8 Things That Happen (and Don’t Happen) When Marijuana Is Legalized
Based on a five-year experiment, here’s what society can expect from marijuana legalization.
The first place in the world to legalize marijuana was the U.S. state of Colorado in 2012. Since then, eight more U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the entire country of Canada have joined the movement. Opponents of legalization predicted dire consequences—from crowds of stoned people loitering in the streets to red-eyed, dangerous drivers on the roads.
A recently published report by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) shows how these predictions have played out. Spoiler: opponents of marijuana legalization are no Nostradamus.
1. Marijuana Arrests Have Plummeted
This one’s obvious, but the numbers are impressive: marijuana-related arrests dropped by 98% in Washington, 96% in Oregon, 93% in Alaska, 81% in Colorado, and 76% in the nation’s capital. This means tens of thousands of people avoided the unpleasant experience of handcuffs and a night in jail. And that’s just the beginning—there are also court cases, lawyers, fines, sentences, and more.
The impact of fewer arrests on civil liberties is hard to overstate, but the savings for law enforcement are easy to calculate. The DPA estimates these savings in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
2. Racial Disparities Persist
Across the country, Black and Latino people are still arrested for marijuana more often than white people, despite similar usage rates. This disparity remains even in states where marijuana is legal. There’s still work to be done here.
3. No Surge in Teen Marijuana Use
The percentage of high school students using marijuana in states that have legalized it is comparable to rates in other states and the nation as a whole. In fact, these numbers have stabilized or are even declining.
4. Roads Haven’t Become More Dangerous
In the pioneering states of Colorado and Washington, the number of people charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or other psychoactive substances is decreasing, and the rate of traffic accidents has not changed.
5. Opioid Abuse Has Decreased in Legal States
In Colorado, the rise in opioid painkiller overdoses reversed and began to decline in 2014, the year retail marijuana sales began. In states with medical marijuana, overdose deaths dropped by 25%, hospitalizations for opioid addiction fell by 23%, and overall opioid-related hospitalizations decreased by 15%.
6. Marijuana Tax Revenue Is Huge—And Exceeds Expectations
All legal states have collected over a billion dollars in taxes from recreational marijuana sales. This doesn’t even include California, which started sales this year, or Maine and Massachusetts, where sales haven’t begun yet. Everywhere, tax revenues have surpassed expert predictions.
7. Tax Revenue Funds Worthy Causes
Colorado has spent $230 million on building new schools and other public projects. In Oregon, 40% of marijuana tax revenue goes to education. Nevada will allocate $56 million for similar purposes. Oregon dedicates 20% of marijuana taxes to addiction treatment, and Washington allocates 25%.
8. Legal Marijuana Is a Major New Job Market
It’s estimated that the legal marijuana industry already employs 200,000 people, either full- or part-time—and that’s not counting the impact of reforms in California, Maine, and Massachusetts. As legalization spreads, the marijuana industry is poised to become a major driver of economic growth and job creation for years to come.