South Dakota’s Marijuana legalization benefits

Over the past month, the United States has been crazy with politics and voting. Those voting matters go into stuff we could benefit from marijuana be legal in South Dakota now. 

This is just one example of voting making a difference in a state like ours.  Recently South Dakota legalized recreational and medical marijuana which is the first state ever to legalize both at the same time.  The results of this voting were 54% said yes to recreational and 69% said yes to medical.  As you can see medical was a bigger winning factor than recreational but recreational can add some benefits to South Dakota, while if you are traveling to places like Alabama, you should ask; are edibles legal in alabama and where to get them.  

Recreational weed could help the economy by producing a lot of revenue for the state.  Some projections that are said to be made are that in 2025 the United States could have over $24 billion in revenue sales from marijuana. 

It is proven that states like Colorado or Washington produce three times more tax revenue with marijuana than alcohol. Another positive factor of recreational weed is that it decreases teen marijuana use.  Since states began to legalize marijuana teens have not had the desire to use until age 21 when they can legally get it at dispensaries. 

This legalization can help phase out the black markets and taking money away from crimes, gangs and drug cartels.  Throughout the years millions of pounds of marijuana are seized which is a sign of drugs being smuggled over the border. This can cause fines to be made or even imprisonment if caught. 

Since marijuana has been legalized, fewer marijuana seizures have been taken place and are currently at the lowest levels we’ve seen in over a decade.  This can help decrease criminal cases and worry about other illegal activities going on in the community. 

Crime is going down due to marijuana dispensaries keeping high-security alerts in neighborhoods.  These dispensaries provide security cameras and officers to be more alert to their surroundings.  Research shows that alcohol is the main factor of violent crimes such as domestic violence and assault.   

Everyone has their own opinion about things but since this is such a recent and ongoing topic these are some positive factors to think about recreational marijuana.