Pubdate: Tue, 09 Sep 2014
Source: Barrow County News (GA)
Copyright: 2014 Barrow County News
Contact: http://www.barrowcountynews.com/forms/editorletter/
Website: http://www.barrowcountynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5530
Author: Stanley Dunlap

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION HAS MANY BENEFITS

"Reefer Madness" was a 1930's propaganda style film extolling the
dangers of marijuana.

The film has become infamous for its overdramatic portrayal that the
drug would lead to chaos for its users. Decades later the rationale
behind the effects of marijuana tends to be less extreme, but those
people against its legalization should realize it's only a matter of
time before other states decriminalize the substance.

The states of Washington and Colorado have become the lab rats for
studying the legalization of pot. So far, chaos has not ensued. The
latest news out of Colorado regarding marijuana was that the state
could be missing out on $21.5 million in taxes because of too high
taxes and fees (more government regulation), according to Fox31 Denver.

Colorado isn't the only place not benefiting financially as much as it
could from marijuana. Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron
estimates $20 billion a year is lost per year by governments because
of the prohibition of marijuana. That includes expenses for criminal
justice as well as taxes that could be brought in by selling the substance.

Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. voters will also decide the
legalization issue in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, there are 20
states that allow medical usage of marijuana.

Fortunately, Georgia lawmakers seem likely to approve allowing medical
marijuana during the upcoming legislative session. While a limited
form of medical marijuana will likely be available soon, it's also
likely The Peach State will lag behind in allowing recreational use.

Besides the new revenue stream, too many people spend time in jail for
petty marijuana arrests, which ultimately means taxpayers are footing
the costs.

Legalizing marijuana also gives law enforcement agencies and court
systems more time to focus on bigger issues in society.

If you're against marijuana being legal then it only makes sense that
you also object to being able to purchase alcohol and tobacco.

The "safety" and health related costs of marijuana are often brought
up as an argument against legalization; however there is not any
reliable evidence that the substance is any worse than tobacco or alcohol.

Legalizing marijuana isn't a perfect proposition. Of course there
should be an age limit. The drug, according to some medical research,
also has a larger impact on the adolescent brain compared to adults.

Ultimately, regulating the drug shouldn't be only about an argument of
whether those who would be considered underage would have any access
to it. (Just between us, most teenagers already know somebody they
could purchase marijuana from). There are plenty of other vices that
are legal that are more harmful to the youth and adults (I'm talking
to you-fructose!).

But as time moves on the latest generations are less cautious of
change. It's easier to say marijuana is "bad" and embellish statistics
to try to prove the anti-legalization argument. While with "Reefer
Madness" the claims were more outlandish, there are plenty of people
who still say using pot leads to major trouble.

Even the history behind prohibiting marijuana in the U.S. is shady
with a possible hidden agenda leading to it becoming a focus in the
1930s. The crusade was accompanied by declarations of increased
violence and more.

But the outlook for recreational marijuana is positive in 2014. Just
like Washington and Colorado, the marijuana movement will spread to
other states. Maybe the joint will burn very slow, but eventually the
smoke will engulf the rest of the nation.
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MAP posted-by: Matt