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AS FAR AS THE EYE By Erin McGarvey Gavel Media Staff
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The future of marijuana laws in America
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any people who smoke marijuana regularly do so openly, and in some states the police are no longer allowed to object. Earlier in 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington legalized the recreational use of marijuana for those over the age of 21, beginning to turn the fight for legal acceptance of the long-recognized social habit. Those marijuana lovers and politicians in favor of legalization point to a wide variety of signs in their favor. For one, forcing the police to turn a blind eye towards pot would allow them to focus on cracking down on the trade of illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The illegal drug trade is booming. It has become a concern so large
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that the UN now grapples with it. Yet in New York City, according to a report in The Huffington Post, since the year 2000 marijuana arrests are made more frequently than those for violent crimes. The allocation of resources could be increased for more serious crimes. Hundreds of tons of illicit drugs are being transported worldwide according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. An violation for marijuana possession is usually a relatively minor offense, resulting in only a misdemeanor in the state of Massachusetts providing there is no intent to distribute. However, a mark on your record you may have gotten as a teenager will follow you for the rest of your life, decreasing your chances of getting a job. According to
the National Employment Law Project, 90 percent of employers conduct criminal background checks on their applicants. Although marijuana does not lead to the intense dependency and physical and mental changes from abuse of Class A drugs does, if you’re caught holding the substance, you have a mark on your record. This police work is expensive as well. Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron has estimated that the savings for the federal government for a national legalization of marijuana could be billions of dollars. With all the uproar over Congress’ inability to work out a plan to reduce the deficit, Miron views this as an easy solution. The savings could be used to strengthen the police so they could focus on the illicit drug
May 2013