Jordan Thomas

Irene J. Peterson
English 1010
November 10th

Is Marijuana Better of Being Illegal

According to thegoverning.com, Marijuana has officially been legalized in 23 out of the 50
states. With it becoming more more common and less illegal. One big question is still yet to be
determined. Should cannabis be taxed and regulated. What would be the outcomes, would it help
states and local communities? according to Matt Ferner, a writer for huffington post. After 1year
and a half of marijuana being researched, more than 117 million dollars have been collected and
used properly because of their taxation and legalization of marijuana.
With colorado making so much from the legalization. Where could it all be going? Later
in the article ferner begins to write about how colorado has already donated at 24 million dollars
to building better schools and communities for the state. he then goes on to state that it is also
going into the state's lottery fund and its land trust. It isn't just going to the state either. Colorado
has also donated a sum of 8 million dollars to the research of medical marijuana.
Colorado does not strictly think that it is all about the money. The main reason they
legalized in the first place is because they wanted to make sure that you were safe if you did
smoke marijuana. Ferner also places in a quote by the deputy director of the colorado

government, J.Skyler Mckinley stating The big lesson we tell other states is you probably
shouldn't legalize marijuana if you want to make money, You do it because you think that a
regulated marketplace might be safer than an unregulated marketplace or you believe that the
war on drugs didn't work."
Chris Mooney, a respected writer for the washington post, wrote an article on the
downside of the legalization of marijuana, for both growing and selling purposes. However
Mooney doesnt take up either side on whether he is for the legalization or against it. In the
article One surprising downside of marijuana legalization: major energy use He starts off by
going over the states that have legalized and distributing cannabis for recreational use.Then
immediately goes on to state that it uses a large amount of energy that the states weren't
expecting It turns out that indoor marijuana growth in particular a cultivation
method often favored in the industry for many reasons uses a surprising amount of
energy. Mooney states then going on to apply that more and more of the legalized states
should take full advantage of the licensing procedures so that way they can have at least some
control over the energy absorption. He also goes on to say that The Study estimated that indoor
cannabis (both illegal and legal) uses $6 billion worth of electricity every year, amounting to 1
percent of overall U.S. electricity. And in some production-intensive states like California, it was
much higher
The reason the energy absorption is so high is because of the use and need of strong
technology to be able to make the plants grow. Mooney pulls a quote from researcher Evan
Mills, a senior scientist for the university of California in the department of energy stating that
the high intensity use of lighting, dehumidification for removing the water and vapor, the space

heating, and many other factors that determines if the plant will grow or not is very big on energy
and is constantly being used.

Cully Stimpson, a writer for cnsnews.com takes a darker look on the legalization of
marijuanna. with his article 7 Harmful side effects pot legalization has caused in colorado
showing that is not only just about energy, but also the people that are inhaling the purple smoke.
From DUI drug arrests of a vast majority of arrests, to 82 percent rise of people being
hospitalized to due marijuana consumption. Stimpson starts off the article by announcing where
he sits on the policy of marijuana being legalized, stating that As I have argued before, is a
terrible public policy. then moving on to his facts that prove his point. The first one being that
DUI drug arrests are 25 to 40 percent on marijuana alone. Followed with the users being 12 to 17
have increased from 7.55 percent to 10.47 in colorado alone. the third is the suspensions that are
occurring due to possession charges, which is 32 percent higher from 08-09 statistics. Moving
onto the fourth reason, Stimpson states that the number of colleges students currently using the
drug 42 percent higher in colorado than the national average. and the other reasons are for more
and more people testing positive for drug use, and hospital visits being 57 percent higher.
Simpson concludes with this statement. Drug policy should be based on hard science and
reliable data. And the data coming out of Colorado points to one and only one conclusion: the
legalization of marijuana in the state is terrible public policy.
Not all of it is about money or hospitalizations. Susan Squibb takes a look at how the
legalization of marijuana has impacted the total amount of crime violations for better or for
worse. she starts by singling out the crimes that are not cannabis related such as burglaries,

robberies, and violations and citation. Then going on to look at how the legalization has affected
the total number of robberies on dispensaries. stating these impressive statistics Burglaries at
licensed marijuana facilities have decreased in number. In 2013, 147 burglaries were reported.
Mary Dulacki, records coordinator for Denvers Department of Safety said, In 2014, there were
118 burglaries and four robberies reported at licensed marijuana facilities in the City and County
of Denver. Robberies at licensed marijuana facilities in Denver stayed the same; four were also
reported in 2013. However she then goes on to state the the total number of arrests for public
indecency and DRUIDs have 354 citations out of 5,546 which is very impressive
taking a step back from all the statistics and funding for schools. What are the effects of
inhaling marijuana on the body and brain? Lauren cox wrote an artical for Livescience.com
taking in more stats and asking people who have used cannabis before about what happens to
them and what they felt like when they were.faded. People reported with them being
frequently relaxed, and typically noises would become louder with colors becoming more vivid.
They also mentioned a sudden change in appetite, this is constantly referred to as getting the
munchies. However it is not all laughs and games, some more serious effects recorded were:
feelings of panic and anxiety, Hallucinations, Increased heart rate, and trouble concentrating. She
then goes onto state that teens tend to use marijuana more than the average adult, and that it also
has negative side effects on the body. Some of the side effects are decreased brain activity, a
negative impact on brain development, etc. She then moves onto the effects on the body which
are identical to those who smoke cigarettes, such as a daily cough, bronchitis, and lung infections
Compared to other drugs that are used. Marijuana isnt even on the same scale as the
others that can be used, like Cocaine and heroin. christopher Ingraham, Another writer for the
washington post, Has crunched together all the statistics and shows that marijuana is not even in

the same league of danger as the other drugs are. in Fact he says the marijuana is roughly 114
times less dangerous than alcohol Stating Marijuana is also the only drug studied that posed a
low mortality risk to its users. However he then goes on to say that just because it is less
dangerous. doesnt mean that it has no danger to it
In conclusion Marijuana has been proven to be the least dangerous drug and has also
helped colorado's funding with new schools. Also bringing back up the fact that marijuana is
already very widely used. And legalizing it basically means free taxation and funding to the
state. On the other side however, there is more hospitalizations and more charges for possession
and more expulsions due to its relativity. And with looking back at all the side effects. Marijuana
is nothing compared to the other drugs and doesn't compare to their hospitalizations

Squibb, Susan. "Ask The Cannabist: Staking out Stats for Colorado Crime and DUID
Arrests." Thecannabist.co. Thecannabist.co, 21 May 2015. Web.

Stimpson, Cully. "7 Harmful Side Effects Pot Legalization Has Caused in
Colorado."Cnsnews.com. Csnews.com, 21 Aug. 2014. Web

Ferner, Matt. "Pioneer Pot States Have Collected More Than $200 Million In Marijuana
Taxes." Huffingtonpost.com. 26 Oct. 2015. Web.

Mooney, Chris. "Ne Surprising Downside of Marijuana Legalization: Major Energy Use."
Washingtonpost.com. Washingtonpost.com, 23 Mar. 2015. Web.

Cox, Lauren. "Marijuana: Effects of Weed on Brain and Body." Livescience.com.

Livescience.com, 23 June 2014. Web.

Ingraham, Christopher. "Marijuana May Be Even Safer than Previously Thought,

Researchers Say." Washingtonpost.com. Washingtonpost.com, 23 Feb. 2015. Web.