The
following blog post was written by Patrick Wood, a student at SUNY- Geneseo in New York
This post examinesColorado ’s
Amendment 64 as the first of a three part series regarding
these cannabis legalization initiatives.
Colorado ’s Campaign
for Amendment 64 says on
its website that the initiative will do four
things:
“A rational [black market marijuana] trafficker ought to fear legalization above all things…” Mark A. R. Kleiman in Marijuana; Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control page 177
Sphere: Related Content
The
official campaigns of the initiatives to legalize cannabis in Colorado Oregon Washington
This post examines
·
Reduce teen marijuana
use
·
Minimize teen access
to marijuana
·
Reduce exposure to
more dangerous drugs
·
Take Sales Out of the
Hands of Criminals
Evidence supporting that legalization would both reduce
teen marijuana use and minimize teen access
to marijuana:
”If the
existing enforcement machinery were [left in place for minors], this smaller market
(with older users drained off by the licit supply) might find it hard to function; marijuana from illicit sources
might be less available to kids than it is today”.
- Mark A. R. Kleiman in Marijuana;
Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control page 164
“Although
legalization would make drugs cheaper and more readily available, sales to
minors could be discouraged by harsh punishments and by restricting legal sales
to designated shops. The present system has not been effective in discouraging
drug experimentation by the young in part because suppliers are subject to
punishments whether they sell to adults or children. “ Nobel laureate Gary S.
Becker in It’s Time to Give Up
the War on Drugs
Evidence
supporting that legalization would reduce exposure to more dangerous drugs:
“There is
no control on the quality of the cannabis sold on the black market. Cannabis may be
cut with other, more harmful substances, and its THC content may vary in unpredictable
ways. Minors are also able to purchase cannabis in the absence of any age
restrictions, and the retail cannabis black market is not separated from
that for cocaine
and heroin. Individuals seeking to buy cannabis may therefore be
introduced to other
illicit substances they otherwise would not know how to obtain.” – Wayne Hall “A
Cautious Case for Cannabis Depenalization” in Mitch Earleywhine’s Pot Politics
Evidence
supporting that legalization would take sales out of the hands of criminals:
“If, as
we have argued, federal marijuana enforcement influences the extent of marijuana
consumption only negligibly, while worsening the effects on users of the remaining
consumption and increasing the wealth and power of criminal organizations and their
use of violence and corruption, then federal marijuana enforcement ought to be cut
back.” - Mark A. R. Kleiman
in Marijuana; Costs of Abuse,
Costs of Control page 163
“One is
that legalization would save the law-enforcement and social costs of arresting hundreds
of thousands of adults each year. (Most proposals would keep marijuana illegal
for those under 21.) Another is that pot's underground economy—estimated
at $15
billion to $30 billion annually—would be largely wiped out if marijuana
were legalized
throughout the country.” - Beau Kilmer in “The Marijuana Exception” published
in The Wall Street Journal
“A rational [black market marijuana] trafficker ought to fear legalization above all things…” Mark A. R. Kleiman in Marijuana; Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control page 177
Additional:
“The high
prices due to the [drug] war have provided huge profits for cartels and others
who evade detection and punishment. Estimates place the world market value of
illegal drugs at several hundred billions of dollars--in the same league as the
markets for cigarettes and alcohol.” - Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker
Further information supporting that
the Colorado initiative
would have numerous benefits is available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1977152
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