By Casey Sublette
Sports Editor
The recent legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado has reignited a long-standing debate over the possession, sale and use of marijuana, especially in California. Full legalization of marijuana in California would take advantage of benefits that the state currently does not and steps toward legalization on the national level should be taken as well.
Legalization would greatly increase government revenue through taxation, ease the strain on the legal system and would heal many social ills associated with the substance.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 made possession and the use of cannabis products illegal on a federal level. Since then, several states have legalized marijuana for medical use. In the most recent election, voters in Washington and Colorado voted to approve all usage of marijuana for people 21 or older.
Regulation of the substance by the Food and Drug Administration on the state level would make it even less hazardous to users. Crime and violence, both within the United States and at the Mexican border, are greatly increased due the illegal buying and selling of marijuana. The National statistics show 872,000 marijuana-related arrests last year, 775,000 of them for possession, rather than sale or manufacture, even though that is not a violent act. Each of these arrests costs the taxpayers a substantial sum of money in public service spending. According to California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 7.6% of the state budget is spent on prisoners, and each one costs $49,000 annually. Apart even from tax revenue, California would be paying for fewer criminals and saving even more money.
Prison overcrowding is becoming worrisome, especially in California. These funds could be reallocated to prevent far more heinous and violent crimes in areas where drug and alcohol use is prevalent by redirecting Drug Enforcement Administration funding to community safety staff. These same resources could also be redirected to be spent on government expenditures such as education and updating the infrastructure.
Finally, the federal government needs to change its attitude toward marijuana even if national legalization is not a pragmatic option. It is currently listed as a Schedule I drug by the FDA, meaning research on it is very limited. Moving away from this classification will at the very least make more information about its benefits available to the public and allow studies to be conducted.
When looking at this issue from a fiscal standpoint, legalization is the clear choice. Cannabis is one of the United States’ best-selling agricultural products and, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, legalization could create massive tax revenue for the fiscally struggling state of California. It is estimated that Colorado and Washington will receive a combined $550 million annually, and California’s much larger population could benefit even further from this. These taxes would come in the forms of regular sales and production taxes most commodities in the state already see. Legalizing marijuana would help save taxpayer money as well as raise much more money for the state governments.
Marijuana for medicinal use has shown its value in California, but greater benefits can be reaped from full legalization. The financial gains are obvious and social benefits range from keeping non-violent offenders out of prison to further regulation of the substance. Between these two gains, the state has no logical option but to legalize the drug and see the positive changes it proves.
The opposition only provides outdated moral issues while using scare tactics to convince voters marijuana legalization is a detriment to society. Regulation of the substance can be used as a positive force in the creation of a better California.
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