With so many different studies out there showing how far less harmful marijuana is than alcohol or tobacco it is a wonder why we haven’t chosen to regulate it sooner. Considering the health risks of currently legal substances, it is hard to believe we would choose to keep this one taboo.
The regulation of marijuana sales and distribution would considerably increase the safety of marijuana use throughout the country. There are dozens of ways that regulated sales would help improve and grow our country – however we often overlook the most important factor – the safety of the people.
You know what quality you’re getting
When you’re buying cannabis from a dispensary you are able to ask the owner questions about individual strains. You will know what kind of effects to expect from a case of the giggles to having super munchies, you’ll have an idea of what to expect.
You will also have a better idea of the potency of the bud you are buying. If you are looking for a particularly high in THC strain then they will know just the right one. The same goes if you prefer something milder. There is also much more consistency in supply, quality and price when purchasing from a dispensary rather than a dealer on the streets.
Safe place to buy
One of the biggest problems with marijuana prohibition is that it takes a harmless plant and classifies it in with much harder drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc.). Unfortunately, this often means that the person selling marijuana is also selling other drugs in order to make their living.
This makes buying marijuana extremely dangerous a lot of the time. People will meet up in parking lots, back alleys, parking garages – sometimes the dealer expects you to get in their car for a bit and you just never know where this situation will end up.
The uncertainty of who you are dealing with when buying from a drug dealer is a scary thing for many. It would be much safer (and would most likely lead to less abuse of other substances) if those who only wanted cannabis could buy it in a proper store.
Less likely to be easily available to teens
Lastly, one of the most important things that will come out of regulation of the marijuana industry: the chances of teen use will go down significantly. A drug dealer is not likely to bother to check (or care for that matter) if their client is over 21 or not. All they care about is making the sale.
This is extremely dangerous – not only because it is not wise for teens to be smoking, but also because they will likely be offered other substances when buying from a street dealer. By regulating the marijuana industry we will not only help to prevent marijuana use in teens, but we will also reduce the number of teens exposed to other drugs at such an early age.
In the end, the longer we keep this prohibition going for the more likely it is that people will get a tampered bag (laced with a harder drug such as cocaine), end up in a dangerous situation when trying to purchase and teen use of marijuana and other drugs will continue to be the norm.
