Money in marijuana

I do not smoke cigarettes, in fact, I smoke nothing. I wish that there would be no smoking if that is harmful to the individual. Now when we come to marijuana, I must confess that it is all strange to me.

Yet, I know that it is a crime to grow marijuana. Because some individuals want to smoke marijuana, there is a market for the product. Most smokers do not want to grow the plant. That could be dangerous as it is a crime. But, they are willing to buy the product for “recreational” purposes. No matter the cost, some people will always find the money to buy. Therefore there is a market for the product. As such, there is money to be made and as it is illegal to grow the product, the cost to the purchaser is high. The profits to the producers are high. The criminals growing marijuana are making big money and certainly would not want to have its production legalized.

Now the law is there to protect the individual from the drug, marijuana. In protecting the individual, they protect the high priced market for the producer. The individual consumer enjoys the recreational activity but not so much that there would be a willingness to grow a plant or two for self and for the benefit of some friends. If growing marijuana became a legal activity, the illegal producers would lose their stranglehold of the marijuana market.

So who would lose by legalizing the growing of marijuana? Perhaps society would lose because there might be a significant loss of human productivity in the world of work, a loss to the GNP. Might there be an increase in social cost for medical services, etc.? Would the world lose because people would suffer from the human problems that would be generated? What evidence is there that there would be a tremendous loss to society? What do the studies paid for by the government say? What did the Le Dain Commission of 1970 have to say?

In our world full of fear, fear of the unknown, fear of a coming flu pandemic, of possible hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, snow storms, floods, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, hunger, wars, you name it, can some form of relief be found in marijuana? Are we to be protected from acquiring some comfort and pleasure from smoking marijuana?

There are those who believe that legal sales and drinking of alcohol has brought on many social problems. There are those who believe legal gambling in casinos has brought on some social problems. Now there are those who believe that the social problems that might be brought on by marijuana warrant the growth of marijuana as an illegal activity.

Now, where do I stand? I do not know. Legalize the production of growing marijuana and then I might be able to say!