Legalizing pot can save our ecomony
Drew Janego
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Opinion
Michigan is in a state of crisis, and there seems to be nothing anyone can do to stop it. The budget coming from Lansing has been focused on trying to cut anything that could save the state money. Education has been massively decrease in the past several months, and students from kindergarten through college are feeling the hurt. Here at NMU, students are watching their money disappear right before their eyes. The Promise Scholarship was recently cut from the budget, leaving many students at a loss.
When money for education is being taken away there is something wrong. Instead of making such cuts, the Michigan State government needs to come up with other options for tax revenue, and one option that needs greater focus is the legalization of marijuana in the state of Michigan.
The legalization of marijuana has the possibility of adding billions of dollars to the state budget, and could allow the lawmakers in Lansing to once again fund education. The re-funding of education would put money back in students pockets and make perennial tough times easier for college students here at NMU.
The California chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (CA NORML), a group that is dedicated to reforming the marijuana laws in California, has done studies on the economic value of legalizing marijuana.
It is estimated that a legal market for marijuana would give the state of California between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion a year in new tax revenues. According to a study done by CA NORML, a simple "$1 per joint" tax would give the state about $1 billion a year, and would save over $150 million in enforcement costs for arrests, prosecutions and prison. In California alone, the cost of marijuana enforcement is $156 billion.
The cost of the War on Drugs in America is something that also must be seriously considered. FBI statistics indicate that a person in the U.S. is arrested for marijuana every 45 seconds. These numbers far exceed those for violent crimes which include murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robberyand aggravated assault, which is where law enforcement should primarily be focused as indicated in the study done by the FBI.
When money for education is being taken away there is something wrong. Instead of making such cuts, the Michigan State government needs to come up with other options for tax revenue, and one option that needs greater focus is the legalization of marijuana in the state of Michigan.
The legalization of marijuana has the possibility of adding billions of dollars to the state budget, and could allow the lawmakers in Lansing to once again fund education. The re-funding of education would put money back in students pockets and make perennial tough times easier for college students here at NMU.
The California chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (CA NORML), a group that is dedicated to reforming the marijuana laws in California, has done studies on the economic value of legalizing marijuana.
It is estimated that a legal market for marijuana would give the state of California between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion a year in new tax revenues. According to a study done by CA NORML, a simple "$1 per joint" tax would give the state about $1 billion a year, and would save over $150 million in enforcement costs for arrests, prosecutions and prison. In California alone, the cost of marijuana enforcement is $156 billion.
The cost of the War on Drugs in America is something that also must be seriously considered. FBI statistics indicate that a person in the U.S. is arrested for marijuana every 45 seconds. These numbers far exceed those for violent crimes which include murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robberyand aggravated assault, which is where law enforcement should primarily be focused as indicated in the study done by the FBI.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Bill Harris
posted 10/30/09 @ 10:23 AM EST
One need not travel to China to find indigenous cultures lacking human rights or to Cuba for political prisoners. America leads the world in percentile behind bars, thanks to ongoing persecution of hippies, radicals, and non-whites under prosecution of the war on drugs. (Continued…)
RFWoodstock
posted 10/30/09 @ 10:55 AM EST
Valid medicinal value, it's a victimless crime, the War on Drugs WAY too costly, too many arrests for simple possession, tax it and use the money to pay for health insurance and to reduce the deficit. (Continued…)
David Mc
posted 11/01/09 @ 11:14 PM EST
This has to become realized in Michigan, or we'll lose a lot of population.
Marty P
posted 11/24/09 @ 11:51 AM EST
Marijuana is not the demon some make it out to be, but let's be realistic in your argument. Zero deaths related to marijuana? Can we agree that this is likely due to inaccurate reporting rather than true numbers?
Second, do you really want to emulate California? Given both their crime an economic trouble, California may not be the best success model. (Continued…)
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