In late October, Gallup reported that a record 66% of Americans now say Marijuana should be legal . The reason is simple: Marijuana should never have been illegal.
Through decades of “joint craze,” Americans have been led to believe that marijuana is far more harmful than it actually is. That doesn't mean it's harmless. But it is certainly less harmful than alcohol, another substance that was once illegal and is now widely accepted in the country.
Nonetheless, the US federal government and many states still have laws that criminalize the use of Marijuana, and they are enforced all too frequently. According to the FBI, American law enforcement agencies arrested approximately 600,000 people for possession of marijuana last year. To make matters worse, these Marijuana laws have been disproportionately used against communities of color.
As a nation, America learned during alcohol prohibition that simply banning a widely sought-after substance does not make it go away. Instead, prohibition creates a criminal market to meet that demand , which brings with it a host of public health and safety problems.
As a result, several states have decided to use a new approach and begin regulating Marijuana similarly to alcohol. It is produced and sold by licensed businesses that must follow rules regarding testing, packaging and labeling. Sellers must check documents, and government officials have reported no increase in the rate of use among teenagers.
At the same time, these states have generated tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, and law enforcement officials appear to be improving their rates of solving cases for other crimes.
Legalizing Marijuana is not a panacea, but progress, just as ending Prohibition was 85 years ago. Some states have led the way in developing alternative policies that control alcohol, allowing responsible adult use, and should continue to do the same with marijuana.
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