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Fuentes, Andrew

English 101

Professor Batty

29 March 2018

The City of Cannabis

“You can't complain when you got Mary Jane” (KushandWizdom). When wondering

around one of the most dangerous streets in Los Angeles called Crenshaw Blvd. It began to grab

my attention that every other block had a marijuana dispensary. It came to my personal

conclusion that one word defining Los Angeles is cannabis due to the improvements it has done

for the city. Although individuals may disagree by approaching it a dangerous drug or believing

Los Angeles is more like the LaLa Land film. I feel it has impacted the city in numerous ways

such as raising high tax revenue for the economy, providing to treat medical cannabis to patients

with conditions(Insomnia, Chronic Pain, Ect), and reducing crime within the economy.

Since the legalization of cannabis in California was passed, Los Angeles provided to earn

tax revenue for the economy due to the high purchase ratings of medical cannabis. Within the

first year of it becoming legal in the Los Angeles County it earned more than $2.35 million on

just dispensary companies applying for permits to begin to sell recreational marijuana products.

The website “L.A Curbed” provided an article called “L.A. Pot Shops Have Paid Over $2M In

Permitting Fees Since January 1”, Elijah Chiland emphasizes that the money earned off cannabis

can be great help to the city economy for things such as shelters,education, after school

programs, ect. The author states states, “city officials estimated that recreational [cannabis] sales

could generate more than $100 million in tax revenue annually” (Chiland). Overall what is at
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stake here is that the high amount of tax money earned off cannabis can be used towards

benefiting Los Angeles and its future.

Many individuals seek out for medicinal drugs to try to help or prevent which ever

conditions necessary to help benefit themselves. Most patients get prescribed with prescription

opioid painkillers which aren’t really effective long term, in result of destroying parts of your

body such as the liver. In addition of boosting your addiction levels so high given possible risk to

catch other harmful conditions or result of death. But in fact since the legalization of cannabis,

patients have been benefiting themselves with the use of medical cannabis for medicinal

purposes. Noting that cannabis is one of the most effective medicine towards treating conditions.

A web source by the name of “Bussinessinsider” published an article titled “23 Health Benefits

of Marijuana”, Kevin Loria informs 23 different ways that cannabis can help treat your body in

effective positives ways and offering educational feedback on studies that have been reported on

individuals on how processes are taken. The author verifies, “ National academies of Science,

Engineering, and Medicine [have] definite evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids (which are

found in the marijuana plant) can be an effective treatment”(Loria). The importance of this is that

patients with any type of conditions big or small aren’t getting medicine to benefit or treat their

condition in the long run. Beginning to destroy the body. But now since the legalization on

cannabis patients now have easy access to a more effective and less harmful remedy to help treat

themselves and avoiding to break their pockets.

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Starting from then beginning of the “1992 Los Angeles Riots” the city has been forever

known for violence and something even bigger the crime rates committed. The most common

crimes in the city of Los Angeles since 1990 to 2006 include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated

assault, burglary, and auto theft. The website “HuffPost” published an article titled “Legalizing

marijuana may actually reduce crime, study says”, Matt Ferner informs that [cannabis] can be the

answer to the reduction of crimes towards the city of Los Angeles. The publisher of the article

states, “ we found no evidence of increases of any [most common] crimes from states after

legalizing medical marijuana for medical use” (Morris). In addition tthe active ingredient in pot

which is THC actually causes a decrease in aggressive and violent behavior according to Morris.

What is at stake here is that there has been facts shown on charts proving that before the

legalization on cannabis the city of Los Angeles was once known as a harmful place due to the

disappointing crimes oneself wouldn’t believe coming from a city of stars. Due to it now being

legal reports have shown that crime rates have slowly been decreasing.

Since medical cannabis has been legalized in California it has led to less contradiction in

the U.S. that borders Mexico. Allowing farmers from Mexico to sell to marijuana to medical

dispensaries instead of sneaking in the country illegally, rising up the criminal rate. In an article

called “Legal marijuana cuts violence says US study, as medical-use laws see crime fall”, Jamie

Doward emphasizes that since cannabis was passed there has been 14% less violent crimes on

drug trafficking. The authors states, “whenever there is a medical marijuana law we observe that

crimes at the border decreases because suddenly there is a lot less smuggling and a lot less

violence associated with that”(Doward). What is at stake is because of the legalization on

cannabis it has had the power to prevent two nations from problems occurring in the future. In
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addition of bring joy to cities like Los Angeles by bringing the melody of that the prescription

brings.

The film “LaLa Land” directed by Damien Chazelle, I feel it enforced a bad

representation background on outsiders about the city of Los Angeles. Due to all the fairytale

events that occurred throughout the whole movie. Such as individuals running around and

singing with random individuals peacefully without any harm getting in their way. Getting to

know any part of Los Angeles most of the time you need to be aware of your surrounding due to

the amount of harm around especially at night. I feel the film did not show the true colors of Los

Angeles meaning the reality of it instead it showing more of a someone’s own view on the city.

In conclusion one word defining Los Angeles is cannabis due to the marvelous positive

process it has done so far. Not only has cannabis help its economy by the high tax revenue

gainage earned by the production sold to help the city with things such as education, shelters,

scarcity resources, ect. It has positively helped individuals with conditions all throughout the Los

Angeles County to help treat them effectively. It has also started to reduced the problems of

crimes that run through the city and starting to avoid conflict with the U.S. border and the

country of Mexico. I feel cannabis is a great representation because it has been changing Los

Angeles in many ways beginning a more peaceful environment. Being able to see all the

improvements is has done for the economy.

Work Cited
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"23 Health Benefits of Marijuana." Google. Google. Web. 28 Mar. 2018.

"LA Has Made $2M off Pot Shops in Less than Two Months." Google. Google. Web. 28 Mar.

2018.

Ferner, Matt. "Legalizing Medical Marijuana May Actually Reduce Crime." HuffPost. HuffPost,

28 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2018.

Ferner, Matt. "Legalizing Medical Marijuana May Actually Reduce Crime." HuffPost. HuffPost,

28 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2018.