Half-Baked: How Marijuana Legalization Could Help Black America Legally and Economically

Half-Baked: How Marijuana Legalization Could Help Black America Legally and Economically

The legalization of marijuana has long been a
hot topic all over the country. The conversation has intensified as
America has drifted into economic stagnation. Proponents of
legalization believe that legalizing marijuana would generate tax
revenue and help boost the economy in states like California, which has
been hit especially hard during this recession. Many have compared this
theory to the end of the Prohibition era. In the 1930s, during the
Great Depression, the lifting of Prohibition boosted revenue all over
the country.


African Americans are
disproportionately arrested for both misdemeanor and felony drug
possession — and many times the drug in question is cannabis. African
Americans account for only 8.8 percent of the U.S. population and 11.9
percent of annual marijuana users, but they make up 23 percent of all
marijuana possession arrests in the United States according to
NORML.org. A report by CNBC’s Trish Regan revealed that “The DEA spent
$10 billion (in 2008), $10 billion fighting marijuana. Not every drug —
just marijuana. Now keep in mind, California actually collected $11
million, small in comparison, but this is one state, in tax revenue,
all from medicinal marijuana. So it shows you there is some money that
can be made on the government’s behalf in the way of taxes on this
product.”


One of the arguments
legalization proponents make is that if it were lawful to possess and
consume marijuana, it would be a shot in the arm for the ailing
American economy, as the NORML ad campaign suggested. But the idea that
marijuana legalization could provide a significant boost is most likely
a myth. Judging from the taxes on similar products such as tobacco and
alcohol, a similar tax on marijuana would only provide small relief in
certain states — not a cure-all as some overly enthusiastic advocates
seem to suggest. If nothing else, the legalization of pot would help
curb the ridiculous number of drug-related offenses that lead to the
incarceration of African American males.
todd williams

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