When the issue of drug abuse is mentioned, it is hard to disassociate it with some common drugs. Some of the products that immediately come to mind include heroine, cocaine, and bhang. The later has been braded with so many names. These include weed, cannabis, and pot among others. The United States has very strict laws with regard to drug abuse. As such, they leave no stones untouched in making sure that the vice is totally controlled and eliminated from their land. While this is happening in the land, it so happens that there is some states that have legalized the use of Marijuana. Such states include Colorado and Washington among others (Cooper Para 1). This is a move that is associated with other countries in the world which have legalized marijuana. Netherlands is top on the list where the coffee shops of Amsterdam, where cannabis is sold and freely consumed, tourist flock the land more than many other parts of the world that have different tourist attraction sites (Schwartz Para 1).
First of all, there is need to look at the economic benefit that some benefits that have been realized from legalization of medical marijuana in the American cities. To start off, Gieringer (Para 3) indicates that a lot of money is spent in the efforts aimed at regulating the use of marijuana. This is money that could be saved and pumped into other development agendas. Nevertheless, this step cannot be taken unless there is solid evidence that such an act could lead to economic benefits.
Studies indicate that states that have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational uses tend to rake in a lot of money in taxes from the venture. Chokshi (Para 1) indicates that Colorado and Washington are the major states in American which have legalized the drug. For these states, there is an indication that taxes from licensing and sale of marijuana could go quiet high. First of all, officials in Washington indicate that with the legalization plan, it is expected that at the end of the 2014 fiscal year, returns from the sale of marijuana could go as high as $300 million. This would be expected to multiply over the years to such an extent that by the end of 2017 fiscal year, the state could rake in a total of $2 billion.
Colorado is also another state that has legalized marijuana. As of 2012, the state reaped a total of $5 million from the trade. It appears that the returns from legalization of marijuana are so tempting that other states are equally considering it. According to Chokshi (Para 6), the proposals to legalize marijuana stand at 15$ in New Hampshire and 255 in Nevada. This is not just because there is pressure for legalization. Rather, Chokshi (Para 6) indicates that such a move could increase the annual tax collection in the states by a significant $67 million. There are plans in which this money could be used to improve service delivery in these states. For instance, Nevada and New Hampshire plan to spend about $40 million on the taxes raised from marijuana on construction of public schools. The other taxes, the cities as well as other smaller cities and counties would each have a 15% share of the state cake. This is just in line with the argument propelled by Gieringer (Para 5) who argues that legalization of marijuana could actually be a source of revenue. It is an untapped resource in many states and it is time that they woke up to the reality. After all, the drug is still being consumed even though it is banned. It, therefore, does not make sense ion controlling a venture that could be used in generating income for use in their beneficial government programs.
Various cities in the US also seem to have accepted the gospel of legalizing marijuana. This is used for both the medical as well as recreational purposes. There is need to also look at the benefits that these states enjoy. Cooper (Para 1) indicates that one such city is Oakland in California. Given the harsh economic times in 2012, the state was forced to take drastic measures in order to safeguard its economy. The authorities in Oakland decided to turn to one of their controversial but lucrative sources of income. As such, the city severally raised the tax rates on marijuana. The results were amazing. Cooper (Para 3) indicates that a total of $1.4 million was collected in taxes. This was a significant 3% of all the trade taxes collected in the city. Well, the statistics speak for themselves. It is clear that there are benefits that can be derived from legalization of bhang. Perhaps this is the way to go.
In summing up the economic benefits that the US could derive from legalization of marijuana, Roche (Para 1) indicates that the US seems to have reached a pint of no return with regard to the pressure to legalize marijuana. It so happens that the masses are willingly and readily consuming marijuana. On the other hand, businesses seem to have fully embraced the fact that marijuana can be used for medical purposes. Therefore, there is no need for the authorities to keep fighting with a venture that would actually be beneficial. After all, the masses still consume the drug even though it has been banned. This, however, does not imply that the drug can be legalized just because many people use it. This is based on the argument that the frequency of a wrong behavior does not make it right. Nevertheless, it appears that marijuana is not economically restricting. Rather, it can be used in making sure that more is raked in in terms of taxes and the government services to the people are improved.
In order to show why and how the US could benefit from legalization of marijuana, there is need to look at other nations in the world which have legalized the drug and are reaping the economic benefits from the same. However, at this point, it is worth noting that to many countries of the world, marijuana is termed as a hard drug and is illegal. This pint is important to consider even as the argument on the economic benefits of marijuana develops.
The ideal country to be used for this purpose is Netherlands. According to Voeten (Para 2), the Dutch were the first to decriminalize bhang. It is, therefore, not a wonder to fin people freely smoking the drug in public places and in other points of sale. However, Voeten (Para 5) goes on to indicate that despite this legalization, other nations in the world did not follow suit. As a matte of fact, there are European countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium which are so much against the decriminalization of bhang. These countries border the Enschede and Maastricht towns of the Netherlands. As such, people from these countries, especially the youths, tend to smoke cannabis at a few joints in these towns. However, when they go back home, they are involved in much wreck and havoc. Furthermore, the habit leads to an increase in the numbers of small crimes. This, therefore, acts as the ground for arguments against the decriminalization of cannabis.
Far from the social effects of cannabis, there is need to look at the beneficial economic impacts of the same. According to Schwartz (Para 2), there are coffee shops in Netherlands which freely sell cannabis. These are common in Amsterdam, a city that is known to be flocked by thousands of tourists every year. As a matter of fact, it so happens that Amsterdam receives tourism numbers that are much higher as compared to other cities in the world which pride of having better tourist attraction features. This is all because such individual come to the land just so as to smoke weed without being harassed by the authorities; they pride in legally doing what is considered illegal in their won country. The thrill and excitement sends many to Amsterdam.
The financial benefits that stem from this cannabis business in Netherlands are enormous. There are different avenues in which the government gets the revenues; first of all, there are sales taxes and licensing fees that have to be paid by teh coffee shops which sell marijuana. In essence, this brings in a lot of money. As a tourist attraction, cannabis tends to deliver much foreign exchange to the country. This is all thanks to the thousand of tourists who come to the land. Had the Dutch criminalized cannabis, there is a great possibility that the numbers of visits into the land would have reduced drastically. Well, if the US borrows a leaf from the Dutch, there is a possibility that it could also enjoy the benefits that come from legalization of marijuana.
All along, the review indicates that marijuana can indeed be legalized and used for medial as well as recreational purposes. It has also emerged that the venture can generate the much needed revenue for the government coffers. However, there is one important factor that has not been discussed so far; generation of job opportunities. One of the greatest contributions that a venture can play in the economy is by providing jobs for the masses. This is because the individual stop being dependents on either the government or other people. They move from being dependents to tax-payers. This not only improves their lives but also makes them more economically viable of their country.
Cox (Para 1) does a detailed analysis on the jobs that can be sustained through the legalization of marijuana. A total of 14 jobs are discussed for starters, there are the recommending physicians in the medical field. These would be charged with making sure that the right dose is given to the individuals. Here, it is worth noting that cannabis can be used in managing conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, anxiety, depression, among others. Another job category that can be realized is the physicians’ assistants. These are the individuals who help in making sure that the physicians are efficient in their work. They act as the wing men for the physicians.
There are other jobs that are outside the medical field (Cox para 4). Some of these are the growers. If marijuana is made legal, it means that more people will start growing it freely as a cash crop. The crop would give them much income, thereby helping a great way in improving their living standards. There are also the individuals who would remain in the dispensing pints to sell out eh marijuana. Bartenders and dispensary operators would have a chance to improve their livings tenders by getting the jobs that are realized from the cannabis venture. Others include people in the support industry such as the hospital administrators, solar panel experts which help in designing the preparation units for cannabis, as well as the delivery drivers who would work around the clock to deliver bhang to the customers. Fro this illustration, it goes without saying that legalization of cannabis would actually be a major boost to the economy by providing jobs to the masses that badly need them.
For any venture to be considered, it must bring in returns that are more than the inputs. With this regard, in order to determine the authenticity of legalizing bhang for economic benefits, there is need to show that legalization would be more profitable than regulation. Gerienger (Para 5) indicates that states spend about $5 billion on regulation of cannabis. This is such a large amount of money. Marijuana Policy Project (MMP Para 1) airs the same concerns, noting that regulation of marijuana costs the country about $10 billion to $14 billion per annum. The debate for the legalization of marijuana has it that regulation is far too expensive and unsustainable for the nation. These expenses are so much compared to the benefits that could be derived from legalization. If the product was made legal and taxed just like any other consumer goods, there would be an increase in sales tax by about $2.4 billion. However, if it was taxed like other products such as tobacco and alcohol, the tax would rise to a significant $6.2 billion. With such statistics, it is not logical that the state should spend a lot of money in regulating a venture that could be turned around to be a cash cow for the country. It is for this reason that MPP (Para 3) calls for legalization which could save the country a total of $7.7 billion on an annual basis. This looks promising.
In order to sum up on this issue, it is important to look at the regulation measures for cannabis. This is because failure to have regulation measures could lead to abuse of the product. The regulation measures can be discussed with reference to the strategies employed in Colorado and Washington, the two states in the US which have already legalized the product. Chokshi (Para 1) indicates that the first regulation involves the number of licenses issued to operators. Limiting the licensing to sellers would be accompanied with an equal regulation on the advertisement of the product. Furthermore, the individuals would not be allowed to grow the crop for personal use. Furthermore, the area of advertising of the same should not occupy more than 1,600 square inches (Chokshi Para 3). These are the measures taken in Washington. Measures employed in Colorado can also be employed. This involves regulations on growth, licensing, and trading with marijuana. If these measures are employed, then it would be possible to legalize marijuana, enjoy the economic benefits, yet makes sure that there is no abuse of the drug. From this analysis, it is quiet clear that legalization of marijuana could be quiet a beneficial venture for the US in the economic sense. Therefor, as Gieringer (Para 5) indicates, it could be time that the US moved from regulation to legalization. This would be a sure way of ensuring financial gains from cannabis.
Works Cited
Chokshi, Niraj. “After Legalizing Marijuana, Washington and Colorado are Starting to Regulate It.” The Washington Post, Oct. 9, 2013. Web. 5th Dec, 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/09/after-legalizing-marijuana-washington-and-colorado-are-starting-to-regulate-it/
Cox, Ted. “14 Kinds of Jobs Sustained by Marijuana.” Alter Net, 2013. Web. 5th Dec. 2013, http://www.alternet.org/story/152487/14_kinds_of_jobs_sustained_by_marijuana
Cooper, Michael. “Struggling Cities Turn to a Crop for Cash.” The New York Times, Feb. 11, 2012. Web. 5th Dec. 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/cities-turn-to-a-crop-for-cash-medical-marijuana.html?_r=0
Gieringer, Dale. “Revenues from Legalization. Economics of Cannabis Legalization: Detailed Analysis of the Benefits of Ending Cannabis Prohibition.” NORML, June 1994. Web. 5th Dec. 2013, http://norml.org/library/item/revenues-from-legalization
MPP.org. “The High Cost of Marijuana Prohibition in U.S.” MPP, 2013. Web. 5th Dec. 2013, http://www.mpp.org/media/op-eds/the-high-cost-of-marijuana-1.html
Roche, Edward J. “Federal Income Taxation of Medical Marijuana Businesses.” Tax Lawyer, 66.2, 2013.
Schwartz, Carly. “Cannabis Coffee Shop: Should America Adopt Dutch Marijuana Regulations?” Huff Post San Francisco, Dec. 5, 2013.
Voeten, Erik. Legalizing Marijuana: Some Lessons from Netherlands. Web. 5th Dec. 2013, http://themonkeycage.org/2012/11/08/legalizing-marijuana-some-lessons-from-the-netherlands/
