Top Ten Reasons to End Marijuana Prohibition

 

  1.  Prohibition hasn’t worked — marijuana use is mainstream and widespread. Relatively few Americans had heard of marijuana when the federal government first effectively prohibited it in 1937. Today, government data shows more than 118 million Americans admit to having tried it (24 million in the last month), and every year, the Monitoring the Future survey finds that four out of five high school seniors say marijuana is easy to obtain. 2.  Prohibition wastes public resources, while marijuana taxation brings in much-needed revenue. A sample estimate by the Congressional Research Service projected that replacing marijuana prohibition with taxation and regulation would yield $6.8 billion in excise taxes alone. In Washington State, taxes on cannabis sales brought in more than $400 million in 2017. 3.  Arresting marijuana offenders prevents police from focusing on real crime. In 2016 alone, the FBI reported more than 650,000 marijuana arrests and citations — more than for all violent crimes combined. Meanwhile, FBI data showed that less than 46% of violent crimes and only 18.3% of property crimes were cleared nationwide. Data published in Police Quarterly Quarterl y showed a higher percentage of some crimes were solved after legalization in  both Colorado and an d Washington. 4.  Prohibition sends an incredible number of Americans through the criminal justice system, ruining countless lives. According to the FBI, there have been more than 13 million marijuana arrests in the U.S. since 1995. Eighty-nine percent were for possession. While marijuana consumers who were not convicted have gone on to be president or Supreme Court justice, a criminal conviction can stand in the way of securing a job, getting housing, or receiving a professional license, student loan, food assistance, driver’s license, or firearms permit. 5.  Marijuana laws are disproportionately enforced. According to the ACLU, blacks are more than three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, despite similar rates of use. 6.  Replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation does not increase rates of teen marijuana use. According to the most comprehensive government surveys in each state, no state that legalized marijuana for adults has seen an overall increase in teens’ rates of marijuana use outside of the confidence interval. Most of the data indicates slight decreases within the confidence intervals. 7.  Marijuana prohibition breeds violence. As was the case during alcohol prohibition, driving this lucrative market underground results in violence. Both buyers and sellers are vulnerable to assault when disputes cannot

 be solved lawfully, lawful ly, in courts. 8.  Regulation allows for control. Unlike licensed businesses in states that regulate cannabis, illicit marijuana sellers operate virtually anywhere and have no incentive not to sell to minors. Prohibition guarantees that marijuana will not be tested for purity and potency, creating the risk of contamination by dangerous pesticides, molds, bacteria, or even lacing. 9.  Prohibition is bad for the environment. Illicit marijuana growers sometimes use banned pesticides, divert waterways, and leave hazardous waste in state and national parks. Regulated cannabis businesses are monitored to ensure compliance with zoning and environmental laws. 10.  Marijuana is safer than alcohol. Researchers have consistently concluded that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol, it has less potential for addiction, and it is less likely to contribute to serious medical problems. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 30,000 alcohol-induced deaths per year, including

more athan 2,000marijuana fromuana acute overdose. It reports zero marijuana-induced deaths each year and there has never  been verified marij overdose death in history.