The Economics of Cannabis

Drug Free America Foundation…a propaganda-generating tax shelter.

highcrimesblog — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:06:27 +0000

A brand is a powerful thing, and sounding “official” is all it takes to be official in the eyes of many. According to an ABC news poll, about 4 in 10 people in this country trust the media.[1] The same margin believes that marijuana should be legalized according to another poll by zogby.[2] The same ABC News poll trusted the government at a rate of about 1 in 4. In what world could that possibly mean anything good about the behind-the-scenes politicking, or the ultra-cut news media.

The media devotes WEEKS to issues surrounding a single sentence of a person’s life. Do we ever feel glad with the result? Regardless of who you blame, did things like “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” and “America’s chickens have come home to roost” and the ensuing barrage of resources, prying and analysis help America in any way? Does getting to the bottom of it all make us a more moral nation?

How much time does the media discuss the agreed ways we can help the planet, instead of lumping ANY attempt the help the environment (some being frivious and symbolic, some being important, necessary even) in with the “Global Warming” issue, let’s really talk about how you’d like your kids to breathe. Well? Wheezy? I’m serious.

How much time does the media discuss spending habits of the organizations we fund with our public tax dollars? The even play with the issue of how much money we spend fighting the Drug War each year, as if it were a justification for it. How many of our current men in uniform’s names do you know? Living or lost in the war? How many celebrity starlets can you name who have entered rehab?
Maybe I’m wrong, maybe we idolize the right people.

Enough of that little tirade- some quotes from the Drug Free America Foundation, a non-governmental organization consulting with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Recent internal criticisms of the actions of this UN group are gaining note on Digg.com, a popular social news site.[3]

Harder drugs like heroin (morphine)? Ritalin? Reported side-effects include “psychosis (abnormal thinking or hallucinations), difficulty sleeping, mood swings, mood changes, stomach aches, diarrhea, headaches, lack of hunger (leading to weight loss) and dry mouth.”[4] How about prozac? It only reports a 2-fold increase in suicidal ideation by two FDA groups working independently.[5]

We have marijuana vending machines in California…problem solved.[6] This is called PROPAGANDA. Drug Free America Foundation, a propaganda group. A tax-deduction for Americans looking for anything to reduce their tab and do the government’s dirty-work.

Maybe true of people selling ground-stick needles, but I’ve never met a marijuana dealer who did not use their product. It is actually more of a reason to legalize it to the degree that people responsibly use it, and make the only place to get it approved, trusted and taxed sources, like pharmacies. They already dispense the “hard drugs” like heroin and speed, and marijuana is far safer and more beneficial.

A recent Office of National Drug Control Policy report tries to play commentator to the legalization debate. They point out median prison terms are higher for murder, robbery and sexual assault. Federal courts actually handed drug traffickers the third longest prison terms, ahead of sexual abuse. [7]

A well-sourced article actually tells a different story, including less per capita spending on criminal justice, less crime overall, and less homicide per capita.[8] These were the basic findings of the study in Holland.[9] In a country with more calibre per capita, you’d think we’d feel safer, but those crazy potheads seem to always attack refrigerators.

I love how there’s a vast conspiracy working to legalize marijuana through decriminalization of medical marijuana. This is just laughable, I understand how when a large group of unshaven, dirty hippies came to you with a similar request they must not have been as officially presentable for political arguments. Now the group of people approaching government to change and allow marijuana for medicinal uses, much like we have legal heroin in the form of morphine, are the medical community. Lab coats, you know, real doctors…not the Ph. D in public policy or political science (for the record, I majored in political science). These doctors HEAL YOU. You trust them to take Zoloft but not marijuana? They are all doctors, offering different ways to heal, which study after study proves to be very effective.

But these doctors must be conspiring. Our politicians and publicly funded organizations couldn’t possibly be…

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[1] Americans by a 20-point margin say they’re more inclined to believe the media, 46 percent-26 percent, but a sizable 22 percent say it depends on the situation. http://abcnews.go.com/US/PollVault/story?id=805522&page=1

[2] Nationwide, 46% supported making marijuana policy a state option, while 53% did on the East Coast and 55% on the West Coast. In the South and Midwest, by contrast, 55% opposed it. In partisan terms, support was strongest among Democrats, with 59% in favor, while only 33% of Republicans favored letting states set their own marijuana laws. Independents split, with 44% in favor and 49% against. http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/428/zogbypoll.shtml

[3] http://www.ukcia.org/library/cannabis_trade2.php

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate#Side_effects

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoxetine#Adverse_effects

[6] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22910820/

[7] www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/whos_in_prison_for_marij/whos_in_prison_for_marij.pdf

[8] http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm

[9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe208nLLEwk

All screenshots from www.dfaf.org the website for a publicly funded, privately owned firm granted federal money for “consulting”. 80% of their funding is through grants and contracts.

Goals and Aims

highcrimesblog — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:19:58 +0000

My goals for the future of the marijuana prohibition/legalization debate are as follows:

1) End federal raids on state-approved medical marijuana users and providers.

2) BEGIN a rational debate about the implications of legalization for medical and recreational use of marijuana in the United States.

I say begin, and stress this, because a debate is not about two sides making an argument and an adjudicator evaluating these arguments to arrive at a decision. As a lifelong, albeit intermittent user of marijuana, a former economics and US government teacher and someone generally addicted to learning above all else, I have no sympathy for those who break the law under the influence of ANY substance. I have, however, personally smoked with judges, lawyers, teachers, doctors, etc. A far cry from four teenagers “hot-boxing” a car during a joyride through the suburbs, we smoked and pondered the possible justification for free access to tobacco. We wondered exactly why something which has NEVER been identified as having any positive medical purpose was perfectly legal, while a substance useful in the medical field and beyond is criminalized and subject to contradictory laws at the state and federal level. The most beautiful thing about America is the concept of federalism, the idea that I can move to another part of the country to find a community that fits my free lifestyle as an American. We must maintain the diversity that makes America the greatest country in the history of this planet.

Stigma is in no way productive, end the stigma and begin the discussion.

Beginning the conversation – Dear Charles Wheelan:

highcrimesblog — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:50:13 +0000

At the risk of sounding like a typical stoner with a cause, I’d like to make an attempt to get one of my favorite economists and thinkers to consider this question in a way I may not have yet considered.Milton Friedman, referenced in this article as being brilliant in asserting “individuals know best” has signed an open letter to the US government calling for a real debate on the costs of marijuana prohibition. You may doubt we’re ready for Friedman’s small government, but are we ready to accept that smoking cigarettes has NO positive health implications, while a large portion of the medical community recognizes the power of marijuana. As a long time reader of your blogs, a former economics instructor and a generally interested party, I scrolled anxiously to the bottom of the list, wondering if you had also signed this letter and/or weighed in on the report.My motivation for writing this comment on the very low chance you may read it and respond in any fashion is not that of a typical marijuana user, but because I’ve witnessed lives stolen because of marijuana’s Schedule I status. From this, I wondered if prohibition was worth it from a human perspective. After reading Naked Economics for the first time and doing follow-up research, I struggled to find a justification for marijuana prohibition based on any free market principles. I still struggle to find such a justification, but at this point much of my view may be clouded by personal experience and predisposition.The point is simple: please weigh in, in any way, because your opinion and ideas are of great importance to me. I have found your arguments to always speak to my rational core. Here are my points to be disputed/corrected/confirmed:

1) An estimated $7.7 billion a year would be saved from eliminating government expenditure on enforcement and prohibition, primarily at a local and state level. (I’d argue this money could help education tremendously, and narrow our skills deficit you described in an earlier article.)

2) An estimated $2.4-$6.2 billion a year would be generated in tax revenues. Sin taxing marijuana seems more than reasonable, so the higher end of this estimate is also a reasonable expected outcome.

3) Since 1992, an estimated 6 million Americans have been arrested and tried for marijuana possession or sale. While this remains a relatively low number to some, this only represents those who are arrested and tried. In my lifetime I’ve met judges, teachers, doctors and laborers alike who consume marijuana in a safe and responsible manner. Approximately 10% of the marijuana consumers I have known were actually arrested and tried. (I will admit, I have sought out these types of people since the first time I witnessed a friend’s father (a judge) and his friend (a trial lawyer) smoking a joint while having a completely rational and intelligent conversation. My approximation of 10% is skewed by the fact that I attempt to meet and converse with people who responsibly consume marijuana in different forms.)

This is my first argument with more to follow. http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport.html–a great read from some highly respected economists.