Regulating Rather than Disrupting the Marijuana Market

As the deficit in this country grows we collectively spend over 10 billion dollars a year in taxes combating the use of marijuana. We arrest 730, 000 people annually on marijuana charges and send them to the same overcrowded prisons that we send rapists and murderers as if they are remotely comparable. The heaviest jail sentences are of course reserved for those that grow and sell marijuana. Depending on the amount, and circumstances surrounding the arrest, the punishment can range from 2 to 10 years in prison.

However, possession in California is misdemeanor that carries a $100 fine and no jail time. So it is not a big deal to possess a little weed, but don’t grow it or sell it? If the true concern of the government is who is growing and selling marijuana then they should regulate the market themselves, rather than just disrupt it. Take the 10 billion that we pay in taxes every year and put it into growing and selling the safest, carcinogenic pesticide free, mary- jane the U.S. has ever seen. Not only will the government curb the many health problems associated with the many illegal pesticides growers use, but they will actually turn a profit. Can you imagine such a world? A world where the government acts as a good steward of our hard- earned dollars?