By Elijah Lutz, Opinion Editor, and Matthew Pertz, News Editor
Last friday was the infamous 4/20 and in honor of Snoop Dogg’s annual visits to the houses of stoners everywhere, this week’s Left/Right Perspective deals with a big one: the Devil’s lettuce, the Good Lord’s herb, the sticky icky, pot, weed, Mary Jane, jazz cabbage or just marijuana.
That’s right, I am here to say it loudly and clearly: I believe it is time to legalize recreational marijuana. My motives for this are rather political: recreational marijuana will provide more than substantial profits in tax revenue, and there has been substantial evidence to show that marijuana is not as evil of a drug as it has been portrayed to be. While this may or may not cast a stigma on us for writing this, it has to be said.
It is no secret that legalization will have incredible benefits in regards to tax revenue. After legalizing recreational use in 2014, Colorado has seen incredible numbers in marijuana tax. In the first year, the state recorded a revenue of $67 million. Since then, that number has gone up to $247 million recorded in the 2017 tax year, or nearly three and a half times the first year. This isn’t just in Colorado, as every state where marijuana is legal has found such record numbers in revenue.
But what does this mean for the federal level? According to the Washington Post, if marijuana is legalized nationwide, the revenue that could potentially be gained from taxes would be $132 billion. Not only that, but they also estimate that over a million jobs could be created by the industry. Even still, some say that these numbers are too conservative, and that the growing support and interest in the marijuana industry could produce even higher numbers than those, pun intended.
When it comes to health concerns, it is almost laughable to say that marijuana is a hard drug. In fact, there is a reason that it has been legally used for medicinal purposes since 1996. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, it has been known to be an effective way to manage pain and symptoms resulting from cancer, HIV/AIDS, MS and others. It has also been shown to be a less addictive and more effective painkiller than prescription drugs, such as opiates. Coming from regions plagued by opioid abuse, this hits home for us, as it is a clear way to help prevent more people from suffering from opioid addiction.
Furthermore, there is little evidence to substantiate the claim that marijuana use causes dependency on it. In fact, under 10 percent of people who try it become dependent. Not only that, but marijuana has been shown to have less harmful effects than tobacco or alcohol products, both of which are currently legal and regulated by the federal government.
In conclusion, it is high time to legalize marijuana. Not because it is the sensational thing to do, but because it is the right thing to do. Studies have started to disprove the lies told about it in the 70’s and 80’s, and as we continue to learn more about the positive things that can come from it, we need to embrace the possibilities that legal recreational use could hold. In a tireless search for more profits, and a way to end a plague haunting our civilization, marijuana may not be an answer, but it certainly has the ability to help.
