Why Marijuana should be Legal in Connecticut for Medical and Recreational use
Legalization of marijuana comes with a lot of advantages both to the state and to the country in general. Marijuana contains a lot of chemicals, which can be used in the treatment of different diseases (Barbour, 54). For instance, marijuana can be used for medical purposes, particularly for the treatment of cancerous diseases, and post-traumatic stress disorders. In addition, legalization marijuana a lot of economic benefits, since the country gets to benefit from the sale of marijuana products in different parts of the world (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 34).
The health of marijuana smoking are not as worse as those of cigarette smoking or alcohol drinking, since marijuana only makes a person’s body to function differently, but it does not harm (Barbour,54). In addition, marijuana has not been proven to cause cancer, and most people who smoke marijuana tend to live longer compared to those who smoke cigarette and drink alcohol. In the U.S, 88% of the total population has abused marijuana, a move which clearly shows how common marijuana smoking is in the country (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 34).
The U.S government spends over $20 billion every year, while fighting illegal smuggling of marijuana in the country (Barbour, 57). Even though the government spends a lot of money in fighting illegal smuggling of marijuana, more people are easily accessing the drug. In addition, the number of people arrested because of the violation of drug law is 1,488,707 (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 35). This is the highest number of incarcerations related to marijuana ever made in the whole world. The government consequently spends more money, in the upkeep of the criminals in prisons, a move which affects the economy of the country (Goldberg, 70).
Legalization of marijuana would allow Connecticut to be able to earn huge revenues, amounting to $1 billion every year (Barbour, 60). This is basically because of the high demand of medical marijuana products all over the world. Moreover, the country will be able to save up to $8.7 billion each year, as it will reduce the amount of money spent on fighting illegal smuggling of marijuana (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 38). The number of marijuana related arrests will also drop drastically, allowing the country to reduce the expenses of catering for criminals in prison. The country’s economy will grow rapidly, as the levels of inflation will drop (Goldberg, 70).
Legalization of marijuana comes with creation of job opportunities, which is an advantage to the population of both Connecticut and the US in general (Goldberg, 76). Laboratories and clinics will be set up in order to control and research of marijuana products, thus coming up with more medical uses of the drug. This will consequently require the employment of qualified personnel in this sector, who will be required to conduct the research (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 39).
Legalization of marijuana comes with a lot of challenges, and strict measures should be put in place in order to regulate the sale of marijuana products to the public. The government will be required to come up with measures, such as giving permits to a certain number of marijuana farmers, who will be required to plant marijuana for medical purposes only. In addition, marijuana should also be sold to adults from the ages of 21 years and above (Caulkins, Kilmer & Kleiman, 40). Marijuana products should have a standardization mark of quality, which will distinguish them from those of pirated products. Specific clinics should also be allowed to sell the products, and marijuana should only be smoked in specific allocated smoking zones, to make sure people of a younger age do not get access of the drug (Barbour, 62). In so doing, the country will be able to fully benefit from the legalization of marijuana without having any threats at all.
Work Cited
Caulkins, Jonathan P, Beau Kilmer, and Mark Kleiman. Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know. , 2016. Print.
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Barbour, Scott. Should Marijuana Be Legalized?San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, 2011. Print.
Goldberg, Ray. Drugs Across the Spectrum. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
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