Position #1:
Drug dealers
The first position analyzed pertaining to the subject of the legalization of marijuana is that of drug dealers. While many claim that drug dealers would be on the pro side of the argument, this is actually not true—and for good reason. Drug dealers came forward and shared their opinion on how they felt marijuana should not have been legalized in Washington—their hometowns and main business revenue. These drug dealers make the majority of their money through the illegal sale of pot, which means that they are practically losing their jobs or will have to relocate. Due to the fact that they would no longer be able to sell their drug for as much money as previously sold, they would steadily lose income and all of their customers. Not only would pot become cheaper when it is legalized and, therefore, much more easily accessible, but it also cause pot smokers to turn away from the illegal market in general due to less risk of trouble with the law. However, not all of these drug dealers feel as if they will be effected at all as one drug dealer claims that people do not only buy pot for the reasons of cost and accessibility, but also “quality, trust, and rapport” (Berman 2014). This drug dealer feels as if the pot market will take a few years before it is truly effected and the illegal pot market would lose out because buyers will still purchase from their dealers until the legal market is fully established. Therefore, drug dealers have mixed feelings toward the legalization for marijuana—positive at first, but negative in the long run.
Position #2: Law Enforcement
The second position is pertaining to how cops feel about the legalization of marijuana. From the get-go, most cops say that their experience with marijuana is negative, due to the only contact being with those who are arrested for misuse of the drug or possession of it illegally (to be expected). However, they hold surprisingly mixed feelings about the topic. One cop actually held a surprising opinion on the issue that marijuana should be entirely legal for everyone of age, as long as it is taxed and regulated. For stating this opinion that his bureau did not agree with, he was actually fired from his job, as they claimed it misrepresented the police force as supporting the use of drugs. These types of reactions are exactly why policemen have felt that it is necessary in the past and even present to hide their true opinions behind one that is socially acceptable for their career. Surprisingly enough, almost half of all cops reported that they think marijuana should be legalized during an anonymous survey. The writer of this article actually contacted another law enforcement member in the organization of LEAP, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and found that everyone involved was on the pro side of the argument. The author also shared a quote from a fellow cop that said, “I believe first that if it were legal there would be fewer people abusing substances. It's hard for us as cops to admit that when it comes to drug laws, most people who abuse substances don't care about the law” (Wyllie 2011). Overall, the position of law enforcement remains supportive of the legalization of marijuana, as they believe it will reduce the abuse of drugs in general.
Position #3: Students
The last position to be reported on was the position that students held on the legalization of marijuana. While most people would probably assume that students would be pro-legalization due to partying lifestyle in college, the reasoning behind the opinion is quite different. Amongst the students that study the actual drug itself and examine drugs in lab for their college degree, there was a consensus of positive feelings toward legalizing marijuana. The general attitude from the academic world of college students is that, if one understands the effects that marijuana has on people and uses it properly, it would have no negative effects to legalize it. One of the women claimed that she was a medical student, who just completed an entire college semester on studying how medical marijuana affects our brains. This student claims that there is absolutely no reason as to why marijuana was not made legal in all states after the first few have done so. She even goes as far as to say that everyone who supports this opinion should come together and try to get the classification changed in all states. This student brought up the interesting point that, due to the fact that it is not entirely legal, Obama has closed dispensaries and put the employees out of a job, which puts a major drain on the economy. It is almost as if, the more knowledgeable a student is about the drug, the more strongly that they feel it should be legally allowed in all states. Therefore, a student who has studied marijuana during her college career took the stance that, after all of her knowledge, she still believes that marijuana should be legalized (Braddock 2014). Overall, students claim that, if one is knowledgeable about the subject, there is no reason to be against the legalization of marijuana.
The first position analyzed pertaining to the subject of the legalization of marijuana is that of drug dealers. While many claim that drug dealers would be on the pro side of the argument, this is actually not true—and for good reason. Drug dealers came forward and shared their opinion on how they felt marijuana should not have been legalized in Washington—their hometowns and main business revenue. These drug dealers make the majority of their money through the illegal sale of pot, which means that they are practically losing their jobs or will have to relocate. Due to the fact that they would no longer be able to sell their drug for as much money as previously sold, they would steadily lose income and all of their customers. Not only would pot become cheaper when it is legalized and, therefore, much more easily accessible, but it also cause pot smokers to turn away from the illegal market in general due to less risk of trouble with the law. However, not all of these drug dealers feel as if they will be effected at all as one drug dealer claims that people do not only buy pot for the reasons of cost and accessibility, but also “quality, trust, and rapport” (Berman 2014). This drug dealer feels as if the pot market will take a few years before it is truly effected and the illegal pot market would lose out because buyers will still purchase from their dealers until the legal market is fully established. Therefore, drug dealers have mixed feelings toward the legalization for marijuana—positive at first, but negative in the long run.
Position #2: Law Enforcement
The second position is pertaining to how cops feel about the legalization of marijuana. From the get-go, most cops say that their experience with marijuana is negative, due to the only contact being with those who are arrested for misuse of the drug or possession of it illegally (to be expected). However, they hold surprisingly mixed feelings about the topic. One cop actually held a surprising opinion on the issue that marijuana should be entirely legal for everyone of age, as long as it is taxed and regulated. For stating this opinion that his bureau did not agree with, he was actually fired from his job, as they claimed it misrepresented the police force as supporting the use of drugs. These types of reactions are exactly why policemen have felt that it is necessary in the past and even present to hide their true opinions behind one that is socially acceptable for their career. Surprisingly enough, almost half of all cops reported that they think marijuana should be legalized during an anonymous survey. The writer of this article actually contacted another law enforcement member in the organization of LEAP, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and found that everyone involved was on the pro side of the argument. The author also shared a quote from a fellow cop that said, “I believe first that if it were legal there would be fewer people abusing substances. It's hard for us as cops to admit that when it comes to drug laws, most people who abuse substances don't care about the law” (Wyllie 2011). Overall, the position of law enforcement remains supportive of the legalization of marijuana, as they believe it will reduce the abuse of drugs in general.
Position #3: Students
The last position to be reported on was the position that students held on the legalization of marijuana. While most people would probably assume that students would be pro-legalization due to partying lifestyle in college, the reasoning behind the opinion is quite different. Amongst the students that study the actual drug itself and examine drugs in lab for their college degree, there was a consensus of positive feelings toward legalizing marijuana. The general attitude from the academic world of college students is that, if one understands the effects that marijuana has on people and uses it properly, it would have no negative effects to legalize it. One of the women claimed that she was a medical student, who just completed an entire college semester on studying how medical marijuana affects our brains. This student claims that there is absolutely no reason as to why marijuana was not made legal in all states after the first few have done so. She even goes as far as to say that everyone who supports this opinion should come together and try to get the classification changed in all states. This student brought up the interesting point that, due to the fact that it is not entirely legal, Obama has closed dispensaries and put the employees out of a job, which puts a major drain on the economy. It is almost as if, the more knowledgeable a student is about the drug, the more strongly that they feel it should be legally allowed in all states. Therefore, a student who has studied marijuana during her college career took the stance that, after all of her knowledge, she still believes that marijuana should be legalized (Braddock 2014). Overall, students claim that, if one is knowledgeable about the subject, there is no reason to be against the legalization of marijuana.