The New York Times supports the legalization of marijuana and is criticized for focusing only on immediate economic benefits

According to a report by the Global Times on July 28, the US "New York Times" recently published an editorial for the first time expressing support for the legalization of marijuana, triggering external discussions. Hong Kong's "Wen Wei Po" reported on July 28 that some smaller newspapers in the United States had previously voiced support for the legalization of marijuana, and the opening of the New York Times as a major newspaper surprised the outside world. The report pointed out that the US media reports on this issue mostly focus on economic cost-effectiveness and taxation, while the health hazards of marijuana and the negative effects on social ethics are not mentioned.

The Huffington Post reported that the most authoritative newspaper in the United States, The New York Times, claimed that it had decided to endorse the legalization of marijuana in the entire U.S. after "after a long period of consideration", and that the weight of this newspaper was all detained. On the legalization of marijuana. According to the report, the "New York Times" believes that the toxicity of cannabis is far less than that of spirits, and the current policy of banning cannabis in the United States is very harmful to society. And as more and more states lift the ban on cannabis and conflict with federal laws, it is time for a nationwide discussion on the legalization of cannabis.
The Huffington Post reported that the New York Times also proposed measures to restrict the purchase of marijuana by persons under the age of 21 to solve various health, social and legal issues brought about by the legalization of marijuana. According to New York Times, “Just like tobacco and alcohol, there is no perfect solution to the problems caused by marijuana.”

According to the New York Times, the law banning marijuana has a social cost of CUHK. According to FBI data, 658,000 people were arrested for possession of marijuana in 2012, and 256,000 were arrested for possession of drugs such as cocaine and heroin. people. To make matters worse, the results of the ban on marijuana are very racist, because most of the people arrested for marijuana are young black men. The arrest ruined their lives and left their generation. Learning badly in prison and becoming a professional criminal. (Observer's Note: The current US President Barack Obama also smoked marijuana and claimed that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol .)
According to the Global Times, the New York Times recently quoted a poll in its first series of reviews, "The Public is More Enlightened on Cannabis", stating that the number of people who believe that cannabis is illegal has dropped from 78% in 1991 to 2008. 57% of the year, it became a minority for the first time in April last year. The commentary pointed out that this reflects that society is increasingly accepting cannabis synthesis laws, because they understand that the economic cost of the government's prohibition of cannabis exceeds the problems caused by cannabis, so it is not cost-effective to prohibit cannabis.

Some media said that the legalization of marijuana will drive the development of related industries and ultimately increase taxes. Taking Oregon as an example, ECONorthwest estimates that after the state legalizes marijuana, it will bring in an additional US$38.5 million (approximately 238 million yuan) in tax revenue in a fiscal year, of which 40% can be allocated for educational purposes, 35% and 25% will Used for law enforcement and medical treatment respectively.

However, Thabitt, the founder of the anti-marijuana legalization organization "Wisely Deal with Cannabis", said that the New York Times statement will only make cannabis producers make huge profits and intensify the unhealthy trend of marijuana smoking in society.