Members of Congress have joined together and begun introducing bills as a means to reform the old marijuana laws. They believe that finding a way to regulate and tax the drug in states where it is legal will be beneficial to the overall economy. The complexities come in figuring out how to decrease the illegal dealing of drugs and how to properly regulate it in a way that all citizens would agree to. Some ideas of how it would be regulated are listed below.

Regulate it Like Alcohol

One idea is to regulate marijuana just as alcohol is. Taxes would be implemented from grower to retailer such as adding on a tax of about $1,000 per year to growers, importers, while retailers and other marijuana businesses would be taxed $500 annually.

Age Caps

One benefit to regulating marijuana like alcohol and tobacco is that lawmakers can put an age cap on who is eligible to use the drug. Just as alcohol is 21 and tobacco is 18, this would prevent companies from advertising to and selling to teenagers who otherwise should not be allowed to use the drug.

Prevents Public Usage

Regulating marijuana means that users will not be allowed to smoke wherever they choose. This would mean smoking the drug would be typically banned from restaurants, public buildings, and near schools.

No Smoking and Driving

States such as Colorado have already begun to regulate marijuana just as they do alcohol. There are regulations preventing drivers from smoking and becoming impaired and then getting behind the wheel. THC levels can not reach any higher than 5 or else the driver will be fined and arrested for DUI.

Marijuana Costs the Country Billions

The ongoing war on marijuana has begun to place a significant financial burden on the US. More than 600,000 people in 2011 were sent to jail as a result of marijuana possession.

For the 20 states who have already legalized marijuana in some forms having regulations in place that are similar to alcohol and tobacco have proven to be very beneficial in keeping everyone safe and keeping businesses legit. While most of these laws pertain to medical marijuana it could eventually end up applying to recreational use in the near future.

They believe that finding a way to regulate and tax the drug in states where it is legal will be beneficial to the overall economy. The complexities come in figuring out how to decrease the illegal dealing of drugs and how to properly regulate it in a way that all citizens would agree to. Some ideas of how it would be regulated are listed below.

One idea is to regulate marijuana just as alcohol is. States such as Colorado have already begun to regulate marijuana just as they do alcohol.