Legalization Of Marijuana On A Federal Level - 1719 Words

Legalization of marijuana on a federal level may benefit society more than cause it harm. When people hear the word marijuana, cannabis, hemp, etc. they tend to compare it to dangerous hardcore drugs. In all reality, unlike these other hardcore drugs, marijuana has many advantages that could possibly outweigh its negatives. For example, federally legalizing marijuana could stimulate growth within an economy by allowing the government the opportunity to reduce expenses on prohibition, create jobs and collect sales tax revenue, create a healthier more organic agriculture through hemp industrialization, and offer a more natural remedy to alleviate medical symptoms. Marijuana prohibition was supposed to make it more troublesome for†¦show more content†¦are less than that of marijuana. From 1991-2000, arrests for marijuana violations have doubled while arrest for more illicit drugs, such as heroine, have fell to about thirty-three percent. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana, 2003) Violations of marijuana is said to be the fifth most commonly violated law in the United States. In 2006, FBI databases showed that more than 80% of the 700,000 plus arrested were charged with possession of marijuana; costing taxpayers close to forty billion dollars in criminal justice costs, as well as tax revenue loss. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana, 2007) Repercussions of a marijuana arrest alone are significant by itself. Some penalties may include, but are not limited to probation and mandatory drug testing, loss of driving privileges, loss of federal college aid, asset forfeiture, revocation of professional licenses, lo ss of certain welfare benefits such as food stamps and removal from public housing, loss of child custody, etc. (Armentano, 2005) Regardless of whether marijuana offenders serve time in prison or not, there is a large portion of generally honest- integral individuals whose lives are unnecessarily decimated over a non-violent charge. Harvard economist Jeffery Miron (2005) claims that even though legalization of marijuana will mean a loss of revenue from court fines and asset forfeitures, â€Å"legalization will reduce the need for prosecutorial,