Pros & Cons of Legalizing Marijuana

Legalizing Marijuana will reduce overall criminal activity through many ways. In today’s society, regardless of what the law states, millions of people use cannabis everyday for their own recreational use. The cannabis is typically obtained through the black market, an illegal traffic or trade in officially controlled or scarce commodities.

Because it is illegal to consume or possess of it, it must come from an illegal source. The black market is not a simple thing, but consists of many complex channels of crime that involve trafficking and brutality. Essentially, marijuana will always exist on the streets whether it is illegal or not, but legalizing it eliminates the demand for the black market allowing stronger public health.

With cannabis being illegal, a fucking insane amount of court disputes begin and stay in session unresolved for long periods of time. This is because a lot of these court cases are minor and the level of justice cannot identified. This intervenes with the significant court cases causing them to be pushed back. If cannabis was legal, these court disputes could be easily resolved and justice could be served on the appropriate level.

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The vast majority of the users are under the age of 25. Keeping cannabis away from teenagers is in fact almost impossible, but this is no different from alcohol and tobacco.

1. First, the age to possess and consume cannabis is restricted to 19 years or older, the same as alcohol and tobacco products.
2. Secondly, there are strict consequences in place for selling cannabis to youth or creating products that are appealing to youth.
3. Thirdly youth will always be asked for proper identification upon purchasing cannabis, compared to buying off the street where age is not significant.

All companies involved with cannabis must abide by all the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate, which can vary from country to country. Should laws change, the company may be required to adjust its operations to comply with the law or risk having legal action taken against it. In some cases, this may mean ending its business.

Marijuana is known to be illegal substance. Whether it is used for recreational use, transport, or production and distribution, it is illegal. With legalization, all possession, production, and distribution outside the legal system will remain illegal. Laws and regulations restrict these to an appropriate level to ensure public safety. These restrictions include only being able to carry certain amounts/types of marijuana at once, homeowners are only allowed to cultivate four plants per household, and any sort of recreational marijuana use cannot be sold privately.

Primary reasons in support of legalizing marijuana are:

Social Reasons

Prohibition of marijuana is unwarranted government intrusion into individual freedom of choice. Marijuana is no more harmful to a person's health than alcohol or tobacco, which are both legal and widely used, and regulated by the U. S. Food & Drug Administration. Marijuana has proven medical benefits for cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other patients. Crime and violence, both within the U. S. and at the U. S. -Mexico border, are greatly increased due to illegal selling and buying of marijuana. Legalization would logically end the need for such criminal behavior.

Law Enforcement Reasons "National statistics show 872,000 arrests last year related to marijuana, 775,000 of them for possession, not sale or manufacturing - sparking some critics to suggest that the resources of the criminal justice system, including the crowded state prisons and courts, might be better used elsewhere," per the San Francisco Chronicle in 2009. Drug busts of youth for marijuana offenses often carry harsh penalties that can cause undue social harm with lifelong consequences.

Fiscal Reasons

Marijuana is one of America's top-selling agricultural products.

One California politician estimates that marijuana sales in his state top $14 billion annually. New tax revenues from legalized marijuana sales could exceed $1 billion just for California. This rich new source of tax revenues nationwide would help lift the U. S. economy out of its worst recession in decades. "... mainstream pundits like Fox News' Glenn Beck and CNN's Jack Cafferty have publicly questioned the billions spent each year fighting the endless war against drugs," per the San Francisco Chronicle in 2009.

If marijuana was legalized and regulated, an estimated $8 billion would be saved annually in government spending on enforcement, including for the FBI and U. S. -Mexico border security.

Cons of Legalizing Marijuana

Primary reasons against legalizing marijuana are: Social Reasons Some Americans believe that marijuana ingestion is immoral, and that their moral standards should be required of all Americans. Long-term or abusive use of marijuana can be harmful to a person's health and well-being. Second-hand smoke from marijuana can be harmful to others. Many allege that regular marijuana use can lead to use of harder, more harmful drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

Law Enforcement Reasons Some opponents of legalizing marijuana believe that individuals involved in illegal buying and selling of the drug are more likely than average to be involved in other crimes, and that society is safer with marijuana offenders incarcerated. Law enforcement agencies don't want to be construed as supporting drug use. There are no signficant fiscal reasons against U. S. legalization of marijuana. Where It Stands On June 23, 2011, a federal bill to fully legalize marijuana was introduced in the House by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Rep.

Barney Frank (D-MA. ) The bill would remove marijuana from controlled substance classification. Commented Congressman Frank to the Christian Science Monitor, "Criminally prosecuting adults for making the choice to smoke marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources and an intrusion on personal freedom. I do not advocate urging people to smoke marijuana, neither do I urge them to drink alcoholic beverages or smoke tobacco, but in none of these cases do I think prohibition enforced by criminal sanctions is good public policy. "

In November 2010, Californians will vote via state referendum whether or not "Californians over age 21 would be able to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, and grow their own plants on a plot up to 5 feet by 5 feet large. " Additionally, Washington, New Hampshire and Massachusetts state legislatures are slated to vote on marijuana legalization bills in 2010. And more than 20 other states are considering bills to otherwise loosen criminalization of marijuana use and possession. Will President Obama Move to Legalize Medical Marijuana?

Esquire magazine reported in December 2008, after Obama's election but before his inauguration, "Turns out, with several drug-war veterans close to the president-elect's ear, insiders think reform could come in Obama's second term -- or sooner. " Certainly, Obama may move to decriminalize marijuana for medical reasons. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in February 2009: "During one campaign appearance, Obama recalled that his mother had died of cancer and said he saw no difference between doctor-prescribed morphine and marijuana as pain relievers.

He told an interviewer in March that it was 'entirely appropriate' for a state to legalize the medical use of marijuana 'with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors. '" States Could Be Given Jurisdiction Over Marijuana If President Obama does move to support decriminalization of marijuana, look for him to do so by granting states the jurisdiction to decide this issue, just as states decide marriage laws for their

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