Driving home from the Logan airport after flying to Boston from South Carolina usually offers nostalgic sights and experiences.  However, this past drive was more shocking than nostalgic as societal norms and expectations have forever changed in Massachusetts, along with eight other states.  I witnessed people recreationally using marijuana on the sidewalks, outside of stores, and many other public places.  At first I was slightly confounded since I would never expect to see that in South Carolina, and I never expected to see it within my home town either.  

Marijuana has forever carried a negative connotation within society, but now this federally illegal drug has begun to be ratified within individual states.  Marijuana has earned a new reputation within society as further research has proven that the drug may provide medical and economic benefits.  This research along with disproven popular myths and fears of the drug has invoked media coverage to depict marijuana as something beneficial to society rather than detrimental; the new public outlook along with economic and political influences are the reasons why state legislations are beginning to disagree with federal law. 

One of the main reasons for invoking more interest for the legalization of marijuana is for its economic benefits.  Marijuana is arguably equal to alcohol in popularity, or even more popular within some parts of society.  Alcohol has one of the biggest markets within the world, so interest within the marijuana market has continued to grow for economists as marijuana’s popularity has grown within society.  Some of those economists, including Beau Kilmer, wrote and instructed research regarding the effects of marijuana entering an open market by analyzing Washington’s market both before and after marijuana’s entry.  Comparing open surveys and other public analysis between the two time periods showed that the legalization of marijuana did in fact increase the number of people who chose to buy and consume the drug.  Their research showed that the average daily consumer of marijuana increased their usage from about 1.3 grams per day to almost 2 grams per day after marijuana was legalized (Kilmer).  As a whole, the economists gathered more research by use per region within Washington State.  Out of the 39 counties within the state, all but one showed an increase average use of marijuana post-legalization.  For economists, this means that the current projected consumption and profit rates are much less than versus the actual results.  Other than Washington, legal marijuana in Colorado has created 18,005 jobs and has almost produced nearly $2.4 billion in revenue for the state’s economy (Pyke).  More importantly, it was claimed that “Every dollar spent in the industry generates between $2.13 and $2.40 in economic activity” (Pyke).  This statistic provides clear evidence that the market for marijuana is thriving and is full of economic potential.  States are beginning to see that marijuana has been very overlooked and not properly analyzed by economists over previous years, and that marijuana has the potential to be more profitable than other popular drugs such as nicotine and alcohol. 

As economics has proven to be a major influence over marijuana’s legalization, the next big economic question focusses on production rather than consumption.  The first step in creating an open market is finding a demographic or guaranteed consumer base that will buy a product, but the next equally important step is creating ways of producing product for those consumers.  As Steven Davenport and Jonathan Caulkins explain in their article, Evolution of the United States Marijuana Market in the Decade of Liberalization Before Full, the current popular means of production rely on the black market or home growers that then sell and distribute marijuana to their customers.  So, if marijuana is legalized, wouldn’t people continue buying their marijuana from their own means rather than from the government?  According to Caulkins’ and Davenport’s research and analysis: no.  They make the claim that “marijuana distribution is becoming more professional and less social” (Davenport).  By this, they explain that Black market sales and illegal means of purchase of marijuana has greatly decreased since medical marijuana stores and state distribution have become more prevalent in today’s society.  The central claim of their argument is that consumers have proven to want to buy marijuana from government run dispensaries rather than from untrustworthy and sketchy sources.  The only problem states currently face with producing their own marijuana is the expense of creating and running instate farms or the cost of having to buy from professional producers.  However, if marijuana was to gain federal support and become federally legal, then the drug’s means of production would no longer be a problem.  Government aid would allow producers to become commercialized, just as a regular farm, and production numbers would be much greater while also eliminating the extra expenditures and costs of having to buy marijuana from other sources.  Production is also one of the biggest national influences.  Government influence would not only greatly reduce the cost of production, but it is estimated that the government could produce nearly $46.7 billion in tax revenue (Drug War Statistics).  Production has become a strong influence on making states change their laws because the more states producing equates to cheaper costs and greater production yields from their team work. 

Other than economics, media and societal outlooks on the drug are the next two greatest influences on marijuana’s legalization.  According to Stringer and Maggard, the authors of Reefer Madness to Marijuana Legalization: Media Exposure and American Attitudes Toward Marijuana, media coverage has continued to influence public opinion on marijuana since the 1930’s.  Originally negative and propagandized media only depicted marijuana as any other illegal drug such as cocaine and heroin.  Society had no real distinction between illegal drugs; they only received information that the media presented.  Over the decades, as media coverage has shifted its focus to more positive outlooks on marijuana, such as its medical potential, societal views and opinions have become less close-minded and more open to growth.  As public opinion began to sway, so did political viewpoints and now marijuana has become a major policy stance amongst politicians and depending on their viewpoints of the drug, can even win or lose them an election.  Politicians have now become influenced by society to begin including new marijuana policies as part of their campaign strategy for invoking interests with specific demographics of people.  Marijuana would have never entered the political spectrum without media swaying the public outlook of marijuana first.  

Other social factors have proven to be very influential in swaying public opinion, such as podcasts, celebrity support, and public talks and discussions have begun to evoke debates and form viewpoints for both sides of the argument.  People such as David Schmader, a well-known marijuana advocate, public speaker, and a strong figure within the LGBTQ community, have been major influences within this national debate.  Shmader made a claim blaming the federal government for plaguing and warping societal views on marijuana for many years by releasing the Control Substances Act of 1970 which classified marijuana as a schedule one control substance which is equal in federal penalty to cocaine and other extreme drugs.  This act also prohibited scientific research on the drug unless it was federally funded and supported, which required a multi-year process of applications and specific certifications to be completed and accepted.  Without the necessary scientific research being conducted, marijuana medical benefits were undermined and left undiscovered for many years.  Some people within society also make the claim that medical marijuana is just an excused used by stoners to get high legally.  Shmader argued this is not true to the fact that not all marijuana contains THC and there are ways of extracted the medical benefits of cannabis without necessarily making the consumer high.  He also brought up a very overlooked claim; he said the same argument could be made for those who want to be prescribed painkillers, which was the most abused and deathly drug in 2015 causing almost 10,000 deaths within America.  Shmader went on to explain that a person cannot physically overdose on marijuana to a fatal point and there is no recorded death directed caused by marijuana.  However, even with medicinal benefits and no fatal side effects, the negative connotations that marijuana carries continues to linger within society as it is still deemed a “drug”.   Society also continues to overlook the fact that alcohol and tobacco also classify as drugs and a more dangerous drug, but society continues to be more accepting of these substances simply because the government has labeled them as legal; however, legal is not the same as safe.  

Other myths and fears of marijuana’s legalization continue to act as a catalyst for marijuana’s negative connotation within society.  A very popular fear is an increase of legal intoxicating substances will lead to an increase of intoxicated drivers and make the death tolls from car accidents increase even more than they have lately due to alcohol.  However, an article written by Radley Balko, “Since Marijuana Legalization, Highway Fatalities in Colorado Are at Near-Historic Lows”, provides evidence against this argument.  This article disputes the major fear that legalizing marijuana will lead to an increase of dangerous intoxicated drivers on the road by using statistical roadway evidence from Colorado over the past decade or so.  The main evidence from this article was provided by two graphs which depicted total highway fatalities in 2013, 2014, and an average from 2002 until 2013.  The results depict that both 2013 and 2014, the beginning of legalization, were far below the average amount of deaths before marijuana was legalized.  Colorado has proven that marijuana legalization will not increase accidents due to intoxicated drivers, but it actually lowered that rate.  Even with this statistical evidence, society continues to hold this assumption and fear because of how the government originally instituted such negative propaganda and outlooks on the drug.  

Other fears regarding marijuana’s legalization exist within society.  The next most popular concern revolves around adolescents and minors gaining easier access to marijuana once it has been legalized recreationally.  Pediatricians, like those connected to the American Academy of Pediatrics, often speak out against marijuana’s legalization, like Alain Joffe and Samuel Yancy the authors of “Legalization of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth.”  The author’s main concern is that younger generations will gain easier access to possessing marijuana even with state laws and regulations that prohibit the sale of marijuana to people under the age of 21.  They make claims that reference two similar markets: alcohol and tobacco.  These markets have been seen to advertise their products for younger generations, being that they are more prone to making immature mistakes and tend to be less caring of their health during their youth.  The author’s claim that marijuana manufacturers will follow the same pattern as the other two major markets by indirectly influencing minors to buy their product.  The authors use this reasoning as their justification for keeping strict laws and regulations over marijuana as an attempt of making drugs less prominent within younger generations lives which in turn will hopefully lead to a decrease in overall drug usage nationally.  This argument is clearly biased from the authors perspective, as a pediatrician, no doctor will encourage the use of any drug unless prescribed for medical reasons.  Other than their bias, there only concern with this issue is the physical implication early drug use can have on adolescent development.  Enforcing strict laws and regulations has not managed to keep people away from marijuana, in fact it has only seemed to increase incarceration rates.  According to drugpolicy.org, the U.S. incarcerated nearly 700,000 people within 2015 for a marijuana law violation.  On top of that, the U.S. currently spends more than $51,000,000 annually in support of the war on drugs.  When a minor is arrested at an early age for an immature mistake, it can be costly towards their future and could act as a serious impairment for the rest of their lives.  Another statistic showed that over 200,000 students lost federally funded financial aid due to a drug conviction.  Not all of those students were in the same situation, but a student smoking marijuana to help them sleep the night before a test should not have to suffer the same consequences as a student using a major drug such as cocaine; no student ever lost their financial aid after being caught drinking however.  Legalizing marijuana would reduce this statistic greatly and many futures will no longer be jeopardized due to immature decisions and mistakes.   Minors caught underage drinking get a mere slap on the wrist while any person caught smoking could face federal charges depending on their situation.  I am not arguing that marijuana should be legalized because people and minors will find access to marijuana regardless, but supporting heavy criminal penalties that could have major implications on a person’s career future is an incorrect strategy for preventing marijuana use.  As the authors pointed out, I do believe that stricter advertising regulations should be made against alcohol and nicotine, but their patterns of underage usage should not be a justifiable reason for keeping strict federal penalty.   

Although this paper seemed persuasive for marijuana to be legalized, the real intent was explaining why States have begun going against federal law to legalize this drug.  Profit is a huge motivation behind marijuana’s legalization, but there are many more factors or else the U.S. would be seen commercializing all drug trafficking for profit.  Clearly marijuana is no longer viewed by society to be amongst the most daunting of illegal substances, this can be credited to new medical research, media coverage, and a great increase in the number of consumers nationally.  Marijuana is no longer a jail sentence worthy drug because social norms and standards have adapted to be more accepting, rather than ignorant and frightened.  Media coverage is a huge factor in this major change, when the media only covers the negative aspects of anything, society tends to sway their viewpoints and become more judgmental.  Not only is media coverage changing societal perspectives, but economists are beginning to study the market for marijuana to see how a new highly demanded product could be utilized to provide economic benefits for our states and country.  Economic persuasion has been a big factor in gaining the interests of politicians who now see this federally illegal drug as a great source of wealth.  For marijuana to continue to be legalized, public opinion needs to continue to sway and politicians need more interest because someone must issue the bill, and the bill for legalization needs to earn votes.  Fears still exist about legalizing an illegal substance, such as the fear of more intoxicated drivers because drunk driving is worse enough.  Further research needs to be done not about the benefits of marijuana, but about these negative implications and fears that exist within society that continue to prevent marijuana’s acceptance.  Fear and ignorance combined result in closed minds and stubborn viewpoints.  One cannot expect to persuade someone on any matter with only positive outlooks on something and ignoring the negatives.  Marijuana is still a “drug”, a word that has carried a negative connotation for many years, but at the same time society has learned to accept drugs such as nicotine and alcohol; substances that provide no medicinal benefit and truly only work to deteriorate one’s health.  Regardless of my own opinion on the drug and whether or not it should be legalized, it already has been in my home state, Massachusetts, and foresight into the future predicts many other states will be ratified soon too, so it is best to not be stubbornly opinionated, but rather educated.  If all of these influences continue to sway societal and political opinions, then one can expect marijuana to be federally legalize within our future. 
