Debate 2: Legalization of Marijuana

This house believes that the state of Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. As the government, I stand in affirmation of this resolution. First, I will define some terms within the resolution, and then I will move onto the three contentions for the resolution that supports the government’s stance.

First, I will define the terms in the resolution. The resolution reads that this house believes that the state of Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. I would first like to define the term “legalize”. The term legalize means to make something that was previously illegal permissible by law. The next term I would like to define is “sale.” The term defines the exchange of a commodity, in this case, marijuana, for money. The next term I would like to define is “possession.” This can be defined as an item of property or something belonging to someone. The next term I would like to define is “recreational.” This is relating to or denoting activity done for enjoyment when one is not working. Therefore, the type of marijuana usage we are discussing today has to do with the recreational use of the product. The final term I would like to define is “marijuana.” This can be defined as the dried flower buds and leaves of the female hemp or cannabis plant for smoking or consumption.

Now that the terms of the resolution have been defined, we can move on to the contentions of the argument that support the government’s stance that Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. The state should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana because the sales could boost the economy. The legalized usage will also increase consumer safety regulations. Finally, the legalization of this commodity could reduce drug cartels and organized crime.

The current economy is struggling due to the pandemic effects of the corona virus (COVID-19) and not just in Texas. However, the legalization of marijuana could help boost the state economy. First, the legalization of marijuana will create jobs. Since selling the commodity will now be legal, businesses will pop up in almost every town or heavily visited city. This increase of businesses will essentially create jobs. Elizabeth Johnston from the ICF reported back in 2016 following the legalization in California that the sales induced at least 81,000 jobs for the Californians. The legalization will also increase tax revenues. Mrinalini Krishna from Investopedia reported on December 11, 2019 that Colorado saw a collection of $302 million in taxes from the marijuana industry. The state’s total product sales rose to $1.7 billion, and we could see the same success in Texas. The technology sector has even hopped on the legalization train. Certain apps can provide consumers with basic insight and information about marijuana as well as local dispensaries to purchase the product. Space Technologies reports on January 14, 2020 that apps like Eaze can even deliver cannabis to the consumer. This opens up an entire job market for the technology sector. It is evident that by legalizing marijuana for recreational sale and possession, the state of Texas’ economy could benefit.

Consumer safety should be a top priority in the use of recreational marijuana. This brings me to the second contention of the resolution that the state of Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. Legal marijuana is regulated for consumer safety, so this can only increase consumer safety and health. Currently, consumers on the streets purchasing illegal marijuana have no control over the contents or substances within the product. According to Meredith Watkins from the American Addiction Centers on November 25, 2019, illegal marijuana can be laced with lead or other heavy metals, glass, fungus and bacteria, heroin, embalming fluid, laundry detergent, LSD, meth, or cocaine just to name a few. Before hemp and CBD products were legalized in Texas, there were about 5,900 misdemeanor marijuana possession cases five months into 2019 according to Jolie McCullough from the Texas Tribune on January 3, 2020. This means that a majority of nearly 6,000 Texans were exposed to these dangerous substances that could harm them or worse, it could cause death. If the state of Texas were to legalize marijuana, this would ensure that consumers would not be ingesting or smoking these harmful substances. There would be laws that require testing of the products, health information, labeling of concentrations of THC and other regulations. This could improve the safety of thousands of Texans.

The third contention for the resolution that the state of Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana is that the legalization could help drive out drug cartels and crime from the illegal cannabis market. Elliot Smith from CNBC reported on October 22, 2019 that the former Mexican president stated that the legalization of marijuana could successfully combat illegal cartel groups. The legalization of marijuana would simply take illegal business away from these criminals and transition to a safer, more legal, and more profitable business for others. This would decrease the crime rate altogether, which would be a significant benefit to Texas. In legalized states like California, crime rates decreased after the legalization by fifteen percent according to Rene Chun from The Atlantic in the February 2019 issue. If the state of Texas were to also legalize this product, crime would decrease after the legalization as well.

In summation, the legalization benefits of recreational marijuana are significant enough to cause action. This legalization will boost the Texas economy, maintain the safety of Texans, and it can decrease the crime and cartel activity. As Texans, there are some important factors that we care a lot about, and that is our money, our health, and our safety. If the state of Texas legalizes recreational marijuana, these significant factors will only benefit from this crucial piece of legislation. As the government, this house believes that the state of Texas should legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana because it will overwhelmingly benefit Texas citizens.