Marijuana Laws Need to Change!

                So, NIDA, I did not write you today just to argue against some questionable and borderline false “facts” about marijuana. I also want to briefly note the economic potential that cannabis has to offer. Before I say anything else, I would like to reiterate the versatility and usefulness of industrial hemp. “The billion dollar crop” is an economic gold mine, and that was back in 1938. Now, taking inflation into account, the potential value of industrial hemp would be in the tens of trillions.  Marijuana, unlike hemp, is simply a naturally occurring weed, but it is still worth more ounce-for-ounce than gold. It is impossible to find other major commodities at a price of two hundred dollars an ounce; in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything for two hundred dollars a pound. Crops like corn, grain, and barley are closer to two hundred dollars a ton. A perfect example of the how much money really is in the marijuana industry comes from British Columbia. A group of marijuana growers purchased twenty full sized train cars and buried them underground. After setting up heating, electricity, and water, these growers proceeded to fill each train car with one hundred and fifty lights, each light growing one or two pounds of weed. Each pound was worth about $2,000 locally and cropped out four to five times a year. That equals an income of $1.2 to $2.4 million annually. The profit doubled if the crops were distributed to different parts of the United States. The farther East the crop traveled, the more it sold for. Even small grow house operations are used as a secondary source of income for one out of every one hundred households in British Columbia. Systems with no more than ten lights are still capable of producing tens of thousands of dollars each year.  

                Marijuana, in its 10,000 year existence on this planet, has proven to be one of the most useful industrial crops ever imagined, and an extremely satisfactory means of profit. Include the fact that there are no known negative side effects of smoking marijuana and that it can be used to save lives in many cases. Even Francis Young, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s own judge, who took medical testimony for two weeks, made this statement: “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest, therapeutically active substances known to man.” Yet despite this, and the ever mounting number of real world patient success stories, cannabis remains listed as a schedule one narcotic. Under that category, marijuana is classified as having no known medical value. Greg Cooper, a man suffering from multiple sclerosis uncontrollably shakes and is unable to talk clearly unless under the influence of marijuana. In a touching yet saddening fashion, Cooper stares into the camera during his interview and said, “Just look at me. Is it not blatantly obvious that I have just enjoyed however many tokes? I look happy…It takes away my discomfort. It does enhance my very being.” When asked where he thinks he would be without the provision of medicinal marijuana, Cooper replied, “I would have found a way out.” So, again, you are presented with an undeniable amount of evidence that suggests new marijuana laws are desperately necessary in the near future, and, although it is still highly debated whether the proper cause of action is legalization or decriminalization, one thing is clear, the certainty that once existed around keeping marijuana outlawed is greatly less prominent than it once was, and a major change is soon approaching.

Sincerely,

Aidan E. King

For those interested in learning more about the marijuana legalization efforts and other interesting facts, check out the amazing documentary by Adam Scorgie and Brett Harvey – The Union: The Business Behind Getting High. My inspiration for speaking out against the current laws can be credited to this production. It’s revealing, accurate, and a must-see for anyone, especially if you’re against legalization.