First thing we should do is incarcerate or should that be incinerate journalists / publishers who use these phrases in their headlines
Up In Smoke
Gone To Pot
Newsweek
hen marijuana legalization first started gaining momentum in the United States, it was heralded as a progressive step toward criminal justice reform, economic growth and public health benefits all at once. Advocates promised that legal cannabis would eliminate the illicit market, generate tax revenue and ensure a safe, well-regulated industry.
That is not how things have turned out.
Across the country, from New York to California, signs of disillusionment are emerging. Illegal dispensaries continue to thrive, crime linked to the cannabis trade is rising, and critics argue that the public was misled about the risks of high-potency pot that that has flooded the legal market.
A growing number of experts, politicians, and even former supporters of legalization are questioning whether the rollout of legal weed was too rushed—and if the U.S. states that went forward with legalization plainly got it wrong.
A Rushed Experiment?
Keith Humphreys, a professor at Stanford University specializing in drug policy, argues that legalization was sold to the public on overly optimistic premises. “People were told not only does this have no health harm, but it’s actually good for you,” Humphreys told Newsweek.
“They were promised a well-regulated industry that would behave, pay a lot of taxes, and create jobs. None of those things have happened. So it’s understandable that there would be buyer’s remorse.”
Few places illustrate the growing discontent more vividly than New York, where legalization has turned into what even the progressive governor, Kathy Hochul, has called “a disaster.” The state has struggled to control the black market, with as many as 8,000 unlicensed dispensaries in New York City alone, compared to just 140 legal operations.
Read more
https://www.newsweek.com/americas-marijuana-legalization-experiment-going-smoke-2043321
