Essay about Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

Although smoking a joint down the street still won’t be legal, marijuana users may soon be allowed to consume privately for medical or recreational purposes. If Issue 3 passes, it could completely change the economy in Ohio. It would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue from the people for advancements in society, create thousands of jobs around the state, decrease crime rates in areas of legalization, and also allow for further research to be conducted; not to mention the medical advances legalization would lead to.
Though too early to tell social effects, we can look to other states who have already legalized marijuana for trends in economic effects. All legalized states seem to be doing well. In fact, Colorado’s governor, John Hickenlooper, compared the economy in Colorado to the other states by saying, “While the rest of the country’s economy is slowly picking back up, we’re thriving here in Colorado” (“Marijuana Regulation”). This new industry for marijuana is developing rapidly. The Marijuana Industry Group (MIG) reports that around 10,000 people have already been employed. Plus, with the growing demand for supplies to grow to supplies for using, 1-2,000 jobs are created every few months (“Marijuana Regulation”). Contrary to the popular belief that crime rates will only sky-rocket after legalization, crime rates are decreasing in Colorado. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data, there is a 10.1% decrease in overall crime, and a 5.2% decrease…