Marijuana Prohibition In America

Marijuana Prohibition
Marijuana prohibition has been in America since the 1930’s, but prohibition took power and money from the government and gave it to gangs and criminals. There has been a nationwide war against marijuana for years now; yet the drug is still very easy to find and acquire. Prohibition was implemented to reduce the use, selling, and cultivating of the marijuana plant (Venkataraman). Prohibition is largely depended on arrest, incarceration and, the seizure of private property; but it has failed miserably. These days it is more potent, easier to acquire, and cultivated since beginning of the prohibition. Amazingly, marijuana is America’s number one cash crop at 33.8 billion dollars, more than corn (23.3 billion) and wheat
(7.5 billion) combined (Venkataraman). Corn and wheat are behind marijuana as the second and third cash crop. Implementing this prohibition has done nothing to stop the raise of this cash crop.
Yet, our government has nothing to show from it, only the price of preventing it. Even though drunk drivers are killing people all over the country, alcohol has not been prohibited since 1933 (Beckett). Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for marijuana consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal (Beckett). Cigarettes are very addictive and have many chemicals, but completely legal. Marijuana is completely organic unlike cigarettes and is less addictive. Prohibition is outdated and needs to be ended.
The cost of the prohibition is much more than most people think. A 2005 analysis by Harvard visiting professor Jeffrey Miron estimates that if the United States legalized marijuana, the country would save $7.7 billion in law enforcement costs (Beckett). A cost-benefit analysis of the situation indicates that the country could save roughly $42 billion a year by legally regulating and taxing the marijuana industry (Beckett). The money could go to much more important things to keep our country safer and greatly
cut into our nation’s deficit. Taking care of the prisoners in jail for marijuana is also costing Americans an estimated $600 million a year. Taxpayers are paying for prisoners and law enforcement costs. Wasting tax payer’s money and time, by putting marijuana smokers in jail; when there are rapist and killers out in the streets, which needs to be stopped. That is why many states are decriminalizing marijuana so tax payers do not have to pay for all the costs. In California it is legal for medical marijuana, but federally still illegal. This causes many problems for marijuana dispensaries. Random raids have attempted to stop the people from having dispensaries, but you cannot stop the American spirit. Especially when American people are going through a recession and see America’s number one cash crop going to the criminals and not to the government and the people. An analysis by Dale Gieringer and Richard Lee concludes that the medical marijuana business in the city of Oakland California, could contribute tens of millions of dollars to the local economy (Beckett). Sales tax payments by Oakland medical marijuana dispensaries could range as high as $5 million, but have stayed well below that figure because of strict city limitations on the number of dispensaries (Beckett). A regulated market for non-medical "adult use" marijuana could produce as much as $24 million in annual sales taxes for the city (Beckett). Experts have shown that there is money to make in marijuana sells, the government is slowly starting to listen, but it will still take time.
What prohibition has done is make America’s number one cash crop very dangerous.
Instead of our government growing it and regulating it; criminals and major gangs control the growing and regulating. Giving gangs millions and millions of dollars which is very dangerous. Also prohibition is very similar to the alcohol prohibition which gave infamous gangs and gang members like the mafia and Al Capone their heyday. Marijuana also has its gangs according to some government estimates; Mexican drug cartels make more than 60 percent of their profits from marijuana alone and control distribution networks in more than 250 American cities (Venkataraman). Those gangs are very protective over their profit; even more because it is illegal. A Washington police chief has acknowledged that violence in the marijuana trade is caused by its prohibition, telling station KARE11 last month: "It is illegal to distribute marijuana, so the people distributing marijuana are criminal syndicates that are engaged in very violent activity to protect their turf" (Beckett). The reason the gangs make any money at all from marijuana is that our laws are letting the crop stay in the black market, only our government is to blame that drug cartels have a monopoly on our country’s number one cash crop (Venkataraman). This brings up the question why would our government give that power to the gangs? America is in a national deficit, the money gangs are making instead of our government could help out our country
greatly. Saying that legalizing marijuana would stop gangs and gang violence is false, but it will take the power from the gangs and give it the government. Taking away their number one money maker will change things for years to come.

Works Cited
VENKATARAMAN, NITYA. "Marijuana Called Top U.S Cash Crop." AbcNews. N.p., 18 Dec. 2006. Web. 5 Dec. 2012.
Beckett, Katherine, and Steve Herbert. CONSEQUENCES AND COSTS OF MARIJUANA PROHIBITION. New York: n.p., n.d. Print.