Marijuana is one of the major drugs consumed by many people although it has many side effects, including addiction. Nevertheless, it gives high revenue for the people that sell it and as it is illegal in many parts of the world, suppliers in the black market are the ones that receive the money but if it was legal, the governments could gain this revenue instead and use it to benefit their citizens.
As I mentioned in my blog ‘Tobacco, the puzzling market’: the marijuana market is like any other market, were consumers should have the liberty of buying what they want as long as they don’t harm or aggravate other people. Just to give you a clear comparison the marijuana market makes revenue of $47,660,000 per km2 compared to tobacco which only gives $277,000. Many states in the US have seen this and they have started to legalize it as it doesn’t only benefit the government but its producers and sellers. Furthermore, by legalizing it, the black market for marijuana would cease to exist and this would decrease criminal activity. Also, legalizing it would increase tourism as it can be seen in Amsterdam were many people go just because they are allowed to freely consume marijuana.
In other words, the legalization of marijuana brings benefit to everyone: the suppliers, consumers and governments.
References:
The legalisation of marijuana isn’t just about liberal values – it’s about dollars | News | The Guardian. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/nov/07/the-legalisation-of-marijuana-isnt-just-about-liberal-values-its-about-dollars