Let's legalize and tax marijuana to help pay for Michigan roads, schools, police

Michigan is facing financial problems that are being taken out in the form of taxes on middle to lower class families, when positive tax reform is just waiting to be cultivated from marijuana sales. Many michigan cities such as East Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Detroit are decriminalizing the plants possession, but not fully benefiting with legal sale and taxation. Some legislators are still concerned about endangering the community with marijuana legalization but the facts are showing a decrease in violent property crimes and a major decrease in alcohol-related deaths in areas where marijuana is legal.

Regulating and taxing marijuana will never be a panacea for all the challenges our state faces. Taxes raised from regulating marijuana won't be enough to pay for all of our priorities. However, taking marijuana off the black market will generate much needed revenue, allow us to redeploy law enforcement resources to focus on violent and property crime, and ease the tax burden on the middle class.