4 Reasons to Celebrate 4/20
April 5, 2018 – Tamara Estes
Written by Stacey Khizder
It's only been a little over a year than the Trump administration has been in office, and his cabinet members have already tried cracking down on marijuana use. In May, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked Congress to give the Department of Justice authorization to prosecute those who use marijuana, even in states where it's legal. While most conservatives brand themselves on the belief that marijuana use is detrimental, however, data shows that legalizing marijuana actually has more pros than cons.
Our current administration and Congress refuse to accept that legalizing marijuana is beneficial for American society. Here are 4 major reasons why you should celebrate 4/20 this year:
1. It's great for recreational use
Isn't America supposed to be the land of the free? I would expect this to also mean that people have the right to put whatever they want into their bodies, such as marijuana. Data shows that marijuana use is safer than alcohol or cigarette use, which are drugs that are more accessible and regulated to Americans. There is no good reason to cease recreational marijuana use, especially since there have been no reported deaths from it. In comparison, alcohol use leads to approximately 88,000 deaths in the U.S. per year, but is easily accessible, and even encouraged.
2. Legalizing it is better for the economy
In 2016, the legal marijuana market generated $7.2 billion for the economy. It is predicted that the United States could see an excess of $24 billion in revenue just from legalizing the marijuana industry. Why not support something that would boost the economy?
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3. It would minimize the incarceration rate in the U.S.
The United States has an extremely high incarceration rate, and that is nothing to be proud of. Most of these imprisonments are due to minor drug charges, which include marijuana possession and use. Research shows that marijuana legalization and reduced crime rates have a positive correlation. However, this is a much deeper issue. As a society, it should be a moral obligation to aim for lower incarceration rates. Instead, imprisonment is treated like a business, and a profit comes from mass incarceration.
4. It could revolutionize medicine and healthcare
For many people, marijuana is the treatment and/or aid to their illness. It relieves pain, suffering, treats symptoms and promotes stability without major side effects. Medical marijuana use has been shown to ease symptoms in serious conditions such as cancer, AIDS, and more. With its legalization, marijuana could also become a key component of medical research for the future.
10 comments
T-shirt idea: “IF YOU DON’T THINK WE NEED A REVOLUTION, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!”
YOU CAN’T SPELL HEALTHCARE WITHOUT THC
I love your broadcasts !
This sadistic culture is long overdue for rehab. Stop paranoia fueled misery. Reject mad bullies. Stand up for your rights.
Here in N. California, legalisation is being handled with so much greed & over-regulation. As predicted, many of the ‘boutique’ growers will continue to send their potbback East where it commands high prices.
So far, only the medical cannabis movement is truly serving the communities ; the rest appears to be actually retrogressing, unfortunately. This local ordinance thing runs directly against the very large majority of citizens that voted to make cannabis readily & easily available for recreational use, just the opposite of what is going on,.
Agree 100%, but still can’t figue exactly what TYT stands for!! Please advise!
FL
Don’t Bogart that joint, Jenk!
Keep doing what you are doing! Love the way you guys coit the fake media and its shallow clear people representing even more superficial fake news!
Hi TYT community. In 2016 I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, rare and not good. Long story short I survived and I’m in remission now, yay. I work for a hospital in a state where marijuana is illegal. I had a shit ton of chemo and radiation. My doctors were pleasantly surprised at how well I handled the side effects from the treatment I was on. They would all say, wow, you’re doing much better than most. Little did they know and I couldn’t share with them because of my employers drug policies my wife have been making and delivering cannabis butter to me. It was a lifesaver, it made me feel better and it help me hold down my food. This gave me much more energy because I was able to eat . It also reduced the need for other painkillers like opiates which had many health benefits on top of not getting addicted to opiates. This is my personal marijuana success story. Unfortunately my only way of sharing with anybody is anonymously via TYT post because of the rules in my state and my with my employer. We need to change these laws. TYT rocks!
Well done TYT, you hit the nail on the head. Thanks you using your voice to get behind ending marijuana prohibition.