Legalizing marijuana has been a major topic of controversy in the United States for a long time. On Feb. 21, 2009 Assembly member Tom Ammiano introduced a bill to legalize marijuana in California. AB 390 is a Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. AB 390 would decriminalize marijuana but regulate it like alcohol, limiting sales to those who are 21 and older. This bill would also impose a tax of $50 per--ounce
something Ammiano said could bring $1 billion annually into our cash-starved state. " It would immediately indirectly benefit the economy by freeing up billions of dollars a year for a then unneeded Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A) marijuana enforcement task-force."
After 3.6 million votes were cast, one of the top questions turned out to be a query on whether legalizing marijuana might stimulate the economy by allowing the government to regulate and tax the drug. Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary said that legalizing marijuana in order to boost the current economy is a "hot" issue in the White House. On March 24, the White House said more than 64, 000 people watched President Obama answer questions in the first live Internet video chat by an American president. In this online town hall meeting Obama rejected the argument that legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana would be- good way to raise money in this recession. Obama just stated in direct terms he does not think legalizing pot "is a good strategy to grow our economy."
According to the Beckley Foundation, in the United States approximately three-quarters of a million citizens are arrested every year for cannabis possession, and in certain producer/transit countries, such as Mexico, the War on Drugs, of which cannabis is a component has led to a virtual state of war near the United States border. "The damage done by prohibition is worse than from the substance itself," said Amanda Feilding, the founder of the Beckley Foundation.
CNBC released a documentary with Trish Regan, anchor and reporter, called Marijuana Inc.. In this documentary, Regan goes behind the scenes to explore the inner workings of this secretive industry, focusing on Northern California`s "Emerald Triangle," now the marijuana capital of the United States of America. The pot business, much of it legal under state law, now makes up as much as two-thirds of the local economy. In addition, Jessica Corry, a Republican activist appeared on Fox News to speak about her point of view about marijuana prohibition and the growing national debt. In this debate, Corry suggests that marijuana is not nearly as bad as alcohol, or prescription pills.
Overall, the government is making a fortune on the sales and tax revenues of cigarettes. We all know cigarettes not only kill the people who smoke them, but they also harm the people around those who smoke them. The government has legalized this deadly drug called tobacco, but yet keeps rejecting the legalization of marijuana and the billions of dollars to be made from the herb.
