These proposals include automatically clearing the records of people arrested or convicted of marijuana offenses; supporting businesses owned and operated by people of color entering the regulated marijuana market; and encouraging equitable licensing practices in the market.
Jurisdictions, however, should also offer broader solutions that are not necessarily connected directly to the regulated marijuana market. This issue brief, therefore, proposes using tax revenue from marijuana sales to create public sector jobs specifically for communities affected by the war on marijuana. As documented in a previous CAP report, the war on drugs created a vast network of laws that systematically excluded generations of African American and Latinx individuals from equal access to economic opportunity.
New York City, for example, deprioritized marijuana prosecutions in , after The New York Times reported that black and Hispanic New Yorkers were arrested on low-level marijuana charges at eight times and five times the rate of white New Yorkers, respectively—despite continued evidence of equal usage rates of marijuana across races.
In addition to the overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinx individuals in arrest rates, the war on drugs led to harsh sentencing laws that contributed to greater incarceration rates and depleted these communities of breadwinners and workers.
A analysis placed the unemployment rate for black men in the United States at 11 percent but concluded that this rate would jump to 19 percent if it accounted for incarcerated individuals.
Increased incarceration rates cycled more families and children into poverty, particularly African American and Latino children, who are seven and two times more likely than white children, respectively, to have an incarcerated parent.
But incarceration worsens these disadvantages due to the loss of a family member and provider. To begin to ameliorate these harms, lawmakers must lead with proposals that incorporate equity and inclusivity into marijuana legalization policy, particularly around employment and business opportunities.
At the outset, states must reduce the collateral consequences that are associated with marijuana arrests and convictions; these include prohibiting a person from obtaining an occupational license, public housing, and student loan assistance for college.
The American Bar Association ABA has identified more than 40, state and federal regulations that impose collateral consequences on criminal convictions. In order to assist people who have been arrested or convicted of marijuana crimes with securing employment, states must provide automatic and cost-free expungements.
It provides a clean slate 21 to people with arrest and conviction records and mitigates the effects of collateral consequences. In , for example, California passed legislation requiring prosecutors to expunge certain marijuana-related convictions.
Jurisdictions must also consider the forces keeping low-income individuals of color from joining and profiting from the regulated marijuana market. A survey of marijuana business owners found that only 19 percent identified as nonwhite. Additionally, states can reduce barriers to the regulated marijuana market by prioritizing people directly affected by the war on drugs in receiving marijuana business licenses. In addition to proposals focused on providing access to the regulated marijuana market, policymakers should use marijuana-related tax revenue to provide broader opportunities for people who have been adversely affected by disproportionate marijuana enforcement actions over the years.
One possibility is outlined in Sen. This month, Illinois Gov. With clear regulation and careful scrutiny, the cannabis industry can be a powerful field that can offer both economic and social benefits to the US. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Background Marjiuana is a psychoactive drug that is used globally for medical and recreational purposes.
Economic Benefits Increased Tax revenue Like all goods, the cannabis industry can bring considerable tax revenues. Conclusion Legalizing marijuana has social impacts that translate to economic growth.
The Economic Benefits of Legalizing Weed. Using Marijuana Revenue to Create Jobs. Marijuana DrugFacts. California cannabis tax revenues stall in wake of pandemic, job losses.
Where Does Marijuana Grow in the Wild? Like this: Like Loading Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Previous Post Economics of the Environment.
Follow Following. The cannabis effect on crime: Time-series analysis of crime in Colorado and Washington state, Justice Quarterly, Not in my backyard? Not so fast. The effect of marijuana legalization on neighborhood crime, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Findings suggest no negative effects of legalization on crime clearance rates. Moreover, evidence suggests some crime clearance rates have improved. Our findings suggest legalization has resulted in improvements in some clearance rates.
Going to pot: The impact of dispensary closures on crime. Journal of Urban Economics, Exploring the ecological association between crime and medical marijuana dispensaries, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, An examination of relationships between cannabis legalization and fatal motor vehicle and pedestrian-involved crashes, Traffic Injury Prevention, Marijuana medicalization and motor vehicle fatalities: A synthetic control group approach, Journal of Experimental Criminology, Medical marijuana laws are associated with reductions in traffic fatalities, particularly pronounced among those aged 25 to 44 years.
State medical marijuana laws and the prevalence of opioids detected among fatally injured drivers, American Journal of Public Health, Drug use in Canadian patients with trauma after cannabis legalization, Canadian Journal of Surgery, Marijuana legalization and rates of crashing under the influence of tetrahydrocannabinol and alcohol, The American Surgeon,
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