On January 1, 2014, citizens of Colorado waited in large lines for hours in the snow and freezing cold. And for what? Well, they bought Girl Scout Cookies, truffles, and brownies. Why do this? They stood in those lines not just for any old baked goods, but for baked goods laced with marijuana. The support for the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana has risen in recent years, and it’s only a matter of time before the remaining 30 states and the federal government legalizes it. New polls show that over half the country is in favor of taxing and regulating marijuana, according to drugpolicy.org, and with good reason.

First off, the legalization of marijuana would be very practical for the sake of the U.S. economy.  The legal sale of marijuana would bring in much needed tax dollars for the country, as well as create jobs and promote business. Since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado at the beginning of the year, licensed retailers have brought in enough tax dollars to be on track to hit 100 million dollars of revenue by the end of the year. This statistic is very comparable to the 35 million dollars that country-wide alcohol has brought in in Colorado. With people needed to grow the drug and produce it as well the legalization has created jobs for the state of Colorado as well. The sale of marijuana has produced a high demand which helps circulate money through the economy. Overall the legalization of marijuana has been positive economically for Colorado, and this trend could continue for the rest of the country if marijuana is legalized.

Marijuana, compared to legal alcohol, is by far a safer substitute health-wise. According to saferchoice.org, alcohol is causes more violence, more deaths, and more cases of cancer than marijuana does. Alcohol in the U.S. has reportedly causes 75,000 deaths a year, and the number of deaths due to marijuana is so small that the CDC doesn’t keep track of them (saferchoice.org). Why then is it that alcohol can be legal in the U.S. and not marijuana? What kind of country do we live in if we can advertise products that kill on the most viewed sporting event in the world, but be arrested if we carry a product that kills so little the CDC doesn’t keep track of how many it kills? Marijuana also helps null the pain in cancer and injured patients. Marijuana is already the third most used drug in the country behind alcohol and tobacco, and with the growing support it is about time marijuana be legalized in the U.S. So, with a less harmful substitute out there, it’s time to legalize marijuana.

Sources:

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation

http://archive.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/53/