Over 128 million Americans have tried or smoked weed at some point in life. Regardless of it being illegal it somehow finds the hands of every adolescent since Generation X following the baby boomers. About 600,000 Americans are arrested annually. Support for marijuana went from 12% in 1969 to 65% for medical use only and an overwhelming whooping 91% agree both medical and recreational. It’s expected to reach 24 billion in revenue by 2025 and add millions of dollars in federal taxes. Surprisingly enough, 13% of kids between the ages 12-17 use marijuana although it is believed to cause brain development issues and be harmful to persons under the age of 25.
Why weed hasn’t become legal yet?
Let’s look into opinions from two political leaders on this issue:
“Something else it’s past time we get done is dismantling the failed war on drugs – starting with legalizing marijuana… Between 2001 and 2010, more than seven million people were arrested for simple possession of marijuana. They are disproportionately black and brown. One stark example: during the first three months of 2018, 93 percent of the people the NYPD arrested for marijuana possession were people of color. These racial disparities are staggering and unconscionable. We need to legalize marijuana and regulate it. And we need to expunge nonviolent marijuana-related offenses from the records of the millions of people who have been arrested and incarcerated so they can get on with their lives.” 2019 – Kamala Harris
“We believe strongly that past and current practices of the tobacco, alcohol and marijuana industries prove that these industries target, exploit and victimize communities of color. At a time when we are all working to bring more opportunity and advancement to our communities, legalizing today’s high-potency marijuana will work counter to those efforts.” 2019 – Teresa Haley
Both opinions hold weight from their perspective. What becomes someone else’s kryptonite becomes a healing agent for another; no two snowflakes are alike. Sooner or later this has to come to a resolution. As long as “big business” is making profit you can guarantee it will lead us into a paradise for pot heads.
The issue lies so much deeper than just pulling away the vices that have been thrown in our faces. The same things that shape the stereotypes and make us targets in our own community. Every adult has a choice to pick their poison and deal with the consequences. We could start with fixing school systems and being more environmentally conscious in lower impoverished areas. I’m sure we all know that’s a podcast for another day.
References:
https://marijuana.procon.org/should-recreational-marijuana-be-legal-pro-con-quotes/
Should Marijuana Be Legalized? | Pros and Cons of Legalizing Medical and Recreational Marijuana -YouTube 2020
Thoughts?