Along with the re-election of President Obama, Colorado
voters passed Amendment 64 last Tuesday, making Colorado the first state to
legalize marijuana for the recreational use for adults. How will this course of action play
out? Will it be a positive
experience? Will it allow other
states to follow in its footsteps?
According to CNN, “legalization could save U.S. taxpayers the $10 billion spent each year
on enforcing marijuana prohibition, and eliminate the criminal cases against
more than 750,00 people arrested per year for possession.” These benefits really could make a
difference-imagine if all the states passed this law and saved $10 billion! Plus, with fewer criminal cases
involved with the possession of marijuana, more serious cases can be given more
time and have more available resources to be dealt with.
Since many people still dealt with marijuana behind closed
doors without it being legal (reminiscent of the times of Prohibition), Amendment 64 may only make easier what has already been done. Citizens of Colorado can now enjoy the
drug sans the sketchy deals and threat of the law. However, with its nontoxic nature and the fact that it
cannot cause death by overdose, marijuana won’t be overly dangerous, and as
stated above, more than just its users will benefit from the amendment.
Although it seems to be a dramatic change, I don’t feel that
Amendment 64 will really alter that much in the country. I find it highly unlikely that every
citizen of age in Colorado will suddenly jump on the opportunity to use
marijuana legally. Instead, the
amendment probably will only allow those who used the drug in secret to now use
it freely. Maybe the rest of the
country should follow suit and allow the concealment of marijuana to
disappear...
Note: I am in no way advocating the use of drugs.
Colorado does set a good example for the rest of the country. Marijuana has been proven to do less damage than smoking and alcohol. By legalizing it, people who have been previously smoking it will continue to smoke it without the worry of being caught. I don't see what is so bad about its legalization. Like you said, it will save the government billions of dollars and allow more important cases more time. Its legalization will probably benefit the government.
ReplyDelete*I can't wait for the South Park episode about this.