There is a growing body of research supporting marijuana's health benefits for medical purposes. Some studies and anecdotal evidence suggest marijuana can be used for various medical problems, including but not limited to pain, nausea and loss of appetite, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.

Several studies show legalizing recreational marijuana can lead to fewer opioid painkiller deaths, making marijuana one potential way to help curb the opioid epidemic. The rationale for this is simple: Studies show marijuana can effectively treat chronic pain, which opioids are commonly used for. But unlike opioids, marijuana cannot cause deadly overdoses. So marijuana could supplant some opioid use and save some lives.

According to an LSU survey that was conducted in February 2014, 79% of Louisiana residents support the use of medical marijuana.
Public Policy Polling conducted a 2013 survey that found 53% of people likely to vote favored legalization of weed, taxing and regulating it in a manner similar to alcohol. The same poll found that 56% were supportive of giving civil violations to people who illegally possess weed rather than arresting them.
The New Orleans city council passed an ordinance on March 23, 2016 decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. It allowed police to give violators a ticket rather than arresting them. The fine would range from $40-$100.

All of this aside, the juiciest part for our state is how legalizing can affect the economy.
According to a RCG Economics study, the legalization of recreational marijuana creates 6,208 new full-time jobs in retail and production of marijuana and generates a total labor income of $260,732,000. In addition to direct jobs in retail, the industry has countless indirectly induced jobs, including marketing, data analysts, lawyers, health professionals etc. Leafty, a cannabis information hub, states that the industry can generate 211,000 jobs in America. This number surpassed that of coal mining (52,000) and textile manufacturing (112,000) in just years after marijuana’s legalization. The economic benefits of increased job opportunities is exponential because it helps contribute to a positive cycle of economic growth. As more traditional manufacturing and producing jobs are replaced by machinery, cannabis is not quite fully automated. Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 110% increase of jobs in the cannabis industry over the next decade. Cannabis remains a substance that needs to be further researched; as a result, researchers and data analysis are needed to understand the product better. Business owners also need lawyers to help them navigate new regulations in states that recently legalized marijuana, as well as to act as lobbyists to pressure the other states to decriminalize marijuana.

Like all goods, the cannabis industry can bring considerable tax revenues. Since its legalization in 2016, the state of California is able to collect a 15% state tax excise on retail cannabis sales. Additionally, cultivators pay  $9.65 per ounce for flowers, $2.89 per ounce of trim and $1.35 per ounce of fresh cannabis plant. According to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the cannabis industry brings $411.3 million in excise tax, $98.9 million in cultivation tax, and $335.1 million in sales tax, totaling to $845.3 million in tax revenue for the third quarter of 2019. In Proposition 64, the allocation of these revenues are clearly outlined: they are first to pay for cannabis regulatory agencies and administrative costs, ranging from 20-70 million. 60% of the excess goes to youth education and earlier prevention, including public education programs on cannabis and responsible usage. 20 percent goes to environmental protection, and another 20 percent goes to local and state government law enforcement. Additionally, the legislative analyst office (LAO) records that $2 million will go to UC San Diego’s Center of Medical Cannabis Research annually to further study the effect of cannabis. Other examples include the state of Colorado, which spent 40 million of its tax revenue from cannabis on public schools construction and an additional 27.8 million to fund public education. Washington state used its 314.8 million to fund Medicaid, a program that helped provide health insurance for low-income Washington residents. The cannabis industry can generate extra fortune that can fund better infrastructure like school and health care that not only improves citizen’s lives, but also contributes to a positive cycle of economic growth.

After the economic pitfalls of the pandemic, I can think of no better way to stimulate the economy than to legalize a plant with so much positive impact potential. Making Louisiana the first recreational legalized state in our region would give us even more potential as a tourist destination to states close by. Please sign and share this petition if you believe that recreational marijuana should be legalized in Louisiana. (Since when is Louisiana, the home of Bourbon St, a Prohibition state?) After you sign and share this petition contact your legislators and share with them how you feel about the legalization of recreational marijuana.