After the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado took place back in 2014, their crime rate dramatically dropped by more than 10% as from the year before, and their revenue or tax soared above the expected amount. This act proved to the USA, that recreational marijuana rather settles the illegal lifestyles and adjust the state’s economy, where it was trying to survive the declining economy. Not for long, any adult who is older than 21 will be legal to purchase recreational marijuana in Nevada.
In fact, the supporters of this law legalization have doubled the amount from the ones who supported the past Washington and Colorado’s law passing. Since the two states have shown, there is a great chance that Nevada could encounter the same successes. However, many voices still speak against legalizing drugs for protecting children from early exposure to marijuana, as well as their worry that drugs will become common among humanity; however the pressure of law restrictions only encourages marijuana users to be more drawn by addiction.
Nevada should legalize recreational marijuana because legalization leads to extensive economic benefits, loosened regulations, and reduce crime rates. Marijuana farms are considered as one of the largest businesses around the world, including the United States. When this business is brought into Nevada, unemployment rates will show a drastic drop. These cash crop businesses require a massive amount of workers and labor to grow and sell their productions; this is the same with marijuana farms (“Marijuana Legalization and Regulation”).
In fact, Nevada would result in the largest marijuana production and sales rate when they forward this business upon legal casinos, prostitution, and other activities that the state that carries Sin City could possibly provide. Enlargement of marijuana farms will employ workers, which will eventually bring up Nevada’s revenue rates. Purchase of medical marijuana in Nevada itself, excluding license sales, will result in a similar taxation like Colorado: their legalization brought up the state’s tax revenue by more than $5 million (“Pros and Cons of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana”).
When recreational marijuana became legally accessible in Nevada, the revenue will also to rush up to $20 million, from $7 million that as recorded in 2014. And governmental officials and professionals who support this legalization all states that the revenue they gained by selling marijuana will be used to fund education in Nevada (“Nevada Recreational Marijuana: Coming Soon by Initiative”), that has decreased around 6% in the time of 4 years since 2010 (“Nevada State Budget and Finances”). Further, since taxation and Nevada’s economy rises, it will attract more tourists and people to visit Nevada: for lower priced amenities, like marijuana.
Nevada is famous for pursuing various tourist attractions, not to mention Las Vegas, which intrigues the highest tourism numbers. On top of the current residing tourism amenities, easily accessible marijuana will shortly bring a tourism boom among Nevada, along with bringing in the individuals who cannot buy medical marijuana and the ones who want to experience the world beyond Sin City. Legalizing recreational marijuana is far more than just rising economy, but, also being the one and only territory that allows the illegal deeds to be experienced legal; the true possession only Nevada could possibly accommodate in this world.
This law is the chance for Nevada to make some money and provide high-quality life to all who visits. When it comes to laws and regulations, Nevada is recognized for being different and extremely lenient compared to other states. Of course, all the gaming, prostitution, and other entertainment are easily seen in Nevada, but marijuana is now about to join the party. Therefore, if marijuana becomes legal in Nevada, the laws and regulations will loosen up, resulting less strict health care policy and easier approach for medical usage.
The health care system consists of services provided by medical professionals to diagnose, treat and prevent mental and physical illness and injury. The system also encompasses a wide range of related sectors, such as insurance, pharmaceuticals and health information technology” (“Healthcare Policy in Nevada “). Due to a more lenient health care policies than other states or countries, loosen regulations after the legalization will bring in people who are in need of medical marijuana will easily get their hands on their medication.
Now people are reacting to the legalization of recreational marijuana in Nevada mostly of this reason: it will become easier for patients to purchase their medication at a cheaper price. Medical marijuana is used for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients and much more. Furthermore, the legalization will not only loosen the regulations about possession, but it will help the misunderstandings about the negative causes of marijuana will decrease. People tend to think that marijuana usage is unhealthier than using alcohol and/or tobacco, but research proves them wrong.
Mark Anderson and Daniel Rees, the drug researchers, showed proof that alcohol and marijuana do not consolidate to cause the same result of violence or crime. Their research rather portrayed that drinking caused social violence, crime, and accidents. Whereas if recreational marijuana is legalized, a number of people drinking will gradually decrease, which will also bring down the number of violence and accidents (222). Hereafter, some think that using marijuana may be the main cause of accidents, but it was rather the alcohol that messed the brains, which was worse than marijuana usage.
Therefore the misunderstandings of loosened regulations, easily making people to smoke marijuana should be disregarded from the main source of accidents in general; but rather have marijuana be treated equally as smoking tobacco. The largest deal with legalizing marijuana in the United States is the relationship with crime rates. As of now, Nevada’s annual crime rate is approximately 93,000 cases; and it is estimated that this rate will decrease after recreational marijuana is legalized in Nevada.
This is because legalization will decrease the number of illegal marijuana possession and violence. As of 2012, Nevada’s marijuana possession crime reached over 8,000 cases (“Nevada’s Medical Marijuana Program”). The government is hoping that legalizing Nevada will release the stress of illegal trades and possession of marijuana and arrests. Benefiting from fewer arrests of marijuana possession and usage, Nevada’s police could use that time to arrest more intense or serious crimes and criminals. Until now, the policemen were disturbed from the real criminals, by marijuana arrests.
Furthermore, another benefit from reduced crime rates is that violence will decrease; because legal marijuana will no longer cause illegal markets to make crimes when it is legally purchasable. Another way to see crime rates dropping is a number of young people being able to purchase marijuana without harm. Illegalization rather harms the people, where they try to purchase from dangerous vendors and that follows consequences. Just like how Colorado experienced the drop in crime rates of more than 2%, Nevada will be able to bring about a similar result (“Marijuana Legalization in Colorado” 1).
Last but not least, the most important point from legalized recreational marijuana is that it will reduce the crimes of selling illegal marijuana; which will also reduce the side effects, like suicide and hospitalization. Illegal marijuana is commonly produced from unknown sources or places, which makes the drug to be rarely trackable and unhealthy than medical marijuana. This is the source of reducing illegal drug side effects, such as suicide rates and admitted to rehab (Anderson and Rees 228).
Leading from this matter, the less of illegal and unhealthy marijuana is consumed, less strong drugs will be bought. Marijuana is one of the mildest drugs out in the world; which makes drugs like meth, nicotine and cocaine less purchased if marijuana is legalized. Overall, legalized recreational marijuana will save people from requesting stronger drugs than, consuming the healthier product in Nevada. Nevertheless, a lot of people still complain about legalizing recreational marijuana in Nevada.
They propose that legalizing the law would be rather disturbing Nevada’s young life, society and harm their lifestyles. There are children that live in Nevada, where easily accessible drugs will only poison the society and encourage them to smoke marijuana. Nevadans are terrified that legalization will worsen the badly-influential activities, turning Nevada more like a city of illegal life. Another major reason is because the legalization will introduce marijuana to younger adults (Schoenmann), and be the gate that draws people to use stronger drugs.
A research was done at Yale University, where it also claims that marijuana activates people to use physical abuse (“Pros and Cons of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana”). It is really the matter of perception when people say that legal drugs will encourage more people to use marijuana. However that is untrue since mostly the people who have been using the drug previously will make a purchase, where only a limited number of people will purchase recreational marijuana; for instance, out of curiosity. Also, young adults could be educated about the consequences of using marijuana, which gives them freedom to choose their life.
Furthermore, this legalization isn’t the source that will encourage Nevadans to smoke marijuana, because people who want to smoke have already put their hands on marijuana, but the illegal and unhealthy products. Legalization is to provide the smokers a healthier way to smoke so that they would stop purchasing the illegal drugs in Nevada. All these numbers and rates prove Nevada’s chance of bringing their state to a second economic boom. Legalizing the laws to sell recreational marijuana in Nevada would rather have the people live in a safer and subsided society from harm and danger.
This means, legalized marijuana production will employ workers, cause another economic boom by marijuana production and tourism, which will also bring the revenue to soar higher than the current status. Given the account of rising economy in Nevada brought by legalization, the government will likewise gain profit. This will also decrease crime arrests, whom would have been arrested for illegal possession of marijuana, which will also be the effects of loosened health policies and regulations; and the reduced crimes will help illegal trades to decrease, where illegal drugs to disappear the from drug markets.
The legalizing this particular law will bring Nevada to chaos in a matter of a few years. The voting has started in 2015, but the votes have yet passed to bring all supporters gather in Nevada. For the sake of decreasing unhealthy deeds and increasing economic and social benefits, legalizing recreational marijuana will open up a door for Nevada to another economic boon.
