Rachel Kennaugh

Kennaugh 1

Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16

Amendment Marijuana
The topic of legalization particularly excites me because my family owns a
vacation home in Winter Park, Colorado. It seems to be a huge topic of discussion
every time family or friends come along with us to visit. Winter Park is a town just right
across the mountains from Boulder, Colorado. Whether it be on the ski slopes or hiking
trails there always seems to be the smell of pot nearby. The legalization in Colorado led
to mostly positive results. It improved healthcare, tax revenue, the environment, and
also decreased crime rates. Marijuana needs to be legalized across all states because
the benefits outweigh the negatives.
In Colorado, the health benefits of legalization have been documented. My
cousin Nathan currently resides in Denver Colorado and has been a resident since the
legalization. Nathan suffers from chronic siatica, he has a lot of pain and has trouble
doing everyday activities. Nathan does have a medical marijuana card and does use it.
He says it has helped his back pain and takes away any lingering symptoms he may
have on a day to day basis. I asked him how easy it was for someone under the age of
twenty one to obtain recreational marijuana. He said its become as easy as it would be
for teenager anywhere else to get alcohol. He also tells me how many deaths there has
been that were influenced by marijuana, If your going to smoke make sure your with
people you trust and you don't take more than you can handle, it could lead you down a
bad path(Beuher). Some other medical benefits include helping to fight cancer
symptoms, promoting weight loss, fighting depression and anxiety, safer alternative to

Rachel Kennaugh

Kennaugh 2

Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16
alcohol and hard drugs, treatment for ADHD, improves lung health, lower crime rates,
boosts economy and can also help you sleep (Vargo).
Recreational use of marijuana is legal in Colorado, Oregon, Washington and
Alaska. In the 2016 general election marijuana was, legalized in California,
Massachusetts and Nevada. Its been a more popular movement from 2011 until
currently 2016. More states are deciding to legalize marijuana to boost revenue,
establish a more effective criminal justice and law enforcement, decrease money spent
in the support of organized crime, creates jobs in the industry, promised safety controls,
reduced street justice related to drug distributes as well as loss of business for drug
dealers. Legalizing marijuana in all states would cause all of these problems in society
to disappear just how it has in these states.
Legalizing marijuana did contribute to lower crime rates in Colorado. Marijuana
laws cost tax payers billions of dollars a year. The taxpayers have to pay for every
individual that is sent to prison for possession or dealing of marijuana. The average US
taxpayer cost per prison inmate is $31,286, as of 2012. The study, conducted among 40
states, calculates the cost of prison operations at $39 billion annually (Vera Institute of
Justice). 2.2 million Americans are in prison or jail in the year of 2016. More than half of
federal prisoners are incarcerated for drug crimes such as marijuana. This is extremely
expensive for the taxpayers because of marijuana remaining an illegal drug. It is
estimated that over $7 billion is spent annually on marijuana prohibition(Harvard). If
cannabis were legalized, regulated and taxed like other commercial goods, it would

Rachel Kennaugh

Kennaugh 3

Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16
bring in huge dollar amounts to the federal government. Its estimated that the tax
revenue generated from marijuana would be upwards of $2.4 billion annually if it were
taxed like everyday goods, and as high as $6.2 billion annually if it were taxed like
alcohol and tobacco (Basu).
Some say marijuana is a gateway drug or blurs the mind from reality (Goltz).
THC, is the chemical inside marijuana that causes the high sensation. THC affects
everyone differently, commonly it causes dry mouth, unsteadiness, troubling thinking,
memory loss and increase in appetite. Some other chemicals found in THC are
ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and formaldehyde. Some of these chemicals are known to
cause cancer. There is not a direct link between marijuana and cancer as there is from
cigarettes to cancer. Although Marijuana is not commonly addictive, some say it can
also lead to other addictions. Young people who smoke marijuana are more likely to
abuse other drugs, such as prescription opioids in the future (Blake).
A huge positive impact that legalization of marijuana would bring us is the
production of hemp into our society. Hemp is a plant derived from the marijuana plant
that contains fibers used to make rope, stout fabrics, fiberboard, and paper. Hemp is
considered illegal by the government because in very large quantities it could potentially
possess a high feeling. Hemp contains less that 1% THC and causes little to no effect if
smoked.
From an economic standpoint, hemp provides many advantages in resources
that America utilizes. The most common use for hemp is used in production of textile

Rachel Kennaugh

Kennaugh 4

Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16
based products. Hemp fibers are sustainably strong so it would be ideal for the
production of products like paper, fabric, and rope (Grass Works Media). Hemp has a
higher YPA than cotton and has a growing cycle of 100 days instead of 160. Hemp
seeds provide more protein than soy, and can produce four times as much paper from
an acre of marijuana than an acre of trees. Marijuana can also be harvested at a
quicker rate than trees, this is crucial to saving our environment from destruction.
Another good environmental affect of marijuana is the recent discovery of
Cellulose, a compound from Hemp. Cellulose can be converted into a biofuel otherwise
known as cellulosic ethanol. This type of biofuel can power everything that gasoline
does and more. It is similar to an energy crop derived mostly from corn and cotton, it is
considered a cash crop. This biofuel posses no threat to the environment and is safe to
use. It can be engineered in America and would greatly bring gas prices down as well
as boost the economy to great lengths. It has been harder and harder in recent years to
solely depend on fossil fuels for energy.
With all of these discoveries in mind, why would the government prohibit
something that could be crucial to our health, businesses, economy and environment?
Marijuana could be the starting point of a great movement for America. There are so
many things we still do not even know about marijuana and other great things that could
be derived from it because it is still illegal. The legalization is on its way to all states in
the next ten years despite the negatives.

Rachel Kennaugh

Kennaugh 5

Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16

Works Cited

Basu, Tanya. "Colorado Rasises More Tax Revenue From Marijuana Than Alcohol."
Time. Time.com, 18 May 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Barry, Rachel Ann, and Stanton Glantz. "A Public Health Framework for Legalized Retail
Marijuana Based on the US Experience
Blake, David, and Jack Finlaw. "Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: Lessons Learned."
EBSCO Host. Harvard Law and Policy Review, 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Goltz, Nachshon, and Ekaterina Bogdanov. "Lessons from Washington and Colorado."
EBSCO Host. Case Western Reserve, Jan. 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Grass Works Media. "Data for the Price of Weed In:." Colorado Weed Prices. Global
Marijuana Index, June 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Vargo Cavalet, Jill. "The High and Lows of Medical Marijuana." EBSCO Host. Clinician
Reviews. Vol. 26 Issue 10, P40-53., Oct. 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

Rachel Kennaugh
Dr. Cassel
English 101
1/2/16

Kennaugh 6