Laws against, or for, recreational and medical use of marijuana are currently being decided at state levels, but some people believe it should be legal at the federal level. Let's take a look at some facts.
According to Medical Marijuana Inc:
- Nearly 30% of adults in the U.S. live where recreational marijuana is legal
- Only 8% of Americans say marijuana should stay illegal
- Legal cannabis has created 211,000 full time jobs in the U.S.
- State legal marijuana sales generated 1.6 billion dollars in 2019 tax revenue
People who support decriminalizing marijuana also argue that alcohol is already legal and is currently responsible for approximately 95,000 deaths yearly, which is a massive amount compared to marijuana.
Said supporters also favor decriminalizing marijuana because "there are currently 2.3 million Americans behind bars for nonviolent drug offenses, and many of them are marijuana charges at a time when half the states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana,"according to Beto O'rourke.
These cases are widely contributing to mass incarceration, which is a major issue in America, as discussed in the earlier chapter of this book.
Pew Research conducted many surveys and found that the majority of opponents either believe marijuana has too many side effects, or that we don't need anything else that's addictive to be legal. These are logical points, and many have compromised by agreeing that legalizing it at a state level allows people who don't like it to go somewhere else without having to leave America entirely.
How Does Joe Biden Feel About Marijuana
Joe Biden wants to keep legalization at a state level, and scrap any past pot convictions.
How Does Donald Trump Feel About Marijuana
President Trump has been a little indecisive when it comes to legalization, but he has stated a few times that he is happy leaving the decision to the states, although he makes it very clear that he has the power to reverse state level legalization at any moment.
YOU ARE READING
A Simple Guide to Key Politics
Non-FictionI have spent most of my life completely in the dark when it comes to politics. At first, I really didn't care, and then I cared, but I didn't know where to start. That is why I have written this book: for those that are completely lost when it comes...
