Pros And Cons Of Legalizing Marijuana Legalization

Disregarding the science, the New York Times recently came out in support of marijuana legalization. Here are 10 reasons to oppose legalization:
1. Marijuana legalization will usher in America’s new version of “Big Tobacco.”
Already, private holding groups and financiers have raised millions of start-up dollars to promote businesses that will sell marijuana and marijuana-related merchandise.
Marijuana food and candy, with names such as “Ring Pots” and “Pot Tarts,” are being marketed to children and are already responsible for a growing number of marijuana-related ER visits. [i]
Marijuana vending machines, containing products such as marijuana brownies and candies, are popping up across the country. [ii]
The former head of Strategy for Microsoft
has said that he wants to “mint more millionaires than Microsoft” with marijuana and that he wants to create the “Starbucks of marijuana.” [iii]
2. Marijuana use will increase under legalization
Because they are accessible and available, our legal drugs are used far more than our illegal ones. According to recent surveys, alcohol is used by 52% of Americans and tobacco is used by 27% of Americans. Marijuana is used by 8% of Americans. [iv]
When RAND researchers analyzed California’s 2010 effort to legalize marijuana, they concluded that the price of the drug could plummet and therefore, marijuana consumption could increase. [v]
3. Marijuana is especially harmful to kids and adolescents.
Marijuana contributes to psychosis and schizophrenia. [vi]
1 in 6 kids who try marijuana will become addicted to it. [vii]
Heavy marijuana use in adolescence leads to an average