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According to the Federal Government, marijuana has been illegal in the United States since 1937. Despite this, almost 25 million people reported using the drug on an annual basis in 2005. With such a large number of people using the drug in the United States, the potential benefits and consequences must be weighed carefully, for the wrong decision could have dire ramifications.
Dr. Jon Gettman, from the Bulletin of the Cannabis Reform, conducted a study which discussed some of the benefits of legalizing and taxing marijuana. Arrests involving marijuana account for 5.54 percent of all arrests; which amount to about 10.7 billion taxpayer dollars. According to Dr. Gettman, this, coupled with the possible tax revenue from the taxation of marijuana makes legalization an appealing alternative.
Dr. Gettman’s study computes potential lost tax revenue based on percentages of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) already collected (on average, 28.7 percent) for federal, state, and local governments. Taking into account an estimated 113 billion dollar marijuana industry that is already booming in the United States, the aforementioned governments lose estimated tax revenue totaling over 30 billion dollars annually. Fiscally it begins to seem like a plausible argument for legalizing marijuana.
On the other hand, a quick visit to the National Institute on Drug Abuse paints a different picture. According to the NIDA, the effects of long-term marijuana use on brain activity can be catastrophic, which is similar to other illicit drugs (e.g., cocaine). A few studies have even suggested a correlation “between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and schizophrenia” (NIDA 2). Furthermore, people who smoke marijuana, according to the NIDA, are inhaling 50 to 70 percent more carcinogens than cigarette smoke (and 100 percent more than not doing it at all!) However, the validity and applications of these studies is still debated.
Upon further review, with 440,000 cigarette-related deaths each year and with 50 to 70 percent more carcinogens than cigarettes in marijuana smoke, no government with any sense would dare legalize such a dangerous substance. With all the healthcare reform issues plaguing Capitol Hill, legalizing marijuana would just lead to higher healthcare costs, more deaths, and an increased number of individuals under the influence.