Well…no, probably not. But I think marijuana could go pretty far in saving North America. And one out of seven continents is a good start. But let’s start with California.
I’m not a pot smoker, so please don’t think this is just the rantings of another pot head. Whatever my mental defects may be, they don’t come from excess of any intoxicants. That being said, in California we have a proposition on the ballot to legalize the usage and distribution of marijuana under certain restrictions (Proposition 19). I hope this passes for a number of reasons.
1. If marijuana were legalized, it could spark an entirely new industry. Millions of new jobs would be created in the farming, cultivating and processing of pot. New jobs equals more income tax for California and the Federal Government.
2. People who smoke pot are going to buy pot anyway. Why not regulate the sale so that we can make sure people are getting safe plants and collect a sales tax on it. Again, more money for California.
3. As the supply of legal marijuana comes readily through California agriculture, less money is funneled to the Mexican drug cartels giving them less power. And do you think that the drug cartels could compete will Walmart if they were selling to the American people? Less drugs coming across our borders would mean less violence in the Mexican border towns.
4. Legal marijuana would be safer marijuana. When buying something covertly in a downtown alley, you don’t really know what you’re getting. With government oversight and competition from other manufacturers, a huge variety of safer pot products would develop. Different strengths, different sizes, different scents, and likely filtered products.
5. Marijuana was initially made illegal in the United States mainly due to pressure from the agricultural community. Not from tobacco farmers, but from cotton farmers. It was really the many uses of hemp that put fear into their wallets, not the intoxicating power of the flower. Again, new businesses could form based on hemp products.
Personally I don’t feel that marijuana is any more dangerous to people than alcohol or cigarettes, and according to some research, is less addictive. And I’m not naive enough to think that all the marijuana sold at the dispensaries is for medicinal purposes, but I do believe that marijuana has medicinal value. This is especially true for people with terminal illnesses. If smoking a joint will help ease their nausea or give them a little bit of an appetite, have a little compassion and let them spark one up.
I’m not a journalist, so I’m sure this seems like I’m rambling at this point, but I do believe that legalizing marijuana could provide a big boost to our economy and help to make our borders safer.
