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Sangam Shah Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 February 11, 2014 Topic Proposal: Was legalizing marijuana in the states a mistake? I will be examining whether if the move to make marijuana legal in the following states: Washington and Colorado is a mistake. Many people in the United States have smoked the plant. According to a National Survey on Drug Use, 14.4 million people of the age of twelve or older have used marijuana at least once before the interview took place which was December 20, 2013. The National Survey of Americans in favor of legalization had 58% in favor of legalization. Marijuana has had its fair share of negative publicity. As a result, individuals under the influence of marijuana may experience impairment in motor control and compromised shortterm memory. While being intoxicated, memory is often selectively impaired in a dosedependent fashion similar to alcohol. I found most of my information through the organization such as National Institute on Drug Abuse. There are so many different views that the world has on marijuana. Throughout the United States, each of the states has their own opinion about the situation except for the ones that have spoken their mind on it and have passed laws for recreational use. The topic can only be solved by a factor and that is the government. Some states have gone through the research and now have come to a conclusion such as Washington, and Colorado. Commercial marijuana stores opened at the beginning of the year for Colorado, and stores in Washington to open in April and legalizing it means that it opens all kinds of opportunity for medical research on how it

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can help cure with cancer. Making the chronic legal has its economic benefits too. The Policymakers can put a sales tax on the product. Right now the state of Colorado has a heavy tax rate of 25 percent on marijuana sales. The state of Colorado had made over million dollars in revenue within the first day. Was it a good idea to legalize it? Many people find it hard to believe that we have a couple states in the country that have finally broke down and decided to legalize the usage of marijuana like Colorado and Washington State. It was a success on the first day as many people stood outside in the morning anticipating the opening of the stores. The only downside about this is now the government has their hands in the profits of the marijuana. This is a downside for the consumers, because they can make it more expensive than what it usual is. They set up a 29 percent tax rate on all pot sales. 37 pot shops opened statewide, and reportedly said they had received over a million dollars in sales in the first day (state of Colorado). This could be a new way for us to climb out of our disastrous debt situation. It is the perfect way to get the economy flowing again. It was wise to legalize, because they can focus more on destructive drugs like cocaine, and heroin. These drugs are more violent, and more destruction can come from these things. What happened after legalization? The legalization of marijuana in these states is complete, and now both of the states are starting to regulate it. Washington is stated that there will be a limit on number of sellers licenses, and plants will not be allowed for personal use. Colorado is less strict with having no limit on sellers licenses. They reported the projected revenue will be close to $300 million by the end of year 2014, and increased to $2 billion at the end of 2017. The taxes received on pot

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sales will be put towards public school construction, and the smaller sales tax would receive a 15 percent cut. The smaller sales cut would go to the states tax income that can be evenly divided up into paying for other necessary things. There are often new laws that come with the legalization of a drug on how it should be regulated driving wise, whether it is still not acceptable to use at public places, and in sports, do they allow the athletes to use the substance? Driving while impaired by marijuana will get you arrested for a DUI (state of Colorado). The law has not changed with the legalization of marijuana. People under the influence of marijuana should not drive because it affects their reaction time, short-term memory, hand-eye coordination, and perception of time and distance. It is also illegal to use marijuana on a public road, and to have it in the passenger area of a vehicle in an open container. Adults, after the age of 21 are allowed to purchase, possess, grow and transport up to six marijuana plants in a private place. It cannot be shown to the public and not sold. For the tourists that smoke in the illegal states can go to the state to use product in the state, but the product cannot leave the state lines at all. The NFL still has the substance on the banned list, which I do not understand, because marijuana is becoming widely acceptable as a pain reliever, and with the sport which is known for brutal violence it should be acceptable. Smoking in public areas is still not allowed, the only places that you can is on private property which can be kind of sketchy too. What I mean by that is that, yes it says marijuana can be smoked on private property, but it depends, because police can find any loophole to give a ticket out. What was the crime rate before legalization?

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After the legalization of marijuana, State penitentiaries in the state of Washington and Colorado experienced a drop of 20 percent in crime rates. This was a smart decision, because now the police can worry about far worse than the usage of marijuana. This will also clear out the cells with all the people who were convicted of marijuana felonies or misdemeanors. According to CBNC robberies on dispensaries are increasing more as we speak. The owners of the dispensary are not getting any help from the banks because marijuana is still illegal for the most part. Giving out loans to dispensaries would be a good target, because it is a up and coming business. Not all of the kinks have been worked out, but they know it is ideal to the liquor stores. What does marijuana do with your body after use? As THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) enters the brain, it causes the user to feel high by acting on the brain's reward system, which is made up of regions that govern the response to pleasurable things like sex and chocolate, as well as to most drugs of abuse. THC activates the reward system in the same way that nearly all drugs of abuse do: by stimulating brain cells to release the chemical dopamine. It is also known to cause short-term memory loss because it kills all the brain cells. It hurts the brain to form new memories, and also conceptors are being destroyed which enables the body to be balanced and to be coordinated. So if this drug is being used, then activities such as driving and athletics would be hard. Marijuana is perceived to be addictive, which means it begins to dominate their lives, and most states still have it illegal because of it, and well as it being historically linked with narcotics such as heroin (civil liberties). The states believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, but it is not,

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because the dealers just persistently persuade the customers to try harder drugs because they know marijuana is not addictive. What are some advantages of Marijuana? Marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS. Cannabis has been smoked in the western countries for many decades; there have been no reports of lung cancer or emphysema coming from marijuana. Some patients that receive cannabis have an improved immune function compared with the ones that are receiving placebo. There is no defined withdrawals syndrome from the use of marijuana, and the sign of a true addiction is when the use is stopped according to Medical Marijuana ProCon organization. Was the legalization of marijuana a mistake? I do not think so, and so does the state of Colorado. The plan will do nothing but be successful according to the people. Washington Times in an article was stating that the weed now is far stronger than what our parents used to smoke. Marijuana intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash; heavy marijuana use has been significantly linked to an 8-point reduction in IQ. I believe that the legalization of Marijuana is a legit idea, and should be implemented, because it is not as bad as drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. I understand that is hard to let our children get bombarded with promotions about smoking marijuana. Most people understand what to do in life, and that is why there is a thing call civil liberties. People should be allowed to do whatever they want with their own body. I think legalization is a splendid idea. Works for both sides of the consumer, and the government. For people who have Alzheimer and Glaucoma, marijuana cures it. Marijuana helps relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and slows down tumor growth.

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The remaining 48 states have kept the substance illegal, and the only reason is because it has been so long that the drug has been illegal, that the congressmen are honestly scared to see the aftermath. The evidence from Colorado and Washington is worth seeing. The crime rates have been reduced, and since the government can now put tax on the sales, it is doing wonders for the economy bringing in sales of over millions of dollars. With the 29 percent they have now, eighths (3.5 grams) are 50 to 60 dollars, and in the streets of Colorado, it can be found at 45 dollars sometimes even cheaper. The times are changing and it is time to start a new chapter in the book of marijuana.

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Works Cited "National institute of drug abuse." National Institute of Drug Abuse. National Institute of Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. 25 Mar 2014. Levy, Jordan. "Does marijuana damage brain cells." Health Psychology. N.p., 10 april 2009. Web. 25 Mar 2014. "State of Colorado." offical state of Colorado website of marijuana information and resources. State of Colorado, 1 january 2014. Web. 25 Mar 2014. ProCon.org. "Should Marijuana be a Medical Option" ProCon.org. 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2013. Briggs, Bill. "Robbers target cash-based pot businesses." CNBC.com. NBC, 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.