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Marijuana Legalization

In: Social Issues

Submitted By connor77
Words 533
Pages 3
Connor Davenport

Dr. Elston

English Composition II

6 March 2015

The legalization of marijuana in multiple states around the United States was probably very unexpected for some people. The reality is our society is changing in many ways and a lot of people are supporting it. But when Colorado fully legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use many people believed Colorado’s economy would not benefit from this. People worried that marijuana, which has been considered very “dangerous” for a while, would cause crime rates to increase or the number of traffic accidents going up. Colorado was the first brave state to embrace the legalization of marijuana, so their results will be very influential to how people feel about legalization of marijuana.

It has now been over a year since Colorado has legalized marijuana and the results are excellent for Colorado. Colorado has embraced how our society is changing and the benefits of legalizing marijuana. For example, “marijuana possession charges in Colorado for 2014 are on track to fall below 2,500, down from nearly 30,000 in 2010. Data from the National Incident Based Reporting System reveals that arrests for marijuana possession were responsible for 80 percent of all marijuana arrests in Colorado over the last five years.”(Art Way), and also “over the last two years, NIBRS data reveals a 41 percent decrease in all drug arrests in the state”(Art Way). This decrease in drug arrest is great for Colorado because there are less people with small possession offenses in prisons. Also, “as of October, Colorado brought in more than $40 million in marijuana taxes”(Art Way), and this has caused Colorado’s economy to flourish. Marijuana is becoming more accepted in our society; and now, many people are not seeing it as a “dangerous” drug. All of these things have benefited Colorado greatly causing even more states to start legalizing marijuana. Since Colorado is actually doing exceedingly better than a lot of people thought, our society is embracing change even more and many people are realizing how beneficial marijuana actually is to people. Since Colorado legalized marijuana, everyone else can now see the undisputed facts that marijuana has greatly benefited the state of Colorado in many ways.

The legalization of marijuana in Colorado was a great success because it benefited the state in so many ways. They embraced the change in society and are proving to the rest of the country that marijuana is not a “dangerous” drug. With so many medical benefits and the benefits displayed by Colorado, everyone is now aware of the numbers but many people still have moral issues with marijuana. Moral issues are a whole different discussion but the facts should be enough. With so many benefits that have now come from marijuana and legalizing it, I do not see how anyone can see it as a “dangerous” drug anymore. How society’s view on marijuana is changing is one of the main events in our society right now, and it is not going anywhere. So get ready.

Work Cited

Art Way. "Colorado and Marijuana Legalization One Year Later: What Has Changed?" The Huffington Post. The HuffingtonPost.com, 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.

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