What happens, and doesn't happen, when you legalize marijuana

Lots of things happen when a state legalizes marijuana, and some things don't happen.
Here's some easy to read charts that will help.

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Arrest for marijuana drop through the floor, but it isn't even.

A 2016 report from the Colorado Department of Public Safety found, “The decrease in the number of marijuana arrests by race is the greatest for White arrestees (‐51%) compared to Hispanics (‐33%) and African‐Americans (‐25%). The marijuana arrest rate for Whites and Hispanics is comparable, but the marijuana arrest rate for African‐Americans is almost three times that of Whites (348/100,000 for Blacks and 123/100,000 for Whites).”
This is still progress for marijuana legalization advocates, since fewer people of all races are arrested for cannabis in the end.
But the findings also show the persistence of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

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International organized crime leaves the market due to reduced profitability.

"Cartels know their ability to compete in the U.S. marijuana market is diminishing," said John M. Walsh, director for drug policy at the think tank Washington Office on Latin America. "U.S. consumers have better options."
Marijuana's profitability has been greatly reduced, with farmers receiving much less than they used to for cultivating the plant.

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Teens don't start smoking it. Maybe because it's no longer cool.
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This headline is alarming: Exclusive: Traffic fatalities linked to marijuana are up sharply in Colorado. Is legalization to blame?
But does it actually mean anything?
Consider two other headlines from the same time.
Colorado's Marijuana DUIs Are Down 33%
Marijuana legalization has not increased traffic fatalities

In fact, marijuana legalization has not increased overall traffic fatality rates nor the total number of non-fatal crashes, according to two separate studies conducted by Columbia University and the University of Texas-Austin.

Additionally, Colorado State Patrol reports a decrease in the number of driving impaired accidents since marijuana sales became legal.

Despite this academic research and on-the-ground expertise from state police, it was a study from a group supported by auto insurers last week that captured the most – and loudest – headlines. “Car crashes leap in states with legalized marijuana,” was just one of many headlines characterizing The Highway Loss Data Institute’s (HLDI) finding that three states where marijuana is legal – Colorado, Washington and Oregon – had an increase in traffic accidents.

However, the group lacked any data showing that the increase in collisions was caused by drivers under the influence of marijuana. Although distracted driving such as texting, road construction and more miles driven have been noted by insurance companies as possible factors for increased collision rates, the HLDI asserts that because there was an increase of insurance claims in states with legal marijuana, the two must be linked.

Lastly, there is the issue of taxes and jobs.

VS Strategies, a pro-legalization research company in Denver, says the state has pulled in $506 million since retail sales began in January 2014. That includes taxes and fees from medical marijuana, which was legalized years earlier, but the vast majority of the revenue came from recreational.
Revenue from taxes and fees has increased each year, from $76 million in 2014 to $200 million last year, and the state is on track to beat that this year, according to VS Strategies, which used state revenue data in its report Wednesday.
Colorado has spent most of the money on schools, the research company says. Smaller chunks have gone to drug prevention and treatment programs and to regulating the marijuana industry

If Trump/Sessions can be sent home the affects could be huge.

Marijuana legalization could create $132 billion in federal tax revenue and inject over a million jobs into the US labor market by 2025 if it becomes legal nationwide, a new study says.

The study, from cannabis industry analytics firm New Frontier Data, seeks to estimate the total economic impact of the nascent industry. Cannabis is legal in eight states, including California, which legalized recreational sales on January 1. Vermont is likely to join that list once Gov. Phil Scott signs a bill legalizing the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana into law.

The study assumes the tax revenue, which will add $131.8 billion cumulatively to the US Treasury by 2025, will come from a 15% retail tax, payroll tax deductions, and a 35% business tax. Sales tax alone on cannabis would add $51.7 billion to US coffers between 2017 and 2025.

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because it's no longer cool! LMAO, I love that. And really it makes sense - when your own parents are doing it that does take some of that rebel quality out of it, which is a lot of the intent for teen use (at least for me it was).

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Meteor Man's picture

And spinning around in circles until you get dizzy too! You can make an argument that some people engage in extreme sports or hazardous activities because they are adrenaline junkies.

Great essay gjohnsit! A certain percentage of people will drink alcohol and/or smoke pot. A smaller percentage will do more hazardous drugs like heroin, crack, meth and opiods.

There is no law enforcement solution to abuse of any intoxicating substance. Drug abuse is a social/mental health problem. The only rational solutions are social/mental health approaches.

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

@Meteor Man
to compile a list of predictions from the 80's and 90's of the dystopian post-apocalyptic world that America would become if we legalized pot.

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Meteor Man's picture

@lizzyh7 @gjohnsit
Maybe something will come to mind after a couple of burnt offerings to The Kush Gods.

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

A private equity firm backed by billionaire Peter Thiel has raised an additional $100 million to invest in marijuana companies, a sign of the unflagging appeal of the pot industry in the face of a potential crackdown by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Privateer Holdings said on Thursday that the latest closing brings its fundraising total to $200 million, a record for a private company in the nascent cannabis industry. Though based in Seattle, Privateer looks mostly outside the U.S. for investment opportunities, mindful of the risks posed by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Sessions rescinded an Obama-era policy that helped states legalize marijuana for recreational use.

“We’re in the midst of a global paradigm shift when it comes to cannabis,” said Brendan Kennedy, co-founder and chief executive officer of Privateer. “If I look today at the global leaders in this industry, I would look at companies based in Canada and the Netherlands and Israel and Spain — not in the U.S., because the climate in the U.S. has deterred investments.”

Privateer, haha what a name! It's that "flagging appeal of industry" that makes me fear for my watershed. And what will the State be doing with more taxes?
California state payroll increased by $1 billion in 2017, twice as fast as previous year ... sounds great!

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation saw payroll increase by $452 million, or 9 percent. The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection logged an $87 million, or 13 percent, increase in payroll as the state experienced a horrible wildfire season.

Almost half went to the Prison Industrial Complex, cheap firefighters included! The D-Value brand is crisis too.

Also keeping Jeffy distracted: Hooked on fuel: drug cartels diversify

With an increasingly dominant role as fuel thieves, or huachicoleros as they are colloquially known, two of Mexico’s largest and most powerful industries — oil and narcotics — are now facing off, head to head.

Extortion and violence are commonly used by cartels against Pemex employees to gain access to or information about fuel sources. By directly targeting refineries rather than pipelines, cartels can access huge quantities of the nation’s fuel supply.

Those who comply with cartel demands can make massive personal gains. But for those who refuse to play along, the story can be quite different.

POPCORN
pew pew pew!

It's unbelievable to me that a lot of people still think immigration from MX is all about jobs. How about just living a peaceful life not getting kidnapped for what you know? sheesh I even feel sorry for oil and gas workers now. good luck

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are a classic lesson in deception.

- Instead of drivers being "under the influence", it's "tested positive". Tested positive for what? Using in the past month? It's blatant that phrasing was specifically chosen to pump up numbers. (They bury that fact a few paragraphs later, then hand-wave it away with a "but police say".)

- The only way they can get a correlation between usage and fatalities is to restrict to drivers that survived. Which shows that usage *improves* the odds of surviving a crash, but they just hand-wave over that and say the opposite.

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Besides the fact that it's, ahem, completely fucking Legal:
the products are tested and verified at state certified licensed labs. Certification for pesticide free, plus all products are at minimum labeled with milligrams THC and milligrams CBD per dose or per gram.
Plus products labeled Sativa or Indica are really likely to be what they say. Guess work is no longer part of the experience.
And, a lot of the products are local. Friends from the chemistry department have a thriving, if competitive, business testing and certifying products. Win-win. Win.

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@peachcreek someone always loses in a for-profit system, by design. I'm glad you know a person who has been granted good wages for their work. That's cool. A few million more would really be starting something.

Thousands of local small crop farmers would obviate the need for chemical testing or being "tracked and traced", that's my idea of a win-win. First, know and support your local farmers, be it food or medicine. That is how to keep a watershed healthy, not more eco-cidal export legislation. Next, support research but don't lay a bunch of jack booted thugs on people who can't comply with the bubble heads in Sacramento, where investment lobbyists set the rules.

Cannabis could be really cheap or even free high quality medicine without the corrupt politicians. A different sort of win.

peace

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@eyo

Cannabis could be really cheap or even free high quality medicine without the corrupt politicians. A different sort of win.

For that to happen, it'd need to be legal -- Colorado style or better -- nationwide.

And that day is coming, fast.

Thank the Ultimate.

Smile

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

thanatokephaloides's picture

@eyo

Next, support research but don't lay a bunch of jack booted thugs on people who can't comply with the bubble heads in Sacramento, where investment lobbyists set the rules.

As I just said, Colorado style.

Don't Californicate Colorado -- Coloradify California!

Smile

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@thanatokephaloides I'm glad you like your jack boots, I don't. Your governor is a tool, I watched him testify in Sacramento. They absolutely cannot wait to federalize the track and trace system, so they know exactly how much every single person consumes, from seed to sale. Their connections will get in on the action, all others eat cake. That is the goal and I think it is EVIL. It's unconstitutional at least, but who cares? NOBODY
Plus, who owns the technology? Greedy assholes with no morals. good luck

Maybe if users would take a short holiday from imbibing, and think with their brains farther than the next fucking joint, maybe it would sink in what is happening before them. Or maybe people just love losing freedoms, one after the other until they are all gone. "Freedom is slavery."

okay
pipe down

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@eyo

I'm glad you like your jack boots, I don't. Your governor is a tool, I watched him testify in Sacramento.

What you don't seem to understand is that everything about legal marijuana in Colorado happened despite the said tool (and yes, I agree fucking Hickenlooper is a tool).

The abovesaid Tool opposed any legalization of "recreational" marijuana and even some aspects of Colorado-style medical marijuana. So, maxime, he is indeed a Tool.

But Colorado's style of legal "recreational" marijuana has less than nothing to do with Tool Hickenlooper. It was constructed by vote of our People against his wishes.

Which is what I was suggesting California do likewise! Diablo

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@eyo We have "certified organic" etc from our farmers for a reason. I buy and grow my own when and where I can. And mostly buy local from Farmers I know (whether vegetables or weed).
And, yet, ...we are all consumers. My point was to contrast the fact that in states where mj is now legal, a consumer can easily buy pesticide free, % THC guaren-fucking-teed weed. That is not something that is easily found in your local (illegal in those states) dealer.

I think I get what you mean about Medicine for profit though, and on that I would agree whole heartedly.

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