Why the Federal Government Won't Legalize Marijuana
Apr 20, 2011
The fight for the legalization of marijuana, has been and continues to be a major struggle, even though many states have legalized the use for medicinal purposes. But there is still a catch to it, it is still illegal under Federal laws, and you can be prosecuted. You go figure. So why won't the Federal government go along with the state laws or just simply legalize marijuana out right? Marijuana's medical benefits have been proven, there have been no medical proof that it causes health issues, and most importantly, it is worst for you than many things that are legal (Alcohol, cigarettes, gambling (casinos/lotteries), some prescription medication, etc). But yet, they wont legalize it. Why? Well it comes down to one simple thing, the almighty dollar. That's right, because the amount of money that is made off of it while it is illegal, will be much higher than if it is legal. So you say they can tax it, well in comparison to what the government makes off it now, they will have to charge 3-4 times the amount of the street value that most stoners pay now. Here's 3 reasons why.
1. Fines - The majority of marijuana convictions end up with the defendant getting a fine and possibly probation, that is unless you are caught with pounds or you're a repeat offender. The fines that you are paying are to be considered for court fees and other fees, which our tax payer money is supposed to pay for, so it is basically 100% profit for them. They don't have you incarcerated, your not under daily watch, or anything of the sort, so it isn't costing them anything. Even under the extreme circumstance that you are incarcerated for a marijuana conviction, the prisons get about $30,000-$60,000 per year for each inmate to house them (the amount depends on if it is a state or federal prisoner). Believe me, I was incarcerated for 1 ½ years, and that number doesn't even come close to what they spend, Again, it's mostly profit for them, that is taken from fines and tax payer money.
2. Courts, Judges, Prosecutors, Etc. - If marijuana is legalized, it will really affect the amount of cases or charges that are to go to court. In 2005, it was said that about 40% of drug arrests made, which was about 10% of all incarcerations. That's not including the amount of marijuana convictions that got just fines or probation. So that number would jump drastically. Now imagine, if the amount of court cases would decrease about 15%, and what would happen. A lot of these government workers would be out of jobs, and the government would lose millions upon millions in fines.
3. Almost Anyone Can Grow It - If it was legalized, even if the government placed a tax on it (which you know they would), people would simply grow it themselves (which will leave the governments pockets empty or close to it on what they would make off of marijuana). That's because it isn't a very hard plant to grow, it is basically like any other plant, it just needs to be taken care of properly. I could see it now, almost every property will have a marijuana crop. What would they government do then? They don't tax you for growing your own tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., if your not selling it. So it will just add up to more money that they would lose.
So all in all, the Federal Government simply makes to much money off of the illegalization of marijuana, and they definitely aren't going to give that up. Everything else they say or use to justify the reasons they won't legalize it, is just plain old lies. But regardless the fact, there are a lot of pothead out there, and eventually they will have no choice. It might not be in this lifetime for most of us, but it will happen. We just have to wait for the government to figure out where they are going to make the up the difference in the amount of money they will lose.
reference source
http://voices.yahoo.com/why-federal-governmen...37631.html
Apr 20, 2011
The fight for the legalization of marijuana, has been and continues to be a major struggle, even though many states have legalized the use for medicinal purposes. But there is still a catch to it, it is still illegal under Federal laws, and you can be prosecuted. You go figure. So why won't the Federal government go along with the state laws or just simply legalize marijuana out right? Marijuana's medical benefits have been proven, there have been no medical proof that it causes health issues, and most importantly, it is worst for you than many things that are legal (Alcohol, cigarettes, gambling (casinos/lotteries), some prescription medication, etc). But yet, they wont legalize it. Why? Well it comes down to one simple thing, the almighty dollar. That's right, because the amount of money that is made off of it while it is illegal, will be much higher than if it is legal. So you say they can tax it, well in comparison to what the government makes off it now, they will have to charge 3-4 times the amount of the street value that most stoners pay now. Here's 3 reasons why.
1. Fines - The majority of marijuana convictions end up with the defendant getting a fine and possibly probation, that is unless you are caught with pounds or you're a repeat offender. The fines that you are paying are to be considered for court fees and other fees, which our tax payer money is supposed to pay for, so it is basically 100% profit for them. They don't have you incarcerated, your not under daily watch, or anything of the sort, so it isn't costing them anything. Even under the extreme circumstance that you are incarcerated for a marijuana conviction, the prisons get about $30,000-$60,000 per year for each inmate to house them (the amount depends on if it is a state or federal prisoner). Believe me, I was incarcerated for 1 ½ years, and that number doesn't even come close to what they spend, Again, it's mostly profit for them, that is taken from fines and tax payer money.
2. Courts, Judges, Prosecutors, Etc. - If marijuana is legalized, it will really affect the amount of cases or charges that are to go to court. In 2005, it was said that about 40% of drug arrests made, which was about 10% of all incarcerations. That's not including the amount of marijuana convictions that got just fines or probation. So that number would jump drastically. Now imagine, if the amount of court cases would decrease about 15%, and what would happen. A lot of these government workers would be out of jobs, and the government would lose millions upon millions in fines.
3. Almost Anyone Can Grow It - If it was legalized, even if the government placed a tax on it (which you know they would), people would simply grow it themselves (which will leave the governments pockets empty or close to it on what they would make off of marijuana). That's because it isn't a very hard plant to grow, it is basically like any other plant, it just needs to be taken care of properly. I could see it now, almost every property will have a marijuana crop. What would they government do then? They don't tax you for growing your own tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., if your not selling it. So it will just add up to more money that they would lose.
So all in all, the Federal Government simply makes to much money off of the illegalization of marijuana, and they definitely aren't going to give that up. Everything else they say or use to justify the reasons they won't legalize it, is just plain old lies. But regardless the fact, there are a lot of pothead out there, and eventually they will have no choice. It might not be in this lifetime for most of us, but it will happen. We just have to wait for the government to figure out where they are going to make the up the difference in the amount of money they will lose.
reference source
http://voices.yahoo.com/why-federal-governmen...37631.html
