Washington-The new state law that passed on Thursday allows possession of marijuana in the state of Washington. There were celebrations at midnight as the law took effect.
Colorado passed a similar law last month, but have yet to pass it into law. And now the debates begin. How long will the federal government continue to leave the decision up to the states? At some point, the federal government will need to be involved. As states develop a plan to grow, sell, and distribute the drug, many believe that the federal government will need to assist in regulation.
Limiting the availability to minors is one situation that comes to mind. How do we keep underage consumption to a minimum? I believe that it will be just as accessible as alcohol for minors. And how are we doing with that? According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, teens make up 11.4% of the total alcohol consumed in the U.S.
My main concern with teen usage is that they will have both alcohol and marijuana readily available to them. Then there is the potential of mixing the two drugs. Alcohol can increase the effects of marijuana. This could be a very dangerous situation.
As a whole, I've been a a proponent for legalization simply because people are going to do it anyways, legal or not. I'd rather see people using it responsibly than sneaking around and buying it off the street.
It can provide a source of income for states that legalize it. The increased revenues could be used to build schools, pay teachers, fix roads....you get the picture. Some estimates suggest that in Colorado alone, marijuana could generate as much as $100 million annually.
It's not an easy situation to sort out. Washington and Colorado have some serious thinking to do now that marijuana is legal. I hope that they consider all aspects of this new law when determining exactly how they will regulate it.
