Legalize What?

I+scream%2C+you+scream%2C+WEED+all+scream+for+legalization%21

courtesy of Plan-On-It Insurance Services

I scream, you scream, WEED all scream for legalization!

Isabel Thompson, online editor in chief

The election is tomorrow, and Americans are preparing to vote for their future president. All anyone is able to talk about is which nominee will be elected: Clinton or Trump? But no one seems to be mentioning that they’re not solely voting for a presidential candidate; they could be voting to legalize marijuana as well.

Currently, Alaska, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon are the only states where recreational marijuana is legal (along with 22 other states that have legalized medical marijuana). This election will allow voters in California, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada  to decide if their state should legalize recreational use of marijuana too. Furthermore, citizens in Arkansas, North Dakota, and Florida will be voting on the legalization of medical marijuana. And finally, Montana will have the option to ease pre-existing medical marijuana laws.

What does this mean for our country? The United States has never come this close to having a national referendum on marijuana legalization. Both presidential candidates have voiced their support for legalization but have expressed that it should be a matter handled within each state. States legalizing marijuana expect to see economic gains, as the national government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue, according to a paper endorsed by 300 economists courtesy of the Huffington Post.

For states legalizing recreational marijuana, two taxes will be created: one focused on cultivation and the other on retail pricing. The cultivation tax will be $9.25 per ounce per flower and $2.75 per ounce per leaf; the retail tax will be 15%. These taxes will be spent on drug treatment, research, enforcement, and youth programs, along with research on the environmental impact that illegal marijuana production has.

Of the 800,000 prisoners arrested from marijuana charges nationally, through legality fees, Americans will save $1 billion in a year from dropped criminal charges. By reducing marijuana-related arrests, taxpayers will save up to $8 billion on criminal justice expenses. If California’s Proposition 64 passes, which allows legal consummation of recreational marijuana, prisoners serving life in prison without parole will have reduced sentences. In California, 6,000 prisoners will have reduced sentences and 1 million people convicted of marijuana use will have charges cleared or changed.

Proposition 64 legalizes marijuana use for citizens 21 and older. Penalties for underage possession or use include requirement to attend a drug counseling or education program and complete community service. Those who sell marijuana without a license will be convicted for six months in county jail and a $500 fine. Smoking marijuana will only be legal in private homes or businesses that have been licensed for on-site marijuana consumption. Smoking while driving and in public places will be illegal, similar to smoking within 600 feet of a daycare or school.

Objections to proposition 64 have been vocalized as it could potentially allow convicted drug dealers to re-enter the market. Initiative has been taken to prevent licenses for large scale marijuana businesses for the next five-years to avoid unlawful monopolization. The Bureau of Marijuana Control will be appointed with licensing marijuana business, and local governments will have the power to ban marijuana sales in their districts.