To say that there has been a lot of controversies as regards the legalization of marijuana in many states within the US is an understatement.
That is not to say that the debate is no longer in play, especially for a sate like Nevada with so many dispensaries in las vegas.
As if the city that is already famed for it's extravagant casinos and luxurious hotels that are styled with a theme of class and unapologetic splendour, doesn't have enough on her plate to deal with.
But what are all these rouses really about? There is no straight answer to that, but we do know is that hard facts are leaning to more advantages for the government and the people of Nevada. And here are the reasons why……!
Lesser Consumption of Cannabis by Kids and Adolescents
The use of psychoactive drugs has been a tradition that has been practised since the earliest recorded history, both for medicinal and recreational purposes and it isn't necessarily a bad thing.
But when it comes to kids and teenagers using any type of psychoactive substance, it can be a danger, as their brains are not fully developed and as a result, might suffer detrimental impacts arising from consistent use.
That is where the legalization of cannabis plays a huge role. How? Well just let's take a look at the facts from just one county in Nevada---Washoe county.
In the years 2015 and 2016, about 514 students were outrightly suspended or expelled from school (mind you, these were high-school kids).
Coming further up to 2016 through 2017 (when marijuana was legalized in Nevada), 397 students within the same county were also either suspended or kicked out of school for the illegal possession of cannabis.
From those statistics above we can see a decline in the number of students that had issues because of cannabis.
Sales Prospects
Going by the financial estimate of sales as regards the retail cannabis market in Nevada in the year 2017, in which over one hundred million dollars was estimated to be made, in sales alone.
But surprisingly, the actual data of sales attained in the year 2017 in the state of Nevada was in the range of two to two hundred and fifty million dollars.
So judging by the actual sales figure in 2017, it was estimated that sales are going to reach a record high of one billion dollars by 2025.
We all know the benefit of that much sales and what it is going to do for the state’s Gross Domestic Product earnings and her economy.
Tourist Attraction
Like we said earlier, Nevada already has a lot of side attractions (such as the las vegas strip, museums, easy marriages,----just to name a few----) which makes her a huge tourist attraction.
But with all these already existing tourist attractions in place, and with the introduction of cannabis as a legal drug and with so many marijuana dispensaries, the number of people trooping in there on a daily basis has tripled, thereby creating not only employment for citizens on Nevada but also a substantial income for them.
Tax Revenue
It is only natural that the government should tax the cannabis industry like every other industry. But perhaps the most shocking thing about the cannabis industry in Nevada is that it exceeded the expected tax margin by 40% within the first year it was legalized.
The tax return within the first year was seventy million dollars. And then In the early months of 2018, the tax returns exceed the whole revenue generated for tax in the year 2017. That is just an indication of the untapped potential embedded in the production, distribution, and sales of marijuana.
Community Support
With the amount of income generated within the cannabis industry and judging by how lucrative it has been. It has not only made investors and the state rich but also has put both government and large corporations involved in the marijuana business in a generous disposition.
Nye county allocated roughly about two million dollars from the cannabis industry revenue to handicapped communities.
While Clark County (which is where Las Vegas is situated), on the other hand, voted in favour of allocating one million, eight hundred thousand dollars towards combatting homelessness and treating those with critical medical conditions.
As if that is not enough, Clark county also went ahead to make arrangements for seventy-six new beds at the Shannon West Homeless Youth Centre in Southern Nevada, alongside another sixty new beds as part of a program called rapid rehousing---which is meant for persons with very critical health challenges that have just been discharged from the hospital.
Lastly - Protection of Job Applicant
It is a known fact that many organizations and companies do carry out some form of medical tests (either via blood, urine, hair, saliva) in order to ascertain the presence of any narcotics as part of their employment process.
But with the legalization of cannabis, accompanying laws have also been passed against denying any job applicant based on the fact that some traces of marijuana were found in their system.
Prior to the legalization of cannabis, workers were rejected solely for the fact that traces of marijuana were found in their system. But the reserve is the case now, not only are people more eligible to work but also there are some laws protecting an individual in the workplace with exceptions to firefighters and people operating moving vehicles or machines, or people in a role that might constitute a risk to other people's safety.
