William Shunk

Prof. Cassel
English 1101
6 December 2016
Reefer Madness: True Fact or Conditioned Fiction

You smoke a joint and youre likely to kill your

brother, is what Harry J. Anslinger, the director of the
Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930, preached towards
America. To the modern person this quote is most likely
false propaganda, but to the people of that time period, this
was absolute fact. Over the times, and still today, people
argue over the effects of marijuana on its users and on
society as a whole. Now that there are states that have
legalized it, both medicinally and recreationally, America gets a chance to see the real outcome
of making The Devils Lettuce legal.
In Colorado, Marijuana has been legal medically since 2000 and recreationally since
2014. This allows for the leaders of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the rest of the
country to look at the effects of long term legalization. To start, economically Colorado has been
helped by legalization. Between January of 2014 and October of 2014 the state had made $40.9
million dollars in tax revenue, and this doesnt even account for the money made from licenses
and fees (Colorado Status Report). Another area in which the state is saving money is within
its justice system. From 2010 to 2014, possession arrests went down 84% along with a drop of
90% for growing and distributing. Simple crimes related directly to marijuana have gone down

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as expected with legalization and decriminalization, but what about other types of crime in the
state?
Violent crime was one of the many things preached in the 30s by anti-marijuana
authorities. With fictional stories of recreational smoking turning into an axe murder the country
was terrified by the plant. What does the state have to say about that? Comparing 2014 and 2013,
Denver saw a 2.2% decrease in overall violent crimes, and an almost 10% decrease in both
burglaries and property crimes (Colorado Status Report). With the population of Denver being
around 650 thousand, this cuts the myth of marijuana users being violent down. Protecting the
state is important for everyone in it, and to protect the future of it protecting the children is an
important factor in whether or not legalization is a good idea.
During adolescence, the brain is at its highest amount of growth. Research has shown that
heavily using marijuana during these stages can negatively affect the brain and its development.
This is important, as legalization makes it easier for one to obtain marijuana. Yet in Colorado, it
seems to not have had much effect. In 2009, the national average of youth that had used
marijuana in the past 30 days was at 25 percent, while in 2015 Colorado was at 21 percent
(Ingraham). This was within a survey of 17000 students in middle and high schools of Colorado.
The survey further showed that ...marijuana use has not increased...with four of five high school
students continuing to say they dont use marijuana, which the Colorado health department
had stated. Not only is Colorado lower on the national average, the state has used more than $8
million from tax revenue is being used for education and prevention of youth, $2 million for
community youth programs focusing on drug use, and $4.3 million for school program for
students, ironically, using marijuana (Colorado Status Report). Turning the revenue around to
further help communities with the youths is a way to keep the numbers down, and to support

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education and counseling with the money that it came from. Safety of the people of Colorado is
another factor in the choice of other states.
With federal legalization being pushed towards, the amount of traffic fatalities is being
heavily monitored by the rest of the country. The effects of marijuana on perception would not be
helpful while driving. Just like alcohol, reaction times go down and theres a smaller chance of
being able to avoid a fatality. With ...37 fatalities with drivers testing positive for marijuana in
2006 to 94 in 2014 (Haun) there has been an increase in traffic fatalities connected with
marijuana. There are a few issues with this, as THC can stay in the system from a week to nearly
a month after being used. Just because it is in the system doesnt mean that one is under its
influence. It is nearly impossible to tell without a test that TCH is in the system without taking a
test. This implies that there is a big possibility for frequent users, both medical and recreational,
to not feel the effects of marijuana while they are driving while it is still detectable in the system.
It also doesnt account for the drivers that have been using more than just marijuana i.e. alcohol
which is around 170 fatalities per year.
Another thing to look at is the marijuana related hospital visits. There was a 77 percent
increase in emergency visits to the hospital from 2011 to 2014 (Schipani). With recreational
legalization, there is a learning curve for the new partakers of the substance. If its a first time
usage, which it was for many people, there is no way to know how someone will react to it.
Different people will use it differently, for example edibles are an easier way to take in THC, but
can cause a harder affect on non-frequent users. Some people report having panic attacks if they
dont know what to expect. This along with the out-of-state vacationers that would go to partake
in the substance, would explain the increase in hospital visits. Though marijuana is safe, those
using is should be careful as to use it responsibly just as they would alcohol.

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...the state of Colorado has benefitted from a decrease in crime rates, a decrease in
traffic fatalities, an increase in tax revenue and economic output from retail marijuana sales, and
an increase in jobs, a statement from the Drug Policy Alliance sums up how legalization has
affected Colorado. With half of America having it legalized, it is relieving to see the positive
effects it has had on Colorado. With our current president elect Donald Trump supporting
medical legalization, we should expect to see more within the coming years.

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Citations
Schipani, Vanessa. "Unpacking Pot's Impact in Colorado." FactCheckorg. N.p., 19
Aug. 2016. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Haun, Marjorie. "The Unexpected Side Effects of Legalizing Weed." Newsweek. N.p.,
06 June 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"DPA Colorado Marijuana Legalization One Year Status Report." N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Nov. 2016.
Ingraham, Christopher. "Now We Know What Happens to Teens When You Make Pot
Legal." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 21 June 2016. Web. 15 Nov.
2016.