Can Marijuana Actually Have Negative Effects for the Public?

BREAKING NEWS: Marijuana is legal in four states for recreational use. What a shocker. Marijuana has been legal since 2012 and statistics have been formulating about the positive and negative effects of the change. In Colorado, marijuana use has increased five percent from 2006 to 2014. This statistic showed mainly a change in the amount of adults that use the drug. The amounts of teens that use it has remained stagnant. But how does this show the effects it has on the state? How can an increase of usage effect statistics? With the legalization of marijuana, more pressure has been added to the police force. According to the new laws that changed with the drug’s legalization, a person may only possess one ounce of marijuana, may not use it in public, and may not drive while under the influence of the drug. The legalization creates problems for the police force because many things can remain hidden and can not be judged. Marijuana can be carried around as edibles (i.e. candy bars, brownies), it is difficult to judge whether or not a person is under the influence, and the drug is hard to locate. Although marijuana legalization has been proven to be beneficial in some ways, these aspects should have been analyzed ahead of time as well. Marijuana-related traffic deaths have also increased since legalization of the drug. It has increased by an average a whopping 48 percent. But how can this be regulated if there is no way for public officials to judge the possession of marijuana or the amount of intake a person has had? This serves as a major flaw in the legalization of the drug because many people can be injured due to being under the influence or being involved in an accident with someone who has used marijuana. I personally see this as a problem because just like drunk, texting while, or sleep driving, marijuana can play the same exact role. More accidents can occur or more people can be arrested and taken in for testing due to the lack of options for analyzing a person’s marijuana intake. With the research I have conducted, I have seen the benefits of marijuana and support that after seeing the scientific evidence; however, I don’t believe it should be legalized without thoroughly seeking ways to regulate use and how to test people for consumption. If death and accident totals and the amount of people using marijuana rise, I fear for the lives of those who have to share the street, freeway or anywhere in that case, with those users. It harms them, adds pressure to public officials, and can ultimately create negative results in the end.