175 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
175 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸
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³ Courtesy of: ³
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³ Minnesota Grassroots Party ³
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³ P.O. Box 8011 ³
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³ St. Paul, MN 55108 ³
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³ ³
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³ (612) 773-9683 ³
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³ (612) 822-3396 ³
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ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ;
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"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of
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temperance. ...for it goes beyond the bounds of reason
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in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by
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legislation and makes a crime out of things that are
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not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the
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very principles upon which our government was founded"
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-- Abraham Lincoln
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The Common Sense Series
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a publication of the National Organization
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for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
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on the matter of
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M A R I J U A N A A N D T H E E C O N O M Y
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Americans spend $30 billion on marijuana annually. This money feeds a
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clandestine market which seriously *destabilizes the legitimate economy*.
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Money diverted into the black market drains resources from the economy; it
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is not available for investment, taxation, or to otherwise contribute to
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the nation's economic health. This document explores the ceconomic impact
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of legalizing marijuana on the legitimate economy.
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THE SALE OF ILLEGAL MARIJUANA:
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- has increased in value from $50 million in 1965 up to $30 billion
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in 1985.
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- has *cost us* over $1 billion annually to prosecute and jail
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marijuana offenders
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- has funded an international drug-smuggling consortium that costs us
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over $4 billion annually to combat.
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- has provided billions annually for traffickers to bribe and corrupt
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government officials
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- has added to the inflation rate of our American allies like Columbia
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and Mexico, destabilized currency away from development and humanitarian
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projects, and otherwise weakened their economies and increased their
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dependence on American aid and financing.
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- has funded a domestic black market which is currently hoarding billions
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in cash from normal economic channels.
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- has sent billions in cash overseas each year.
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- has provided $18 billion annually for hard-working outlaw farmers in
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America, which in turn has helped revitalize rural couties throughout
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the country.
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- has provided work, rhetoric, and large budgets for thousands of
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government officials whose professional careers now depend on the
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continued illegality of marijuana.
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Law enforcement has not had a deterrent effect on marijuana use. The
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laws against marijuana work as crude and effective price supports for
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the black market.
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THE CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA FOR PERSONAL USE:
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- would INCREASE the gross national product by up to $30.3 billion.
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- would INCREASE consumer spending by up to $25.5 billion.
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- would INCREASE non-residential investment by up to $3.3 billion.
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- would INCREASE residential investment by up to $1.5 billion.
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- would generate up to $3.6 billion in personal income taxes.
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- would generate up to $2.4 billion in Social Security taxes.
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- would generate up to $.6 billion in corporate income taxes.
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- would generate up to $1.5 billion in corporate profits.
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- would create up to 816,000 jobs.
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These figures are produced by using a standard macroeconomic model for
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simulation based on the premise that legalizing personal cultivation of
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marijuana would divert $30 billion now spent on marijuana in the U.S.
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from the black market to the legitimate economy.
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THE REGULATION AND TAXATION OF SALES OF LEGAL MARIJUANA:
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- would provide American farmers with a cash crop worth over $10 billion,
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providing more farm income than any other crop in the country except
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corn and soybeans (as an illegal crop, inflated prices have made
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marijuana an $18 billion crop, the most valuable in America).
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- would provide local, state, and national government with law enforcement
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savings of over $2 billion annually.
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- would provide state, local, and national government with $10 to $15
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billion in tax revenue from a marijuana sales tax.
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A regulated market will deprive teenagers access to marijuana and other
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drugs and thereby lessen the social and economic cost of drug abuse.
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It would also deflate the black market, just as the end of prohibition
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in the 1930's wiped out the profits of bootlegging alcohol. This would
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eliminate many of the negative effects of illegal marijuana.
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There are several arguments for legalizing marijuana detailed in other
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documents in this series. Legalization does not mean society is giving
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up its fight against drug abuse. The legalization option not only offers
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hope from a problem solving perspective, but also makes good economic
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sense.
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N O R M L ' s V I E W
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1. The prohibition of marijuana creates ecomomic problems that we
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can no longer afford.
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2. The prohibition of marijuana creates massive profits for organized
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and unorganized criminals.
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3. The prohibition of marijuana costs us billions of dollars each year
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in law enforcement costs.
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4. The prohibition of marijuana costs all levels of government billions
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of dollars in annual tax revenue.
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5. The prohibition of marijuana drains money away from the legitimate
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economy and from our country.
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W H A T D O Y O U T H I N K ?
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NORML common sense series
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2001 S Street, NW, Suite 640, Washington, D.C., 20009
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(202) 483-5500
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In Los Angeles
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NORML
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8749 Holloway Dr.
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Los Angeles, CA
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(213) 652-8654
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: The NIRVANAnet(tm) Seven
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Taipan Enigma 510/935-5845
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408/363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510/527-1662
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 801/278-2699
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The New Dork Sublime Biffnix 415/864-DORK
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The Shrine Rif Raf 206/794-6674
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Planet Mirth Simon Jester 510/786-6560
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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