College
of Western Idaho
Global-high-zation
Brandon Hope
Brandonhope@mycwi.cc
ENG
102-035W
Global
Essay Final
December
9, 2012
Abstract: The issue of Marijuana has been brought to the forefront
of the political debate. Issues
involving the financial situations of the potentially legalized weed should be
of positive stature and should be recognized as good thing in our world.
The
arguably highest respected and famous president of the United States of
America, George Washington, said "Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp
seed and sow it everywhere" (www.masscann.org 2012). Legalizing Marijuana can positively affect
us, our community, and our nation. By
looking at the financial aspects of legalizing marijuana, we can begin to look
at the effect of it on a personal level and all the way to impact on a national
level. Even the third president of the United States said "Hemp is of
first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country" (www.masscann.org
2012). We can really see how money saved
can be allocated to more pressing issues and allow us to focus on the more
pressing issues in our lives, our community issues, and countries policies.
Marijuana
has been on the planet longer than the institution of man. Thus trying to enact
prohibition on a plant has had no place in our society. "The prestige of government has
undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is
more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than
passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous
increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this" (http://relegalize.info/hemp/advocates.shtml). It is known that the myths and stories have
driven prohibition to such lengths of reaching inside everyone's homes for the
sake of moral goodness. Stories that
cannot hold true to today's standards that the new generations are setting
themselves. In a report by Lester Grinspoon, Associate Professor of Psychiatry
at Harvard Medical School he said before a Judiciary Committee of U.S. House of
representatives in 1997 "Cannabis is remarkably safe. Although not
harmless, it is surely less toxic than most of the conventional medicines it
could replace if it were legally available. Despite its use by millions of
people over thousands of years, cannabis has never caused an overdose death"
(Http://judiciary.house.gov
2012). Evolving how we are within
ourselves will allow us to focus on our neighboring communities more pressing
global drug issues.
Saving
money is a major reason for legalizing marijuana. Personally we would not have to put up with
the constraints of a judicial systems fines and penalties. State would begin to save money by stopping
the prosecution of it citizens for partaking in the centuries old habit. Ending the prosecution of thousands of
citizens could save " X amount" Looking at how much we save could be
very beneficial to our country and its
neighbors by not policing the borders as much for smuggling of marijuana.
The
increase of revenues would be seen worldwide.
From the pockets of the consumer paying normal prices, and not paying
inflated black market prices. To the
states making major revenues through taxes on the devils lettuce. What could be
wrong with helping the state budget one would ask, and I am here to say nothing. Nationally we would be keeping consumer funds
in our country instead of sending to drug cartels in other countries. This would be a substantial win for the economy
of the United States by buying USA and
keeping monies in the mother land.
All
this hassle about worrying about pot smokers and stoners would be abolished,
and as a community we would be able to focus on more pressing issues instead of
putting our own kids in jail. Ryan Taylor was recently charged with Felony possession
of Marijuana. He had some weed on him
while driving and I asked him how that impacted him financially, "I
literally went out and put fifteen hundred dollars down on my attorney after I
got my Felony charge. I spent another
twenty five hundred dollars in on fines and another three thousand on bail. All this money I could of spent on a house or
a car or something". This example
shows how a citizen could have put his funds forward toward the local economy
and fathered his own life instead of doing the opposite in jail. States could use all the time and resources
spent on prosecuting individuals and their habits. Nationally, focusing on more hard drugs is a
definite need in a society driven more in poverty. Focusing on the addictive and hardcore drugs
would keep our streets cleaner and help our country focus on its self in its own
borders instead of fighting the drug cartels in Mexico per say.
The
guise of marijuana use has been under the false guise of the government for too
long. We the people need to stay
vigilant and pro pot for our communities and even so for our economies. We can save vast amounts of money by not
prosecuting our citizens. We can increase revenues nationwide through
taxes. We can focus on the harder drugs
that are smuggled into our country from abroad.
There are also many other things marijuana is good for, but financially,
it's a win situation. We should take heed to what our founding fathers said
take full advantage of what this herb could do for us. John Adams is famous for the phrase "We
shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption." (www.masscann.org
2012)
Works Cited
Taylor, Ryan. Convicted Felon from marijuana. Personal
Interview. 18 Nov. 2012
"MassCann/NORML | Useful Quotes."
MassCann/NORML | Working to reform marijuana
laws in Massachusetts.. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://masscann.org/education/useful-quotes>.
"09/25/97 Subcommittee on Crime -
Grinspoon Testimony." House Judiciary Committee. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.
<http://judiciary.house.gov/legacy/3002.h
"Industrial Hemp | Hemp
Advocates." ReLegalize.info Hemp Directory | Biomass, Biofuel, Fabric, Paper AND Organic
Plastic, Wood, Bricks, Medicine, Food. N.p., n.d.
Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://relegalize.info/hemp/advocates.shtml
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