Marijuana should be legalized as a spark for small business ownership

I would firstly like to state that I am aware of the vast amount of arguments for and against that have been used in the past. I am going to attempt to illustrate my position not from the standpoint of morality or assertation of societal acceptance but from a strictly business standpoint since nearly every law that has been created has been made from a strictly monetary stand point. The points of public safety will no doubt arise and to that I will make a compelling argument as to the absurdity of those claims. In the current state of the economy we are looking at many jobs being lost. Many of those jobs started to be lost on the corporate level including mass lay offs starting about a year and a half ago and have now trickled down to the small business owner. The industries that have been affected are numerous and far reaching and have severely affected our deficit spending, which is at a record level of 454.8 Billion, by the reduction in taxes paid through depressed consumer spending. Why then is a perfectly resonable indulgence such as cannabis, a taxable commodity, still illegal? As someone who has travelled around I have witnessed fellow American's take up the art of brewing beer and in places such as Flagstaff, AZ microbrews are the norm while big corporate beers such as Budwieser are rare. This has provided an economy of young entrepeneurs, many of whom still in college, and has provided a job base in a community that would not be able to offer the ammount of jobs to supply the demand of university students in the region. Marijuana, which is decriminalized (not legal) in 10 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, and Oregon)(http://www.slate.com...), is an untapped industry on the same level as tobacco. As recounted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse "According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2006, 14.8 million Americans age 12 or older used marijuana at least once in the month prior to being surveyed, which is similar to the 2005 rate." This is an overwhelming number of Americans who partake in an activity deamed anti-social. Now I am DEFINITELY NOT advocating 12 year olds smoke pot. I do condone decriminilizing use for those individuals 21 and over who have the ability to make a choice for themselves and do have the ability to indulge in other intoxicating substances such as alcohol. Choosing which substance is ok to remain legal and which is not based on assanine illogical rhetoric is not only unpatriotic but near "Orwellian." Accoding to the site "Tobaccofreekids.org" the average state "sin" tax placed on cigarettes is $1.18 which works out (depending on brand) to be an approx. 30% tax. And according to a study headed up by John Gettman, leader of the Coalition for the Reschedulng of Cannabis, conducted in 2006: "A study released Monday finds that marijuana is now the nation's biggest cash crop, with the value of the annual harvest exceeding that of corn, soybeans or hay -- the country's top three legal cash crops. The study, conducted by public policy analyst and former National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws head Jon Gettman, used official government figures to arrive at an estimate that the annual pot crop is worth $35 billion." That would generate $10.5 billion in new taxes if taxed the same as cigarettes. Or in other words enough to pay for out of pocket health care for half of the uninsured many of whom are children. (http://www.amsa.org...) The other aspect of what I am proposing is introducing an entrepenureal spirit into those who are young and looking at entering into a lucrative business venture. As with the microbrew community, the pot community is a tight knit group that finds no problem in finding a target market. As stated previously the pot industry in the United States is an estimated $35 billion industry that has little barriers to entry as all the necessities for setting up and growing can be bought at the local Lowes or Home Depot. Hydroponic growing, a once mysterious method (at least to the layman) of growing crops utilized mainly for the growth of pot, is now being used for the GREEN community to produce healthy crops of almost anything imaginable and with far greater yields than conventional methods. Now that it is more widely known a legal grow operation can be set up in any household with little needed space, producing returns per square foot of approx. $130/mo (based on 1 ounce yeild per plant and one plant per square foot - at street value of $400 per ounce) making an unused closet capable of paying for rent each month! Heading off any argument that somehow legalizing the production of marijuana will encourage or increase use in children is completely and utterly false. Selling to children would obviously remain a highly penalized charge and carry significant weight in detering the selling to children as it does with alcohol. By removing the criminal element to the product, thus eliminating dealers that are already partaking in a crime, this will leave those who purchase the substance legally with the option to smoke legally distribute legally or engage in illegal activity and making them think twice about thier actions. Undoubtedly there will be a few who engage in the sale to minors as with any regulated substance, however, by regulating cannabis and making retail operation legal the profit margin and temptability of illegal sale dissapear. Dealers operate primarily on bulk purchase, being able to buy a pound at a reduced cost and breaking it up and distributing it at an inflated price (often 100% markup at that quantity.) By making it so that this practice is improbable (since it will be possible for Joe Pot Smoker to go into a convenient store or hash bar and purchase at the same price he paid before on the stree) will actually reduce the selling to children. As long as the distributor (if operating as a retailer of the substance) obtains a license and abides by the law of the state regulatory agency than thier should be no problem with whether or not thier will be a social disruptance or a change in behavior. As a renewable energy source mass hemp fields (that do not produce THC) can be used as a source for ethanol and "Farmers who grow hemp claim it is a great rotation crop and can be substituted for almost any harvest. It grows without requiring pesticides and is good at aerating the soil. On a per-acre basis, one estimate claims hemp nets farmers more income ($250-$300) than either corn or soybeans ($100-$200). A full crop of hemp only takes 90 days to grow, yielding four times more paper per acre, when compared over a similar 20 year period with redwood trees in the northwest United States. However, there are other varieties of trees that yield two to three times more than hemp." (http://www.madehow.com...) The production of this crop (as with most Bast crops) yeilds everything from paper to substitutes for fiberglass. Historically it is the first cultivated crop dating back to Mesopotamia in 8000BC. People use the drug for relaxation, proven medical benefits and as a biodegradable textile of which the possibilities are seemingly endless and from a business standpoint for job creation. It is time that we set aside the racially motivated and politically motivated laws that were created during a time of American shame where it was used to encarcerate Mexicans and African Americans because of our distrust of them. Enforcement of marijuana laws costs $7.6 billion annually (as opposed to 10.5 generated just with cannabis alone). The DEA would not want to confirm the findings of countless research organizations because to them, just like my reason for the legalization, it is a business decision and they would not want to take an action that would put many of them out of work. And to that I say "Hey you can always sell pot!"