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Michael Morel
Abstract
Running head: MY COUNTRY TIS’ OF WEED 2
This paper explores various sources and statistics to highlight the benefits of legalizing the
recreational use of marijuana in the United States. Tamar touches on the laws in place, how
people in the country are being affected, and how actual Americans feel about the legalization of
the marijuana. Booker goes more into depth when it comes to the laws in place, such as the
Marijuana Justice Act, and how Congress should implement a reform. Hendricks, L., Abassi, A.,
& Aslinia, D. show both the pros and cons of the drug, but get an honest view of both of the
sides. Using all of this information, this paper will give the reader an understanding of marijuana
“Approximately one out of every seven American adults (14.1%) has used marijuana in
the past year. Over half of all American adults (51.1%) have used marijuana during their lives.
All of these people have committed a federal drug crime” (Tamar, 2018). Marijuana is a very
controversial topic in our country. Some states have already legalized marijuana for recreational
use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont
and Washington. The benefits of marijuana far outweigh any of the argued cons. Recreational
marijuana use should be legalized on a federal level because of lower crime rates, lower tax
marijuana use should be legal” (Tamar, 2018). Decriminalizing marijuana consists of changing
the laws so that people who are smoking or in possession of marijuana are not in any legal
trouble. There are so many occasions and conditions in which Americans use marijuana, that it is
hard to be consistent across the board of enforcing the law. Some people are smoking or
consuming marijuana for medical needs, while others are doing it in the privacy of their own
Schedule I drugs are those that the government considers most serious, most dangerous.
Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Heroin is a
Schedule I drug. Methamphetamine is Schedule II” (Tamar, 2018). Marijuana and Heroin are
placed on the same degree of danger, which seems a little extreme. The government is clearly
avoiding the fact that many people support marijuana and its highlighted medical benefits.
Lastly, many of the crimes that involve marijuana are based on prejudice. “In California, there
have been nearly five hundred thousand marijuana arrests in the last decade. In 2015, black
people in the state were more than twice as likely as white people to be arrested for a marijuana
Running head: MY COUNTRY TIS’ OF WEED 4
misdemeanor and nearly five times as likely as white people to be arrested for a marijuana
felony” (Tamar, 2018). When it comes to regulating marijuana and enforcing laws it has to have
a system that is fair and just. People are being racial profiled and held to different standards than
others.
economist at Harvard, states that legalization in the U.S. would save annually almost eight
billion dollars from curtailing enforcement activities and would generate over six billion in tax
revenue (as cited in Siezkowski, 2012)” (Hendricks & Abassi & Aslinia, 2013). Not only is there
a benefit from a law enforcement standpoint, but also just the sales of the marijuana. States like
Colorado have used the money made from marijuana and reallocated to other things. “Colorado
distributed $230 million to the Colorado Department of Education between 2015 and 2017 to
fund school construction, early literacy, bullying prevention, and behavioral health” (DPA,
2018). Not only Colorado is participating in these acts, but so are other states where it has been
made legal. States, such as Massachusetts and California are investing their marijuana tax money
on low-income and colored areas to help fix the damage done by unfair law enforcement actions.
(DPA, 2018).
Lastly, the more individual states legalize marijuana for recreational use the harder it is to
regulate the movement of the drug. The black market is improving because drugs are now
accessible in certain states, and then smothered over state lines. “Ask these modern day dealers
about their hookup, and they’ll just say something like, “Man, we’ve got a friend out West.”
(Adams, 2018). “But as I mentioned earlier, marijuana is presently flourishing in all parts of the
country, even in places where it is against the law, which proves that cutting the dogs of the drug
war loose in select states is only making the impact more of a problem for those trying to hold
Running head: MY COUNTRY TIS’ OF WEED 5
the leash” (Adams, M). At this point keeping the marijuana distribution under control is time
consuming, and wasting money that could be applied to another area. “Police and courts still
spend millions of dollars each year prosecuting marijuana offenses and hundreds of people
remain incarcerated at a cost of more than $22,000 each year per inmate,” study co-author Jill
Manzo said in a press release. “By ending these prohibitions, Illinois taxpayers could save $18.4
million per year” (Adams, 2018). Lawmakers are still hesitant and it is due to the youth and how
it may affect them. I always bring up alcohol because it has been proven way more dangerous
than marijuana. They allow alcohol to be sold, and it is still being used by minors. It is no
All in all, marijuana legalization does just benefit the people smoking, but also the non-
smokers. Legalizing marijuana on a federal level will allow the economy to prosper, crime rates
to decrease, and regulation wouldn’t be an issue anymore. America is making the marijuana
game harder for themselves. The government should come up with a law system and still set
restrictions but allow it to be used across the country. Illegal or legal people will find a way to
get a hand on it, and all that is doing is causing more of a hassle for law enforcement. Their time
and money could be applied to more departments, etc. Speaking of money, if legalized tax
money wouldn’t be so involved in enforcing the law when it comes to marijuana. This would
allow America to put tax money back into itself and shows taxpayers that their money is going
References
Adams, M. (2018, November 13). Marijuana Legalization Makes Black Market Better In
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeadams/2018/11/13/marijuana-legalization-makes-
black-market-better-in-prohibition-states/#656e7e792633
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[Drug Policy Alliance] (2018, January 22). From Prohibition to Progress: A Status Report on
report
Hendricks, L., Abassi, A., & Aslinia, D. (2013). The Pros and Cons of Marijuana. Retrieved
from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/de44/60c652c4bacd4cab9dcb80906d7f074a32bf.pdf
Todd, T. (2018). The Benefits of Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. Retrieved from
https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/bjcl/vol23/iss1/6/