Legalizing marijuana a good thing?
This is an interesting article... though perhaps it is a tad misleading.
Before that though... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Anti-legalization advocates aren't happy it was legalized? Come on! THAT is truly not worth mentioning. "People who are against X and unhappy X happened." I had to read that a few times to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Anyway, I think that the article in general highlights some good things, while perhaps being utterly misleading on others. For instance, a 15% drop in crime. It isn't that criminals are getting high and therefore not committing as many crimes. A large part of that is probably because some large piece of that 15% of crimes probably came from activities which are no longer crimes as a result of the legalization of marijuana. For instance, possession charges for marijuana simply don't exist any more. People still "possess" marijuana, and likely in larger numbers than before. It is simply no longer a crime. Other factors to consider besides certain activities no longer being illegal are advances made in a number of crime prevention fields and the additional funding that taxes on marijuana now enable.
Same goes for the other issues they mention dropped since legalization. A reduction in traffic accidents is likely affected by the legalization of marijuana in so much as it provides additional funding for infrastructure and programs which help reduce those numbers. Even if it weren't taxed, it would likely still have benefits, just perhaps not as pronounced. The reason there is, when it was illegal, it required funding to enforce the laws. Even without tax revenues the legal system would be less taxed, police officers would have more time to focus on preventing or solving other crimes and the system becomes a tad more efficient.
And that is actually the biggest reason to legalize it. Most studies seem to show that marijuana isn't substantially unhealthier or more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, both of which are legal. And, it has many more positives than either of those two. Enforcing it is costly, and while other things which are as bad or worse are totally legal, it amounts to pissing money away. Add on top of that the fact that once legal it can be taxed and all of a sudden it isn't just freeing up existing money and resources, but is also generating tax revenue and jobs.
I don't smoke weed, but the article was amusing and it is an ongoing topic here. It is also interesting from another vantage point. In a world where taxes seem perpetually on the rise, these sorts of debates can help highlight why holding onto old and outdated laws and practices can be much more costly than most give them credit for. Granted, the most lucrative will always be topics like marijuana (of which there are very few similar topics) because we are talking about something safe (relative to smoking and drinking) which is in high demand and thus currently has a lot of costs around enforcing the laws and a lot of potential in terms of tax revenue for a legalized product. But, there are certainly smaller gains to be had all over the political system.
Before that though... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
In 2012, Colorado and Washington state legalized the recreational use of marijuana, much to the dismay of anti-legalization advocates.
Anti-legalization advocates aren't happy it was legalized? Come on! THAT is truly not worth mentioning. "People who are against X and unhappy X happened." I had to read that a few times to make sure I wasn't missing something.
Anyway, I think that the article in general highlights some good things, while perhaps being utterly misleading on others. For instance, a 15% drop in crime. It isn't that criminals are getting high and therefore not committing as many crimes. A large part of that is probably because some large piece of that 15% of crimes probably came from activities which are no longer crimes as a result of the legalization of marijuana. For instance, possession charges for marijuana simply don't exist any more. People still "possess" marijuana, and likely in larger numbers than before. It is simply no longer a crime. Other factors to consider besides certain activities no longer being illegal are advances made in a number of crime prevention fields and the additional funding that taxes on marijuana now enable.
Same goes for the other issues they mention dropped since legalization. A reduction in traffic accidents is likely affected by the legalization of marijuana in so much as it provides additional funding for infrastructure and programs which help reduce those numbers. Even if it weren't taxed, it would likely still have benefits, just perhaps not as pronounced. The reason there is, when it was illegal, it required funding to enforce the laws. Even without tax revenues the legal system would be less taxed, police officers would have more time to focus on preventing or solving other crimes and the system becomes a tad more efficient.
And that is actually the biggest reason to legalize it. Most studies seem to show that marijuana isn't substantially unhealthier or more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, both of which are legal. And, it has many more positives than either of those two. Enforcing it is costly, and while other things which are as bad or worse are totally legal, it amounts to pissing money away. Add on top of that the fact that once legal it can be taxed and all of a sudden it isn't just freeing up existing money and resources, but is also generating tax revenue and jobs.
I don't smoke weed, but the article was amusing and it is an ongoing topic here. It is also interesting from another vantage point. In a world where taxes seem perpetually on the rise, these sorts of debates can help highlight why holding onto old and outdated laws and practices can be much more costly than most give them credit for. Granted, the most lucrative will always be topics like marijuana (of which there are very few similar topics) because we are talking about something safe (relative to smoking and drinking) which is in high demand and thus currently has a lot of costs around enforcing the laws and a lot of potential in terms of tax revenue for a legalized product. But, there are certainly smaller gains to be had all over the political system.
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