Weed, pot, green, grass, marijuana, dope, ganja, loud, kush and cannabis all mean the same thing: controversy.
Nineteen states, one of them being Illinois, have legalized medicinal marijuana, while Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Colorado have legalized recreational use.
The journal “Scientific Reports” released a study stating that marijuana is 114 times less deadly than alcohol. Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative for Oregon, is remembered from infamously ranting about marijuana saying, “How many people died from marijuana overdoses last year? Spoiler alert, it’s zero.”
According to the Washington Post, Colorado’s marijuana industry racked in $700 million in 2014, with $63 million in tax revenue from the sales. The economic impact is even greater when you consider marijuana paraphernalia such as pipes and bongs, as well as the increased tourist spending. The marijuana market has a surplus of money, and the excess is potentially going back to the citizens.
It’s also important to acknowledge that crime is down in Denver and the surrounding area. How many more positive effects of legalization does one have to name before the United States decides marijuana should not be considered an unlawful drug?
Surprisingly enough, many conservatives support legalization more than ever before, as established from a recent poll stating 63 percent of Republican Millennials support it. There was also an informal poll done at the Conservative Political Action Conference that found that nearly 40 percent fully support marijuana legalization and another 25 percent would support medical marijuana.
Verbally supporting is one thing, but sales make it impossible to deny its popularity. Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division released its first annual report on the pot industry and found that nearly 75 tons of cannabis were purchased in 2014.
Additionally, 2.8 million edible products were sold and about one in eight residents are consuming the substance. That’s a lot of high Colorado citizens, and yet the state appears to be functioning just fine, despite the probable lazy inhabitants.
On a more humorous note, Ben and Jerry recently stated that they agree weed- infused ice cream is a great concept they wish they could make happen. Ben said, “Makes sense to me; combine your pleasures.”
I’m not asking you to go light up and cheef all the time. I’m just being blunt; the outcome of marijuana use and legalization thus far will result in a 4/20 friendly union in the near future.
