Are you
concerned that decriminalizing marijuana will result in hungry hippies running
amok through your town, buying up all the snacks and goodies? It is possible that the number of citizens
with an insatiable hunger for tasty treats may increase if Texas chooses to
legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Having said that, legalizing marijuana is still in the best interest of
Texas. The legalization would increase
both tax revenue and tourism, create new jobs, and reduce spending on the war on drugs.
One way the
decriminalization of marijuana would stimulate the economy is by increasing tax
revenue. The three major areas our tax
dollars go towards funding are education, health care and public
transportation (building and repairing roads as well as the public transit
system.) According to one report,
Colorado is taxing retail marijuana sales at approximately 29 percent and some
state officials have predicted those taxes to total $67 million annually.
The
legalization of marijuana would also stimulate economic growth by increasing tourism. In an article for
the Dallas Morning News, Marc Ramirez
stated that one shop in Colorado had seen patrons from all over the country
including: Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, Chicago, Corpus Christi, and Houston. But, all of the travelers were not from the
United States; many patrons had come from other nations, such as Latvia,
Denmark, Greece, Burkina Faso, and Brazil. If Texas decriminalizes marijuana, a similar influx of tourists can certainly be expected.
Many people
believe that marijuana is a gateway drug.
One of the main reasons that marijuana is considered to be a gateway
drug is because it is illegal. Once an
individual has crossed the legal barrier and broken the law, jumping to another illegal substance, such as
cocaine or heroin, is not that far of a stretch. Both tobacco and alcohol are poisonous,
addictive and dangerous but are not considered gateway drugs because they are not
illegal.
As you can see, there are many reasons that legalizing marijuana would benefit Texas as a whole. So, what are you waiting for? Write a letter to your legislators and let them know Texans support the decriminalization of marijuana.
1 comment:
In the blog entitled Editorial: Should Texas Decriminalize Marijuana, Travis is arguing for the decriminalization of marijuana. Personally I do not smoke pot but I strongly believe that is has several benefits therefore I am on board with wanting to decriminalize it. Travis brings up several interesting points about the many advantages that legalizing marijuana would bring to the state of Texas. Of the three areas that Texan’s tax money goes to, I feel like the two most important are education and healthcare. The possible tax revenue from pot sales would definitely be a large enough number to significantly help out in these two areas, which would benefit Texas as a whole. From my understanding and experience, education and healthcare are pretty expensive and unaffordable for most people. This simply will not do. One of our priorities should be affordable education for all who want to go to school but aren’t given the chance because they lack the funds.
That being said, I feel like it’s worth discussing the fact that pot works in a way that relaxes the body so it should be regulated in the sense similar to the way alcohol is. I understand that it is not as dangerous as alcohol and that pot has never directly killed anyone. My opinion is that, if it is going to be legalized for recreational purposes, it should have some restrictions such as having to be a certain age to purchase or possess it. There is scientific research that shows the effects pot has on the brain function and memory, so to allow it to fall into the hands of a young person whose brain is still developing would be foolish and irresponsible. There could even be a case made about the amount of pot allowed to be in a person’s system that would be operating a vehicle, similar to alcohol.
My suggestion is that we approve it for medicinal purposes first. Pot has so many health benefits in patients who suffer from different ailments such as cancer and glaucoma; it has also been proven to alleviate many levels of pain. Let’s not kid ourselves, a lot of the people who argue for the legalization do not have these issues. Let’s use the knowledge that we possess in order to help people that really need it for medical purposes and then in time, based on continuous extensive research, we can legalize it for recreational use.
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