Why is Marijuana legalization Popular?

Posted by Dennis Miller on February 12th, 2021

Is marijuana legalization popular? There is a lot of buzz around legalized cannabis in many parts of the world. The cannabis user is always seen as someone who is "street smart", always in possession of cannabis, always on the run, always in danger...with no end in sight. However, while such is the image, marijuana is not an isolated problem, it is part of a wider trend of societal change that has been brewing for some time. At the same time, some proponents of legalization are worried that legalization is playing out poorly in the States with worries that a large marijuana industry might be able to sell pot irresponsibly, just like alcohol, tobacco, and opioid firms have done.

In Colorado, marijuana has been made legal in both the medical and recreational forms of the plant. While the State of Colorado technically has not legalized marijuana, recreational cannabis sales continue to be steadily growing, causing an economic windfall for the state. On the other hand, the State of California also legalized recreational cannabis but has implemented an interesting system of taxation in order to raise funds for the failed Drug War. In spite of the fact that California is the second largest consumer of cannabis, the sale of Cannabis USA in the Golden State continues to face an acute shortage of workers. The reasons for this crisis are manifold, ranging from high unemployment rates to an inadequate supply of licensed cannabis businesses to high costs of running such a business. Thus, legalization of cannabis in California is being seen as a victory for the state's poor economy, but some state officials are concerned that legalization may lead to increased cannabis use and drugged driving.

Other proponents of legalized cannabis, such as former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, believe that the legalization of cannabis is a step in the right direction towards ending the war on drugs. "The war on drugs simply has failed," he said during an interview with the Canadian press. "There is simply no need, in terms of public safety, in jailing people who are caught violating laws, in locking up people who are caught selling dangerous drugs, in having dangerous criminals imprisoned, in getting people hooked on medications that have real dangers." He added, "Ending marijuana prohibition is a real success".

Still, opponents of legalization argue that it will increase marijuana use and drugged driving. It remains to be seen what ramifications California's new pot laws will have for the nation as a whole. But California is a comparatively safe state, and many local law enforcement officials have expressed concern that the new cannabis regulation will increase pot use rather than reduce it. "I'm not sure that legalized marijuana is necessarily going to decrease drug crime," sheriff Ron Hurd told reporters. "I would suspect that it may actually increase it somewhat, although the decrease would probably be less dramatic than if we were to legalize it completely."

California's new law allows anyone over age 18 to purchase, possess, grow and transport small amounts of marijuana, but it also restricts where these plants can be grown. Medical marijuana users will still need a valid medical reason to buy the drug, including AIDS or cancer, in order to avoid arrest for possession. And in some areas, such as the Golden State, police will raid medical marijuana cardholders' homes looking for the drugs, which can carry serious criminal penalties.

But marijuana use by adults continues to increase worldwide, despite increasing governmental controls. Many of the world's most respected national academies have concluded that cannabis use does have significant medical value and should be made available to those who need it. The National Academies of Sciences and Engineering has recommended that marijuana use should be legalized. The Royal Society of Medicine has also called for the legalisation of medical cannabis use. These statements from prominent medical authorities, supported by evidence, provide the most solid scientific basis for considering legalization.

Even if it were true that marijuana use by adults is not dangerous and does not lead to addiction, it would not justify the criminalization of this beneficial plant. Perhaps a better question is this: is marijuana legalization popular? If the answer is no, why are so many people being arrested each year for simple marijuana possession? And if it were popular, the law would not be so restrictive, resulting in more people gaining access to this relatively safe and natural medicine.

Perhaps the most telling indicator of how popular marijuana use is the current state of Colorado's marijuana laws. Currently, it is illegal to consume or manufacture marijuana in the state, and anyone caught doing either is subject to fines and jail time. Meanwhile, drug paraphernalia and marijuana production equipment are regularly confiscated by police in Colorado. Perhaps the majority of citizens in Colorado feel that these laws go too far and should be changed. Unfortunately, those in authority have not done much to convince citizens otherwise. So, when it comes to the question of "is marijuana legalization popular?"