What would happen if marijuana were legalized in California or the United States? Some say it should be legalized on the basis that its sales would be heavily taxed and its use would be limited and restricted.

Back in May of this year, Californian, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, strongly suggested that more studies be conducted on the impact of allowing legal marijuana use and sales in the state of California. Despite opposing views from his own party, (several Republicans felt Schwarzenegger was only resorting to the possibility of legalizing marijuana sales due to his desperation over the state’s large budget deficit), Schwarzenegger stated that he would like to see more studies done on countries in which “pot” is already legalized and how it has affected them socially and economically. He did express, however, that he was “open to any ideas of creating extra revenues” [for the state].

I do think that there are both potential positive and negative effects of marijuana legalization. First off, I fully agree that legal users with a prescription should not be penalized, especially if they are using the marijuana in a responsible manner (not abusing it). In addition, though there would be some sort of income generated for the state/federal governments, I don’t believe that the sales would “solve” any budget deficit. Any sort of incoming revenue, however, would be welcome to anyone. Legalizing marijuana would probably lead to an increase of sales and usage, which could possibly create more problems, such as driving under the influence. Thus, certain restrictions would need to be imposed, such as a minimum age requirement and a limit to the amount a person can possess at a time.

I believe, however, that the real “problems” from marijuana stem from its illegalization. Prohibition did not work in restricting sales and/or use of alcohol. Similarly, it is not working out for marijuana. People are still selling and using it illegally, so our state and federal governments might as well take advantage of the potential financial gain. Due to the fact that it is illegal, I think it is fair to say that currently, certain criminal activities can be related or tied to the use/sale of marijuana, such as drug smuggling, deadly violence, robberies, etc.

I can continue to speculate more in regards to the ramifications and consequences of legalizing marijuana, but I can also say that I agree with Governor Schwarzenegger. For various reasons, we should be open to marijuana legalization to generate more revenue for our state, and upon further studies and research, it should definitely be something to consider.

Sources/Related Links/Articles:

Legalize Marijuana? Obama Was Right to Say No, usnews.com

Schwarzenegger Urges a Study on Legalizing Marijuana Use, The New York Times

Schwarzenegger: Time To Debate Legalizing Pot, CBS News

Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use, CNN

Schwarzenegger Welcomes Debate Over Legalizing Pot, ABC News

Can pot help fix Calif. budget? Ad says so, MSNBC