Social Issues Legalizing Marijuana
As far as American social issues go, marijuana has frequently been seen as an antagonist, from the terror of drug cartels, to the health effects of the drug itself. Discussions about legalization of cannabis use, and moral justification resurface time and time again, prompting people to wonder: Would legalization solve these issues, or continue to hurt society?
One reoccurring social issue in the U.S. is the rate at which jails and prisons are filling up. A large percentage of inmates have been convicted for possession of marijuana, but if the drug was made legal, fewer convicts would be using up tax dollars sitting in prison. On the subject of taxes, if marijuana was legalized, the state could earn tax revenue from registered growers and …show more content…
Mexican drug cartels are known for their power, manipulation, and violence. Is there a chance that legalization could have an effect on these terror groups, or is there a lack of correlation? The Washington Post published an article by Christopher Ingraham titled "Legal marijuana is finally doing what the drug war couldn’t", which assesses the effects that legalization is having on producers and exporters in Mexico and Central America. While I realize that the title sounds slightly biased, the article contains data from the border control and statements from Mexican growers on how the United States' attempts to combat the drug cartels are affecting prices and exports. Per kilo, the price of marijuana has dropped from $60-90 in 2011 to $30-40 in 2014. Also, the U.S. Border Patrol says that since 2009, less marijuana has been seized at the Mexican-American border. The speculation is that because of the legalization of medical marijuana in 28 states and recreational legalization in Washington and Colorado, there is less of a demand for weed that has been grown outside of the U.S. According to the DEA, "The quality of marijuana produced in Mexico and the Caribbean is thought to be inferior to the marijuana produced domestically in the United States or Canada" (citation). This means that people are more likely to buy American grown marijuana than its imported
One reoccurring social issue in the U.S. is the rate at which jails and prisons are filling up. A large percentage of inmates have been convicted for possession of marijuana, but if the drug was made legal, fewer convicts would be using up tax dollars sitting in prison. On the subject of taxes, if marijuana was legalized, the state could earn tax revenue from registered growers and …show more content…
Mexican drug cartels are known for their power, manipulation, and violence. Is there a chance that legalization could have an effect on these terror groups, or is there a lack of correlation? The Washington Post published an article by Christopher Ingraham titled "Legal marijuana is finally doing what the drug war couldn’t", which assesses the effects that legalization is having on producers and exporters in Mexico and Central America. While I realize that the title sounds slightly biased, the article contains data from the border control and statements from Mexican growers on how the United States' attempts to combat the drug cartels are affecting prices and exports. Per kilo, the price of marijuana has dropped from $60-90 in 2011 to $30-40 in 2014. Also, the U.S. Border Patrol says that since 2009, less marijuana has been seized at the Mexican-American border. The speculation is that because of the legalization of medical marijuana in 28 states and recreational legalization in Washington and Colorado, there is less of a demand for weed that has been grown outside of the U.S. According to the DEA, "The quality of marijuana produced in Mexico and the Caribbean is thought to be inferior to the marijuana produced domestically in the United States or Canada" (citation). This means that people are more likely to buy American grown marijuana than its imported