Blast Off!! Save the Space Program by.. Legalizing #Marijuana?
After careful deliberation, I’ve opted to speak my mind and invite the readers to chime in on the issue. Those close to me already know about my intention to run for political office in the future, so this is a risky subject to write about. This post could either garner mass support for, or crush, the Tony Bennett for Senate campaign before it even starts. It’s a gamble worth taking because the benefits of legalizing marijuana clearly outweigh the negative aspects that my counterparts bring up. Sadly, we’re skipping the So Genius Award this week because I should have had the cojones to publish this Wednesday instead of switching to a PC topic that I ended up scrapping as it was just “Eh.”
With all the crime and violence in our society, doesn’t the government and law enforcement have bigger fish to fry? More and more we see innocent children being killed, houses being burned down, shootings at schools, and Tide Detergent being stolen off the shelves; yet there are still hundreds of thousands of cases involving reefer that continue to drain our already extended resources. While it would be foolish of me to argue that the decriminalization of Cannabs would alleviate all the hostility, an old saying does come to mind… there’s a thin line between love and hate, it usually starts halfway through a joint. We’ll save that debate for another day, though. We’re going to focus on how the is government turning a deaf ear toward the people’s calls for reform and how it will help our economy, both financially and socially.
IGNORING THE ISSUE WILL NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY
Similar to the perceived approach to our national deficit, it seems the lawmakers on Capitol Hill are ignoring the problem. The example highlighting this most is the “Twitter Town Hall Meeting” that took place last July. Tweeters were encouraged to #AskObama questions that would be answered in the stream. Dan Holowack and his team at TwitSprout did an INCREDIBLE analysis to reveal the most twopular topics that were tweeted about. Their findings were featured on Mark Schaefer’s {grow} blog. Would you believe me if I told you that questions concerning the legalization of Marijuana outnumbered all the other topics like taxes, jobs, and the economy… COMBINED? Granted, twitter doesn’t accurately measure the sentiment of the whole country; but I find it peculiar that the president didn’t even address the most popular question that twitternation wanted to know. I wouldn’t be surprised if our site is flooded with support once the Marijuana Movement on Twitter (#mmot) gets wind of this because they are such a dedicated bunch. I’m interested to see what reaction we receive from the other side.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Quick Fact – According to the .pdf report issued by The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, over $26 Billion dollars in revenue was generated from taxing these two products. With our deficit still spiraling out of control, I find it hard to believe that the government cannot use an additional revenue stream. Sure, Federal and State gov’s earn monies in relation to penal fines when offender’s are prosecuted, but that’s a pittance compared to what it could make on a Marijuana tax. I’m all about safety and placing restrictions on its use just as much as the next guy, but the excuse I’ve heard about the government not being able to figure out how to tax it is absurd. To put it into perspective, even if the Marijuana tax only generated 75% of what the tobacco tax does, that would be enough to send 5-6 rocket ships back into space. That fact inspired the title for this, but I’m not actually sure that’s the best use of the money (but good to know we’d be able to send a ship into orbit if Aliens ever threaten us). Alternatively, $8 billion split up amongst our 50 states would yield $160 million per state. Come on people, we’re talking about money for education… money for roads… money for healthcare. Isn’t that what it’s about?
CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ABONG
World Peace might be a long shot, but the simple truth is Marijuana smokers are less likely to commit violent crimes. And it’s not like a law legalizing it forces you to smoke it if you don’t want to. In fact, even if you were a registered smoker, there are plenty of people who SHOULDN’T smoke dope. If weed makes you paranoid and you go crazy, DON’T SMOKE IT. If you abuse weed habitually in an attempt to permanently escape your reality, DON’T SMOKE IT. If you’re unemployed and lazy because you partake so often that you’ve become a sloth, DON’T SMOKE IT. But for Pete’s sake, if someone, like many of successful people I know who are closet tokers, wants to hang out with a few friends and enjoy the pleasure of smoking herb to gain a different perspective, LET THEM DO IT. The debate about drinking vs smoking has been hit pretty hard and I tend to agree w/proponents that Mary Jane has fewer dangerous side effects than alcohol. So why do we still not have a choice? I have my own conspiracy theories, but I’d rather hear from you. What do you think are the main forces behind keeping marijuana an illicit substance?