It’s time to stop kidding ourselves and realize the many benefits there are when it comes to legalizing marijuana. Not only would this be a major American cash crop and bring in billions of dollars in government revenue a year, but it would also create small business, and decrease crime in America and Mexico. There are far more benefits for America to legalize this plant than to continue to pour money into the war on drugs that has been unsuccessful for decades. The fact that this plant is still illegal makes no sense.
First off, let’s look at the possible revenue that marijuana could bring to the U.S. Currently American spends ten billion dollars keeping marijuana prohibition in place. That’s ten billion that we are in the hole every year to keep marijuana illegal in a war against drugs that has failed. The estimated illegal revenue that America generates from marijuana alone is another ten billion every year. Assuming that prices would remain the same as current illegal prices, and if a government tax was added to that amount, then that would accrue billions of dollars a year in taxes alone if marijuana was legalized. Now that’s ten billion dollars in revenue total plus another ten billion that the U.S would save every year on law enforcement activities related to marijuana. That’s twenty billion dollars that America would acquire every year not including the tax that the government could generate from this plant. America is missing out on so much economic wealth that it makes no logical sense keeping marijuana prohibition in place.
Now many people would argue that revenue from marijuana alone wouldn’t be that significant to the U.S economy as a whole. And it is true Marijuana would be a huge cash crop but it wouldn’t single handedly pull us out of the economic slump, but I challenge you to find one single product or plan that would. The problem with this argument is that the people making it are thinking one dimensionally and are only considering the income from the plant alone. Legalizing marijuana would not only bring capitol from the plant itself but also create small business. Is it really that hard to imagine Amsterdam style coffee shops appearing in America? If we have bars to drink in wouldn’t it seem plausible to have lounges where people smoke cannabis? These ideas don’t seem that farfetched considering that we notice examples of similar establishments around the world. Cannabis lounges would not be the only businesses to profit off of marijuana legalization. Paraphernalia shops would explode throughout the country. People would want to purchase smoking devices and glassware for their cannabis consumption. Many people already own similar items so there is no question that it would become a profitable market. These small businesses would add jobs and strengthen economic development. It should be a no brainier that marijuana legalization would bring about major positive economic changes.
Where does all of this potential economic wealth find its way at the end of the day? In nowhere else but the pockets of the drug cartels whose violence is currently plaguing Mexico. This money funds the weapons and manpower the cartels use to carry out their violent actions that include beheadings and burning people alive in barrels full of diesel fuel. The best way to hurt these organizations is to take away their product and money. By legalizing marijuana we accomplish both. The cartels would take a ten billion dollar cut all at once thereby limiting their funds for weapons and their members. Not to mention the money that goes towards bribing police and political figures and carrying out hits on the ones who can’t be bought out. The cartels would lose their momentum making it easier to pursue them and bring them to justice. Mexico would finally see a reduction in violence making both Mexico and America safer. The best way to fight violent cartels in Mexico is not by pouring billions of dollars into a war on drugs that has accomplished nothing in the decades it has existed; this simply does not make sense. The best way to hurt these organizations is to take away their product and income completely, and legalizing marijuana does both.
Legalizing this plant accomplishes so many positive outcomes. The economic income it could provide for America and the security it could bring to both Mexico and the United States are reasons enough to at least discuss and debate the issue, instead of mindlessly dismissing it as we have for so long. It’s time to research and educate ourselves about what legalizing marijuana could do to benefit the society that we all participate in.
No comments:
Post a Comment