Desirae Knight

Attributed

There are many factors pertaining to the legalization of marijuana, both good and bad, however the good outweighs the bad and legalizing marijuana in the state of Washington has opened up many new debates on the issue.

Marijuana is environmentally friendly and is a natural plant with many uses to offer the state that would have otherwise been denied by prohibition. Paper, milk, clothing, and plastics are some of the highest on the list, but there are many other uses for it. Not only byproducts are useful though, as the plant is high in nutrients and feeds the soil, as well as the fact that it grows more quickly than most crops, so the cost of production and the yield is far more favorable to some common alternatives.

Another large issue is the amount of resources that are being spent to stop the use of marijuana, such as police time, money, court costs, over-crowding jail houses and an infinite list of other costs to our cities and state. Having eliminated prohibition within Washington has allowed us to divert those valuable resources to more important matters and crimes.

Also, because the demand for marijuana is so high, prohibition only succeeds in allowing producers to charge high prices for low quality product, if not completely cheating a customer by lacing it with sawdust or other plant material to sell a larger quantity. With legalization, the state can work towards refining policies and insuring steady prices and product quality with legitimate producers.