How Does Marijuana Affect The Economy

Everyone knows that all things cost money, even the prohibition on marijuana! It costs the U.S. government about 13.7 billion dollars to keep the prohibition on marijuana. Marijuana is classified as a hallucinogenic drug and is considered a schedule one drug; some of the most dangerous drugs such as heroin, molly, acid, and many more. This drug category suggests that these drugs have no medical purpose even though marijuana is legal medically or recreationally in 28 states including D.C. Marijuana can help cure many physical and mental diseases such as ADD, ADHD, OCD, cancer, glaucoma, seizures, and many more. Although marijuana is illegal. Marijuana can effect our economy in a good way because first, taxpayers pay about 41.6 billion dollars a year on prohibition. Second, the medical and recreational marijuana industry has a
potential of being a 100 billion dollar industry. And finally, non-violent marijuana crime offenders cost taxpayers around 1 billion dollars a year. Marijuana could have the potential to create thousands of jobs. “When hydroponic marijuana growing supply chain weGrow opens a new store it creates an estimated 75 jobs indirectly” (Bradford 12). WeGrow is a fast growing hydroponic marijuana supply chain, they create dozens of marijuana plants and sell them to dispensaries. With creating 75 jobs for each store that gets placed could change the lives of families that can't afford living costs and feeding their families, it also could boost the economy with more jobs and more taxes raking in for the government. “Colorado is reporting 10,000 new jobs, all from the legalization of both recreational and medical marijuana” (Sarich). The culture of marijuana industries and businesses are very serious and strict, people who get into this business aren't there to smoke and play around, they're there to get into the business world and change lives of people who have medical conditions or who are looking for serious full time jobs and can't find one. A definite folkway for businesses of legal or illegal styling is “don't get high off your own supply.” The work ethic of a marijuana company is just like any other; if you work hard to do your job with excellence you will be rewarded just like any other business. This industry is just like any other industry, work hard and get the big bucks, this could help the lives of so many people and could have the potential to grow into something much larger than we think. Marijuana could potentially be worth lots and lots of money. “Marijuana growers account for $14 billion a year in sales in California, making it the state's most valuable cash crop” (Bradford 4). In California alone… If marijuana was legal in all states, the industry could be worth 100 billions or maybe even trillions. All this money could go toward education in inner cities, building infrastructure, or even help edge off the trillions of dollars our country owes. “Estimates for Washington: $2 billion in tax revenue will be raised over the next five years; for Colorado: $600 million in taxes and savings over the same time period” (Krulick). Taxes can play a big role in this money making industry, so many taxes can come into play for marijuana industry including: property tax, revenue tax, sales tax, etc. Money can't buy happiness, but what money can do is change your stress level, change how you pay your bills and what you are spending, and can be the difference between a nice home cooked meal and no meal. Making it legal could also save american tons of money.
“The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana, according to a paper endorsed by 300 economists” (Bradford 1). If it costs money just to keep it illegal then why are we doing it? From a theoretical perspective this could be seen as a conflict perspective because the conflict is that keeping marijuana illegal is costing people money, but the competition is between the pro and anti marijuana politicians and activists.
“A 2007 study found that enforcing the marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion annually” (Bradford 3). Another example of how our country could be saving money and putting it where it really matters. This 41.8 billion dollars could be put to good use if the government would just stop and think about all the good that marijuana could do for the country. Saving money is a very important deal that we as americans and as basic humans need to learn and how we can put these large amounts of cash into things that drives people to do something with their lives and take care of
others. Have an open mind when listening to an argument. When you think of marijuana, don't think of it as just a plant, think of it as a solution; a solution to problems that you and america face everyday, from money to peace of mind. Marijuana could be a enzyme to fixing our economy, to fixing medical issues, to end the war between people who see weed as a good think and who see it as a bad thing. The culture of marijuana affects our human behavior. It could make us violent or it could make everyone peaceful and convey ideas and have intelligent conversations. Fight for something you care about; fight for the economy, fight for the well being of people with medical problems, fight for what's right.