Essay On Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana

The legalization of marijuana has been a common topic of debate for several years. Although there are various reasons as to why people want it legalized, one of the biggest reasons for legalizing it, is that it would be economically beneficial. Jobs would be created, people would be spending their money, money would be invested into stocks, the government would collect taxes from marijuana sales and the list goes on. This can be proven when looking at facts and statistics from Colorado, who was the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in November 2012. There are several myths that come with the idea of legalizing marijuana. One of the biggest myths is that if the drug was legalized, more people will use it (Fine). Although this is a valid point, it is untrue. Many people like the idea of smoking marijuana because they like the rush that they get because they know that what they are doing is illegal. They enjoy the thrill of getting caught. The same idea applies to teenagers and alcohol. Once a person hits the age of 21, they tend to not drink as much because they lose the rush of getting …show more content…
One of these pros is that the marijuana black market would be depleted (“Economical Pros and Cons”). Additionally, the drugs would have a much lower chance to be laced with other illegal drugs. Also, less people would be held in prison for the possession of marijuana or bringing it from countries like Mexico to the United States. This means that less of the citizens taxes would go to the prisons. Less tax money means more spending, which would prolong the multiplier effect. Colorado could save $12 million to $40 million because of this alone (Roberts). To go along with this, law enforcers would be able to focus more of their time on other, more important or dangerous crimes. Also, legalizing cannabis will lead in a major increase in tax revenue and enforcement cost will be reduced (“Economical Pros and