The Coming Collapse of a Modern Prohibition

History shows that mood governs society’s tolerance for recreational drugs. A rising social mood produces prohibition of substances such as alcohol and marijuana; a falling mood produces tolerance and relaxed regulation. In the case of alcohol, the path from prohibition to decriminalization became littered with corruption and violence as the government waged a failed war on traffickers. Eventually, as mood continued to sour, the government finally capitulated to public cries for decriminalization as a means to end the corruption and bloodshed.

We predict a similar fate for the prohibition of marijuana, if not the entire War on Drugs. The March 1995 Elliott Wave Theorist first forecast the Drug War’s repeal at the end of the bear market, and in 2003, EWT stated that during the decline, “The drug war will turn more violent. Eventually, possession and sale of recreational drugs will be decriminalized.”

THE CASE OF MARIJUANA
Social mood influences people’s actions and their social judgments. In times of positive mood, people have the resources to enforce their social desires. They can afford to express the black and white moral issues preferred during bull markets, and drug abuse is a favorite target.

During times of negative mood, on the other hand, society’s priorities change. People have other, bigger worries and begin to view recreational drugs as less dangerous, if not innocuous in offering stress relief, pain reduction and the ability to cope with the pressures of negative social mood.

Over the past 100 years, governmental activities have manifested these changing attitudes. During periods of rising mood, policymakers stepped up regulation of cannabis. During periods of falling mood, they eased those same stances.

Figure 1

As shown in Figure 1, each legislative attempt to restrict marijuana use followed at least three, and in most cases four or five, bull-market years. In 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. The law banned casual consumption of the drug and limited its use to specific medical and industrial purposes. Franklin Roosevelt signed the law at the top of a roaring bull market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average having quintupled from its 1932 low. The real crackdown, however, came over a decade later during the massive wave III bull move.  The Boggs Act, which increased drug use penalties fourfold, and the Narcotics Control Act, which increased penalties another eightfold, both came during the most powerful portion of wave 3 of III of the bull market. Then in 1958, after four more years of rising mood, Wisconsin farmers harvested the last legal crop of U.S.-grown hemp. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush’s famous “War on Drugs” speech came on the heels of seven years of net progress in the stock market. In 1999, a year before the top of the Grand Super-cycle bull market, the DEA banned the importation of hemp products that contained even a trace of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient.

NEGATIVE SOCIAL MOOD FOSTERS TOLERANCE FOR MARIJUANA USE
During bear markets, pot users have enjoyed liberal social tolerance. Figure 1 illustrates that the government tends to allow-and in some cases encourage-the growing of marijuana during bear markets. In 1942, the year Cycle wave II bottomed, Congress launched its “Hemp for Victory” campaign to encourage farmers to grow the crop for industrial purposes related to the war effort. According to the Wall Street Journal, farmers planted over 50,000 acres of hemp in 1942 and 240,000 acres in 1943. In 1977, a bear market year, President Carter recommended that Congress legalize possession of small quantities of marijuana. An exception occurred in 1996, when, four years before the top of a historic bull market, California and Arizona voted to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. But the federal government maintained consistency with the spirit of the times and stepped up its raids on marijuana facilities in the states where it was legalized and wrenched convictions from juries who were denied the information that the drug dispensaries were legal in those states, according to the New York Times. But in 2008, as social mood and the stock market plunged at its then-fastest rate since the 1930s, Massachusetts voters took a bigger step in passing an initiative that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Michigan’s voters also passed a loosening law, this one permitting the use of medical marijuana. On June 29, Oregon’s House of Representatives passed a bill in favor of licensing hemp farming. Barring a veto, Oregon will be the sixth state this year to pass pro-hemp legislation. So far, in keeping with the bear market trend, the feds have chosen not to interfere in these recent initiatives.

In February, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his view that states should make their own rules on medical marijuana use and that federal raids on pot dispensaries should cease. Then in June, Congressman Barney Frank introduced two pieces of marijuana-related legislation: the first allowing states to pass medical cannabis laws without interference from the federal government; the second eliminating federal penalties for possessing 100 grams of pot or less (but adding a fine of $100 for public consumption). According to CBS, Frank filed a similar bill last year that failed. We expect the current legislation to fail too, as it is too early in the bear market for Congress to take such contrary measures. But bills similar to Frank’s will gain traction when mood resumes its drop. Cash-strapped states will surely argue that they desperately need tax revenues from pot and that they can also save money by releasing non-violent drug offenders from prison.

Non-legislative groups are already proposing tolerance. In 2008, the prestigious American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization and second largest physician group in the U.S., released a position paper urging the government to remove marijuana from its Schedule 1 classification. The drug has held the S1 designation for 38 years. It is a classification reserved for drugs, including heroin, that the government considers to have no medical uses and to possess a “very high potential for abuse.” The recent cry for reclassification from such a recognized body is a prime example of how changes in social mood modify attitudes toward the drug.

Finally, a number of critics of the War on Drugs have emerged in the media. CNN’s Jack Cafferty posted an article in late March of this year titled, “War on Drugs is Insane.” The same month, The Economist declared, “Prohibition has failed; legalization is the least bad solution.” And in June, CNN aired an Anderson Cooper special report titled, “America’s High: The Case for and Against Pot.” As mood becomes even more negative, specials such as CNN’s will drop the “and Against” from their titles.

Media reports like these will gain sympathetic readers and viewers across America, but none of their arguments will be as compelling as the point that decriminalization will end the bloodshed.

THE BLUNT REALITY: PROHIBITION AND THE DRUG WAR
As the saying goes, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” The Wave Principle explains why. Each of the eight Elliott waves within a typical impulse and correction pattern has its own personality, as Frost and Prechter initially described in Chapter 2 of Elliott Wave Principle. Figure 2 provides an example of how these personalities express themselves similarly at all degrees of scale, with the magnitude of the expression often reflecting the magnitude of the trend.

Figure 2

Today’s wave position is similar to that of the early 1930s, during Congress’ experiment with the prohibition of alcohol, an attempt that we believe is a useful analog for the current criminalization of marijuana.

Prohibition began in 1920 and was maintained throughout the period that the stock market was rising. Then came the famous 1929-1932 collapse and the resulting economic depression, which bottomed in 1933. Three years of collapsing social mood prompted the repeal of Prohibition one year after the 1932 Cycle-degree low. Nine years after the top of 2000, the Drug War persists. This speaks to the larger (Grand Supercycle) degree of the decline and its longer duration. Governments typically respond to social-mood trends very late. So our ideal socionomic scenario is for the Drug War’s ultimate end to occur just after the Supercycle-degree low, as approximated in Figure 2.

When we zoom in on Cycle waves V, from 1921-1929 and 1974-2000, we see many similarities. See Figure 3.

Figure 3

The Players and The Game
Today, in the deserts and border towns of Mexico, the west-based Sinaloa cartel and east-based Gulf cartel are fighting modern versions of the 1920s North Side– South Side Chicago gang wars. The Sinaloa cartel’s leader, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, is practically the reincarnation of his Chicago mob boss predecessor, Al Capone. Guzman exhibits many of Capone’s brazen, violent and charismatic traits. Both men are famed for their “hands on” management style and lionized for their sense of communal responsibility. Capone is rumored to have insisted on top-dollar medical treatment for a mother and son injured in the crossfire of a gangland firefight. Guzman purchases meals for fellow diners when he eats in restaurants. Both men became extraordinarily wealthy. At his peak, Capone earned $100 million a year, controlled all 10,000 speakeasies in Chicago and ran bootlegging operations from Illinois to Florida. In March 2009, Forbes named Guzman the 701st wealthiest man in the world, with assets over $1 billion, and described how he practically runs the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua. Capone and Guzman also exhibit an alarming propensity for violence: hundreds of gangsters died nationwide during Capone’s reign in Chicago; hundreds die every month in Guzman’s conflicts-the difference is another reflection of this bear market’s larger degree.

Much as in Chicago in the 1930s, most of today’s clashes in Mexico are fights to control territory, product availability and distribution. Chicago’s gangsters fought over docks to receive shipments from Canada and to keep their speakeasies as safe as possible. Mexico’s cartels have developed advanced tunnel systems, mobile landing strips and even have attempted smuggling via submarine. Vast distribution networks crisscross the U.S., from Atlanta to Los Angeles to Seattle to New York. According to a March 2009 USA Today report:

Rival drug cartels, the same violent groups warring in Mexico for control of routes to lucrative U.S. markets, have established Atlanta as the principal distribution center for the entire eastern U.S., according to the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center. The same folks who are rolling heads in the streets of Ciudad Juárez… are operating in Atlanta. Here, they are just better behaved.

Drug runners’ behavior will worsen as the bear market deepens. Drug-related hostility is already beginning to plague Phoenix, where kidnapping and murder are on the rise. So far, most of the attackers have targeted Mexican immigrants, but this, too, is likely to change.

Corruption
Organized crime uses many tools to stay active, and corruption is a favorite. Pablo Escobar famously described his options as “Silver or Lead.” Al Capone bribed city officials and threatened witnesses in order to evade trial for his violent crimes. It is alleged that Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin Guzman corrupted the officials of his prison so completely that even the warden was aware of his plans to escape in 2001 and did nothing to interfere. Interpol arrested their own chief agent in Mexico in late 2008 on suspicions of ties to the drug cartels; the Mexican government arrested its anti-organized-crime chief, as well as Mexico City’s police commissioner. In the waning days of Prohibition, corruption amongst the Chicago police force was so ubiquitous that the FBI formed The Untouchables to fight the gangsters and the corrupt cops. The Untouchables were an elite squad of eleven men who refused to be bought or intimidated. We doubt that the current war will bring a new version to life, but if it does, its life will be as brief as The Untouchables.

Murders and Mayhem
Corruption is but one half of Escobar’s “Silver or Lead” options for dealing with authorities; murder works too. The Center for International Policy reports that the two largest Mexican drug cartels boast a combined 100,000 foot soldiers. Deaths from the fighting on both sides of the border reached 6,800 last year. More than 1,000 are already dead from drug violence in the city of Juárez alone this year.

Figure 4 shows the correlation between weekly Drug War deaths in 2008 and social mood as reflected by Mexico’s Bolsa Index. As mood declined over the year, the number of drug-related murders increased. Reuters reports that January of this year was the bloodiest month since December 2006, the month in which Mexican president Felipe Calderón mirrored FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s (failed) 1931 declaration of war on crime by declaring war on the cartels.

Figure 4

Since the market’s low in March, the violence has ebbed somewhat, reflecting the optimism behind the rebound in the Bolsa. When the mood and market resume their fall, violence will re-escalate.

Near the end of Prohibition, the wave of violence in America jumped beyond the alcohol trade. Bands of gangsters and bank robbers spread across the country in the Public Enemy Era. Police were killed pursuing gangsters even as the gangsters killed each other. In the 1933 Kansas City Massacre, gangsters killed four FBI agents suspected of interfering with the mob’s business. The same year, gangsters killed a jailor in a successful attempt to spring bank robber John Dillinger from the slammer. Bonnie and Clyde’s gang killed nine police officers from 1932 to 1934.

Killing law enforcement officials is rampant among cartel members in Mexico. In December 2008, Sinaloa members kidnapped, tortured, and decapitated eight off-duty police officers, including a commander. Two months later, cartel members led a prison riot that left twenty people dead. And in April 2009, allies of the Gulf cartel killed eight police officers in an attack on a prison convoy carrying Gulf leaders. As cartels become increasingly emboldened by falling social mood, this behavior will intensify. In the coming years, we expect drug runners to target non-corrupt American police officers, commanders, judges, and public officials for kidnapping and outright murder. Guzman has sown the seeds of bloodier conflict in the U.S. already. The Los Angeles Times reports that he has ordered his drug runners to use deadly force to defend his shipments “north of the border…at all costs.” This threatens brutality against both rival traffickers and law enforcement.

During the Public Enemy Era, the nation became fascinated with the exploits of John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson and Ma Barker. Appropriately, the just-released film Public Enemies portrays Dillinger as an iconic antihero and revels in his outlaw status. This is further evidence of the current negative trend of social mood. We could very well see modern-day Dillingers and Clydes who embark on their own brand of personal enrichment and violence.

HOW IT ALL MIGHT END
The story of Prohibition after the 1929 stock market peak is a model for how the current crisis in Mexico and the U.S. is likely to play out. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Chicago streets ran red with the blood of victims connected to the alcohol industry. In a quest for territorial control, gangs expanded bootlegging operations beyond Chicago, with Capone’s reach eventually extending into Florida. As bootlegging routes grew, so did associated violence. A few defenders of Prohibition steadfastly supported The Untouchables, but in time, the majority of the public simply grew fed up with the criminal warring and the corruption, violence, and death associated with law enforcement efforts. In the end, public mood demanded change and Prohibition was repealed.

It appears inevitable, then, that drug-related carnage -and public disgust with it-will spread as well. As the violence increasingly affects the U.S., the American government will counter public anxiety with assurances that everything is under control and that the situation is contained to a few small areas. Southern regions of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas will likely see the same violence that is now plaguing Mexican states. Some will argue to step up the Drug War and start mass executions. But as mood falls and the death toll among Americans rises, the public will become open to what now may seem like radical ideas about how best to deal with marijuana use in society. The dialogue about marijuana decriminalization will cease to center on morality and instead will shift to stopping the kidnapping, murder, brutality and bloodshed. Finally, the people and their government will end the Drug War.

Prohibition also provides perspective on what society will look like after marijuana is decriminalized. Following the repeal of the 18th Amendment, organized crime and the violence that came with it almost completely disappeared as black market vendors lost the one tool that enabled them to maintain their monopoly and get unimaginably rich: illegality.

This article is syndicated by The Socionomist, a publication of the Socionomics Institute, and was originally published under the headline The Coming Collapse of a Modern Prohibition. The Socionomist is designed to help readers understand and anticipate waves of social mood. Copyright © 2012 Socionomics Institute.

On November 6th, 2012, the citizens of the States of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.  While other states have legalized it for medicinal purposes, these are the first two states to legalize it purely for one’s own enjoyment.  However, if you’re in CO or WA, I wouldn’t light up a celebratory joint, just yet.

The problem is the Federal Government, who overrules states’ rights, still says marijuana use is illegal.  Ultimately, this is likely to lead to a legal battle in the Supreme Court regarding states’ right.  Unless you would like to be involved in this battle, or made an example of by the feds, you should probably continue to conduct yourself as if the recreational use of marijuana were still illegal in your state.

Even though this battle is far from over, the voters in Colorado and Washington have sent a very clear message to Washington D.C.  The Colorado Amendment 64 and Washington Initiative to legalize both passed by a margin of 55% to 45%.  Four other states also had marijuana initiatives on their ballots.  The citizens of Oregon voted not to legalize recreational use of marijuana by a margin of 55% to 45%.  Oregon’s initiative was defeated mainly because it gave regulation of the industry to marijuana growers, rather than an independent party.  A better thought out initiative might have passed, and is likely to at the next election.

There were also three states with medical marijuana votes.  The State of Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly (63% to 37%) to legalize the use of medical marijuana.  Whereas both Arkansas (49% to 51%) and Montana (43% to 57%) had their medical use initiatives fail at the polls.

Overall, election day 2012 was a huge step towards the legalization of marijuana.  The following statements were included in a press release from NORML, “The significance of these events cannot be understated,” said the pro-legalization organization. “Tonight, for the first time in history, two states have legalized and regulated the adult use and sale of cannabis.”

It should be noted that the State of Washington’s initiative included heavy taxes of the now legalized marijuana.  In today’s struggling economy, states and municipalities are looking for new ways to create tax revenue and cut costs without putting an undue burden on their citizens (i.e. committing political suicide).  Once other states see what WA has brought into their coffers from the taxation of legal marijuana and saved by no longer needing to enforce laws against, or incarcerate, recreational users of this harmless drug.

Stay tuned!

Nobody can ignore the benefits of medical marijuana and more and more people have started its use to cure certain disease. There is a thriving market for medical marijuana. Many states have legalized the use of medical marijuana which has given rise to the marijuana dispensaries and clinics using this herb to cure diseases.  You would require a marijuana strain guide in order to open up a medical marijuana dispensary.

Many studies have found that medical marijuana is helpful in curing many diseases. THC is an active ingredient of the herb and has shown to treat a number of diseases. Medical marijuana is used to reduce insomnia, nausea, movement disorders and neurogenic pain. It can also control the symptoms of migraines, fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome. It also helps to prevent the formation of various deposits of different plaques linked with Alzheimer’s.  Many researches are underway to determine more medical uses of the herb and many studies are being conducted. Many people who are against the use of medical marijuana have a strong objection towards its ingestion method. To be honest, smoking is not that only way of taking medical marijuana as there are several ways which are far less dangerous and even danger free. One can take it as hemp oil after being processed or by vaporized form. In each case, taking medical marijuana is totally risk free. Another major challenge faced by the government is how to determine people who should be allowed to grow marijuana. Not every one can be allowed to grow marijuana in his/her back yard. You also need a marijuana strain guide to figure out which type of marijuana to grow.

Various states have implemented different laws which allow a specific person to grow a certain amount of medical marijuana. Opening dispensary is an another matter as it requires government licensing and other complications like a business tax return etc. You would have to undertake numerous processes and various licensing procedures to open up a marijuana dispensary. For instance, in California a marijuana dispensary can only be registered and affiliated as non- profit. You need to be careful while opening a marijuana dispensary and should be aware of state and federal laws. Patients have to get affiliated and approved as well and get medical marijuana card. This is an identification card which a patient using medical marijuana applies for. You also need a marijuana strain guide.

Every state has a different process to open and set up a marijuana dispensary. The requirements of the state to open up a marijuana dispensary are different. Businesses need to apply for a license and also need to prove that store is owned by a business. Many states request a safety plan and tax documents for approval. A marijuana strain guide would help you in guiding about the different marijuana plants.

There are various types of marijuana like Afghani, Amsterdam gold, Jack Herrer, Pk2, Kali Mast, KC 33, Oasis, Orange Bud, Northern Lights 5, Sky Dog, Skunk etc. You will need marijuana strain guide to help you set up a store.

When heavy smokers of pot first decide to quit smoking weed, they experience withdrawal symptoms. The period of detoxification lasts for 10-30 days. During the initial days after quitting weed, marijuana withdrawal symptoms are the worse. There are two kinds of symptoms associated with quitting marijuana; one is the psychological symptoms while the others are physical symptoms.

One of the most common types of marijuana withdrawal symptom is anxiety. Both restlessness and anxiety/stress surface during the initial days after quitting the habit. There are a lot of emotional and mental instability that you will have to tackle once you quit marijuana. It becomes a problem to find peace once you quit your habit. People tend to look for it almost everywhere and they don’t find it. There is something missing but you don’t know how to fix it. Once people quit smoking weed, they also tend to have feelings of reverting back to smoking. In circumstances like these, one needs to calm down, keep him/herself busy and try to take of their mind off the thought of going back to smoking.

Another most common type of marijuana withdrawal symptom is loss of appetite. Three or four days into quitting, you will observe that you don’t feel hungry. The taste of food changes for quitters during the initial days and you don’t feel like eating at all. However, you shouldn’t feel that something is wrong with you in particular as this is another common symptom associated with kicking the habit of marijuana. However, some days later, you will get back your appetite so you shouldn’t worry about it as this too is another part of the process.

Giving up pot is not an easy thing to do and thus, inevitably, marijuana withdrawal symptom varies from individual to individual. Nightmares and vivid dreams also fall in this category. After you quit smoking weed, you will tend to either become devoid of dreams or makes you not remember them. Moreover, another thing you may experience is having dreams in which you’ll come across really old memories which you haven’t had dreamed of in the past decade or so. Also be prepared to experience nightmares if you’ve decided to give up on marijuana because this is another very common symptom associated with quitting marijuana. Many people open their eyes sweating because they had a bad dream, after they quit smoking. Thus again, if it happens to you, don’t panic too much.

Smoking marijuana is an addiction and giving it up is not easy, therefore, marijuana withdrawal symptoms are part of the process. There are several other kinds of symptoms such as a feeling of eeriness, the feeling of not having something to do, getting depressed, excessive sweating and various others, depending from person to person. The key to remain intact in times such as these is to remain content and focus on what higher purpose you are trying to achieve and once you get it in your system, you will be able to deal with it effectively.

The patients information is all verified by the department and within 15 days after the application has been sent in they will be either denied or approved depending on the condition and what they need it for and other things come into play as to why or why they don’t need it. However, if someone is denied that means that the action is considered to be final but falls under judicial review whenever the patient has medical conditions that cause it. Sometimes the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan might be difficult to understand and so reading about it before trying to get approved might be the best thing for you to do.

Here are some of the symptoms and conditions that a patient can get approved of medical marihuana according to the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan. Patients can be protected if they have: hepatitis C, immune deficiency syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or either nail patella. Sometimes treatment is needed for the following conditions: nausea that is severe, severe pain and chronic pain, wasting syndrome, seizures, and other kinds of medical conditions that the department approves treatment for marihuana. When a patient has these kind of symptoms they must be detailed when talking with the doctor and let them know what is going on to see if they qualify and can pass to get help medically with using marihuana to ease the pain.

Patients under 18 won’t be issued or qualified for Marijuana according to the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan unless the physician of the patient has carefully explained the risks involved when using marihuana and the legal guardians must be willing to sign a consent and give their permission if they want their child to use medical marihuana. Sometimes regardless of the consent the patient is denied because of their age and because the condition might have other ways that the patient needs to be treated.

The Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan does have a lot of requirements and steps that need to be met before you are approved. If you are in pain and suffering often or have some kind of disease that requires ongoing treatment and not getting relief talk with your physician about seeking help with getting medical marihuana. However, while marihuana can help you out with getting relief there are some side effects and you will need to know what those are before you start using it to get pain relief.

Having a very serious health condition can be hard and when you need pain from it then sometimes it can be difficult and so medical marihuana was looked at and reviewed. Studies show that medical marihuana can help patients that have severe conditions and need to be treated. The Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan was passed back in the year 2008 so that patients who have severe conditions can get the relief they need and not be in pain but there is a process involved in order to get this kind of help.

Before using marihuana know that this is also called pot and weed. It’s a mixture of green, gray and brown leaves with shredded leaves, seeds, stems and flowers that comes from the hemp plant. When you use marihuana it’s so powerful that it can alter the mind and change how the mind works and can also be very addictive and more so when teenagers get hooked on it. Marihuana can cause patients to struggle with anxiety, depression, paranoia, bloodshot eyes, sleepiness, problems with concentrating, the reaction might be slower and also problems with remembering things. However, the use of medical marihuana can help people with chronic conditions according to the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan .

Studies show that people that have these conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, chronic pain, severe pain, nausea, wasting syndrome, seizures and cachexia might could possibly benefit from marihuana because it can reduce the pain but it might not always reduce the pain depending on their condition and other things. If a patient has one of these conditions they should talk with their physician about the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan and find out if they can be approved to get help for their current condition. Sometimes it might be the only relief that patients have to reduce their pain.

Patients need to provide the signed document that comes directly from their physician. The document needs to have the medical condition of the patient and the professional opinion that comes from the physician as to what is wrong with the patient. If approved the patient can receive benefits from medical marihuana that might be therapeutic and benefit them in order to not be in pain anymore. However, sometimes marihuana might only ease some of the pain but not all of it but regardless, the Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan can still help the person that is in need for it as long as they understand the possible side effects that comes from using marihuana.

When a patient is denied of being able to use medical marihuana it is considered to be final but can be reviewed by a judge if the patient has a condition that is very serious. Sometimes the judge does approve the patient of it depending on the condition of the patient. The Medical Marihuana Act Of Michigan continues to help patients that suffer from a medical condition and can save lives and can help some people be able to live normal lives as their pain is reduced because they can get around and not be in pain thanks to medical marihuana.

With the current US national debt exceeding $15 trillion and and budget deficits that are increasing the debt total to the tune of over $1 trillion per year, does it make sense for the US Government to continue to spend money fighting against the use of a harmless drug, like marijuana? Would there be economic benefits to legalizing marijuana? There most certainly would be economic benefits. The benefits wouldn’t balance our budget or pay off our national debt, but they would make a considerable impact to the tune of tens of billions of dollars each year, which is a huge step in the right direction.

Cost Savings

According to statistics from the Cato Institute, expenditures for the war on drugs in 2010 exceeded $41 billion dollars between federal, state, and local authorities.  Of that amount, roughly $8.7 billion can be attributed directly to marijuana.  So, legalizing marijuana would immediately save us $8.7 billion dollars a year enforcing existing laws.  But, that’s just the beginning.

In 2009, over 850,000 people were arrested for marijuana violations, nearly 90% of those were just simple possession charges.  In other words, these people aren’t drug dealers or members of organized crime.  They’re harmless marijuana users.  Each one of those arrests require processing, prosecuting, and in many cases, incarceration.  All of those items are costly drains of government resources.

More than 5,000 people are incarcerated each year on marijuana related charges, most of which are non-violent offenders.  According to the State of California, it costs more than $47,000 per year to incarcerate just 1 person.  That’s nearly $250 million dollars a year to keep low-level, non-violent offenders in prison.  Not to mention that our prison system is currently exceeding their capacity and violent, dangerous criminals are being released early to make room for new inmates.  Is this really a good use of our resources?  I’d much rather have a marijuana user living in my neighborhood than a convicted rapist.

Tax Revenue and Economic Growth

Based upon current estimates of marijuana use, if it were legal and taxed at a similar rate to tobacco and alcohol, marijuana would generate $8.7 billion dollars in annual tax revenue.  In addition to the direct taxation of marijuana, our economy could benefit from allowing domestic growers to produce and sell marijuana.  It’s estimated that between $1.5 billion and $2 billion dollars worth of Mexican grown marijuana is smuggled into the US each year.  That money could be taken out of the hands of the Mexican drug cartels and given to American farmers.  There is also a growing market for the wide range of products made from hemp in the US.  This markets could easily exceed another $600 million dollars annually.

The Bottom Line

The total dollar improvement to our economy we could see by legalizing marijuana easily exceeds $20 billion dollars per year.  When you include the other societal benefits, such as putting illegal, foreign producers and sellers of marijuana out of business and allowing regulation and control, it’s a win-win.  Clearly, the legalization of marijuana is still a cause that most politicians don’t have the intestinal fortitude to champion.  There is also a tremendous amount of misinformation in the general public regarding the dangers of marijuana use that make it a more difficult sell.  However, if we could look at the subject objectively and make a rational decision about it, legalizing marijuana use could greatly help our economy.

The benefits of marijuana are becoming more and more evident by the day and it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny the advantages of medical marijuana. Many people with life threatening disease like AIDS, Cancer, Multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and Glaucoma etc use it for pain management and will testify about its life changing ability. Medical marijuana is a natural herb and different chemically enhanced and altered pharmaceutical drugs don’t measure up of to its amazing abilities and qualities.

Many prescription drugs have various side effects when used permanently. This is a grave concern for people who are using such drugs on a permanent basis. That is simply not the case with marijuana, as it has no side effects associated with it. It is not necessary, that you smoke marijuana as there are other means of taking it. Oils, goods, butter and many other means make marijuana one of the easiest medicines to take. Having no side effects is among the biggest benefits of marijuana.

Apart from debilitating illness there are various other benefits of marijuana as well. It has been found that marijuana eases distress surrounding nausea, chronic pain and arthritics. Medical marijuana is especially useful for treating menstrual cramps and many women who have used it while suffering from menstrual cramps have given it positive remarks. Women during menopause have found marijuana extremely helpful in battling chills, mood swings and hot flashes. Different studies have found out hat marijuana is also helpful in treating depression and other anxiety disorders. Many studies are underway in establishing marijuana’s positive effect on anxiety related problems and disorders.

Unfortunately any attempt of studying the positive use of marijuana is buffed away by critics as an attempt by some “stoners” to legitimize their drug habit. This is certainly not the case and recent studies have shown that there are various benefits of marijuana.Sure, marijuana can be misused but so can be many other drugs. Moreover, it is imposable to get overdosed on marijuana which is something amazing considering that almost every other drug carries this risk. There are various other herbs which are used for pain management and healing purposes like ginseng and black cohosh and banning marijuana is like outlawing these beneficial herbs. Many different cultures use herbal medics for healing and pain management purposes and marijuana is no different. Alternative medicine is a vast field and marijuana falls within that category very much like

Benefits Of Marijuana

chiropractic medicine. Chiropractic philosophy resembles that of medical marijuana; nature and body have the power to heal.

This is among the best benefits of marijuana as it an herb and is grown straight from the ground. Marijuana is not medically altered, refined or even chemically enhanced for that matter. It does have various unpronounceable ingredients which are designed to manipulate your illness. In a nutshell, marijuana is a natural herb and a natural medicine and its various benefits are just becoming visible. Many scientific teams are now researching on different advantages of marijuana and it is safe to conclude that we will see this natural medicine in treating illnesses soon.