What’s Wrong With Pot?
by Ben Eckstein
Call it what you want; Marijuana, THC, pot, weed, cannabis...it’s all the same. It grows from the ground and is the most controversial topic at any household thanksgiving dinner. But what is so wrong with pot? Why does the feeling induced by this naturally grown plant generate so much controversy? Instead of shoveling out millions of dollars in the effort to keep this drug away from the public, we should be finding a way to use this cash crop as a source of revenue for the state. This legality change would also keep thousands of offenders out of prisons. Instead of finding real criminals to incarcerate, cops are putting in too much effort into finding marijuana users. There is too much opportunity in the cannabis business to ignore. Utilizing these advantages could help America in a multitude of ways, including higher tax revenue, and a reduced prisoner count.
In 2008, the United States spent incredible amounts of money on drug enforcement. “[Jeffery] Miron's [director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Economics at Harvard University,] breakdown notes that states spent $10.4 billion in 2008 enforcing marijuana regulations, while the federal government spent an additional $3.4 billion (note: these figures are rounded up). By state, Miron's report estimates that California spent close to $1.9 billion on marijuana prohibition, by far the highest amount spent on enforcing marijuana prohibition, and New York spent $1.1 billion. Four additional states (Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) spent in excess of $400 million on enforcement. If the police were less concerned with this matter, individual states and the federal government would see reduced expenditures, a reduction in judicial resources, and a decrease in correctional resources since far fewer people would be incarcerated on marijuana charges.
One cannot have a cohesive conversation about this drug without mentioning the state of Colorado, which was the first state to legalize pot for people ages 21 or over. This made it legal to smoke pot provided it was on private property. Residents of Colorado are able to buy an ounce, while visitors are limited to a quarter ounce per day. After only six months of legalization, the demand for marijuana far exceeded the expected amount. Statewide demand is at a whopping 121.4 tons per year. That’s 31 percent higher than a previous Department of Revenue estimate and 89 percent higher than an oft-cited study by the Colorado Futures Center. And while the vast majority of the increase is the result of resident smokers consuming more than expected, the growth of the retail market (particularly among tourists) is a promising sign for the success of legalization. On top of this, in the first few months of 2014, recreational sales of marijuana were nearly at $70 million dollars. Colorado has a 15% excise tax, a 10% special sales tax and a 2.9% sales tax on recreational marijuana, in addition to application and license fees. The state imposes just a 2.9% sales tax, as well as application on license fees, on medical marijuana. While we do not know about the long term effects of legalizing this drug, the short term effects are more than worth it.
Despite these worries from the government, the good much outweighs the bad. Taxing would give a large percentage of the revenue to the government. Legalizing marijuana will not only see more tax flow into the state, it will end this time consuming marijuana conflict. Marijuana possession laws will not incarcerate for small possessions. The government has more important things to do than ignore the benefits of pot legalization, and incarcerate innocents. Wake up and bake up, America.
by Ben Eckstein
Call it what you want; Marijuana, THC, pot, weed, cannabis...it’s all the same. It grows from the ground and is the most controversial topic at any household thanksgiving dinner. But what is so wrong with pot? Why does the feeling induced by this naturally grown plant generate so much controversy? Instead of shoveling out millions of dollars in the effort to keep this drug away from the public, we should be finding a way to use this cash crop as a source of revenue for the state. This legality change would also keep thousands of offenders out of prisons. Instead of finding real criminals to incarcerate, cops are putting in too much effort into finding marijuana users. There is too much opportunity in the cannabis business to ignore. Utilizing these advantages could help America in a multitude of ways, including higher tax revenue, and a reduced prisoner count.
In 2008, the United States spent incredible amounts of money on drug enforcement. “[Jeffery] Miron's [director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Economics at Harvard University,] breakdown notes that states spent $10.4 billion in 2008 enforcing marijuana regulations, while the federal government spent an additional $3.4 billion (note: these figures are rounded up). By state, Miron's report estimates that California spent close to $1.9 billion on marijuana prohibition, by far the highest amount spent on enforcing marijuana prohibition, and New York spent $1.1 billion. Four additional states (Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) spent in excess of $400 million on enforcement. If the police were less concerned with this matter, individual states and the federal government would see reduced expenditures, a reduction in judicial resources, and a decrease in correctional resources since far fewer people would be incarcerated on marijuana charges.
One cannot have a cohesive conversation about this drug without mentioning the state of Colorado, which was the first state to legalize pot for people ages 21 or over. This made it legal to smoke pot provided it was on private property. Residents of Colorado are able to buy an ounce, while visitors are limited to a quarter ounce per day. After only six months of legalization, the demand for marijuana far exceeded the expected amount. Statewide demand is at a whopping 121.4 tons per year. That’s 31 percent higher than a previous Department of Revenue estimate and 89 percent higher than an oft-cited study by the Colorado Futures Center. And while the vast majority of the increase is the result of resident smokers consuming more than expected, the growth of the retail market (particularly among tourists) is a promising sign for the success of legalization. On top of this, in the first few months of 2014, recreational sales of marijuana were nearly at $70 million dollars. Colorado has a 15% excise tax, a 10% special sales tax and a 2.9% sales tax on recreational marijuana, in addition to application and license fees. The state imposes just a 2.9% sales tax, as well as application on license fees, on medical marijuana. While we do not know about the long term effects of legalizing this drug, the short term effects are more than worth it.
Despite these worries from the government, the good much outweighs the bad. Taxing would give a large percentage of the revenue to the government. Legalizing marijuana will not only see more tax flow into the state, it will end this time consuming marijuana conflict. Marijuana possession laws will not incarcerate for small possessions. The government has more important things to do than ignore the benefits of pot legalization, and incarcerate innocents. Wake up and bake up, America.