Say "No" to Marijuana

In Ms. Tran's article "Say 'No' to Marijuana", she argues that legalizing marijuana would be detrimental for Texas, especially its children. She argues that marijuana is harmful and that it is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens from harm. She goes on to say that the legalization of marijuana will in fact increase crime, increase addiction rates, and be more costly for the state.

Starting with the last point, legalizing marijuana will in fact be a cost saver for the state of Texas. Between the tax revenue from the sale of marijuana and the savings in incarcerations for minor marijuana offenses, the state and tax payers would make a profit from the drug. According to the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, Texas spends almost $4 million per day on inmates jailed for simple possession. Everyone in Texas can speak green, and a savings of $4 million per days is not a small amount of money.

Her claim that it will increase crime rates also falls short of reality. In June of this year, Colorado released its six-month report on the effect marijuana legalization has had on its crime. According to the report, crime in the state is down over 10% from last year, with violent crimes down 5.2%. A lot of the crime associated with marijuana, especially in Texas, is from cartels and gang rivalries over territory. If we can eliminate the gangs purpose of dispensing marijuana, the crime associated with that can be eliminated as well. Having a responsible, government regulated dispensary sell the drugs is a much better option than an unregulated black market.

Last, she points out that marijuana is not safe for consumption. While it is not a good argument to point out that something else is worse, it is worth noting that annually 88,000 people die from alcohol related causes, 300,000 from obesity related causes, and 480,000 people died from tobacco related causes. All of these causes are clearly preventable, as is marijuana related deaths. However, marijuana related deaths are in the double digits, significantly less than the other top preventable death causes. To point out two deaths that have happened as a result of marijuana is sensationalizing the negatives of the drug.

The drug is not perfect - it does have a 9% addiction rate, it does impair motor functions and cognitive abilities, and it does just make you lazy. We absolutely should teach children about the dangers of not just marijuana, but also alcohol, fast food, and other preventable causes of death. But when the time comes and they are of age, be that 18 or 21, they should be able to make their own decision on how they want to relax over the weekend. To keep it illegal means to keep the gangs and cartels involved in our neighborhoods and it means spending millions of dollars each day to lock up nonviolent, simple possession prisoners.