I may be part of the minority in this country, but I am certainly one of the majority in Texas. I believe that Texas should legalize marijuana (and tax the $%^# out of it). I believe that Texas is an ideal place for marijuana to be legalized because of Texans’ stiff opposition to higher taxes and strong agricultural background. I am not alone, either; according to a poll in the Texas Tribune, only 23% of people in Texas believe that marijuana should remain illegal in all cases.
The main benefit of legalization is tax revenue. Colorado generated $53 million in tax revenue the first year that marijuana became legal, according to CNN. The extra revenue could be used for a number of things. It could be used to fund a legislative body that met for more than 20% of the time, and was actually capable of working on controversial but important bills. This extra time would have been essential to challenging Perry’s veto fever. Alternatively, the additional revenue could be used to fund things that the state income tax in other states typically funds, such as education, healthcare, and an array of other important areas.
Another monetary benefit would be the decrease in court cases involving possession of marijuana and the decrease in prison population for this specific non-violent crime. However, I believe the real benefit in the decrease of marijuana-related arrests would be in keeping regular participating and contributing citizens out of the prison system, which will brand them for life as an offender and contribute to a possible future life of hardship and crime. Imagine a hypothetical 17 year old kid who goes to jail for a little bit of weed (Texas is hard on crime, you know) and comes out knowing how to make a lot of meth. He is now prevented from getting a real job with his record, and he turns to the only other thing he knows. While this is an extreme hypothetical, it is not improbable, and recidivism is a very real problem.
The remaining benefits would include an increase in the availability of marijuana for medical related testing. Marijuana has proven itself to be relevant in the field of science and health, and legalizing it would immediately remove the legal barriers that scientists now face. As well as giving these scientists something to research, it would open up an entire new industry here. Creating more jobs would have a positive impact, and would continue to diversify Texas’ market. It is this diversity that shields us from economic recession elsewhere in the country and world.
I believe that legalizing marijuana would benefit this state and its people. There are downsides to all things, but I believe a culture that accepts drinking will, in time, welcome the recreational use of marijuana.
Your blog post makes great points on why Texas should legalize the commercial sale of marijuana. You do a good job staying on topic and uses good statistics to display the benefits of using marijuana as a good way to receive tax revenue. The legalization isn’t a new topic and has been implemented in other parts of the US, and you did a great job of using that information to support the argument.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did dislike the extreme hypothetical example used to support the argument that marijuana should be legalized. The use of this very far out example makes me step back as a reader after being successfully convinced to agree with the argument. If you used a basic example of having that on their record and being held back, that would be a sufficient enough.
Overall, your blog post was effective despite that minor hiccup. Good job!
As Bluebonnets, Roadkill, and Texas Politics stated in their blog, Keep Taxes Low by Keeping Texas High, Colorado has had a significant increase in their revenue since the legalization of pot. Texas could likely have a increase in state revenue if it legalized marijuana as well, but there are still too many flaws in the system to do so.
ReplyDeleteFirst, there is still a large black market for marijuana in Colorado. Ben Buckland, who CNBC talks about in their article about the black market of weed in Colorado, is a contributor to this market. The black market allows people to get marijuana for less money, than someone would buy at a licensed store, and they do not have to worry about being 21. Because there is still a black market, police still have to be on the lookout for the illegal buying and selling of marijuana. To add, if someone is in possession of marijuana and they are not 21, they can still be in legal trouble. People are still going to jail because of marijuana in Colorado. It did not relieve the police of crime in that aspect.
Individuals can also get into legal trouble, specifically they can receive a DUI, for driving under the influence of marijuana. There is currently no test, like someone would compare to a breathalyzer, to see if a driver is under the influence of marijuana. Instead, law enforcement officers must be trained to know when someone is likely under the influence. It is crucial for scientific tests to be preformed to see at what point people should be considered intoxicated and to find a test that will show if someone is currently under the influence of marijuana.
Three deaths have been linked to marijuana infused foods that are making people too high, and in some cases hallucinate. There has often been over consumption of edibles that have marijuana in them. To add, parents are not keeping the edibles away from their children and children have been eating them thinking they are normal lollipops or brownies.
While legalizing marijuana in Texas could bring the state more revenue, it is not safe enough to legalize yet. It is critical to allow Colorado and Washington to work out the quirks before other states think about legalizing it and putting more people at risk.