either put them out of business or made them go legit. Now, the black market is almost completely gone. Cannabis dispensaries are registered with the state. They are regulated. They are taxed. And that’s good new for everyone involved…except the bad guys.

2) Improved Quality & Safety Control

As the recent fentanyl-laced-heroin problem brought to light, there is really no way for end users to know exactly what they are getting when they purchase marijuana off the street. Legalizing marijuana, on the other hand, immediately creates a set of standards for quality and safety control. We’ve seen how this can work in the alcohol and tobacco industries, and it will certainly translate into the marijuana industry. Now, users will exactly know what they’re getting for what they’re paying for.

Improved quality and safety control also translates into less of a burden on the medical system. There is less of a risk of serious problems occurring due to overdoses on unknown substances hidden in the marijuana that is sold on the streets.

3) Increased Tax Revenue

One of the biggest pros that has come from the legalization debate is that of increased tax revenue. To illustrate the point, legal sales of cannabis products amounted to $996 million in 2015. That’s almost a billion dollars spent! And the tax revenue collected off those sales was equally as staggering—$135 million. That money can be used to fix roads, fund public projects, improve schools, hire more police and firefighters…the list goes on and on.  

4) Availability Of Medicinal Cannabis

Medical marijuana (both THC and CBD) has been proven to treat a wide array of “untreatable” conditions including:

• Crohn’s disease
• Epilepsy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Migraines
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Cancer
• Problems due to chemotherapy
• Many more

Making medical cannabis products available to those who suffer from these conditions would mean improved public health and less of a drain on the healthcare system. That would result in more public funds being available for roads, schools, and other public safety initiatives.

5) Decrease In Gang-Related Drug Violence

Gang-related drug violence is still a very real part of life in many urban areas around the country. But the legalization of recreational marijuana would remove one of those sources of dispute. In the states where marijuana is completely legal, those who encounter injustice of some type can now turn to the police and the court system rather than turning to vigilantism. That benefits not just their safety, but the safety of the public at large who were often innocent victims of gang-related drug violence.

6) Allows Police & Courts To Focus On More Violent Crimes

Legalization of medical and recreational marijuana would do two very important things:

• Provide the police and the courts with more money (through tax revenue)
• Give them more time to focus on more violent crimes

Better funding means more individuals to handle the load. And more time means more attention paid to preventing violent crimes. Too often, both the police and the court system were overwhelmed with handling individuals brought in for simply possessing marijuana. The problem was, under the law, those individuals had to be treated as though they were carrying meth, heroin, or cocaine. That flooded the court system and overcrowded our prison system. Legalizing marijuana would relieve the pressure on these already-overworked public servants.

The Cons Of Marijuana Legalization

Again, this is not a comprehensive list of the cons of marijuana legalization. It is simply the most common arguments used to oppose the legal sale and use of cannabis products. Many of these cons—like addiction and gateway-drug status—are still being studied. As a result, the jury is, in effect, still out on whether they are valid claims or not.

1) Marijuana Is Addictive

Scientists are still divided on the subject of addiction. Some claim cannabis is not as addictive as harder drugs like crack and meth. Others claim, one in ten marijuana users develop dependence over time. They point to the fact that stopping marijuana cold turkey will lead to withdrawal symptoms like irritability and anxiety. The same, however, could be said of cigarette smoking (which is legal). More study will need to be done to determine if marijuana is truly as addictive as the opponents of cannabis legalization claim.

2) Second-Hand Smoke Could Become A Problem

We’re all familiar with the debate involving the negative health effects of second-hand smoke from cigarettes. The same debate swirls around cannabis smoke. Could second-hand smoke from marijuana cause non-smokers to have lung problems? Can they accumulate THC in their bloodstream? Will they experience a contact high? These questions are still being studied to determine the efficacy of the opponents’ claims.

3) Decreased Mental Health

Opponents of legalized recreational marijuana like to point to studies that show that marijuana smokers suffer from everything from restricted blood flow to the brain, to memory loss, to the increased likelihood of schizophrenia and depression. But science is still not completely certain about these assertions. The schizophrenia and depression issue is particularly cloudy because researchers don’t know if the drug itself triggers the problem, or if cannabis users use the drug to alleviate and deal with the symptoms.

4) Marijuana Users’ Lungs Are At Risk

 

This con claims that smoking marijuana is worse for the lungs than smoking a cigarette. The marijuana smoker, (at least presumed) takes the smoke deeper into her lungs, and holds it there longer, than she would if she were smoking a cigarette. This deeper, longer exposure to carcinogens can increase the likelihood of lung cancer. The theory, though, does not touch on the different frequencies with which cigarette and marijuana smokers partake. Nor does it take into account the alternate methods of administration like vaporizing, tinctures, and edibles.

5) Marijuana Alters Your Perception

Like alcohol, marijuana alters your perception. And like alcohol, this altered perception could lead to problems of impaired driving. Driving under the influence of marijuana could compound the already major problem of driving while under the influence of alcohol. It could also, opponents claim, lead to an increase in harder crimes like robbery and violence because of lapses in judgement brought on by marijuana’s psychotropic effects.

6) Marijuana Is A Gateway Drug

Marijuana has long been considered a gateway drug. It is thought that once a person tries marijuana, he is more susceptible to trying harder, more dangerous drugs. Specialists like to point to research that suggests that using marijuana might be linked to more serious illegal substances like heroin and prescription painkillers. Legalizing marijuana would increase the number of individuals who try marijuana and then, eventually, move onto harder drugs. This, could put more financial pressure on the medical system and the public coffers to provide treatment for these individuals when they have serious problems.

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