In the United States, marijuana is widely used for a plethora of reasons. In fact, there is an ample rate of 94 million people who have smoked it at least once in their lifetime (Foundation for a Drug-Free World, n.d.). Given this immense amount of marijuana use, many people have been incarcerated because of marijuana possession. “Out of 8.2 million marijuana arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% were for simply having marijuana,” (ACLU, n.d.). Therefore, it would be beneficial to the United States if marijuana were legalized in all fifty states because it has been proven to cut down the amount of crime rates.
Erin Delmore, a reporter for MSNBC, has presented an occurrence in Colorado revolving the controversy towards marijuana. On November 12, …show more content…
The common misconception that the majority of the population had was that because marijuana was legalized, havoc will arise. Allman, a resident in Colorado, shows how much anxiety was being presented to a Denver TV Station by saying, “Thugs put on masks, they come to your house, they kick in your door. They point guns at you and say, ‘Give me your marijuana, give me your money,” (Delmore, 2014). On the contrary, multiple studies have proven that legalizing marijuana would benefit society. Fourteen years after marijuana was officially authorized, violent and property crime rates in Colorado actually fell. The Denver Police Department found that violent crime (aggravated assault, robbery, sexual assault, and homicide) fell by 6.9% and property crime (arson, larceny, auto theft, theft from motor vehicle, and burglary) dropped by 11.1% (Delmore, 2014). When marijuana was legalized, Colorado also received $2 million in taxes related to recreational marijuana sales thus it helped public schools, infrastructure, and youth campaigns substantially (Alford, 2014). In fact, a …show more content…
Sentencing Commission, the drug of choice for most drug offenders is marijuana,” (Miles, 2014). Marijuana is easily accessible and highly obtainable, and it does not require a large amount of effort to produce. Besides the obvious effects, it does not cause serious harm, which is also why it is highly consumed. “Among several drug types including powder and crack cocaine, heroine, methamphetamine, marijuana is the leading drug, at 27.6 percent use. Previous data released in 2006 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that 12.7 percent of state inmates and 12.4 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are serving time for marijuana offenses,” (Norml, 2007) Considering all the kinds of drugs that can cause arrest, as well as all the other reasons one can be arrested for, this is a significantly high percentage. Since 1980, the amount of prisoners throughout the United States has increased by 790 percent (Miles, 2014). This has occurred because drug offenders are being incarcerated more and more frequently, for reasons that become more insignificant each time.
Marijuana is a victimless crime. Unless it involves dealing and issues with debts between people who cannot handle civilized communication, it remains non-violent. “According to the US Department of Justice, approximately 30-40 percent of all current prison admissions involve crimes that have no direct or obvious victim other than the perpetrator,” (Norml, 2007). According to
Erin Delmore, a reporter for MSNBC, has presented an occurrence in Colorado revolving the controversy towards marijuana. On November 12, …show more content…
The common misconception that the majority of the population had was that because marijuana was legalized, havoc will arise. Allman, a resident in Colorado, shows how much anxiety was being presented to a Denver TV Station by saying, “Thugs put on masks, they come to your house, they kick in your door. They point guns at you and say, ‘Give me your marijuana, give me your money,” (Delmore, 2014). On the contrary, multiple studies have proven that legalizing marijuana would benefit society. Fourteen years after marijuana was officially authorized, violent and property crime rates in Colorado actually fell. The Denver Police Department found that violent crime (aggravated assault, robbery, sexual assault, and homicide) fell by 6.9% and property crime (arson, larceny, auto theft, theft from motor vehicle, and burglary) dropped by 11.1% (Delmore, 2014). When marijuana was legalized, Colorado also received $2 million in taxes related to recreational marijuana sales thus it helped public schools, infrastructure, and youth campaigns substantially (Alford, 2014). In fact, a …show more content…
Sentencing Commission, the drug of choice for most drug offenders is marijuana,” (Miles, 2014). Marijuana is easily accessible and highly obtainable, and it does not require a large amount of effort to produce. Besides the obvious effects, it does not cause serious harm, which is also why it is highly consumed. “Among several drug types including powder and crack cocaine, heroine, methamphetamine, marijuana is the leading drug, at 27.6 percent use. Previous data released in 2006 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that 12.7 percent of state inmates and 12.4 percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are serving time for marijuana offenses,” (Norml, 2007) Considering all the kinds of drugs that can cause arrest, as well as all the other reasons one can be arrested for, this is a significantly high percentage. Since 1980, the amount of prisoners throughout the United States has increased by 790 percent (Miles, 2014). This has occurred because drug offenders are being incarcerated more and more frequently, for reasons that become more insignificant each time.
Marijuana is a victimless crime. Unless it involves dealing and issues with debts between people who cannot handle civilized communication, it remains non-violent. “According to the US Department of Justice, approximately 30-40 percent of all current prison admissions involve crimes that have no direct or obvious victim other than the perpetrator,” (Norml, 2007). According to