By definition, criminal law is the legislation of a state or country dealing with criminal offenses and their punishments.?Over a dozen states have decriminalized marijuana with both Colorado and Washington state making it entirely legal.?There have been over 20,000 studies conducted evaluating the effects of marijuana by the scientific community with a reliable conclusion that marijuana is “the most medicinal plant in the world.”
With these fact-filled findings, it begs the question of why marijuana remains illegal in most states? The proclamations of the federal government are in direct contradiction to these scientific certainties. They [the federal government] claim that marijuana is an extremely dangerous substance worthy of absolute criminalization and should remain under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system.
Here are 10 reasons why the federal government is wrong.
1. Medical Research
Ever since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado in 2012, both the scientific and medical communities have stepped up their efforts to further understand the benefits of marijuana. They have not only created enormous income growth for the state, but it has made Colorado a research hub for the plant creating jobs.?It has been officially considered safer than most prescribed drugs.
2. Keeping pot illegal diverts law enforcement from more important issues.
While an estimated 50 government agencies invest billions in enforcement of marijuana laws, social welfare and first step up programs lag behind and are left to “die on the vine.” [See Source]
3. Hemp Products
The number of uses for marijuana besides a pleasant smoke after a long day at work cover a broad spectrum. It includes paper in which our nation’s constitution is written. It also includes plastics, clothing, nutritious seeds, and cooking oil just to name a few. Hemp is the number one biomass producer on a world scale. There are processes in place converting hemp into fuel which would substantially reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In effect, we would reduce climate change.
4. Giving your hard earned money to drug cartels.
States spend a tremendous amount of our tax dollars running down drug dealers and their cartels that supply them. They have done this without even considering the amount of revenue they could generate by just taxing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol.
5. Keeping pot illegal is a violation of fundamental human rights.
Individuals have been incarcerated by the butt load now and over the years for using and being in possession of marijuana. People’s right to determine what they put in their bodies has been legislated by criminal law. What disturbs this writer most about this is instead of criminalizing alcohol and tobacco that undoubtedly cause harm to the body, not to mention addiction, criminal law makes the most medicinal plant in the world illegal.[See Source]
6. There are harmful consumer goods that should be regulated instead of pot.
Products like tobacco, alcohol, and fattening foods with additives that have been identified to cause cancer and other medical ailments, and they are on store shelves nationwide.
7. The Health Benefits
The marijuana plant has been proven to assist in the treatments of:
- Cancer
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Seizures
- Migraines
- Glaucoma
- Multiple Sclerosis
- ADD and ADHD
- IBS and Crohn?s
- Alzheimer?s
- Premenstrual Syndrome
8. Reduction in crime.
Since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, the state’s revenue has gone up and the crime rate has dropped significantly. This drop in crime represents both violent and property associated crimes. This is absolute proof that the naysayers are wrong.
9. Pot is a money maker and saver.
In a letter sent from over 500 economists to the President, Congress, and state legislatures, they agreed that the legalization of marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal spending on prohibition enforcement and could result in 6.2 billion in revenue. [See Source]
10. Pot will lower the prison and jail population.
America has the largest prison population in the world. It’s undisputed. Feeding and housing prisoners is costly. Moreover, enormous amounts of these prisoners are locked up for crimes associated with marijuana use and possession. This cost comes straight from the tax payers pockets’. With the freeing of these inmates, our tax dollars could go for more helpful purposes like rehabilitation, feeding the homeless, and job training.
It’s time for the most “medicinal plant in the world” to be removed as a substance regulated by criminal law to find its proper place as a homeopathic superstar.
