Listed here are the top requirements to change marijuana laws on a federal degree.

1. Restriction has been a failure. Any declarations that the war on drugs has prospered is totally unsupported by proof. The federal government has aimed to use criminal punishments for over 75 years, but ultimately the restriction has failed to manage the use and production of marijuana.

As of today, over 25 million people use marijuana every year, making it the largest cash crop in the United States. The notion that marijuana will be eradicated from this country or from the world is more than an imagination– it’s a crazy illusion.

2. It would reduce gang activities. It makes perfect sense: The illegality of anything is going to make it more valuable than if it were legal. Marijuana’s illegality makes foreign cultivation and smuggling to the United States an extremely profitable business for drug cartels and gangs. They send billions into the underground economy of other nations who may be intrusive to the US.

This also opts for domestic drug dealing. Though the use of alcohol and tobacco continues being a serious health problem, even though they are legal, the accessibility of these two commodities gives people less incentive to sell them on the black market. If the sale of pot were legal, then young adults would face more problem making effortless money off of selling it to their friends and peers.

3. Legalizing marijuana is safer for the community. Basing on history, regulation associates to public safety. Take, for instance, the restaurant industry, which has to be inspected for health violations, or pharmaceutical companies, who need to submit their products to the FDA for testing. The marijuana business would work the same way. Regulating marijuana would displace the underground market, keeping it harder for minors to get the drug, while making things less complicated to hold specific pot dealers more accountable for foul play, ensuring consumers get quality products without having hazardous additives.

4. It’s a valuable agricultural commodity. Altering marijuana laws could lead to billions of dollars in tax revenue. The induction of Colorado’s Amendment 64 brought in greater than $30 million of taxable revenue for their budget. If California taxed and regulated the sale of marijuana, it could raise yearly revenue by $1.4 billion. If marijuana is legalized federally, the marijuana industry could potentially be three times bigger than the NFL, which could all be taxed, saving the US $13.7 billion a year.

Even if recreational marijuana use was not legalized, the US is still missing a golden opportunity to support legal hemp development– like Canada and Europe. It is also crucial to develop hemp as a biofuel source, as a way of decreasing carbon emissions. Hemp stalks will also not enhance demand and prices for food, like corn does.

5. Marijuana is much safer than alcohol. Testing has revealed that using marijuana is significantly safer than drinking alcohol. In fact, for every thousand regular alcohol drinkers there are eight more trips to the E.R then for every thousand marijuana users. In short, you are 30 percent more likely to get sent to the E.R. for alcohol than marijuana. It is an established scientific fact that overdosing off of marijuana is nearly impossible. Marijuana is also not as addicting as alcohol or tobacco.

6. Marijuana is costing our court system. On average, over 750,000 individuals get arrested for marijuana possession every year. The responsibilities of law enforcement are too great to concentrate on marijuana offenders and it is far too expensive for our justice system to dispose every one of these cases– as it wastes space, clogs up the court systems and diverts time away from attorneys, judges, and corrections officials. Their attention would be better spent on cases involving violent crimes and terrorism. What’s more, taxing marijuana would provide the money required to fund vital criminal justice and social programs.

7. Marijuana can cure. Although for several years the restriction on marijuana has hampered serious scientific study into the risks and health benefits of marijuana, there is considerable documentation that it can actually minimize many medical disorders, such as:

Pain: 70-80% of individuals experienced pain relief when utilizing medical marijuana.

Glaucoma: Marijuana decreases intraocular pressure, and lessens destruction to the optic nerve.

Epileptic Seizures: Cannabinoids manage seizures by binding to the brain cells in charge of improving excitability and managing relaxation.

Cancer: In some research studies, cannabidiol has been revealed to put an end to cancer by turning off a gene named Id-1.

Alzheimer’s Disease: Examinations have discovered that THC, the chemical in marijuana, weakens the buildup of amyloid plaques by blocking the enzyme in the brain that produces them. These plaques are what kill brain cells and result in Alzheimer’s.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: University of Nottingham analysts discovered that chemicals in marijuana, consisting of THC and cannabidiol, interact with cells in the body that play a significant role in gut function and immune reactions.

Anxiety: Studies recommend that some of the drug’s benefits may actually improve the smoker’s disposition and act as a sedative in minimal amounts.

Enhancing Lung Health: In a research study, tobacco smokers lost lung function gradually, yet pot smokers really showed a growth in lung ability.

8. Legalization is unpreventable. Right now, four states and Washington D.C. permit recreational marijuana use, while 19 states permit it for medical reasons, and 14 have decriminalized it. Alaska, Oregon, Washington are currently in the process of initiating a model where marijuana can be legitimately retailed, taxed and controlled.

In the 19 states wherein medical marijuana is legitimate, regulation changes so largely regarding the demands for obtaining a medical marijuana card that it consequently assumes a quasi-legal standing. Like with medical marijuana, states that decriminalized marijuana can vary a lot in their laws. In the 14 states that have decriminalized marijuana, the consequences have softened a big deal that the law courts are frequently limiting or eliminating prison period of time and opting for fines preferably. Support for an adjustment in marijuana laws about legalization has continuously enhanced, with current surveys indicating that over 58% of the country.

References:
About Marijuana. (n.d.). Retrieved from NORML Foundation: http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana

Chronic Pain Treatment and Management with Medical Marijuana. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.medicalmarijuana.net: http://www.medicalmarijuana.net/uses-and-treatments/chronic-pain/

Goodman, B. (n.d.). Marijuana Smoking Not Linked to Chronic Breathing Problems. Retrieved from www.webmd.com: http://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20120103/marijuana-smoking-not-linked_to-chronic-breathing-problems

Ingraham, C. (2014, July 31). The federal government’s own statistics show that marijuana is safer than alcohol. Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/07/31/the-federal-governments-own-statistics-show-that-marijuana-is-safer-than-alcohol/

Kreps, D. (2015, January 30). Colorado May Pay Residents Over Excess Marijuana Revenue. Retrieved from www.rollingstone.com: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/colorado-may-pay-residents-over-excess-marijuana-revenue-20150130

Lisa M. Eubanks, C. J. (2008, October 6). A Molecular Link Between the Active Component of Marijuana Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2562334/

Pot Legalization Could Save U.S. $13.7 Billion Per Year, 300 Economists Say. ( 2012, April 17). Retrieved from www.huffingtonpost.com: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/economists-marijuana-legalization_n_1431840.html

Swift, A. (n.d.). For First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana. Retrieved from www.gallup.com: http://www.gallup.com/poll/165539/first-time-americans-favor-legalizing-marijuana.aspx

Uniform Crime Report. (2010). Retrieved from www.fbi.gov: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/persons-arrested

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8 Reasons to Change Marijuana Laws

Listed here are the top requirements to change marijuana laws on a federal degree.

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