Marijuana being legal in the United States has always been a controversial topic. Throughout the years, several states have legalized the drug and many more will continue to. Now to focus on North Carolina. The state has not yet made marijuana legal, but it should. It would make the drug safer to use and bring down the amount of overdoses from marijuana laced with fentanyl. The legalization would lead to lower rates of crime for drug offenses against people of color as well.

Transitioning marijuana from a street drug to something that you can find in professional dispensaries throughout North Carolina is how the state can protect its citizens and provide safe use of the drug. This can only be done by the state´s government through legalization. One of the leading issues of the illegal use of marijuana is that many users have overdosed because of a drug called fentanyl that the drug is being laced with. According to an article from Collin County, Texas, ¨Fentanyl is now the number one cause of overdose deaths in the country, surpassing heroin by a large margin.¨ This shows dangerous fentanyl is comparing it to drugs like heroin which is known to many as a drug that has led to thousands of overdoses every year. Even marijuana containing small amounts of fentanyl can cause the user of it to overdose. Stated in the same article it says, ¨A dosage of 700 micrograms of Fentanyl can kill a user, and amounts above that bring almost certain death.¨ This is what illegal sale and use is leading to throughout the country and needs to be prevented as much as possible. Making marijuana legal creates the opportunity for safer access to it for users. 

The legalization of marijuana can help lower the amount of arrests for people of color for possession of marijuana. According to an article from the Drug Policy Alliance, “For decades, racist cannabis enforcement has targeted Hispanic/Latinx, Black, Native, and Indigenous people in New Mexico.” This is the case in any other state as well. It has been shown that people of color are more likely to be arrested for possession. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Despite roughly equal usage rates, Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana.” Something as small as a charge for possession of a small amount of marijuana can turn someone’s life around immediately. From being fired from a job to being charged for more than the actual crime and being locked away for years due to the racism within the justice system. It is unfair and creating a disadvantage for people as they are getting charged and in some cases are never able to recover from it.

Thus, the legalization of marijuana is a priority for states throughout the United States including North Carolina. As it would make the drug safer to use and bring down the amount of overdoses from marijuana laced with fentanyl. The legalization would lead to lower rates of crime for drug offenses against people of color as well.