In this blog I will be expanding on my stage 5 Blog. Where I would like to see Texas go with this is complete legalization. I do not want Texas to approach this immediately.
First I think Texas should decriminalize the punishable crime. By converting the criminal penalty into a civil penalty this will completely cut out all of the unnecessary arrest for small amounts of marijuana. Another bonus is it will not appear on your criminal record. The result will be that you are order to pay a fine and the civil court fees.
Once Texas is more used to the idea of marijuana I believe legalization can be an option. If this is done, the state can regulate the quality and safety of marijuana. With recreational shops and prescriptions this will increase tax revenue by tons. In 2018 the Colorado tax revenue for marijuana was over $266 million dollars. With shops this will decrease the drug trafficking and the gang related drug violence. With less needless arrests and less drug trafficking this will allow APD more time to work on more violent crimes and the court can hear more cases. This will also let the variety of sicknesses allowed to be treated by medical marijuana in Texas to be broad.
In Estevans Hernandez's blog 7 post, he expands on why he thinks marijuana should be legalized in Texas. Instead of wishing our state would bite the bullet and immediately legalize it, he says that the process of legalizing it should be taken in a delicate and slow matter. He makes a good point in saying this. Since Texas is such a conservative state, it might be a better idea to take things slow so that more people will accept it. Not only would the legalization of marijuana help out a lot of "criminals" but it will also bring in a huge tax revenue for our state. Once it is seen as an herbal medicine rather than a drug, I think Texas will greatly benefit from it.
ReplyDeleteOn May 3, 2019, my classmate Estevan Hernandez posted an editorial on the legalization of marijuana in the state of Texas. Estevan did a great job outlining the benefits of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana by proposing that a move to a civil over criminal penalty would cut out all unnecessary arrests by the police department. Additionally, he discussed the benefits in other states such as Colorado who have decriminalized and legalized marijuana, making “over $266 million dollars”. These facts allow the reader to understand the benefits of legalization of marijuana rather than just for recreational use.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Estevan that Texas should not be in a rush to approach legalization. Instead, take small steps so conservative Texans could get use to the idea of marijuana before legalizing. Small steps such as decriminalizing the punishable crime by converting the criminal penalty to a civil penalty are a great solution as a start. Even though Texas is a conservative state, as they seeing the drop in crime rate associated with marijuana, I feel that people would understand more of the positive side of marijuana (such as medicinal) and not as a drug that causes crime and violence. Overall, he did a great job outlining benefits while addressing the reality of situation- Texas will be a difficult state to be on board with the legalization of Marijuana, so let’s take it slow.
In the article "Blog stage seven" by Estevan Hernandez, he talks about pursuing a certain path to legalize marijuana in Texas. He also explains how it could bring financial gain to the state as well as taking marijuana out from drug trafficking. Those are good points but i don't think Texas should adopt the legalization of marijuana for ethic reasons.
ReplyDeleteSome of the ethic reasons I think it should remain illegal in the state of Texas would be, it affects decision making and marijuana is a gateway drug. When you get high on marijuana it impairs your decision making. People could decide to drive while high and cause an accident or it cause someone to act violently. the other reason would be that it is a gateway drug. What happens when the marijuana high isn't enough anymore? People will look for other ways to get high and just cause another drug epidemic. Until there are more diligent research and assurance the marijuana can be used recreational then it should stay out of Texas.