Before outlining the policies that can be put in place to legalize Marijuana at the local level in Georgia, it is prudent that we define the term policy. A policy simply means a set of rules and regulation that have been put in place to regulate certain behavior. In this case, policy may imply the principles or the rules that govern consumption of Marijuana in Georgia. The following policies may be vital in legalizing Marijuana in Georgia.
My policy will be to increasing the tax rate of Marijuana. This will help to reduce the consumption of Marijuana. medical marijuana dispensaries are al licensed in order to reduce their number and to ensure that they are as limited as possible. My first policy which is to increase the tax rate for Marijuana is very important both to the government and the community at large. For instance, to the government, it will help to reduce the hospital budget for treating Marijuana. The policy is important to the community because it help to reduce the consumption of Marijuana thereby reducing the number of Deaths associated with Marijuana in the community. It helps prevent the community from losing their experienced, skilled and knowledgeable citizens which could contribute immensely towards the development of the community.
Currently, there are no direct legislation policy addressing the issue, however, the government is on pressure to come up with various policies to regulate the consumption of Marijuana among the local citizens owing to the number of deaths that have been associated with Marijuana consumption among the locals.
I will take the following fundamental steps in order to get the policy on the agenda. The first step will be to identify the problem. Here I will study critically and systematically the problem and its causes in detail. I will find out how aware the public is of the issue associated with Marijuana consumption. I will also focus on finding out the means that are available that can be used to fix the problem.
The second step will be to formulate a policy which can be used to resolve the problem. Here I will carry out debates with the government and any other relevant officials, interest groups and the individual citizens so as to find out where the obstacle is and to suggest alternative solutions together with setting up of goals that are to be achieved.
The next step will be to implement the policy change that has been formulated in step three. Here I will have to determine the organizations that will be responsible for the implementation of the policy so as to make it operational.
The next step will be to evaluate the effects associated with the implementation of the policy. Here I will study how effective the policy that has been put in place is better compared to the existing one.
The policies will be funded by the citizens through paying various taxes, the government and the other willing national agencies. For instance, I will approach the government and ask them to contribute some amount towards the project in order to ensure that the policies are effectively implemented. Initially I had said that one of my policies will be to increase taxes on the Marijuana. The taxes collected shall be used to fund the policies. Finally, serious organizations such as center for disease control and prevention CDC might also help in funding the policies.
Funding majorly from tax might have a negative impact to the citizens who are consuming Marijuana. This is because, they shall have to dig deep into their pockets. This might reduce their standards of living because their purchasing power might have been reduced.
My policy has the following goals and objectives.
The alternatives for implementing the policy objectives outlined in three is by ensuring that medical marijuana dispensaries are al licensed in order to reduce their numbers and to ensure that they are as limited as possible. This might instill fear in Marijuana consumers. They might fear for their lives because the number of hospitals might be very few to cater for all the people suffering for the diseases caused by consumption of Marijuana.
Second will be to ensure that rules and regulations put in place are followed to the latter and any person who break it face serious charges.
SWOT analysis for the alternatives
The government will benefit because the cost of budgeting in relation to the Marijuana will reduce drastically. The amount might be used to finance other government income generating projects.
The interest groups I would use to support my policies include the likeminded citizens, some international agencies such as the CDC and then the government of the country itself. Apart from the international agencies and the government, the community at large might also care about my issues because they issue affect them in one way or the other.
The best alternative will be licensing dispensaries that treat marijuana cases. I in conjunction with the relevant government bodies will ensure that the rules and regulations put in place are followed to the latter. I will determine whether the policy have succeeded or failed by carrying out the analysis. For instance, I will determine after implementing the policy the amount of money that have been spent on the national budget to treat Marijuana cases. I will then compare it with the previous budget; if it is low then my policy would have succeeded. I will also find out the number of deaths recorded in relation to Marijuana, if the number is low compared to the previous year, then I would have succeeded.
