by: Michael, Marketing and Creative Content Specialist at GotVape.com.
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So far, eight U.S. states and the District of Columbia have all legalized recreational marijuana. Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon are already commercially selling the legalized drug and the other legal states are getting the infrastructure in place to do so as well. Further, medical marijuana is legal in 29 states, as well as in Puerto Rico and Guam. While the United States has yet to legalize on a national level, like Uruguay and now Canada have, more and more states are seeing the legalization issue played out in the polls.
What led to the eventual legalization of recreational cannabis?
It is likely that a host of things contributed to the decisions by some states to expand medical marijuana to recreational users. The first, and foremost, were the potential taxes that the governments could benefit from.
In 2015, for example, Colorado marijuana retailers pulled in more than $996 million - yes, that’s almost $1 billion in sales. That translated to $135 million in taxes and fees that went straight to the state. In Washington, since the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2014 and the year 2016, more than $1 billion in non-medical marijuana has been sold, resulting in more than $250 million in excise taxes. Of course, those were just the sales of marijuana and marijuana-containing products. Sales of marijuana smoking apparatus, such as vape pens, both desktop and portable, have also skyrocketed, earning states more in sales taxes for these items.
Beyond taxes, another reason for wanting to legalize is the fact that public support of the drug as changed. A Gallup poll released in October showed that 64% of Americans now support legalizing cannabis. Gallup has asked the same question – “Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal or not?” - since 1969. The numbers back then? Only 12% of Americans backed legalization. Further, while support is skewed along the political spectrum, for the first time, a majority of people who identified as Republican now support legalization, with 51% showing support.
Marijuana legalization for diverting police efforts.
Studies have shown that criminalization does little, if anything, to prevent further use. Heroin and cocaine, long known to be more destructive and more likely to cause additional crime, saw 256,000 arrests in 2012. Compare this to 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession. Legalization allows for police and other areas of law enforcement to turn their sights on other, more violent crime.
Unfortunately, legalization has not helped to bring a stop to the black market. The black market continues to thrive because it is tax-free. Colorado charges a 28% tax and Washington charges 37%. Oregon ranges between 17% and 20%. In all recreational states, medical marijuana is taxed at a lower rate.
While public opinion on the legalization of marijuana is still mixed, majority support for legalization shows that many think it is the right course of action. While national legalization may be a pipe dream for the time being, the states who have legalized are reaping the benefits in many ways.
