Kiera Taylor

Political Science


Que Bullshit:
Marijuana abuse is a tragedy and a sickness and unfortunately is usually something
the state advocates controlling, which usually results in more problems than it
actually solves. This paper is going to summarize an article published on April 1,
2010 about The War on Drugs or more so the war on pot called
MarijuanAmerica: Inside America's Last Growth Industry by Mark Binelli and
how it effects the communal loss of hope in some, and the resurrects the hope lost in
others in the pot growing community. [2]
Like most Americans, libertarians advocate for safety in the home and on the
streets. Libertarians would like all Americans to be healthy and free of drug
dependence. Unfortunately, drug laws dont address the underlying medical issue of
addiction and politicians who scramble to make names for themselves as tough anti-
drug warriors only make things worse. To complicate matters, there is a growing
disconnect between federal regulators and state legislatures regarding marijuana.
The contraction is most apparent in the federal governments reluctance to
reclassify marijuana from its current status as a Schedule I drug (meaning that there
are no known medicinal benefits) and the enactment of medical marijuana laws
currently in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Furthermore, two states have fully legalized the plant for recreational use and are
now reaping the benefits of a new tax revenue stream. In what was once an
argument focused on morality, many legalization proponents now cite the economic
benefits for ending marijuana prohibition. In Colorado, for example, the state is now
expecting to bring in nearly $100 million this year in new tax revenue from
recreational marijuana sales. [1]
In the 1920's, alcohol was made illegal by the ratification of the Eighteenth
Amendment. Prohibition made alcohol businesses and suppliers illegal, but did
nothing to stop the consumer demand for the product. The result was the
emergence of organized
crime which jumped on the chance to fill the supply void. Whenever there is a great
demand for a product and government makes it illegal, capitalism kicks in and a
black market always develops to supply the demand. The price of the product rises
dramatically and there is opportunity for huge profits. The criminal gangs loved the
situation and made millions. They killed other drug dealers, along with innocent
people caught in the crossfire, to protect their territory. Because drugs were illegal,
their victims had no recourse. The streets became battlegrounds. The criminals
bought off law enforcement and judges. Adulterated booze blinded and killed
people. Civil rights were trampled in the hopeless and failed attempt to keep people
from drinking. When the American people saw what Prohibition was doing to them,
they supported its repeal. When they succeeded, most states legalized liquor and the
criminal gangs were out of the liquor business.
Ninety percent of our drug problem is prohibition-related, not use-related,"
Johnson insists. "As someone who has smoked pot and consumed alcohol and
neither of them do I use today, I haven't had a drink in 22 years I think people are
waking up to the fact that when it comes to marijuana and alcohol, you can draw
some very real correlations. The issue right now, nationally, is at a tipping point." [2]
And what will happen to growers like Tobias? At this point, he thinks he'd
be able to adapt to the new laws, but the increased competition could also hurt his
bottom line. One of Tobias' friends, another longtime grower, says angrily, "We're
the people who were out here taking all the risks, and now we're going to be
squeezed out!" [2]
Today's war on drugs particularly marijuana is a rerun of Prohibition. According
to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence approximately 40
million Americans are occasional, peaceful users of some illegal drug. They are not
going to stop. The laws don't, and can't, stop drug use. [3]
Whereas cheap, mass-produced weed from Mexico and South America once
dominated the U.S. market, about half of the marijuana sold is now high-quality
domestic product. In rebuttal small time growers like Tobis who are threatened by
the legalization of weed, it could benefit growers as well as the consumers because it
would free up the resources to innovate and contribute to the market without
having to worry about state intervention. For example in the article Tim Blake, a pot
grower and advocate is leading a group of local pot growers to create a sustainable
and organic weed growing company that is concerned with agricultural and
environmental ramifications -- basically a trendy Whole Foods of the weed market."
[2]
People won't be able to make a killing if pot becomes legal and the big players come
in," Blake concedes. "But they'll be able to make a living. What's gonna happen is, if
you really love growing cannabis, you'll be able to make a living doing something
you love. People like Tim Black agree that its time to consider that perhaps
America needs a more sensible drug policy. [2] Its time to re-legalize drugs and let
people take responsibility for themselves. Criminal laws only drive the problem
underground and put money into the pockets of the criminal class. Individuals agree
they have the right to decide for themselves what they put into their bodies, so long
as they take responsibility for their actions, even if they are just high.
The article examines the lessons of Prohibition, how organized crime makes huge
profits, pot economics, and personal responsibility. These are all things that propel
the idea that maybe after all America can handle drugs, which happens to identify
with the Libertarian Party. (To whom I do not belong, but off the record of this paper;
happen to agree with.)