With the revenue of legal weed on the rise, government officials are looking for new ways to make money off the popular drug. California could legalize marijuana outright as early as July 1st, 2018 meaning recreational users could see a change in the way they buy bud. The biggest difference in how medical and non-medical users pay for pot would be taxation. People who buy marijuana for recreational use can expect to pay between 15% and 20% more than medical patients do, 2.9% of which goes to the state. States such as Colorado and California for instance are already revolutionizing the recreational marijuana industry by combining dispensaries with restaurants such as Starbucks or McDonald's, allowing anyone over 21 years of age to buy up to an ounce of marijuana. Notably, both states topped over $1 billion dollars in legal marijuana sales in 2016. Do you expect to see the legalization of recreational marijuana continue outside of states that have already legalized or decriminalized medical marijuana? Do you think an increase in marijuana legalization will lead to decreased crime rates?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/way-people-buy-legal-marijuana-133200578.html
I expected for more states to legalize recreational use of marijuana in the upcoming years. I think more states are realizing that marijuana is a way to generate revenue for the state. I think states that are in significant debt, like Illinois, should legalize marijuana in order to cut into their debt. In regards to crime rates, I think that legalizing marijuana will not increase crime rates because marijuana users will have an easier access to it. One problem with legalizing marijuana is how are cops going to regulate smoking and driving under the influence of marijuana.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that more states will legalize recreational marijuana use the near future. Now over 50% of the US population believe that marijuana should be legal, which means that soon political decisions will follow public opinion. (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/12/support-for-marijuana-legalization-continues-to-rise/) In terms of crime rates, I am not optimistic that this would make a significant impact.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zoe. I don't see marijuana legalization significantly lowering crime rates.
ReplyDeleteAs seen through Colorado and other states, revenue through marijuana increased significantly. According to Colorado's Department of Revenue, Colorado had collected $70 million in the fiscal year which nearly doubled the alcohol tax ($42 million). http://time.com/4037604/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/ Because of this success, it'll by likely that other states will follow suit in the near future.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcR_Wg42dv8
ReplyDeleteI thought this video would be relevant. Also, I love John Oliver.
I agree with Zoe too. I don't think Marijuana legalization make a significant impact on lowering crime rates. I don't see a very strong correlation of these two.
ReplyDeleteI guess I understand the idea of why this would have the potential to decrease crime rates. Instead of police spending time on weed & putting people in jail for it they could allocate their time and resources to other areas of crime and what not... not sure if that actually would make a significant difference or not though.
ReplyDeleteI think tommy has the right idea in that the use of marijuana would no longer be a crime. Although there would still be some issues as there would probably be laws surrounding the use while operating a vehicle or use by those deemed to be underage.
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