Reason 2 - Blog Post 2

Stop and Smell the Benefits, People!  

In the US alone there are around 7 active drug cartels making their way into our growing economy. Legalizing their main product, cannabis, would help lower their profits and eventually put them out of business. In recent studies it seems that many, have benefited from the legalization, except the Black Market. Colorado was the first place where both medical and recreational cannabis was legalized, and therefore it is the best place to get information about the effects on the economical growth of a community. Locals said it would look bad for the tourists coming to visit and would negatively affect the community's revenue. As well, many had the stereotypical thought of it will make the young people seeking employment around town lazy and unreliable. This type of representation of  a “stoner” or “pothead” needs to be put to rest. In recent readings, there has been talk about the truth behind the benefits that come along with legalization in a community. According to  Jon Walker in “Colorado Job Market Booming Since Legalization”, “the most recent data from the Department of Labor shows Colorado has an unemployment rate of just 3.2 percent, which is the fifth best in the country.” This shows that the effect of legalization has let the state grow outstandingly in many ways. There are more businesses (aka dispensaries) in the community which are staying busy by local and tourist business. This allows more people to start working for these businesses creating more local jobs. In addition, having all the product legally taxed helps the state and community grow from an economical standpoint. According to Tony Newman in “Marijuana Legalization in Revenue”, “the first ten months of legal marijuana sales have resulted in nearly $40 million in tax revenue.” These outcomes are great examples of positive effects that come from legalization. Let’s not forget the benefit that helps the US nation the most. In the article “Here's How Black Market Weed Affects Legalization”, it states “The marijuana black market generates as much as $100 billion dollars annually, ‘The Motley Fool’ reported, ‘For comparison: the legal marijuana industry generated $5.4 billion last year’.” Letting the Black Market benefit off of a product that can create many benefits for us, just doesn't seem like the smart move. Even though the Black Market has always been a big issue for businesses and the nation's economy we are able to fight it more now than ever. Beau Kilmer, co-director of RAND Drug Policy Research Center would agree; he told VICE News, “You're not going to eliminate the Black Market overnight.” These points are all great examples of benefits that would happen if  eliminating most marijuana laws and legalization of the drug nationwide were to happen. Marijuana restriction laws are outdated and need to be adjusted to what's better for the nation's growth now. We as a nation are growing and these type of laws are holding us back from growing and persevering the unknown. We need to fight now for our right to knowledge.   

Word Count: 514

Work Cited:

@COPublicRadio. "Report: Colorado Better Than Washington At Tamping Down Pot Black Market." Colorado Public Radio. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

Hamilton, By Keegan. "How America's Legal Weed Is Changing the Black Market and Influencing Mexican Cartels | VICE News." VICE News RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

"Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: One-Year Status Report." Drug Policy Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

@massroots. "Colorado Job Market Booming Since Legalization." MassRoots. N.p., 15 Mar. 2016. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

Nelson, Donovan. "Here's How Black Market Weed Affects Legalization." MERRY JANE. N.p., 07 June 2016. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.