If you are one of the approximately 57 million Americans residing in a state which is voting on cannabis legalization this Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016; your vote YES can put an end to the criminality of cannabis for more than one out of six Americans and bring the total to approximately one out of four Americans who reside in a legal state. Following is a list of the ten best reasons to convince everyone you know to do the right thing and vote YES on legalization:
1) Legalized Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol and Tobacco
It is absurd that we live in a society where the two most dangerous drugs; alcohol and tobacco, are the legal ones. These two substances cause over half-a-million deaths annually and lead to illnesses and injuries that affect society in health-care costs, lost productivity and law-enforcement expenses.
In over 7,000 years of recorded use by humans; cannabis has yet to cause a fatal overdose. Weed is not toxic and the greatest harm it has ever caused is the arrest, incarceration and lifelong burdens created by prohibition. Those against legalizing weed are concerned about making a third drug legal; as if prohibition has actually stopped its consumption. The public is already using it; they just have to commit a crime in order to do so.
2) Cannabis Prohibition is a Costly Failure
The Marijuana Tax Act; celebrating its 80th anniversary next year, was our nation’s first attempt to stop weed-smoking. It is probable that in those days a few hundred thousand people across the nation were “smoking weed.” In these days; the majority of people less than 50 years old have smoked weed and there are more than 30 million Americans smoking weed on a regular basis whether it’s legal or not.
More than 25 million Americans have been arrested for cannabis violations ever since President Nixon declared a war on drugs; costing over $1 trillion to prosecute. The cost of the prohibition is ridiculous; however, the four states that have legalized have seen a drop in cannabis arrests, crime has decreased and youth use has not changed.
3) Cannabis Prohibition Funds Gangs, Cartels and Terrorists
Since weed is now legal in four states; domestic marijuana is cheaper and better than its Mexican counterpart. This in turn is decreasing income for organized crime. Mexican farmers growing for the violent drug cartels have seen their profits decrease from $100 per kilo to less than $25.
Legalization will not put the cartels out of business. They are gangsters who will find other crimes for their funding. We can; however, shrink their customer base substantially. We need to stop giving violent criminals who do not pay taxes; nor follow regulations, business opportunities.
4) Cannabis Prohibition Hurts Youth & Minorities Most
Cannabis prohibition has been a key measure in institutional racism in our criminal-justice system. African-Americans are four times likelier than whites to be arrested for cannabis violations, although they basically use and sell cannabis at the same rates.
Cannabis prohibition makes it easy for police to make arrests and reap forfeiture and drug grant dollars. This allows police to focus on minority neighborhoods where weed users are easier to catch and have fewer resources to fight the charges. In turn contributing to the cycle of distrust between minority communities and the police. Legalization will not fix racist cops, but it will provide far less opportunities for them to act on their racism.
5) Legalized Cannabis Protects Kids Better Than Prohibition
“Monitoring the Future” survey has questioned high school seniors over the past 40 years in how easy it would be for them to acquire a bag of marijuana. Eighty to ninety percent of those surveyed have consistently replied stating access to cannabis is either “easy” or “fairly easy.”
This is due to the fact that marijuana dealers do not check ID and do not have a license to lose if they get caught selling pot to a child.
Just like a determined kid today will find a way to access alcohol or tobacco; nothing will hinder one from finding a joint. The fact is that in order for a child to access alcohol or tobacco there was most likely a corrupt adult helping. These days “kids” sell marijuana to one another. Making cannabis legal will move pot sales into secure, adults-only stores and reduces the profit potential for illegal sales. (When was the last time you saw a high school tequila dealer?) Last year was the first year that “easy” access to marijuana for 12th graders was less than 80 percent. This was after having four legalized states.
6) Legalized Cannabis is a Safe Therapeutic Supplement
Even though half the states have initiated protections for medical use of cannabis, that does not legalize the use of weed by patients. Even in California, where nearly anyone can get a medical cannabis recommendation and possession of less than one ounce is only a $100 ticket, there are still greater than 2,000 people yearly who go to jail for cannabis, serving an average of more than five months.
That is due to the fact that doctor visits and medical cards are expensive. It costs more than $400 in some states to register and qualify for a medical cannabis card. No disabled people living in poverty; nor sick people suffering from diseases that are not covered by law, should be treated as criminals for using an herb safer than over-the-counter aspirin or cough syrup.
7) Legalized Cannabis Replaces Toxic, Addictive Pharmaceuticals
America is suffering from an epidemic of opioid overdose. More people die annually from legal pharmaceuticals than all illegal drugs combined. Cannabis could be used to replace more than 17 popular pharmaceutical medications and is an herb that can be grown at little cost; therefore, legalization of weed would literally save lives of countless patients.
Because of this Big Pharma has been funding anti-pot campaigns. Insys Pharmaceutical has donated half-a-million dollars during this election in order to defeat legalization in Arizona. Insys Pharmaceutical is the maker of Fentanyl; which is the opioid painkiller which killed Prince and is 100 times more powerful than heroin. They are seeking patents on synthetic cannabinoid drugs they are researching.
8) Legalized Cannabis Opens the Possibilities for Industrial Hemp
The negativity towards cannabis is so strong in America that we even ban the non-psychoactive variety known as industrial hemp. Making us one of the few countries in the world banning a plant because it looks like one that gets you high. Cannabis legalization will help broaden the use of hemp in things such as: food, fuel, fiber, medicine, building material, revolutionary energy technologies and more.
9) Legalized Cannabis Raises Millions in New Tax Revenue
Cannabis is not invented due to legalization; it is however recognized as a popular commodity that should be taxed and regulated like all other commodities. The cannabis market will never go away. We can only help determine who controls most of it. Will it be tax-paying, job-creating, law-abiding businesses or murderous, police-corrupting, criminal cartels.
Prohibition does not control pot; it is the absence of control. States under prohibition spend time, money and resources enforcing it yet gain nothing from it. The four states that made cannabis legal have made more than $200 million in combined tax revenue, while spending less in the police department, courts, prisons, parole and probation offices as well as other agencies that are burdened by marijuana prosecutions.
10) Legalized Cannabis Works!
We are no longer in 2009 where legalization of pot is some hypothetical policy proposal. We have already legalized it in four states. Initially we encountered difficulties with kids and edibles, but those issues have been addressed through education, labeling, and packaging changes.
In the meantime; the older population for which legalization was intended for, have increased its use substantially. Ever since marijuana has been legalized in some states the roads are safer than ever. Overall driving deaths are down, workplace productivity is up, problematic dependence on cannabis is stable and millions of dollars in tax revenue have been collected. In Colorado alone, legalization has created over 18,000 jobs and contributed over $2.5 billion to the state economy.
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1 comment
I’ve served as an elected District Attorney in Conservative Texas. Every DA is on a limited budget. We have to make choices. I believe in strict punishment for violent offenders and burglars. I rarely gave probation. Unfortunately we had to deal with all these annoying pot cases. Even when pot users got probation the understaffed probation officers had to make sure they were in by 10PM – I’d rather they checked on sex offenders.]
Revenues are another reason to legalize. The Washington Post reports for 2015 Colorado gained 18,000 pot-related jobs and $2.4 billion in revenue. 2016 will be much better.
Use among teens has not increased both according to surveys from the Denver Post and Federal Government.
Its best to vote “Yes”.