Should government legalize marijuana? Part II

Before we focus on pros and cons of marijuana legalization it is worth knowing why marijuana was banned in the first place.

First introduction of marijuana to the U.S. was in the early 20^th Century. It was brought in by immigrants from Mexico. In the 1930s one filmed a movie called “Reefer Madness” that featured examples of crime and violence through marijuana usage. Many people believed that marijuana was banned because it resembled the usage of alcohol and others that it was seen as an influx of Mexican immigrants.

What do you think could have been the real cause of marijuana ban in the U.S.?

Why is marijuana banned from legal use?

Pros and cons of marijuana legalization

One of the most commonly heard argument is the impact that marijuana has on the economy. Many are asking themselves if legalization brings prosperity for the economy or takes it away?

The above video is part of a CNN program debate about legalization impact on the economy.

What is your take on that matter, do you think that the economy would benefit from legalization or the other way round?

Now let us see how officials see the matter of marijuana usage and legalization. In 2009, in one of his interviews President Obama said "I don't know what this says about the online audience. But, no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy"

What is your opinion about this quotation? Do you think that the President of the United States of American reacted in a proper way regarding marijuana and its influence on the economy?

Another key argument for legalization is a drop in crime rates.

Legalization would reduce crime, because a lot of violence that is associated with drug markets arises because those markets are underground. By legalizing marijuana significant number of those crimes would be reduced.

Do you think that thanks to legalization the crime rate would go down?

There are also many voices that it is the government who loses the biggest amounts of money due to banned marijuana. Great deal of resources goes into police forces and people responsible for catching marijuana users, officials that deal with the people caught (judges, lawyers, jury). If there are more and more people using marijuana and this tendency cannot be stopped why not legalizing it?

As it can be seen in many statistics in the U.S. there are simply too many people that were thrown into jail because of marijuana possession or usage of it. Shouldn’t the prisons be used in a different way for a better cause?

What is your opinion on this matter? Do you agree that it is the government who would benefit most from marijuana legalization?

Below there is an interesting video I’ve found on YT.

Do you agree with Glenn Beck – Legalization would stop the violence?

Legalization together with some proper regulations could lead to a drop in violence. People would not have to hide themselves and pretend that they do not use or possess marijuana. The best example here is alcohol. If it worked in the case of alcohol it can work in the case of marijuana.

Do you agree with the above statement? If we legalize marijuana will it have the same effect as was in the case of alcohol in the 1920s and 1930s in the U.S.?