My Econ Paper on Marijuana!

I just finished my Econ paper on marijuana. I will post it if anyone is interested in reading it. Its kind of long but oh well. If you read it please tell me what you think. Thanks

\tRight now your tax dollars are being wasted and thrown away in a losing battle, its the
war on marijuana. Each year the US government spends millions maybe even billions of
dollars fighting the war on marijuana and even with all those millions of dollars being spent
marijuana still flood the US. Also how can you win a fight when around 83 million or about
37% of the US population has tried it?1 You can't, no buts or what ifs, you can't. Lets look at
some facts with marijuana's legal counterparts, alcohol and tobacco. In 1996 and estimated
110,640 people died from alcohol related deaths2 and 430,700 from tobacco3 while zero
deaths have EVER been report from marijuana4. That is a startling fact since alcohol and
tobacco are legal while marijuana still is very illegal. Both alcohol and tobacco are physically
addictive while marijuana is not yet both are legal while the less harmful marijuana is made
a schedule 1 drug. Lastly lets look at the medical uses all three of these drugs have.
Tobacco has no medical value and is the leading non-natural cause of death in the US.
Alcohol also has no medical effects. Marijuana on the other hand has many medical
benefits, its is good pain killer, reduces pressure on the eyes for glaucoma sufferers and
helps restore appetite in people who have lost weight from cancer or AIDS5. Those are just
but a few of the many reason marijuana should be made legal, now lets take a in-depth look
into the economic reasons marijuana should be made legal. We will look at three ways the
legalization of marijuana would help the US economy, the war on drugs, the prison system
and last the revenue raised from its legalization.
\tThe White House first declared war on drugs 31 years ago. Three hundred billion
dollars later and victory is still nowhere in sight. Six American presidents have fought the
anti-drug war, yet despite the billions spent and hundreds of thousands that are in prison on
drug charges that range from the real to the stupid. The US government has spent hundreds
of billions of dollars doing so, and has passed new laws to make sure it will spend hundreds
of billions more. The approach of the war on drugs is based on supply and demand. You try
to block the supply of drugs coming into the country to make the cost of marijuana
skyrocket, making it so most users are unable to afford it. But this strategy has not worked.
Marijuana is as freely available on the streets as it ever - and cheaper. "If marijuana were
available in public health clinics and in private clinics with physicians at $3 a joint, you would
not have any reason in the world in Mexico to try and send it to the US" says US Senior
District Court Judge John Kane of Denver.6 Not only is money being wasted on the war on
drugs but so are federal agents. Recent legislation passed in the US Congress has granted
$183 million to put 1,000 more agents on border patrols in the south to police the flow of
narcotics from Mexico and Central America. Another bill grants $35 million to be spent to
create five "high-intensity drug trafficking areas" to patrol the Texas border with Mexico.7
This is ridicules that we are putting so much money and man power into a losing battle when
there are things in the US that could use the money such as the education system and
welfare. The man power used to fight the war on drugs could be better used to help protect
our country from more terror attacks. The point of the drug war was to keep evil drugs out of
bodies of Americans but that has also failed. In a survey of drug use in The Netherlands
where marijuana is legal it was published in 1999 only 15.6%8 had ever used marijuana
while in American where is illegal that number is more then doubled at 36.9%. Shouldn't
those numbers be reversed? No because it comes back to the days when you were a child
and you did something just cause you were told no. It is the same thing with marijuana when
it is illegal, most of its appeal cause from the fact that your doing something illegal and
wrong. If the US government is still worried about the country becoming a nation of stoners
then it should use the money from the drug war and use it to educate the country so they
will be able to make educated choices if they want to use pot or not. Lastly the war on drugs
is going to take a huge hit in the next couple of years. Canada, our neighbor to the north, is
slowly but surly moving toward the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana is just months away
from being decriminalized in Canada. This would mean the US government has two choices.
Spend more money to fight the flood of marijuana that would be coming over the Canada US
boarder or take the steps to decriminalize then legalize marijuana so the money saved from
the war on drugs could be better used on our economy and not on this useless war on
drugs. So why throw away billions of dollars and keep throwing away billions on a war of
drugs that you will always be losing when the money could be taken and put toward more
important and helpful areas. So many great things could get off the ground with the money
used for the war on drugs. These billions of dollars could be turned around and be used to
start up national health care or better the warfare system. We need to hold our chin up high
and just admit defeat on the war on drugs and head in the opposite direction knowing
everything that we can gain from it.
\tA unforeseen problem that came with the war on drugs was the economic drain of
the prison system. In the early 1990's when there was a surge on the fight against drugs
many Americans were caught up in the battle and are being sent to prison for minor drug
offenses. Your tax dolars are being used to pay for someone who is unjustly being kept in
prison. Most of these people are just like you and me and instead of wanting a beer on a
Friday night they want to spark up a J, and they should be put in prison for this? I don't think
so. Marijuana arrests more than doubled since 1990 while, at the same time, the
percentage of arrests for the sale and manufacture of cocaine and heroin fell by over 50
percent9. Drug arrests increased 31 percent since the beginning of the decade. Rising
marijuana possession arrests are chiefly responsible for this overall rise in drug arrests.
Marijuana arrests rose every year since 1991, reaching an all time high of 695,200 in 1997.
Marijuana arrests increased 59 percent during this period. There have been more than 3.7
million marijuana arrests this decade, 83% of these arrests were for possession only. In
1997, there were 216,254 drug offenders in state prisons, of these, 92,373 were in for
possession. Also in 1997, there were 55,069 drug offenders in federal prisons, out of these,
10,094 were in for possession10. That over 100,000 people in prison that shouldn't be.
None of these people did anything wrong, all they wanted to do was smoke a little just like
how many Americans want to drink a little. Filling up our prisons with all these people is a
huge waste of money. Here is a sad fact. States spent $32.5 billion on Corrections in 1999
alone. To compare, states only spent $22.2 billion on cash assistance to the poor11. Since
the start of mandatory minimum sentencing for drug users, the Federal Bureau of Prisons
budget has increased by 1,954%. Its budget has jumped from $220 million in 1986 to $4.3
billion in 200112. That fact alone shows how much money is being wasted throwing people
just like you and me in jail. Prisoners sentenced for drug offenses made up the largest group
of Federal inmates (57%) in 2000. There is so much money that could be freed up form the
prison system if marijuana was legal. A large portion of the money spent on the prison
system is spent building new jails and prisons because of overcrowding, and most of the
overcrowding is due to people going to prison for drug sentences. Despite the investment of
more than $5 billion for prison construction over the past 10 years, the prison system right
now operating at 32% over rated capacity, up from 22% at the end of 1997. The prosecution
of simple Americans who like to enjoy some pot every once in a while has taken a huge
priority over much more important issues such a education. California state government
spending on prisons increased 30% from 1987 to 1995, while spending on higher education
decreased by 18%13. From 1984 to 1996, California built 21 new prisons, and only one
new university14. Now what is wrong with that picture? A lot I think. Maybe there wouldn't
be this huge need for prisons and jails if money was used toward education and education
of drugs, but no instead they just take more away from education when education is the key
to keeping most of the population out of prison. And legalization of marijuana is what will
free up the money needed to do this
\tBiggest economic factor involved with the legalization of marijuana is the money that
would be made. Legalization offers more advantages to the government and the people
than just less crime, less drug use, etc. It would allow for the taxation and free market price
of marijuana. The free market price of marijuana would be around 5 to 10 cents a joint, but
in terms of intoxication levels, 1 joint is worth about 2 dollars of alcohol. This would enable
the government to tax until it is the same price as alcohol. To get these prices, the
government would put a harmful tax of around $.50-1.00 per joint. Harmful Tax is a tax on
items to control their use to prevent abuse. Just this single tax could raise $2.2-$6.4 billion
a year, saving tax payers at least that much or more. That is just one of the many taxes that
could be put on marijuana to raise money for the government. Another way to do this would
be to have a pack of marijuana joints cost the same as a pack of cigarettes. 20 joints would
come in a pack that cost around $3.50. Somewhere around 1/4 of that money would go to
the government as taxes. Another benefit of legalizing marijuana would be the cheaper
price. Right now a ounce of good quality marijuana goes for $350. With the legalization of
marijuana that price would be drastically lowered to about $100 a ounce after taxes. This
would help many people with low incomes that still choose to buy marijuana. At a ounce a
month they would save $3000 a year. Now we need to look at the jobs that would be open if
marijuana was legal. Just from the farms alone thousands of jobs would be created. In
tobacco states like the Carolina's and warm coast states like California and Florida would
have most of these farms. Next many jobs would open at the processing and packing plants
needed. Lastly many coffee shops would open all over the US a fair amount of new jobs all
over the US and even more money could be generated from the sales tax that comes from
these coffee shops. If marijuana is legalized it would become the new cash crop in the US. It
is estimated that between 2,200-4,400 tons of marijuana would be grown commercial
making is a serious competitor to tobacco. The international illegal drug business makes as
much as $400 billion in trade, that amounts to 8% of all international trade.15 If even just
1/8 of that could be made each year with the legalization of marijuana it would be a huge
boost to the economy. Also the legalization of marijuana would take money away from
terrorist groups that make most of their income from illegal drug trade. This would lower the
amount of money needed to defend out homeland. The legalization of marijuana open the
flood gates for hemp use which is illegal because it contain very small amount of THC the
active chemical in marijuana. Hemp would make huge amounts of money and help the
environment too. Hemp is the duct tape of nature, hemp can be used to make virtually
anything that is currently made of cotton, timber, or petroleum. Hemp cloth is stronger,
longer lasting, more resistant to mildew, and cheaper to produce than cloth made of cotton.
Hemp paper could replace paper from trees putting a stop to deforestation. Also hemp can
be planted and harvested every year while trees on the other hand take decades to be
replaced. In a July 1998 study issued by the Center for Business and Economic Research at
the University of Kentucky, researchers estimated that if Kentucky again became the main
source for industrial hemp seed as it was in the past, the state could earn many economic
benefits. If Kentucky had just one certified industrial seed producer, one processing facility
and one industrial hemp paper-pulp plant it would create 771 new jobs and a estimated
$17,600,000 for the state16. The hemp industry would be able to make as much between
10 to 15 billions dollars annually. Last the legalization of marijuana would save law
enforcement and the judicial system somewhere around 9 billion dollars a year off
marijuana arrests. Now lets look at the total amount gain by the legalization of marijuana-
$2.2-$6.4-Excise Taxes, $.2-$1.3-Sales taxes, $6-$9-Law Enforcement Savings,
$10-$15-Hemp Industry, $.2-$1.3-Money from “Spin Off” things, $6-$10-Reduced hard-drug
& alcohol use, $24.2-$43 billion = Total Government Saving a year! That is a huge sum of
money that could be put into the economy if marijuana if legalized. Just imagine what could
be done with 24 to 43 billion dollars. Areas such as education, that have been neglected
and a need money could finally get it, things such as a national health care system could be
started. Only good can come out of the legalization of marijuana.
\tThe legalization of marijuana is what this country needs to get a huge boost out of
the recession that its in. It seems that no wrong can come out of the legalization of
marijuana, it creates new job and makes huge amounts of money. Marijuana is a safer
alternative to alcohol and tobacco because it is not addictive and is unable to kill you.
Marijuana also has many helpful medical values with cancer and glaucoma patients.
Legalization of marijuana would also be taking a step toward ending the losing fight that is
the war on drugs. It would also stop the illegal drug trade and the problems it brings
because there would be no point if it was legal here. Ending the war on drugs would allow
billions of dollars to be used spent on something that could help our country instead of
holding it down. With the legalization of marijuana there would be less money need to spend
on the correctional system. People sent to prison for possession would be freed and would
free up the much need space in the prisons. With more space in the prisons that means less
prisions going to be built. With fewer people in prison there will not have to be as many taxes
spent on the prison system. With almost 700,000 marijuana arrest each year this would
take a lot of pressure of the prison system and free tax dollars. Around 9 billion dollars
would be saved for the law enforcement and judicial systems on marijuana arrest. Last
marijuana and marijuana related industries would make huge amounts of money in a variety
of ways. Just Harmful tax alone the government would raise between 2 and 6.5 billions
dollars. The hemp industry which is held back because of marijuana would explode and
produce upward of 15 billion dollars because of it ability to produce many items. The jobs
that would be created from the legalization of marijuana would huge. A whole new industry
would be made and it would need many workers. Jobs would be made from farming all the
way to processing. Jobs would also come from spin off business such as coffee shops. In
total from marijuana businesses to the war on drugs the legalization of marijuana would be
and amazing boost the US economy. All said and done marijuana would bring in anywhere
from 30 to 50 billion dollars to the economy. I don't think there is any other product in the
US that could produce that much money for the US economy. Marijuana and its sister hemp
are a POT of gold waiting to be taken. The legalization of marijuana is a must if this country
wants to boost its self economically big time. The first steps need to be taken so we can
thrive in a economic wonderland.

 

It was supposed to be a 10 page paper mine was only 8 1/4 pages long. I am glad you liked it I just turned it on in monday so I wont se the grade on it for a while, but thanks once again