Pros and Cons of legalizing Marijuana in Texas
The legalization of marijuana in America has been moving a fast pace. Medical marijuana became in legal in half of the 50 states. With the election coming to a close eight states including Washington D.C allows adult recreational marijuana. A March 2016 poll (NORC Center for Public Affairs) found that 61 percent of Americans supported marijuana legalization. So here we are with Texas in 2018 Texans may be able to vote on both medical and recreational marijuana if the state legislature permits it. There are many logical reasons to legalize marijuana. It was legal in the US until the 1930 's. The reason it was made illegal is because the cotton industry lobbyists went to Congress to outlaw it. The plant Hemp (marijuana) was being used for making clothes. It lasted much longer than cotton and was putting cotton businesses out of business. Marijuana has been proven to be more effective for pain reduction then addictive pharmaceutical drugs. Making it legal would make it safer for consumers, bring millions in tax revenue and greatly reduce the criminal element of the distribution of marijuana. But there are cons to marijuana also that need to be address also. The state of Texas can benefit from legalizing marijuana but there needs to be strict restrictions on the use of it.
A pro for legalizing marijuana would be boost in revenue. This would be a great way to boost income and help fund projects for example road repairs, parks, schools and communities. A Colorado congressman estimated that taxes could bring in as much as 100 million in revenues for Colorado. So just imagine if Texas a bigger state with more people would legalize it that could bring in much more money and help with the ...
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...tt said “I remain convinced that Texas should not legalize marijuana, nor should Texas open the door for conventional marijuana to be used for medical or medicinal purposes and as governor I will not allow it”.
In conclusion it’s safe to say that in due time Texas will come around to legalizing marijuana the benefits out weight the cons but its takes time. The money that the state will make will help with a number of issues that we have in the state. The veterans that have PTSD will be taken care of and citizens with cancer will have a better chance to fight it. But just like with alcohol you have to be responsible with the drug ensure you are not doing it around kids and it is put in a safe place as if it was a gun. This will be a major deal for the state of Texas helping to reduce crime, getting individuals out of jail and assist with getting rid of drug dealers.
As a resident of the state of Texas, I’d like to raise awareness an issue that affects our entire country, yet can be resolved by changing many of the regulations in our own state. This issue is the legalization of marijuana; specifically, the legalization of recreational use. In the past you’ve openly supported the rights of the states to control their own laws in regards to things like marijuana use, but opposed to the idea of ever voting for it should it appear on Texas ballots. However, I will explain how it’s in the best interest of your state, and the nation to start thinking otherwise.
The Cannabis Policy Reform Act of 2014 might not be on the ballot in this year’s election. The topic of legalizing Cannabis here in California has been around for over 20 years. After doing research on legalizing Cannabis I have found many reasons why California should legalize it, many of the reasons could benefit our economy. As well as the medical benefits it gives to many people suffering from cancer, AIDS and other illnesses. The pros and the cons both have compelling arguments but I believe that legalizing Cannabis would benefit California.
Strict approval processes are limiting the research necessary for such advancements (Medical Marijuana Research News). Despite federal and state illegalization, twenty-one states over the past decade have made advances to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes (“State Medical Marijuana Laws”). It is time for Texas to acknowledge the benefits and eliminate the stigma surrounding medicinal marijuana. Medical marijuana should be legalized in Texas because of its’ medicinal benefits associated with many chronic diseases and the potential revenue the state could benefit from during this time of recession. Marijuana in America became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was openly sold in pharmacies in the late nineteenth century (“Busted-America’s War on Marijuana Timeline”).
There have been 20 million arrests since 1965 for the possession of marijuana, also known as cannabis. The amount of crime and arrests for possessions of the illicit drug has increased due to the prohibition. Cannabis was a major cash crop for the industrial production prior to its illegalization. It has been estimated that the United States spends approximately $7.7 billion each year to prohibit the use of marijuana alone. Currently the number of people incarcerated is six to ten times higher than European countries (NORML). Today the United States wastes billions of dollars to fight against the war on drugs, for the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of people, and etc. It’s also brought a raise of violence and crime relating to the dealing and production of the drug. Marijuana should be legalized because its ban has been futile in preventing illicit production, regulating it would allow new development in medical treatments, and would give a boost to the economy. The illegalization of the drug has a much more negative impact then it does well, in fact it’s pushed drug cartels to produce more of the drug because of the high demand and the millions of dollars they’ll make from profits.
People are always quick to judge the idea of marijuana legalization. Most of the reasons stem from various media sources that promote negative views of the plant. Commercials always try and show that marijuana makes people become lazy and unproductive, but these commercials are completely biased. Marijuana can play a key role in our society and it is a safe natural alternative to modern pharmaceuticals. Marijuana is also related to hemp which is a very versatile material that can be produced cheaply but is outlawed due to its relation with marijuana.
When its comes to taxing marijuana the state can have any tax they want on it. States can profit millions of dollars off this tax. The tax is about 13 percent in colorado on weed. When legalized in colorado in january alone it made roughly 2 million dollars in taxes. This presents a huge expansion in anything tax money pays for. You can build and repair more roads and pay workers of the state more. The taxes you pay for state may go fire dept. police dept. amd many other things that may benifit you in one way or snother.
The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling. Like alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, those chemicals may not respond well with their body. For other people marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and takes the edge off of every day stress. For those who are associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or cash crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine, and ingredient to make so many other materials. We now need to look at what would change if marijuana were legal. Benefits to the economy and agriculture, health issues, and crime rates are three areas worth looking at. Deliberating on the pros and cons of this plant we can get a better understanding for marijuana. From there it will be easier to make a clear consensus on what is best for the nation.
The legalization of marijuana has the potential to bring our economy back to life if it were to be legalized. There are a number of ways in which legalization could improve the economy. We could use the revenue from taxes on marijuana to provide a better quality of life for Americans in need. Legalizing marijuana would also save us money by cutting the cost of putting someone in jail for harmless marijuana-related charges that waste tax money. Also, it would put more money into circulation by keeping the profits off the black market and into the legal and taxed market.
Legalizing marijuana will let the terminally ill and very sick people get what they need to help them without the trouble. It will also decrease the number of arguments and legal battles to legalize or to not legalize the substance. Marijuana is from a natural plant that is not meant to harm or affect people in anyway. The government and anyone against legalizing marijuana need to realize that there are things far more worse than marijuana. Make it legal and stop the drug war!
Introduction The legalization of marijuana is considered a controversial issue, something that can benefit people for medical purposes, but what about recreationally? Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, but there’s never been a bigger push for legalization. There are several reasons why it is illegal, because of government propaganda and big industry not wanting to lose money, but this will be discussed later. The purpose of this paper is to educate, theorize, and discuss various aspects of marijuana, such as its history, development, and the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization. Finally, my personal reflection on legalization and marijuana in general will be discussed.
The Pros and Cons of Drug Legalization Should drugs be legalized? Drugs are resources that are capable of affecting the American economy in many ways—both positively and negatively. Drugs often have a bad name, even though they help us everyday in medical cases. and the drugs with the worst reputations are not the most abused drugs. One may benefit from the legalization of drugs in many ways, while others would suffer greatly.
For thousands of years human beings have attempted to find ways to get passed the struggles of their lives. With the pain of the world stopping people from enjoying simple pleasures, sometimes there is a need for help. Marijuana brings millions of people relief from the pain they feel on a day-to-day basis. This completely natural plant which helped so many people has puzzled the leaders of our nation for a long time. The THC in marijuana causes its users to experience a mild-huluciginic or high. The effect that marijuana has on a person has prevented the product from being legalized. Many other details about the plant, like the speculation of it being a gateway drug, have put another blockage on its legalization. Even though there are speculations about the plant, the benefit that it brings to the table most definitely out way its disadvantages. Marijuana can also alleviate several symptoms associated with cancer and Aids treatments and disorders. While Marijuana is effective as a medicine, it is also extremely lucrative. The economic benefits that Marijuana brings to the table are endless. Upon marijuana’s legalization, the economy would experience an immediate influx. Legalization of Marijuana would also drastically reduce crime in our cities and form a more productive society through its positive uses. The benefits that marijuana brings medically and economically are considerable enough to legalize its use medically or recreational.
Looking at the true facts and benefits of legalizing marijuana can help one realize that it is not a bad idea. It is widely used around the world so one could say that there is already a market for it, but it is illegal. The government can take over this market and regulate it to make billions of dollars and decrease the amount of underage smoking at the same time. Many people look at marijuana as a bad thing, but alcohol and tobacco is no better and is actually worse. One could bet that, in a few years, all states will have a market for marijuana and many other countries, if not all, will too.
There are excessive numbers of people who remain incarcerated for nonviolent crimes related to illegal marijuana use. Legalizing marijuana would allow these people to be released, opening jail space for the true criminals. Legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement officers from focusing on illegal marijuana use and allow focus to be put on more serious crimes.
Right now in this country (and many other countries for that matter) we are experiencing a transitional period that is dependent on legislation, legislation that is bound to reinforce or oppress marijuana legalization. It’s not every day that states have policy that conflicts with federal laws and everyone seems to have an opinion. There are many options on the table for law makers. We could see the federal government enforce their current marijuana laws by cracking down and increase their raids on dispensaries, or they could make marijuana a higher priority with agencies from the DEA to local law enforcement. Another option is to loosen up on what some would deem a “futile” war on drugs; the end result would be each individual state deciding if medicinal marijuana would be ideal for their state. Last but not least there is the route that the states Colorado and Washington took which is to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Every option has their pros and cons. However I believe the option where the pros most heavily outweigh the cons is legalizing recreational use.