Reefer-ready Projects: An Economic Stimulus Package

[Pryderi]

I say we make an effort to get marijuana legal.

Legalization would provide new industries, new jobs, save family farms, save money in law enforcement AND be a revenue stream to local, state and federal governments.

[grannie4peace]

1. what can i say---sigh

i hope for the day!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. as long as the petrochemical industry wants to keep hemp

out of competition, there will be no legalization. The government is using the "reefer madness" smokescreen to deny the hemp industry its rightful place in our society.

[Pryderi]

3. That's why we have to argue legalization as an

economic stimulus...to overcome opposition!

[ensho]

4. and kill the for profit prisons and jails

nt

[Zynx]

5. It's nowhere near the impact a lot of people claim.

It's at best mid-tens of billions. Some advocates pretend it is a total fix for all of our economic and budget problems when it simply is not.

[Occam Bandage]

7. Pot not only cures all diseases, hemp would completely fix the economy.

Just say no to pot, children. Even one "harmless" toke leads to a paralyzing, life-long addiction to marijuana advocacy.

[Pryderi]

8. $14 billion in annual combined annual savings and revenues

Milton Friedman, 500+ Economists Call for Marijuana Regulation Debate; New Report Projects $10-14 Billion Annual Savings and Revenues

Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year, finds a June 2005 report by Dr. Jeffrey Miron, visiting professor of economics at Harvard University.

The report has been endorsed by more than 530 distinguished economists, who have signed an open letter to President Bush and other public officials calling for "an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition," adding, "We believe such a debate will favor a regime in which marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods."

Chief among the endorsing economists are three Nobel Laureates in economics: Dr. Milton Friedman of the Hoover Institute, Dr. George Akerlof of the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Vernon Smith of George Mason University.

Dr. Miron's paper, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition," concludes:
**Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement -- $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels.

http://economics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=economics&cdn=education&tm=37&f=00&su=p649.3.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.prohibitioncosts.org/

[TheKentuckian]

9. Come on boss, we got candidates running on cutting earmarks

and people up in arms about the expense of an inauguration and you're turning your nose up at "mid-tens of billions".

That's a substantial amount of money and ending all vice efforts and taxing would grow that insignificant number into enough to do big things but the strawman of "the budget cure all" from loopy supporters and those that are happy to see this nonsense go on seems to be a sticking point in thinking for many.

How about we use these paltry few tens of billions of dollars for something productive like financing healthcare reform?

[Royal Sloan 09]

6. K & R

Also, please check out the change.org site under the Criminal Justice section. End the Drug Wars!

[Pryderi]

10. Here's the link! It's the most popular subject on the site!

http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/ideas/ideaList.apexp?c=09a800000004fo6&lsi=2