With Amendment Two on Florida’s ballot this election regarding legalizing medical marijuana, the question remains: Why not just legalize it in the United States completely?
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 11,533 people were incarcerated in 2012 for marijuana possession and marijuana trafficking. More so, according to the Bureau of Prisons, the average cost per inmate in U.S. prisons in 2012 was $29,027.46. This means that it cost taxpayers approximately $334,773,696.18 in 2012 to house marijuana related offenders.
Furthermore, legalizing marijuana would decrease crime rates. Not only would it remove nonviolent marijuana crimes from the total amount of crimes committed in the U.S., it would also decrease the rates of other crimes. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, eight major crimes throughout the state were compared between 2013 and 2014, which include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, other assaults, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Crime rates by population decreased in all categories except rape, aggravated assault and other assaults, and the three that rose only rose 0.4%, 2.4% and 5.3% respectively.
Legalizing marijuana would allow for the taxation of the already-popular substance. According to taxpolicycenter.org, tobacco revenue reached approximately $18,255,711,000 in 2013. If marijuana was taxed similarly, it would dramatically increase tax revenues among states. This has already been proven in Colorado, in which the Colorado Department of Revenue recorded $18,261,391 in marijuana tax revenue for the month of August alone. This tax revenue can go, and has gone, to funding school districts or improving infrastructure.
On top of the economic benefits, marijuana actually provides health benefits. CNN reported that medical marijuana is used to treat multiple sclerosis, nausea, which helps those with AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy who have trouble maintaining an appetite, pain, especially neuropathic pain, epilepsy, concussions and Alzheimer’s.
Overall, the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. would be highly beneficial. With positives outweighing negatives and evidence showing it is safer than other legal substances, there is no reason not to pass legislation bringing cannabis onto the market for public consumption.
