Legalization of Leisure Marijuana in Washington and Colorado
Legalization of leisure marijuana has various benefits when observed primarily based on the policies that have been instituted in states like Washington and Colorado where cannabis has been legalized. Firstly, legalization of marijuana will lead to reduced prices on the product as compared to the prices in the black market the place the buyers are charged premium with an intention to cover the dangers for violence and arrests (Hall 1766). Moreover, the legalization of the cannabis will cut down the need for clandestine businesses which are presently controlling the production and the sales. Therefore, it will be possible for the farmers to skip the product directly to the consumers under the effectivity of licensing which reduces the costs rapidly.
Increased Social Acceptability and Crime Prevention
Furthermore, the legalization of recreational cannabis will reduce the perceived risks and consequently contribute to increased social acceptability since the users will not be accessing the drug from the black market where one has to be involved with a clandestine organization to obtain the product. Instead, people will opt for using more cannabis because it will be cheaper and more acceptable socially. As a result, crimes like drug trafficking will be averted when the states institute laws which will put a stop to the outdoor cultivation of the drug (Hall 1766).
Threats of Medical Marijuana Legalization
However, legalization of medical marijuana poses a number of threats to the state of cannabis use among the youth and adults (Hall 1777). As a matter of fact, making available of the medical marijuana provides the users with an easy access to the product which will eventually increase their chances of smoking it. In fact, reduction of prices that will occur with the legalization will allow the users the opportunity to access the drug cheaply and therefore use marijuana more often. Thus, the benefits associated with the medical marijuana does not warrant for its legality.
Work Cited
Hall, Wayne, and Michael Lynskey. "Evaluating the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States." Addiction 111.10 (2016): 1764-1773.
