What policy arguments do people make in favor of legalizing marijuana?

Question

I am not asking why people want marijuana legal, I am asking what arguments people make that legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to a society?

Answer 1

Proponents of legalizing marijuana often argue on the grounds of personal liberty, that an American should have the right to do whatever they like, so long as they are not harming anyone else. They also argue that criminalizing marijuana leads to an overcrowding of our prisons. There is another argument that the enforcement of anti-marijuana laws has been disproportionately against African Americans, despite black and white Americans consuming marijuana at similar rates. Lastly, many argue that taxing and regulating marijuana would make the product much safer than if one had to buy it on the street.

Answer 2

Well there are a number of arguments that can be made which include legal, economic, and social aspects to the policy of supporting legalization. For instance, a major economical policy argument to support legalization is the aspect that by legalizing it you can tax it and generate tax revenue for the government. that argument is strong because by allowing marijuana to be bought in the illegal market, the government avoids receiving taxes on the sale of the product, which having to spend taxes on law enforcement to enforce laws that prohibit the production, sale, and use of marijuana. A legal policy argument is two fold: By legalizing it you can regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana. Also, the shift of law enforcement will be from enforcement of violating a law, to enforcement of compliance with a law, and those who fail to comply with regulation get held accountable for their policy. Finally, as to the social policy aspect, you will reduce crowding the justice system and prisons with often population from poor neighborhoods, and allow law enforcement to proceed to prosecute more sever criminal offenses.