More reasons to legalize marijuana

Written in response to Bobby Lindsey's post The Money Plant:

"I agree with you. The legalization of marijuana is a completely logical move. It would be an additional source of revenue (especially if there is a tax on it), and it would mitigate some of the violence caused by the drug trade by narrowing the illegal drug market (though there are certainly other illegal drugs that would continue this aspect of the informal economy).

However, I have to point out a few problems with your argument. For starters, you make a large point in the benefits of hemp as a reason for the legalization of marijuana. Well, hemp is legal because hemp usually refers to the strain of the plant with low levels of THC, the chemical that creates the high. There are hemp products left and right here in Austin, in both clothing stores and grocery stores. In fact, as a vegan, I consume hemp products on a fairly regular basis. Therefore, it’s important to make a distinction between hemp and marijuana and not use the terms interchangeably.

Second, you point out the economic benefits of legalizing marijuana, and yes they do exist. But a stronger case could be made when discussing the additional social benefits and how those would help a struggling budget as well. As I’ve already stated, legalizing marijuana would knock down a huge part of the illegal drug trade. Less drug trade means less drug dealers (both petty dealers and those affiliated with gangs). Less dealers translates to less money spent on law enforcement and criminal corrections (not to mention less violence, but certainly money is the more valuable aspect…). That right there would tack on even more capital gain for the budget in addition to any money raised from a taxed marijuana, though both would certainly help.

Lastly, I disagree that marijuana legalization seems far off. We’ve already made some gains in the usage of medicinal marijuana, and the growing acceptance and popularity of hemp products suggests a shift in the American psyche regarding all strains of cannabis. That being said, the War on Drugs is definitely a thorn in America’s side at this point in time. It’s not only halting a wonderful source of revenue, but it fails to address the real social problems that created the violence and issues associated with drug trade: poverty, social disorganization, and mental illness among other things; and even the legalization of marijuana won’t fix those."