Mary Jane Lives In Colorado

More than 300 economists, including three nobel laureates, have signed a petition calling attention to the findings of a paper by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, which suggests that if the government legalized marijuana it would save $7.7 billion annually by not having to enforce the current prohibition on the drug. The report added that legalization would save an additional $6 billion per year if the government taxed marijuana at rates similar to alcohol and tobacco. 

That's as much as $13.7 billion per year, but it's still minimal when compared to the federal deficit, which hit $1.5 trillion last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Read more: 

There is no doubt in my mind or the minds of many others that marijuana is going to be legalized on the Federal level in the near future, I am still concerned about a few things now.

It is estimated that Colorado will generate about $60-70 million in taxes on marijuana and I am sure that the tourist industry will increase in that State due to the curious wanting to journey there and sample the goods; what about the current conflict in laws?

It is still illegal on a Federal level to buy and/or sell marijuana, yet there have been no arrests; so, does that mean that State law is finally trumping Federal law?

What kind of uncertainty is this Federal hesitation sending out to the rest of us Americans?

And, more importantly, what about all those males and females currently in Federal prisons “doing time,” because they either sold or purchase marijuana? Does it seem right that they should sit in prison blowing their minds while they can be blowing their minds for real in Colorado?

We also have another example of the law not being applied equally and fairly across the board or from State-to-State. But, should this really worry us all that much when we already know that the same laws are applied differently between the wealthy and the poor?

OJ Simpson was found not guilty of a crime of murder because his “high priced” lawyers created reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors but I know an individual that was for all intents and purposes living at the edge of poverty because while on drugs, he drove the truck that carried his passenger away from a murder that had been committed at a country store without his knowledge. That young man was given a life sentence.

For some reason, this concept of preaching equality in America when we all know that this is not true, really bothers me... and, I do not think that it sends a good message to our children.

But, this is not the first time America has put people in jail for breaking the law only to have that law changed to legal a few years later. Did we react too quick making it illegal in the first place? Or, did we react too quick making it legal? I would suppose that this is a debate that will never be adequately resolved.

I am reminded in the 60's of being told that smoking marijuana will lead to harder drugs like cocaine and heroin; so, does that mean our “role model” adults were wrong in filling our heads with that nonsense? Or, is it true and we are just ignoring it because of all the potential tax revenue that selling marijuana can generate?

Does knowing why really matter?

The use, possession, sale, cultivation, and transportation of cannabis (marijuana) in the United States under federal law is illegal but the federal government has announced that if a state wants to pass a law to decriminalize cannabis for recreational or medical use they can do so, but they need to have a regulation system in place for cannabis. 

Cannabis is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the highest classification under the legislation. This means that the substance has been claimed by the U.S. federal government to have both high abuse potential and no established medical use.

However, individual state laws do not always conform to the federal standard. State-level proposals for the rescheduling of cannabis have met with mixed success. Currently, the use of both recreational and medicinal marijuana has been entirely legalized in the states of Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon. 

The District of Columbia's legalization is currently blocked by Congress. Ten states have both medical marijuana and decriminalization laws. Nine states and Guam have only legalized medical marijuana. Four states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have only decriminalized possession laws. The remaining twenty-three states and three inhabited territories state that marijuana is illegal, a felony, or a misdemeanor.

Click here to see State map...