In the United States, under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the use and possession of cannabis is illegal under federal law for some reason whatsoever. Under this law, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I control substance, determined to have a high potential for abuse and no approved medical use, thus prohibiting even medical use of the drug. However, policy regarding the medical and recreational use of cannabis varies widely from state to state, and in many states there is a significant conflict with federal law. Marijuana law reform has growing support like never before, and marijuana legalization has many serious public policy implications. Marijuana prohibition has been a complete failure, even in terms of its stated goals, and the criminalization of people who use it undermines the legitimacy of the law. Finally, the criminalization of marijuana has a significant impact on people working in this industry, the social environment of the United States, and government resources. The data confirms that legalizing marijuana reduces the harm caused by criminalization and is ultimately better for the public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayIn the article Colorado Marijuana Impact Report, Youth Usage, Driving, Crime, Sam Tabachnik highlights the highly anticipated effects of legalization of recreational cannabis use. in Colorado. It covers topics such as education, driving, crime and health to give a comprehensive report on the effects of legalized cannabis use. The study the article references is the result of a bill passed in 2013 that would analyze the effects of legalizing the drug for recreational use. In order to write the report, research analysts obtained data from sources including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Hospital Association and the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center. The report was even described by Governor John Hickenlooper as the most impartial report on this topic to date. The report's findings are mostly positive for supporters of recreational cannabis, even if they present some drawbacks that were highly anticipated five years ago. The state of California has been incredibly successful in steering minors away from tobacco use by regulating and imposing heavy taxes on the products. The United States discourages bad choices through taxation because the country generates revenue instead of criminalizing use, which would expend resources on law enforcement. A completely unregulated industry is problematic for marijuana industry workers, which explains union support for marijuana legalization. Because the market is illegal, it forces workers to work illegally and are therefore denied basic labor protections. If the United States legalized the marijuana industry, thousands of people would have well-paying jobs. People who have been sexually assaulted or defrauded can now work in a safe and regulated work environment. An academic journal entitled “The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: current state of evidence and recommendations for research”. The report concludes that there is an increase in the recreational and medical use of cannabis. Conclusive evidence demonstrating short- and long-term impacts is still elusive. The study also cites thechallenge of researching the future health effects of cannabis and presents its own set of difficulties. These difficulties include certain laws and bills that make it difficult for researchers to get their hands on a suitable product for research purposes. The primary objective of this study is to provide suggestions on an agenda of study such as identifying the most critical research questions related to cannabis use associated with health outcomes, whether beneficial or harmful. The Denver Times report presents evidence that would support both sides of the argument. Even though cannabis use among youth has not increased as feared, cannabis-related driving deaths are on the rise. The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes who tested above the legal limit for THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, "fell to 35 in 2017, compared to 52 in 2016." One argument made by opponents of recreational marijuana is that traffic accidents and deaths increase where cannabis is legalized. It's understandable that marketing a product that will put more impaired drivers on the road would have costly effects, but studies have shown that drivers influenced by cannabis are more likely to be more careful and take less risks than drunk drivers, such as making fewer lane changes and reducing speed. After reading a few other statistics from the report, it is conclusive that there is no significant decrease in road safety after the legalization of recreational cannabis. In a 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, “19.4% of Colorado high school students reported using marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to 19.8% of high school students nationally who reported this behavior.” A state where cannabis has been legalized has a lower percentage of high school students using the drug than the rest of the United States. This clearly shows that the legalization of cannabis has no effect and poses no obvious risk to high school students. The report paints a picture of an overall safer and better Colorado and is not what marijuana opponents were advocating for before the bill passed. Opponents of legalizing marijuana can talk about the harmful effects it has on our youth. They'll tell you that teen marijuana use is higher in legalized states than the national average. While this may be true, correlation is not causation. The University of Washington School of Medicine found that "rates of marijuana use among youth are declining despite more U.S. states legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults consuming this drug has increased. Study after study has confirmed that marijuana policy reforms do not lead to increased rates of marijuana use among youth. In terms of public policy, legalizing marijuana would put adolescents at less risk. Research published in the American Journal of Public Health in spring 2018 examined the link between Colorado's legalization of recreational cannabis from 2000 to 2015 and opioid-related deaths. A decrease in opioid-related deaths was found to be associated with the legalization of cannabis in Colorado. A major opioid pharmaceutical company, Insys Therapeutics, donated half a million dollars in 2016 to oppose legalization in Arizona, where possession of any amount of marijuana for private use constitutes a criminal offense. He recognized that better access to.