Going to Anna North at NYTimes – writes about cultural topics in addition to human rights and opinion pieces.

Every 48 minutes, someone in Oregon is arrested for Marijuana charges, and 90% of theses arrests involve less than 1 ounce of Marijuana. Since both Washington and Colorado have somewhat recently legalized recreational marijuana, arrests have plummeted while tax revenues soar, and we are beginning to see the same positive effects for Oregon. In the first year that Washington legalized marijuana, they have already generated $4.7 million in new marijuana excise tax revenue for the state, and are expected to generate $25 million by the end of the year, while Colorado generated $17.2 million in the first 6 months of legalizing marijuana. In addition to this, crime rates and marijuana related arrests have drastically dropped, allowing law enforcers more time to focus on more violent crimes that we should really be concerned about. Due to the many health, economic and safety benefits we have seen in Washington and Colorado, recreational marijuana should be legalized for adults 21 and over throughout the US to end federal prohibition one state at a time.

Although as many as 20 states in the US have legalized medical marijuana, recreational marijuana is still under large debate. There are many concerns regarding the health and economic risks of recreational marijuana, including increased crime, use in teens and possible illnesses associated with smoking marijuana. However, the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington, Colorado, and now Oregon have proved that the benefits outweigh the risks and that legalization brings a great deal of positive effects for the states. Since the most recent legalization of marijuana in Oregon, marijuana related felonies are being decreased to misdemeanors or lesser felonies, allowing for more room in the prisons and law enforcers more time to focus on violent crimes. The tax revenue generated also allows for education and marijuana awareness in schools for children, as well as more research for the health benefits of marijuana. Marijuana has been known to help treat many illnesses such as glaucoma, seizures, and anxiety and has been shown to stop the spreading of cancer in addition to relieving many other painful symptoms.

It took the US 13 years to end alcohol prohibition and we now find ourselves at another crossroads with marijuana. By more states learning the facts about marijuana and saying “no” to federal prohibition, we can end the war on drugs and enjoy the large benefits legalization of marijuana will have on our country’s health and economy.