This topic seems to be coming up in the news lately and for good reason. It has been addressed by celebrities, columnists, bloggers, and even our president. Yet no progress or resolution has been made and set in stone except ignoring the issue and why our pressing issues exist. I think the best way to tackle this subject is to break it down from how it started to why now this topic is picking up steam.
The criminalization of cannabis in the United States began in the early 1900s. By the mid 1930s it was illegal to grow, smoke, and sell marijuana for medical or recreational use putting a damper on the production of hemp products and the US supply of cannabis plants. After the government regulated the supply of cannabis they then looked to crush the demand. Thanks in large part ridiculous propaganda films such as, Reefer Madness, (Take a look here) we now continue to hold these century old traditions of government regulation and criminalization even after generation after generation claims they want to put an end to such ridiculous restriction. Try convincing George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin how cannabis and related products should be illegal in the US without being bitch slapped across your face with a glove and challenged to a duel at day break. Not only did they cultivate the plant themselves, but it was an integral part of their life and was used as a foundation of our country with the use of cannabis fibers in the print of the Declaration of Independence.
Hemp made from the sativa variety of cannabis is an economical & productive source for many products worldwide such as paper, clothes, string, food, and with future technological advancements it is now used for construction materials and as bio-degradable plastics. This industry has been crushed by prohibition and research for cost effective means for its production have been abandoned as the use of hemp products has been limited to small niche markets.
Now I understand marijuana isn’t the greatest thing for your lungs, testicles, immune system, brain functions or memory. All of those effects are damaging and can take years of your life away however are only made significant with persistent and long-term use such as someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day may suffer from equal or even worse health effects. Yet I don’t know of any deaths linked to Marijuana or any cases of death after severe overdose. Unlike alcohol which may be the worst legal drug offender of all, with serious effects to the brain, liver, heart and other significant bodily functions and behaviors. Caffeine often gets little attention, yet is highly addictive and in excess can be damaging to your heart. Caffeine withdrawals weaken your state of mind and induce shaking, headaches, and depression. With all of this in mind, rarely anybody objects to the legality of tobacco, caffeine or alcohol even though they are just as damaging, more addictive, but are backed by billion dollar corporations benefiting from our addictive and consumer behavior. Why do these drugs remain legal? Because they create jobs and benefit our economy. Plus you remember how successful alcohol prohibition was in our country? Speaking of, where are all of the modern day cannabis speakeasys?
Well a similar case exists today. There is a demand that will not go away, and a supply that routinely finds a way to meet that demand no matter what government says or thinks. We spend an absurd amount of tax dollars prosecuting and “re-educating” marijuana possession/trafficking/farming criminals and clutter our penal system, but a steady demand and supply remains. Drug offenses account for about a third of state and federal inmates with 12.5% of those being convicted of a marijuana related offense. Legalization would be a great way to free some space in our prisons, but what about our economy? State budgets are bottoming and looking for funds or cutting on government programs to save pennies, but take away public benefits. If pot were legal and taxed then governments would see a significant boost in funding. Take California for example. Its largest farmed product is cannabis, but none of that crop is accounted for as a economical gain and isn’t taxed at all. California sits in a $20 billion deficit and with minimal taxation and legalization on pot they could see somewhere around a billion dollars. Not to mention a significant decline in all the crime, immigrant trafficking, and involvement of Mexican drug cartels that would result from a ridiculous federal law. Mexican cartels are plaguing our neighbors to the south and they fund their efforts by receiving half of their drug revenue from cannabis dealings.
Whether you, your neighbor, the past three presidents, our founding fathers, some celebrity or I smoke weed is irrelevant. It’s a choice, which used to be a free choice and whether it is legal or not, a good portion of our country has participated in the activity at some point of their life making them all criminals. If you want your kids, parents, friends, family, and you to be a criminal for trying or participating in illegal weed-associated activities then by all means just sit there and do nothing. Otherwise now is the time to right some wrongs in our legislation and let the people decide. In the meantime, stay safe, and don’t be this guy…Cop eats pot brownies calls 911
Filed under: politics, pop culture Tagged: | current events, decriminalization, drugs, economy, legalization, marijuana, medical marijuana, politics, prison overpopulation, prohibition, ramblings, rants
Humboldt and Mendocino Counties (both in California) produce half of the marijuana used in this country. Your right, that money isn’t taxed, but it does keep the local economy’s rolling. A lot of the money earned from growing is spent in the counties where it is grown.
What folks are failing to consider is that legal or not, marijuana is a drug. If it were to become legal the FDA would take it over and it would be grown by large (already profitable) drug companies under controlled conditions.
This would help alleviate the crime problems in growing areas, but we would see Humboldt and Mendocino Counties bankrupt within a year as fishing and logging are at the lowest levels every and have been mainstays in these two counties for years.
Illegal marijuana growing, and all the problems associated with growing it, is keeping these two counties alive.
I don’t see why farmers in those areas would have to cease production. They are in an ideal climate, have the proper knowledge to know how to grow, and all the resources available to grow. Making their job legitimate in the eyes of the government would cut down in their profits due to taxation, but imagine their potential once their profession becomes legal. Their farms can be bigger and yield more crop, now that they don’t have to hide fields and limit their size. They can potentially be hired by such evil drug corporations. They can continue their growing and evade taxes selling to the black market, which will still exist, and be a prevalent force to counterbalance and keep government controlled farm prices in check. There is no doubt, much like legal drugs now (alcohol, caffeine, tobacco) there are large corporations and branding involved and that would exist if pot were legal. It already exists, I consider those 2 counties you mentioned as market leaders right now in the US so I just don’t see how their reputation and awareness would just fade away, with or without government intervention. Just like how tobacoo has their Virginia Slims, who’s to say weed can’t have their Humboldt Fatties?
The growers here already have a hard time selling their product after harvest. The Mexican Cartels, the expansion in the amount of folks growing has glutted the market. Where their crop used to be gone within a couple of months of harvest, they now may be holding on to marijuana for up to a year and sometimes longer. Prices are low compared to 6 or 7 years ago. Legalizing would further glut the market. There would still be a black market, but the money made would be much less.
Why would the pharmaceutical companies leave such a money market to any one else? Enough palms greased in the political arena and they will have control. What this country is going through now (economy) is the best of example of greed from large corporations. To much at the top, not enough at the bottom to fuel demand and growth.
And since you mentioned tobacco…the taxes that have been levied on ciggarettes are sending more and more smokers to Indian smoke shops. This is costing convenience stores millions in sales and thus lost taxes. At least one state has taken tribes to court to try and make them pay the state taxes and the tribes have won. The latest in this saga is the governments move to try and have tobacco fall under the FDA rather than ATF. I’m not up on the laws, but I would think the reason for this is that tribal compacts would not allow the tribes to skip state taxes if tobacco were to become a “drug” that falls under the Food and Drug Administration.
Breaking News:
Earlier today the House of Representatives passed the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act” (H.R. 1256), by 298 – 112 to give the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products.
H.R. 1256 includes provisions that would allow the FDA to regulate sales of tobacco on Native American lands and regulate internet tobacco sales, but it still has problems for retailers. H.R. 1256 would punish retailers if the packaging, labeling or advertising for tobacco products are found to be out of compliance with regulations that are to be determined by the FDA. Retailers are rarely involved with any of those decisions and should not be punished for manufacturers’ mistakes. Also, H.R. 1256 does not limit itself only to additional federal regulation.