The Economy of Marijuana

The United States offers its citizens a vast variety of freedoms. People have the freedom to vote for their leaders, the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and also the freedom to possess vices. They have the freedom to gamble away all of their belongings, drink away their livers, and smoke tobacco until cancer takes their lives, yet the ownership or use of marijuana is prohibited by law.
In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act was passed with the help of untruths spread by Harry J. Anslinger, who was the first Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Less than a year after the acceptance of the Act, the mayor of New York City at the time, Fiorello La Guardia, assembled a group of illustrious scientists to investigate the effects of marijuana and found that their research contradicted Commissioner Anslinger’s arguments (Lupien). The question is: why is marijuana still illegal? Lawmakers and the medical community still fight the marijuana war when there is sufficient proof that it is not as harmful as Anslinger and his associates led the American people to believe, that the physical impairment from marijuana use is comparable to alcohol or tobacco use, and that the economy could benefit immensely from the legalization of marijuana. The media and members of the medical community still support the illusion that marijuana has many detrimental side effects. For example, the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) news release states, “people who abstain from smoking marijuana appear to have a better quality of life and higher levels of educational achievement than marijuana users. Also, early use of marijuana was associated with lowered income and reduced health later in life”

(National). Does NIDA determine what “a better quality of life” is and, if they do, how do they measure it? Some would say that being surrounded by family and friends is a better quality of life than spending time in the pursuit of material possessions. Furthermore, “reduced health” is a certainty in life. When people grow older, their health deteriorates and they ultimately expire. Some accelerate this process by smoking cigarettes, drinking liquor in abundance, eating unwholesome foods, drinking the water while in Mexico, or smoking marijuana. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) reports that marijuana has some adverse side effects, which include, “frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks and tolerance” (Department of Health). When has tolerance been unfavorable for anyone? If we as people, were more tolerant, we would be more patient and open-minded which would reduce the amount of hate crimes and reduce the amount of wars.
The United States’ economic state of affairs could improve with the legalization of marijuana as well. Foremost, the number of people in prison or are being processed through the court systems would diminish drastically. The smaller quantity of people going through the courts would help financially and there would be more space in jails. Another benefit in legalizing marijuana would be the amount of people buying packs of “marijuana cigarettes,” which the government could, then, tax and control. NIDA reports, “marijuana users used marijuana on 300 or more days in the past 12 months… 3.1 million people [are] using marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis” (Department of Health). A booming industry would emerge, and taxing over three million people would generate an ample amount of revenue. The government could use the extra income give raises to the teachers and the soldiers, to help victims of natural disasters, help reduce the national deficit, and come closer to the cures for terminal diseases. Along with the monetary benefits, the government could spend new energy on combating the more hazardous drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The financial benefits, the fact that marijuana is less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol, and the fact that it is not as harmful as people were once coerced to accept as true are all solid reasons why marijuana should be made legal. The taxes produced by the sale of marijuana products would rival the earnings from cigarettes and alcohol. Marijuana is also safer to use than both alcohol and tobacco. Commissioner Anslinger was the force behind the prohibition of marijuana because of his testimony that it causes violent reactions, it is being spread across the country rapidly, and that it leads to other, harsher drugs (Lupian). The United States stands for liberty and the citizens are free to go after their dreams and happiness. What if a person’s happiness is smoking marijuana after work, watching a bit of television, and then eating half of the groceries before sleeping for eight restful hours? Are they not allowed that simple freedom when it hurts no one outside their immediate vicinity? The best course of action would be to legalize marijuana and stamp an age limit on buying it. Not only making our economy better, but allowing our fellow American’s who need marijuana as medicine, to live a life without pain.

Resources:

Lupien, John Craig. “Unraveling an American Dilemma: The Demonization of Marihuana.”
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. April 1995. 29 Nov. 2005. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history/conspiracy.htm#_ftnref331

United States. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Drug Abuse.
Abstaining from Marijuana Associated with Better Quality of Life. 10 Jan. 2005. 29
Nov. 2005. http://alcoholism.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=alcoholism&zu=http%3A%2F%2F

National Center for Health Statistics. Atlas Mortality of the United States. 8 Sep.
2005. 29 Nov. 2005. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/other/atlas/atlas.htm

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Marijuana. 11 Apr. 2003. 29
Nov. 2005. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/