Socioeconomic Effects of Legalization of Marijuana 1
Socioeconomic Effects of Legalization of Marijuana
By: Javier Bova
Socioeconomic Effects of Legalization of Marijuana 2
Marijuana has been used for medical and recreational purposes since “2900 B.C. during
the reign of the Chinese emperor Fu Hsi” (Condron, 1). For much of history marijuana was the
focus of the war on drugs. From that point, marijuana became more and more popular and
began circulating through the black market. Especially because marijuana has even become
legal for medical use. Because the topic of marijuana use has become so controversial, it has
now become legal in a handful of states, most recently California. Many believe that
legalization of marijuana will only do well for the economy but not society, this is where the big
issue lies.
Because marijuana was a black market product for so long, it was not taxable and could
not exist as a working aspect of the U.S. economy. Although there are positive economic
