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needed to operate and maintain dispensaries, people to grow marijuana, and increases in smoke
shops give people more opportunities for jobs.
Colorado has also shown improvement in less criminal activity. The crime rates of
Colorado are down and the fatality accidents are at the same rate, displaying there has not been a
negative affect on driving due to marijuana legalization. Way states, According to state data,
marijuana possession charges in Colorado for 2014 are on track to fall below 2,500, down from
nearly 30,000 in 2010. Data from the National Incident Based Reporting System reveals that
arrests for marijuana possession were responsible for 80 percent of all marijuana arrests in
Colorado over the last five years. Those are dramatic decreases in arrests which would mean
less money spent on law enforcement.
Washington State has also seen some improvements after legalization. These
improvements are substantially better than before but are not as dramatic as Colorados results.
Washington had an increase in tax revenue and a decrease in crime rate. Those two factors play a
critical role in an economy. It is reported that Washington generates 1.4 million dollars in
marijuana sales a day (Smith 2014). In 2014 Washington State generated 250 million dollars in
marijuana sales, resulting in about 62 million dollars in tax revenue (Drug Policy Alliance).
Generating a large amount of tax revenue gives the state more money to spend on other issues,
like funding schools or fixing roads.
The crime rate in Washington State has also decreased. According to data from the Drug
Policy Alliance, court filings for low-level marijuana offenses by adults 21 and older have
dropped 98%. From 2012 to 2014 after legalization crime rates have fallen by 63 percent (Drug
Policy Alliance). And between 2011 and 2014 marijuana related convictions fell by 81 percent
(Drug Policy Alliance). These are dramatic decreases in crime that would save the states law
enforcement millions of dollars and time. Law enforcement can spend more money on more
serious cases and can dedicate more of their time to serious cases.
Marijuana has been a huge benefit to the economy, but also is a huge plus for the medical
field. Marijuana kills cancer cells, relieves pain, stimulates hunger, controls vomiting, and helps
with anxiety and sleep (University of Maryland Health 2016). The main active cannabinoid
in Cannabis is delta-9-THC. Another active cannabinoid is cannabidiol (CBD), which may
relieve pain and lower inflammation without causing the "high" of delta-9-THC (University of
Maryland Health 2016). Many people have been able to implement marijuana as medicine. Most
people have a negative portrayal of medical marijuana, they believe they would be considered as
a pot smoker. There are many ways to use marijuana other then smoking it; you can take it by
mouth, inhaling, or spraying under the tongue. Marijuana is another option for patients as
medicine, it gives another possible treatment. Marijuana is a natural medicine that provides
health benefits to people.
Kevin Chapman of the Department of Pediatrics and Neurology at the Children's
Hospital, University of Colorado, and Anschutz Medical Campus conducted an experiment on
cannabis treatment for epilepsy. It was a parental reporting of 75 children patients, these children
were being treated with cannabis to fight epilepsy. 57 percent of those children had an
improvement on seizure habits (Chapman 2015). The responder rate varied depending on
epilepsy syndrome, some cases of epilepsy are more serious than others. There are also signs of
improved behavior/alertness by 33 percent, improved language by 10 percent, and improved
motor skills by 10 percent (Chapman 2015). These studies have shown that marijuana can be
used efficiently to reduce epilepsy in some cases. Cannabis is a legitimate treatment for some
people.
Marijuana has a bad reputation but has shown it can be utilized in todays world. The
health benefits of marijuana are efficient and the potential of medicinal marijuana are growing. If
more states legalized marijuana it would benefit their local economy greatly. An increase in tax
revenue would give the government more money to improve their state. On a federal level, if
marijuana was legalized it would give the federal government the same benefits as a state
government. Legalizing would also give everybody the same opportunity to treatment, whether it
would be for epilepsy or killing cancer cells. As a nation we should take advantage of marijuana
to benefit our economy and legalize. Whether it would be on a state or federal level, it would still
be a huge benefit to both sides. There are holes in the economy that need to be fixed; legalizing
marijuana can contribute to the economy and health field.
Marijuana is beneficial to the United States, rather than a disadvantage. Marijuana has
proven it can benefit economies. Both Colorado and Washington State have seen dramatic
improvements in their economies, generating more tax revenue for their local governments.
Crime rates decrease due to the legalization of marijuana, resulting in more money and time is
spent on critical cases. Marijuana contributes to the health field as a treatment option. Medicinal
marijuana has proven it can be used to treat epilepsy, kill cancer cells, and relieves pains.
Marijuana is a benefit to the economy and the medical field due to increasing tax revenue,
decreasing law enforcement spending, and utilization as medicine.
References
Cannabis and Cannabinoids. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2016, from
http://umm.edu/programs/cancer/healthinfo/overviews/for-patients/cannabis-andcannabinoids