Legalizing Marijuana or Cannabis Lowers Crimes and can be Taxed to Provide Income for States

75 years have passed since United States government agencies began laying out rules denoting marijuana, or cannabis, sales and usage as offenses punishable by fines, jailing, and imprisonment. Attempts to legalize marijuana, to take marijuana controls out of criminal hands, have been ongoing for decades; and in fact, marijuana proponents maintain the war on drugs tactics have not worked to prevent illegal drug use.

Adversaries in favor of the continuance to ban marijuana sales and use believe legalizing the drug would cause more negative consequences than allowing the drug to remain illegal has. On the other side, marijuana proponents believe legalizing marijuana will have a positive societal affect. Proponents cite reasons to legalize marijuana as laid out below.

First off – Marijuana proponents believe legalizing marijuana would deter international crime because drug cartels, for instance, would no longer run the market on marijuana sales or dispersals. National crimes would fall as well because turf wars related to drug sales would diminish. In place of gangs and drug cartels, governments, whether federal, state, or local would oversee marijuana growth, distribution, and sales.

Secondly – Since legalizing marijuana, at least theoretically, would reduce drug associated crimes, it goes to say that the act would also free up jail space for more hardened criminal offenses. Freeing up jail space would drastically help in situations, for instance, wherein states such as California have enacted early prisoner release programs because their jails cannot house the amount of criminals sentenced to confinement.

Thirdly – Since governments would oversee marijuana growth, use, and sales, those in the business would be required to obtain licensing as well as to pay fees or taxes, just as any other business person or corporation pays taxes, to run their operations. These fees and taxes could be used to fund government marijuana controls as well as to finance community related activities.

Fourthly – Some proponents for legalizing marijuana believe that removing the “use disapproval factor” would spur a decrease in persons desiring to utilize the drug. This might be because taking away the “No-no” dynamic could ironically make using marijuana less psychologically pleasing – there would no longer be a fear factor. The need to rebel – to do what one pleases despite the law – would be removed as well.

Reasons to legalize marijuana in the United States can also draw on the fact that when marijuana became legal in Portugal, drug associated deaths declined. It is believed that persons willing to get help from overusing cannabis are more likely to do so when they do not need to concern themselves with being arrested.

High time to legalise marijuana