Michael Werth

English 91

Legalized Marijuana

12/4/14

word count: 596

On November 6, 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington made momentous and almost entirely novel choice to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana use.

In spite of clear conflict with Federal drug laws; the voting majorities in Colorado and Washington , decided that their states should lead the way through experimentation.

On July 8th, 2014, Washington State opened it's first recreational stores. Their sale portions, would fund research on reform's effects. the state built test equipment starting day one with a dedicated funding stream to provide continuity and political independence. attempting to create a multifaceted picture, that is taking place across multiple state agencies including DSHS ,the department of health, and liquor control board just not relying on one point of view or information source but focusing on a wider spectrum of the issues that can help focus discipline for the political debate. policymakers seek to empower themselves proactively regulating legal marijuana; nevertheless, inform and influence the informational battles that will surround legal marijuana.

can you say economic benefits, Washington state will bring in nearly $50 million in new taxes, initially proceeds being used to better education, such as , new schools, higher teacher salaries, extra school activity's, and school based clubs. legalized marijuana frees up law enforcement to seek out more destructive illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. legalized marijuana will help by reducing funds used to enforce against marijuana by $17 billion a Cato institute study reveals. producing public health benefits with legalization. eventually eliminating the entrepreneurs that are set up in the 48 other states that are selling recreational marijuana that is illegal.

policymakers either need to ban everything that is bad for us in all fairness. from fat-filled fast food to sugar saturated soda or allow us to make adult decisions about what we put in our bodies. making cigarettes, beer, whiskey legal, while banning joints and hash brownies, unfairly favors the makers of certain harmful products. fairness, too, justifies legalizing cannabis. in the 48 states where recreational use of marijuana, smoking tobacco, which causes cancer, is legal by contrast, smoking weed, which is used to treat the symptoms of cancer treatment, is not. moreover, some experts believe that alcohol, which s legal in virtually all parts of the united states, is more harmful then then marijuana, which is illegal in almost all of the country.

the legal status of a drug has dramatic impact on it's use. why is it in our states interest to see marijuana use climb? since when is smoking a program that we promote? we cannot ignore the negative effects that legalization would have on under-age use and addiction, highway safety, treatment costs, mental health problems, emergency room admissions, workplace accidents and productivity, and personal health.

in this writer's opinion I see beneficial situation that involves education, educating, freed up tax payer's monies, taxable merchandise, and that go's hand in hand whit and open mind. not all things appear in proper focus, that's why we as free people must try different avenues to seek out information that could benefit us and are neighbors.the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. my final thought is to say " put it in a pipe and smoke it! " and if not at least you have the choice legally.