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Victoria Davidson

Professor Vyvial

ENGL 1302-09

15 April, 2019

The Pro Perspective of Marijuana Legalization

The legalization of marijuana has been a very hot topic in America today, on a national

and state level. Regardless of some American’s beliefs, many should take into account of the

tremendous advances that medicinal and recreational marijuana could do. This starting by people

getting involved and educating themselves on all cases for the legalization process. According to

Dahlia Mertens, in 2018, “The purpose of distributing marijuana revenue is not and should not

be to buy off skeptics. Instead however, new revenues can play a valuable role in buffering

legalization’s impact on those who oppose it or who bears its costs- and political judgment plays

indispensable role in identifying those persons and weighing their claims.” The concern as why

people do not want this to happen due to regulation is now questionable. Not being educated and

knowing the proactive for the legalization for both medical and recreational marijuana is the

failure of the United States.

The question exists as to why marijuana is not legalized in all states. This being due to a

generational gap, and moral standpoints. As a result, Americans who may have a fatal illness

who meet the stipulations for medical marijuana cannot receive this due to it being illegal. As

well as those who are responsible enough and meet the rules and restrictions for recreational use

fall into the same category. With little knowledge of what legalization could help with tax

revenue, and many other things going on in the country. Because some American’s see this as a

moral disbelief, they write off the idea without even educating themselves on the legalization
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background and its benefits it will have. As a result, many more conservative adults will grow to

teach their households and family friends to not agree and support this movement. American’s

need to set the moral high grounds aside, encourage themselves and others to get educated stand

up and make their voices heard.

If and when marijuana is legalized a policy that could be put into action is advertisement

to underage individuals, and the regulation of the advertisements that are going out into the

public. According to Steven C. Fiala, in 2018, “Oregon became 1 of the 4 first states to legalize

retail (also called “recreational” or “nonmedical”) marijuana for adults aged 21 years or older.”

For all the states that are trying to legalize they could make the buying age the same as the

drinking age now. “Oregon prohibits advertising through handbills that are posted or passed out

in public areas, such as parking lots, and publicly owned property, and limits cell phone-based

advertising” (Fiala). The regulations on the advertisement of recreational marijuana is

outstanding in the state of Oregon. “To date, Oregon’s retail marijuana regulations restrict

television, radio, billboard, print media, and internet advertising to locations where no more than

30% of the audience is younger than 21 years” (Fiala). The act of keeping this under control to

help not break the rules of who you can sell to will help tremendously will not selling to those

under age.

Making the set rules, and regulations of legalization of marijuana is a huge thing that has

to be done in order for this process to work. According to Amber Taufen, with Westword, “You

must be 21 years or older to purchase recreational marijuana in Colorado, and you must present a

government-issued ID for proof of age. If you are between the ages of 18 and 21 and would like

to purchase marijuana, you will need to apply for a medical card.” Setting this rules and

regulations set a standard of what is to be expected of you if you are trying to buy marijuana.
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“While you do not have to be a resident to buy recreational marijuana, only Colorado residents

can acquire a medical marijuana card” (Taufen). Setting these strict and set rules can set help the

culture of what the legalization could/can do. It helps everyone know what will and will not be

tolerated if or when these gets legalized. “Colorado residents and visitors alike may purchase up

to 1 ounce of marijuana at a time. Adults 21 and older (residents and non-residents) may possess

1 ounce of marijuana at a time” (Taufen). Putting regulation on how much you can buy at a time,

and how much you can possess at a time will help with abuse of the privilege as well as help

with over sale. “In Denver, anyone aged 18 to 21 caught possessing marijuana will face a civil

penalty, not a criminal citation” (Taufen). You will not get criminally convicted, the person will

only receive a fine, which is pretty amazing.

Legalizing marijuana could lead to less of Americans searching for harder drugs and

prevent overdoses due to those drugs. Gabriel Trip, with The New York Times, “Midwestern

states have been devastated by opioid overdoses.” Many believe that this is a gateway drug for

even harder substances, however some studies show otherwise. “A study last year in the journal

JAMA International Medicine found that after states legalized marijuana for medical use,

prescriptions for opioids dropped nearly 15 percent” (Trip). Medically, many users of

prescription drugs such as, opioids lead to users becoming addicted to them. Opioids help with

pain tolerance, but legalizing marijuana could help with patient’s pain, and addiction. According

to Legalizing Marijuana Decreases Fatal Opiate Overdoses, Study Shows, “… more than 100

million Americans suffer from chronic pain.” For chronic pain with fatal illnesses, many patients

are prescribed pain killers, but if medical marijuana could be legalized it can all change. “Over

the past two decades, deaths from drug overdoses have become the leading cause of injury death

in the United States. In 2011, 55 percent of drug overdose deaths were related to prescription
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medications; 75 percent of those deaths involved opiate painkillers” (Legalizing Marijuana

Decreases Fatal Opiate Overdoses, Study Shows). Allowing it to be legalized could help with so

many deaths every year. “medical cannabis is approved for a number of conditions including

cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma. Despite the diagnosis, medical marijuana is

primarily used to relieve chronic or severe pain” (Legalizing Marijuana Decreases Fatal Opiate

Overdoses, Study Shows). Legalizing medical marijuana alone could help with a numerous

amount of deaths.

The thought of people driving while under the influence of marijuana is another concern

for many people. It is pretty unknown that you can get a DUI for driving while under the

influence of smoking marijuana. “The legal limit for driving after smoking marijuana is 5

nanograms or less of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per milliliter of blood. Anyone with 5

or more nanograms of THC in his or her blood can be arrested for DUI” (Taufen). According to

Jayson D. Aydelotte, in 2017, “Overall annual motor vehicle crash fatality rates decreased from

12.8 fatalities per billion vehicle miles traveled in 2009 to 11.4 fatalities per billion vehicle miles

traveled in 2015.” To help with this issue smokers/marijuana users can have a non-smoking

driver, and use rideshare apps known as, Uber and Lyft. “We found no significant association

between recreational marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado and subsequent

changes in motor vehicle crash fatality rates in the first 3 years after recreational marijuana

legalization” (Aydelotte). These statistics help provide evidence that driving while high is still a

big concern, but not as major as driving while drunk from alcohol.

One of the biggest factors that could be the most impactful movements from legalization

of marijuana is the tax revenue. According to John Hudak, in 2015, “… the first $40 million

collected through the 15 percent excise tax is to be used for public school’s construction.” This
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money for marijuana is literally being used to be schools for generations to come to be educated

and grow IQ wise. This is one of the biggest tax revenue incomings that is helping shape ad build

schools in Colorado. “The structure of revenue and funding distribution is laudable because it

serves important policy and political needs, among them schools, public health, and public

safety-areas with near universal support in the electorate.” The revenue for marijuana

legalization is something that can help communities tremendously. ‘The funding system also

acknowledges that the legalization of retail (and even medical) marijuana can create some new

public policy needs” (Hudak). This revenue just for Colorado has changed its state for the better.

“In 2014, Colorado collected nearly $67.6 million in taxes and licensing fees associated with

medical and adult use cannabis. By 2017, that number had more than tripled to upwards of $247

million in government revenue” (Mertens). This amount changes the culture of so many things

and ideas for Colorado, can you imagine what it could do for the rest of the states? “Colorado

sets aside nearly $6 million each year in marijuana revenue to combat the illegal cannabis

market” (Mertens). Not only is this revenue helping schools, it is trying to put an end to black

market drugs, and drug deals. “Cities like Denver are using cannabis taxes to boost efforts to

create more affordable housing and reduce homelessness” (Mertens). Homelessness is another

huge conflict and problem in the United States. This tax income can help house single parents,

single income families, and homeless veterans, along with so many other issues.

Many people will always question why Americans want marijuana to be approved to be

legal, and many will question why Americans do not want it to be legal. However, the aspects

that the legalization could help with are undeniable. Getting educated and looking into the facts

behind what the process has to offer is the best option. Do not let people make up your opinion

for you, just research look into it and create your own.
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Works Cited

Aydelotte, Jayson D., et al. “Crash Fatality Rates After Recreational Marijuana Legalization in

Washington and Colorado.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no. 8, Aug.

2017, pp. 1329–1331. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303848.

Fiala, Steven C., et al. “Exposure to Marijuana Marketing After Legalization of Retail Sales:

Oregonians’ Experiences, 2015-2016.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 108, no.

1, Jan. 2018, pp. 120–127. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304136.

Gabriel, Trip. “Legalizing Marijuana, with a Focus on Social Justice, Unites 2020

Democrats.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2019,

www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/us/politics/marijuana-legalize-democrats.html.

Hudak, John. “Colorado’s Rollout of Legal Marijuana Is Succeeding: A Report on the State’s

Implementation of Legalization.” Case Western Reserve Law Review, vol. 65, no. 3,

Spring 2015, p. 649. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=103310572&site=ehost-live

“Legalizing Marijuana Decreases Fatal Opiate Overdoses, Study Shows.” DrugAbuse.com, 2 Oct. 2017,

drugabuse.com/legalizing-marijuana-decreases-fatal-opiate-overdoses/.

Mertens, Dahlia. “Op Ed: Five of Colorado's Most Convincing Pot Tax Spends.” Westword, 4,

24 Nov. 2018, www.westword.com/marijuana/five-ways-colorado-spends-its-marijuana-

taxes-11019809.

Taufen, Amber. “Marijuana & Cannabis Laws in Colorado.” Westword,

www.westword.com/marijuana/laws.

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