Cannabis should be legalized. Legalizing recreational use of marijuana should be the next step for Canada because it would benefit our country economically, reduce the crime rate, and will be the answer to diseases and illnesses.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to legalizing marijuana. A big advantage that legalization would have is the benefit on our economy. It will bring in revenue for our government if it is sold legally with taxes. “It is predicted that the commercial provider’s medical marijuana sales will generate $1.3 billion in revenue by 2-24 reassumed to be subject to federal and provincial sales taxes” (Sherman, 2013; The Canadian Press, 2014). Legalization would save everyone’s money since tax will be reduced from what it usually is. “Legalization would save taxpayers money by reducing both the number of criminals put in prison or jail and the time officers spend enforcing prohibition” (Caulkins, Kasunic, Kleiman, Lee, 2014, p. 290). It would be a big money saver for our government because drug arrests would decrease significantly. “Marijuana accounts for fully half of all drug arrests, …show more content…
In today’s generation media is used strictly as a political battleground to discuss legalization among partisan divides. Popular websites with news outlets are all posting their own views and sides of legalization. Conservative news outlets and cable news outlets like Fox News and Drudge Report post articles and continue to warn the dangers of marijuana and why it should stay banned. Liberal news outlets on the other hand, such as MSNBC, HuffPost, The Guardian and BuzzFeed publish articles about pro-legalization legislation and support legalization of marijuana. Media coverage is pushing the legalization debate infront of public and hoping to shape opinions of peoples. Debates with legalizations focus more on the youth and the dangers behind children using it and the damage it can cause to their brains. Debates also focus on medical use of marijuana versus recreational use and if marijuana should just be used for those who need it as a form of medicine rather than just for fun. Media also focuses on the health risks of the harmful effects of the marijuana smoke compared to its benefits for health. Media shows both positives and negatives of marijuana use and legalization at the same time. Every time there is a positive fact to why marijuana should be legalized, they also include a possible harmful outcome of what may happen if it were to be legalized. The debate on whether marijuana should only be