Legal Weed: How Cannabis Legalization Will Make the Future Better
There are 33 states, plus Washington, D. C., where medical marijuana is currently legal. Nation’s capital and 10 of those states have enabled adults over the age of 21 to buy weed legally for recreational use. Supporters of cannabis legalization are growing in numbers every day, and there’s also a shift in opinion when it comes to state laws. This certainly looks like the beginning of the nation-wide cannabis legalization, and the goal is undoubtedly much greater than simply allowing more people to get high.
Into The Future
Whether your goal is to possess weed for recreational or medical purposes, or buy cannabis seeds and grow your own crops, it’s hard to keep track of the legal aspect since cannabis state laws can change in a blink of an eye. While cannabis is still illegal on the federal level, the state level is a completely another story since the laws are moving so quickly that it’s almost impossible to guess where cannabis legalization will happen next. Nevertheless, it seems that the states where marijuana is currently legal will slowly pave the way for legal growth and use of marijuana seeds. With the future looking promising, let’s see what exactly those promises are.
Finance
When you look at the fact that states in which marijuana is legal are able to dedicate millions to its public health services and schools, it’s obvious that the taxes from cannabis sales could be used to improve any number of societal institutions. Even the youngest among marijuana markets, such as the one of Massachusetts state, are able to make approximately $3 million in marijuana sales in less than two weeks period. Of course, it’s too early for the numbers to reach their final projections, but the data gathered so far clearly shows the potential financial power of the marijuana industry. The number of jobs in this industry is growing faster than in any other, and this number will surely keep increasing as other states embrace legalization. The legalization is also able to save up state money – billions of dollars – by decreasing the strain on the justice system and freeing up police.
Health
Even though there’ll always be people who think that medical marijuana is nothing but a loophole to get high, legalization is able to help the scientists to develop cannabis-based medical treatments. It is well-known that a special subclass of terpenes called cannabinoids which can be found in various cannabis strains contain different medical properties, but the illegal status is making it difficult for scientists to prove this although the first marijuana-based pharmaceutical drug has already been approved last year. When you consider that there are over 100 cannabinoids it becomes pretty obvious that government-funded medical research could do wonders for public health. The mentioned drug has already made possible for children to cope with a rare form of seizure-causing epilepsy which was previously considered untreatable. The scientists have discovered that this plant has the potential to treat everything from psychosis to brain aging, but in order to develop medical treatments, they need funding which requires legalization. It’s also been proven that marijuana is able to ease the symptoms of withdrawal from prescription drugs, meaning it could bring an end to the opioid crisis.
Safety
With police workload tied to marijuana gone, the forces of law will certainly have more time to fight other criminal activity, but that is not the only reason why cannabis legalization is causing violent crime to drop. Since legalization is driving down the cost of weed, at the same time it is also driving black-market dealers and cartels out of business and they’re taking violent activity along with them. Legalization of cannabis will also ensure the safety of the environment since it will allow a clear regulation when it comes to cultivation, preventing farmers to cause environmental damage while growing their crops.
More jobs, financing for societal institutions, numerous opportunities for treatments of previously untreatable medical conditions, improved safety and protected environment. If the legalization of cannabis goes nation-wide, this could be more than a probable future. In this case, lifting of the laws means extending the frontiers to new, promising opportunities.