Cannabis Should Be Legalized In The United States

Recreational Cannabis is the Future

If people can be helped, why deny the cure? The simple solution is easily excessive. Cannabis should be legalized because governments can earn substantial revenue, decrease the prison population, and can counter other drug addictions.

Marijuana legalization boosts the economy. “The marijuana industry (adult-use and medical) in the United States could exceed $24 billion in revenue by 2025” (Borchardt). “Tourism, banking, food, real estate, construction, and transportation are a few of the industries that benefit from legal marijuana” (Borchardt). Legalizing the sale of marijuana increases jobs, which benefit the communities. The tax money that the state would make, would help out that states schools, colleges

“Arresting people for marijuana possession costs the United States between $1.19 billion and $6.03 billion annually” (Wegman). “These costs include police, judicial, legal, and corrections expenses. Incarcerating marijuana offenders costs the United States an estimated $600 million per year” (Wegmen). Less tax payer money would be going into prisons and jails, which benefits the state. The amount of money that the state uses to put people in prison or jail for marijuana possessions is outrages. “ Marijuana legalization in Washington significantly freed up law enforcement resources; marijuana possession arrests dropped from 5,531 the year before legalization to 120 the year after” (Becket). “Howard Wooldridge, a former police detective from Michigan who co-founded LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), said, ‘Marijuana prohibition is a horrible waste of good police time. Every hour spent looking for pot reduces public safety’” (Lee). Instead of arresting people for marijuana, police officers could focus on serious crimes including rape, assault and homicide. The state would be able to save countless amounts of tax payer money making the tax cost go down plus prisons are for criminals not lazy pot

You wouldn’t have to pay hundreds of dollars for medicine that may not even work. Marijuana is able to cure many treatments, and many of these treatments are very expensive. The government is making so much money off of treatments that could be cured by cannabis so why would they want to legalize it? Work Cited

Borchardt, Debra. "Marijuana Industry Projected to Create More Jobs Than Manufacturing by 2020." Forbes, 22 Feb. 2017, www.forbes.com. Accessed 20 April 2018.

Wegman, Jesse. "The Injustice of Marijuana Arrests." New York Times, 28 July 2014, www.nytimes.com. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Beckett, Katherine, et al. "The Consequences and Costs of Marijuana Prohibition." Washington Post, 8 January 2018, www.washington.edu. Accessed 25 April 2018.

Lee, Martin. “Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational