Here because the times columnist cited you in his pitiful op-ed "Legalizing Marijuana is a Big Mistake". As was already mentioned in the comments, arguing about the "costs of marijuana use" without comparing them to the costs of perfectly legal alternatives such as alcohol is misleading at best. For instance, alcohol is the fourth leadin…
Here because the times columnist cited you in his pitiful op-ed "Legalizing Marijuana is a Big Mistake". As was already mentioned in the comments, arguing about the "costs of marijuana use" without comparing them to the costs of perfectly legal alternatives such as alcohol is misleading at best. For instance, alcohol is the fourth leading preventable cause of death, killing an estimated 140,000 people annually. Marijuana, on the other hand, is linked to about 350.
Further, trying to draw a connection between an increase in opioid related deaths and legalized marijuana is tenuous at best. It could just as easily be argued that the increase in opioid mortality is linked to the concurrent proliferation of Fentanyl in the American drug market as well as the fact that "street" dealers, due to a reduction of marijuana related profits, are pushing their harder products more, cutting it to boost profits, etc.
As for arrests generally increasing, it's also quite possible that law enforcement, not pre-occupied with marijuana related offenses (which tend to be attention grabbing due to the smell and possible indiscretion of marijuana users when buying off the street), are actually able to focus on more pressing issues.
However, I think my biggest qualm here is your dismissing something being recreationally enjoyable as a viable reason for legalization. Why is alcohol legal? Why are cigarettes legal? Its arguable that they cause far more harm than good, and cigarettes especially tax the American health care system extensively. These, however, are available primarily because people enjoy them (and of course, because there is profit to be made). Personally, I don't even believe that a reduction in arrests or opioid deaths is necessary in the argument for legalization. Instead, given that a large portion of the population enjoys it, and the overall costs are minimal and tend to be related to personal issues (self-degradation or potentially some mental health issues) as opposed to societal issues, I see any reasoning beyond it being popularly enjoyed as extremely superfluous.
If you don't want to smoke, then don't smoke. If you don't want your kids to smoke, well, even legal marijuana isn't available to minors. However, stop trying to hide behind useless, unrelated statistics and instead look at the fact that that cannabis prohibition in and of itself only came into being in 1937 and, generally speaking, is a very recent thing considering the history of cannabis use stretching back to ancient civilization. Is marijuana legalization really the hill to die on when people are being gunned down by legal firearms on a regular basis?
Here because the times columnist cited you in his pitiful op-ed "Legalizing Marijuana is a Big Mistake". As was already mentioned in the comments, arguing about the "costs of marijuana use" without comparing them to the costs of perfectly legal alternatives such as alcohol is misleading at best. For instance, alcohol is the fourth leading preventable cause of death, killing an estimated 140,000 people annually. Marijuana, on the other hand, is linked to about 350.
Further, trying to draw a connection between an increase in opioid related deaths and legalized marijuana is tenuous at best. It could just as easily be argued that the increase in opioid mortality is linked to the concurrent proliferation of Fentanyl in the American drug market as well as the fact that "street" dealers, due to a reduction of marijuana related profits, are pushing their harder products more, cutting it to boost profits, etc.
As for arrests generally increasing, it's also quite possible that law enforcement, not pre-occupied with marijuana related offenses (which tend to be attention grabbing due to the smell and possible indiscretion of marijuana users when buying off the street), are actually able to focus on more pressing issues.
However, I think my biggest qualm here is your dismissing something being recreationally enjoyable as a viable reason for legalization. Why is alcohol legal? Why are cigarettes legal? Its arguable that they cause far more harm than good, and cigarettes especially tax the American health care system extensively. These, however, are available primarily because people enjoy them (and of course, because there is profit to be made). Personally, I don't even believe that a reduction in arrests or opioid deaths is necessary in the argument for legalization. Instead, given that a large portion of the population enjoys it, and the overall costs are minimal and tend to be related to personal issues (self-degradation or potentially some mental health issues) as opposed to societal issues, I see any reasoning beyond it being popularly enjoyed as extremely superfluous.
If you don't want to smoke, then don't smoke. If you don't want your kids to smoke, well, even legal marijuana isn't available to minors. However, stop trying to hide behind useless, unrelated statistics and instead look at the fact that that cannabis prohibition in and of itself only came into being in 1937 and, generally speaking, is a very recent thing considering the history of cannabis use stretching back to ancient civilization. Is marijuana legalization really the hill to die on when people are being gunned down by legal firearms on a regular basis?