Marissa Ziolkowski
If you closely followed the 2018 midterm election in Wisconsin, it will come as to no shock that 59% of voters, 70% of voters, 77% of voters respectively in Racine, Milwaukee, and Waukesha Counties said they would support the legalization of recreational marijuana in Wisconsin (“Wisconsin”). And, as someone myself who acknowledges that people are going to use marijuana recreationally regardless of the legality of it, I am left to wonder: if so many people support the legalization of pot in Wisconsin, why haven’t we done so yet? Ultimately, from an economic and social standpoint, the legalization of recreational marijuana just makes sense.
As seen by this graphic, public approval of legalizing recreational marijuana is not endemic to Wisconsin.
As previously mentioned, we have marijuana users in our state as we speak because, despite it being illegal in Wisconsin, people continue to use the drug. Seeing as it is a drug that is near impossible to overdose on and is not as dangerous as alcohol (Villa)--a drug we in Wisconsin near condone the over-serving of--marijuana should be a good we tax in Wisconsin. Our state (and hopefully, one day, our country) can take a good that is being used regularly by its citizens and make a profit off of it while introducing regulation on the drug to limit the lacing of marijuana with more harmful, addictive substances. By legalizing marijuana, small businesses related to dispensaries or pot paraphernalia can begin to thrive, and justice more easily served to those who sell tainted products. For example, in August of 2018, Colorado was ranked first when comparing states’ economies (“States”). This ranking came after Colorado’s legalization of pot in 2014--and while it is unfair to attribute their entire thriving economy on their marijuana sales, I would be remiss to say it didn’t help.
Additionally, the war on drugs has not been cheap for the American people. An estimate has put the federal government of the United States at $1 trillion spent on the incarceration of illegal drug possession or use since 1971. Not only would the legalization bring in money to our governments, with tax revenue raking in anywhere from $2.4 billion to $6 billion annually, depending on how it is taxed--but also, would save the federal government about $7.7 billion annually, as by legalizing pot, you reduce the number of people who are committing a crime (Edwards). Taxpayers are paying for the incarceration of nonviolent “criminals” currently, which is quite honestly, a waste of money.
The legalization of marijuana would also improve the social health of our nation, as unfortunately, racism is present in our legal system. This is no question, as from the excess of police brutality shown towards minorities to the sentences received for the same exact crime between minorities and whites, the racism present in our system has been proved time and time again. “[D]espite accounting for only 12.5 percent of all substance users, black Americans make up nearly 30 percent of all drug-related arrests” (Pearl). Justice is not being fairly served, as marijuana arrests appear to be just another vehicle for delivering unjust sentences to minorities.
All in all, while change can be scary, it is the key to progression--as a nation and as an economy. Legalizing recreational marijuana is heavily supported in Wisconsin, and after seeing the benefits of the legalization, I believe it is time to listen to the people.
Works Cited
Edwards, Ezekiel, and Rebecca McCray. “Hundreds of Economists: Marijuana Prohibition Costs Billions, Legalization Would Earn Billions.” American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union, 9 July 2018, www.aclu.org/blog/smart-justice/sentencing-reform/hundreds-economists-marijuana-prohibition-costs-billions?redirect=blog%2Fmass-incarceration%2Fhundreds-economists-marijuana-prohibition-costs-billions-legalization-would.
Hartig, Hannah, and Abigail Geiger. “62% Of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 8 Oct. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/08/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/.
Pearl, Betsy. “Ending the War on Drugs: By the Numbers.” Center for American Progress, 27 June 2018, www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2018/06/27/452819/ending-war-drugs-numbers/.
“States with the Best and Worst Economies.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 27 Aug. 2018, www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/money/economy/2018/08/23/states-with-the-best-and-worst-economies/37490719/.
Villa, Lauren. “Marijuana vs Alcohol | Is Marijuana Safer Than Alcohol?” DrugAbuse.com, American Addiction Centers, 21 Dec. 2016, drugabuse.com/marijuana-vs-alcohol/.
“Wisconsin Election Results: Governor, Senate and Other Seats up for Grabs.” Wisconsin Election Results: 2018 Midterm Live Results | Journal Sentinel, Journal Sentinel Online, 7 Nov. 2018, projects.jsonline.com/topics/election/2018/11/6/november-2018-wisconsin-general-election-results.html.
I think that this is a very interesting topic that I believe will be resolved pretty soon. As you showed in the graph, the consensus in the US is that weed should be legalized for recreational use and this has been implemented into some states recently. Although I am not a huge fan of weed in general, people will be smoking no matter if it is legal or not, so might as well just make it legal. Some possible problems of this are that people will be smoking more in public since it will be consider more normal and will be more common, however, I don't think that it is a huge deal since people smoke cigarettes in public and also there are regulations on where you can smoke. All in all, very well written article and nice topic choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that legalizing marijuana would make a huge difference in our economy. As the saying goes, force creates resistance. Thee more people are told they can’t smoke weed, the more they are going to do it. Plus, having a law against it creates a whole wormhole of conflicts including lying to law enforcement or other authorities to not get caught, snitching to not get turned in, getting caught up in even more illegal things, etc. Just things that people would do to avoid getting charged for smoking weed. A good friend of mine’s brother was actually killed because of the secrecy and paranoia of getting caught with weed. And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I believe that if we legalize marijuana, rates such as murder, suicide, crime, and even stress levels, will greatly decrease, furthering our country to a “happier” country.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very tough topic there are many positives and negatives to legalizing pot. If it were to be legal it would be a lot less expensive because it is easier to get. So with this happening would the economy really be benefited. The only new thing that would happen is that you now know better where the money is going, but as of right now there is still a lot of money being circulated through the economy with the illegal sale of pot.
ReplyDeleteIn looking at the legalization of weed in not only Wisconsin, but in the entire USA, normally you would just look at the health standpoint. Since it is a drug, you'd wanna make sure that legalizing this drug wouldn't harm anyone that lives in the United States. However, looking at it from an economic standpoint is very interesting, because it seems to benefit everyone. If the drug is tested and proven to be safe, it looks like there could be a lot more jobs created, as well as the product being taxed. Consumers have another thing to spend their money on in the economy, which will help circulate the money even more.
ReplyDeletePretty much everything you said makes a lot of sense; I especially liked the argument about how the government is currently losing money fighting drugs, and could potentially make money off of taxing them. I have thought about this before, but what I never considered was that taxpayers also have to pay for the incarceration of drug offenders. If we legalize marijuana, the tax dollars that previously went to prisons can now be spent on rebuilding infrastructure and other much needed areas of improvement in our country.
ReplyDeletePot has been a heavily debated argument for many years now. Many people cloud their opinion with the fact pot is a drug and set to be illegal for a reason. However, if they were to compare this one drug, a drug in which you mentioned is nearly impossible to overdose on, with legal drugs that are extremely easy to overdose on, where does their point stand? There are actual benefits with pot that people choose to ignore as the term “drug” over stands. Almost 20 states in the US have either pot medically legalized or 100% legalized. There has been studies showing the results and benefits of marijuana in the medical department that could help more people with more legalization. Marijuana does have a bad label and that can be hard to shake, but putting aside the negative influences there are certain positive aspects that can help people as well as our economy overall.
ReplyDeleteYou’re essay was really well written. I would agree that it seems silly that Wisconsin gets away with selling alcohol a much more dangerous drug, when marijuana isn’t also legal. Something to consider is the number of people put in jail for DUIs vs handling marijuana. I did some background research to contribute, “approximately 24,000 convictions for drunken driving offenses in Wisconsin in 2015” and then I couldn’t even find a estimate on the number of tickets handed out for marijuana possession. However I did find that “In a National Association of Counties survey of county law enforcement officials in 2006, nearly half said they considered methamphetamine to be their primary drug problem more than cocaine, marijuana and heroin combined.” With this information I could conclude that made marijuana isn’t causing as many issues as anti-legalize marijuana people believe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, legalizing cannabis could provide many benefits. Considering that cannabis is above a 50% approval rating, most people want cannabis so why is it not legal yet. As you stated in your article, marijuana has many benefits for our economy; legalizing marijuana could lead to more economic growth and more available jobs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that marijuana should be legalized as the legalization of such drug doesn't only bring a boost to the economy, it also helps lower crime rates in relation to drugs. In the last month alone, around 2.2 million people have used marijuana in the United States (National Institute on Drug Abuse). So, I agree that the legalization of this drug will reduce the hefty price of 1 trillion used for the incarceration of illegal drug possession or use. Hopefully, with the legalization of the drug, there could be more information for drug safety on marijuana and information for adolescents who may immaturely be using the drug.
ReplyDeleteI agree that legalizing marijuana would boost the economy of Wisconsin dramatically. People are already using it, and will continue to use it no matter what. This can be capitalized on by taxing the sales, which provides more money for the government to use for promoting the safe use of marijuana. I also think it would be important to verify that it does not cause any long term health problems, before legalizing it. Colorado has a booming economy, as you mentioned, and I bet a lot of it is from the legalization because its become a tourist destination as well, which Wisconsin could consider a benefit of legalizing it as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your argument. In all honesty, it does seem silly that it is not legalized already. You mentioned that even though it is illegal people will still find ways to get it, and this is very true. Unlike dangerous opioids or other hard drugs, marijuana does not hold the terrible risks associated with use, and medicinally is proven to be very helpful for many ailments. By criminalizing it, the lucrative black market of drug dealing is only facilitated (as well as the violence associated with it), as the demand for it is high. If it were to be legalized, the gargantuan amounts of money spent on the drugs under the table will be counted towards the US's GDP and a whole new industry could emerge--as seen in states such as Colorado. As for the people who are against it, just because it is legal doesn't mean they have to use it, and the process of legalization would unlikely affect them in any way. Overall, legalization of marijuana seem like the logical thing to do, as use is already rampant and a new , prospering industry could be created which would carry many economic benefits alongside it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that marijuana should be legalized, and I thought the comparison to alcohol was a good choice, especially within the context of Wisconsin. However, I thought the post could use some sort of counter argument to demonstrate the legitimate reasons for people not wanting marijuana legalized. With an example of a strong counter argument, you could further strengthen your own argument by pointing out the flaws in any counter argument. Besides this, the graph you used related to your argument well, but could have been capitalized on more in order to have it better support your argument. Explaining what events or changes in public attitude led to the changes in polling numbers could have helped debunking past fears concerning marijuana.
ReplyDeleteI think that the legalization of cannabis will have a good economic outcome and a good societal outcome. Considering this plant has been researched and almost all studies show good out comes, for example, the National Cancer Institute announced in a study that patients who ingested a cannabis plant extract spray reported more restful sleep, and according to a Discovery Health article, marijuana has been extremely successful in relieving nausea, which is extremely good news for cancer patients suffering from nausea as a side effect of chemotherapy, the drug also helps with people who have loss of appetite that can be due to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, it helps relax muscle tension and spasms and chronic pain. So many effects of cannabis are helpful to people. Not only does it help physically but it for sure will help the economy like you said. Keeping marijuana illegal is a money pit for civilians and the economy. Seeing the helpful effects of cannabis, really sheds a light on why marijuana should be legal.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting to examine your chart which shows the mentality of the United States has changed greatly in the last 40 years in regards to the legalization or marijuana. I agree the positive economic effects of its legalization would outweigh any minor consequences. Considering Wisconsin is known for it's high alcohol consumption and the dangers this provokes on roads, I think there is no possibility the legalization of cannabis will come anywhere close the the number of DUI accidents etc. Additionally, as you mentioned businesses will be able to cater to a new legal market and new businesses could emerge leading to an increase in potential real GDP, which overall would benefit our economy. Wisconsin would not be the first state to take this action, and there are states who have moved in this direction with successful results, which proves Wisconsin could have a similar outcome.
ReplyDeleteThe data clearly shows the positive benefits for legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin, in terms of the tax revenue that could be made off of it, its comparative safety with alcohol, and the money spent on government expenditures on marijuana drug charges. Marijuana is becoming less taboo and people are beginning to see the health benefits it can offer as well. I believe that legalizing marijuana will decrease crime as well. This will put the money back into the state instead of into the people selling the drugs.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to acknowledge that abusers are going to continue to use, regardless of the legalization of the drug. It is interesting, however, that doing so can actually benefit our economy. Reckless users can inflict damage within our society, which can lead to taxpayers to cleaning up after them. This shouldn't be their responsibility. It will also give businesses the opportunity to thrive within the new legal standards, as their is a new legal target market to tend to. This can create intense competition as there is already illegal activity and with the ability to publically sell, they can incorporate new techniques and require new resources, creating a cycle of increasing GDP. It's an interesting topic that needs to be considered, and with politicians trying to find new ways to attract voters, I think we'll continue to hear more about this battle in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your argument that we might as well tax it if people are going to be using it anyway. There has been an estimated 200 million in new revenue in Colorado and I definitely think Wisconsin should explore this path. I do think you should be careful with your statistics however. You said in your article that 77% of Waukesha county voters approved of legalizing recreational marijuana. If you look at the election results (from your source, "Wisconsin") you will see that the referendum question under the tab 'Waukesha County' was only pertaining to the City of Waukesha, which is significantly more liberal than Waukesha county as a whole and is considered a slight Democratic/liberal lean. Also the the question asks cannabis should be legalized for 'medical purposes' and be used like prescription drugs, which makes a huge difference. This changes the statistic significantly and to be honest I don't think recreational marijuana would get majority support in Waukesha county. That being said I do agree with your analysis and I thought you had a very well articulated opinion I would just make sure to check your sources more closely.
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought that legalizing a drug could be both economically effective and beneficial to the population in general, but I realize now that it can be. First of all, as you mentioned, medically legalizing marijuana will hopefully prevent people from buying illegal marijuana that’s laced with other dangerous substances. The legalization will also increase GDP because illegal activities are not included when calculating GDP, so the sales of marijuana would start being accounted for in the state’s GDP. Additionally, I think that it would be best to consider an idea like import quotas and apply a set amount of marijuana that a person can buy. In general, I agree that legalizing medical marijuana is a change to look into and consider.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I think you make a good point in how there would be many economic benefits of legalizing marijuana. However one of the concerns by many states is that once pot is legalized, there is also an increase in the presence of all other drugs. In other words, where pot goes, the other drugs follow. Colorado is now one of the leading consumers in "other drugs" such as cocaine, meth and heroine. It is that concern that with more marijuana being distributed that it opens up new avenues for drug dealing with other drugs that are much more harmful to many more people. Also, I think it is important to note that while yes, black Americans make up a fair chunk of all substance arrests, 1) it was not specified whether that was marijuana or not and 2) disparity need not mean discrimination. It's also important to note that in cases like methamphetamines, white people are actually arrested more for using and dealing meth, than any other race. There may be much disparity on what percentage of people get arrested for substance abuse by race, not automatically discrimination because there is disparity present.
ReplyDeleteI think that marijuana should be legalized in Wisconsin because people use it for medical reasons and it does help a lot of people. Although, some people may misuse it, it still will have a lot of benefits for people who need it for medical reasons. This will be good for the suppliers of marijuana because if it becomes legal in Wisconsin more people are going to want it, but they should only use it for medical reasons. With that being said the demand for it will also increase, if it does become legal because it hasn’t been legal in Wisconsin at all. The overall, reason it should be legal is because it doesn’t really hurt people unless they miss use it and it helps a lot of people when they deal with illness it is a cure for them. It will also increase the supply and demand for marijuana if it does become legal in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very widely debating topic and I agree that we have definitely spent a lot of money on problems relating to legalizing marijuana. If people are going to use it recreationally either way, might as well make it legal and stop wasting citizen and government money. This relates to taxes as well, because i'm sure that some of our tax money is going to this and its just getting wasted. Although it would be easier to legalize it, there still could be added issues but we won’t know until we try.
ReplyDeletePot should be legalized. Although, it may be used for the wrong reasons, it causes larger and more dangerous issues when people try to sell it illegally. If the nation would legalize pot people would be put through less danger. Also it would most likely cost less because it would turn into an elastic good since there would be a variety of company’s selling this product.
ReplyDeleteI really like what you had to say regarding this highly debated topic. There is such much controversy surrounded this topic, not only in our state but as a nation as whole. There has been a recent spike in votes that agree marijuana should be legalized, and I think that contributes to the new research that is coming out about the drastic economic aid that is can provide. One topic that I wish you would have touched on more would have been the positive aspects that the state and national government can do with the tax money. I know from doing my own research on the topic, that Colorado has spent money on the public schooling systems. That is one thing that a lot of people think about when legalizing a drug, but and interesting persecutive. That would then result in the increase of GDP. You are now able to count all marijuana sales, since they are not longer illegal. Another aspect that would our nation would get out of the legalization of week.
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ReplyDeleteI think that pot should be legalized for two reasons one it is a insanely huge economic profit and two it is has health benefits one being that CBD is good for you heart health as well as lessen your anxiety I can see you concern about it as Colorado is now one of the leading consumers in other drugs such as cocaine, meth and heroine. It is that concern that with more marijuana being distributed that it opens up new avenues for drug dealing with other drugs that are much more harmful to many more people. I think this debate will continue to go on for some time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in your argument that marijuana should be legalized. Though the social impacts are vast and greatly positive, the economic impacts may greatly increase our country's GDP. Due to the high demand of the drug, the buyers for the products will be plentiful. A new industry will also aid in acquiring new unemployed workers jobs. The concerns of legalizing the drug are revolve mainly around the health impacts. Marijuana is known to be used for medicinal purposes as well as recreational use. Also with the fact that it is near impossible to overdose on, the rebuttal is thoroughly weakened. Overall, due to public opinion, and the benefits it poses, marijuana should be legalized in not only Wisconsin, but the United States.
ReplyDeleteLegalizing recreational marijuana only makes sense, both socially and economically. Speaking by economic standards, the legalization of marijuana would only help our economy grow dramatically. It would become a highly sought after good, which would help the economy flourish because consumers would be more inclined to spend their money, which it turn helps the suppliers be able to grow their business. Similarly to what we have seen with the new CBD stores opening up, the legalization of recreational marijuana would help our economy grow. I believe that if alcohol is legal after a certain age, marijuana should be too. If government officials want to see substantial economic growth, the use of recreational marijuana should be legal.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that legalizing recreational marijuana will boost the economy of Wisconsin, and I liked how you compared it to the state of Colorado. While the social and medical effects are up in the air right now, I believe that people will still continue to use it, whether or not it is legal. You may as well try to legalize it in its current state so that it will be accounted in a nation's GDP. Compared to the amount of alcohol use in the state of Wisconsin, the newly legalized marijuana will most likely not result in the same amount of DUI arrests. The state can also benefit from the sale of marijuana through taxes, which will most likely grow over time, as the drug becomes more popular.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you but I think we need to start with legalizing medical marijuana because there is currently a single mother who is facing about 30 years in prison for providing her son with medical marijuana which is the only relaxer for his life threatening condition and was actually prescribed to him. Marijuana has positive effects for sufferers of PTSD such as veterans and abuse/sexual abuse survivors as well as those who suffer from terminal illnesses such as ALS etc. The fact that there are people in America, one of the richest countries in the world, who are suffering so immensely because they are barred from the plausible option of medical marijuana as treatment. I agree, illegality obviously fuels the black market and encourages dangerous lacing, similar to how the banning of alcohol in our history only increased the traffic of alcohol underground. I can definitely see how making it a taxable good for recreational uses would definitely be profitable but also allow the substance to be regulated. It may even help with net exports because the US could be a distributor of the substance to hospitals and buyers from other countries, just like how profits for Colorado went up after the legalization of marijuana, but for the whole country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in the pursuit to legalize medical marijuana as it's effects have been beneficial in the past. There should just be strict rules and careful watch on those utilizing it, so there is not a great risk of abusing it and it ending up hurting you. It has benefits on those struggling with PTSD and patients going through chemo trying to fight cancer. It would really make sense to legalize marijuana under careful watch and strict conditions.
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