MaryJNews, US – The top five reasons to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level are listed below. With so much data and news presenting itself regarding marijuana legalization on a daily basis, these points are all up for debate.
- Research – While there is anecdotal evidence that cannabis is helpful for a growing variety of minor to severe medical conditions, because it is currently classified as a schedule 1 drug, federal funding to research the benefits and risks is not available. Schedule 1 drugs are defined as “having no medical value” and while research may be conducted on a limited basis, the approval to do so can take years. By reclassifying marijuana out of schedule 1 status, federal money for research becomes available and it will be far easier for our world class universities to study the risks as well as the medicinal & recreational benefits of cannabis. For example, here’s a list of accepted conditions in the state of Colorado.
Medical Marijuana Card Eligible Conditions – CO
- Saves Money – Keeping citizens in prison or jail for marijuana possession or use isn’t free. With the money saved from far fewer non-violent offenders being incarcerated, law enforcement will have more resources to fight the war on drugs that have been shown to have a direct correlation to violent crime.
- High School Graduation Rates – Very simply, studies have shown that teen crime rates are down and high school graduation rates are up in states that have embraced medical marijuana laws. (Washington Post)
- American Jobs – It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that by freeing up banks to lend money to entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry leads to more home grown American jobs that cannot be outsourced. Jobs in agriculture, cultivation, processing, distribution and retail will be created at a rapid pace.
- Taxes – This is a no brainer; illegal drugs are not taxed. Taking marijuana out of the shadows and into a legitimate, regulated, and taxed sector of the economy not only hurts the drug cartels. It also allows the federal government along with states that choose to adopt sensible marijuana laws to capitalize on tax revenues generated.
President Obama Hints to Medical Marijuana Legalization?
There are many other reasons why the federal government should throw this issue to the states, however in the words of President Barack Obama, it really is just “The right thing to do.”
MB – [email protected]
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