My name is Jovan Edwards. I was arrested for growing my own marijuana and making my own marijuana byproducts. While I do acknowledge it was wrong since it is still illegal in Georgia. I believe this can be the push to legalize Georgia. When the news articles about my arrest were released to the public. It seemed as if I had the support of about 90% of the public. This shows that the general public of Georgia would like to see it legalized.

I want to help Georgia go green. There’s currently 12 states where recreational marijuana is legalized and 22 states where it is legal for medical use only. Georgia needs to be next. There have been plenty studies showing how beneficial marijuana can be for recreational and medical use. A study from Georgia State University found that alcohol sales fell by 15% in states where only medical marijuana had been legalized and by 20% in counties where recreational marijuana is sold legally. However, the states made more than enough back from marijuana sales, since marijuana taxes are typically greater than alcohol taxes.

Pros for marijuana being legalized include creating higher revenue for states, create sales and distribution jobs, and it increases the ability for research in the public health industry.