Marijuana legalization- Source of value creation and economic growth

Résumé du document

Marijuana legalization may seem as a very unconventional theme for economic research. It really is, but the current economic crisis demands unconventional solutions for conventional problems. This research tries to prove many positive effects of marijuana legalization, both from social and economic point of view.

Unfortunately, empirical data on this topic is scarce, because of the negative attitude towards marijuana created by prohibition in western societies. Marijuana usage, possession and trade are criminal activities in most western countries and therefore no representative data exist. This makes the task of describing the empirical capacity of these activities highly impossible.

In order to achieve its goal, the paper researches different sources of valuable information on the topic. It depicts different positive effects that may result from marijuana legalization, giving real examples and solid arguments in defense of the thesis.

Extraits

[...] Even if we speak about decent citizens, when facing heavy sentences for minimal transgressions like this, they lose moral grounds, they become desperate and they are ready to use any methods of avoiding “justice”. In the same time, it is not a big secret that the Bulgarian court system operates under a great pressure of corruption. Prohibition of marijuana use only increases this pressure. Prohibition increases organized crime, as well. If something is illegal, but there is a great demand for it, there is a great profit in it. [...]

[...] It represents an additional source of value creation and economic growth. This is especially true for Bulgaria, where the two major industries of export importance are agriculture and tourism. The only thing that Bulgarians have to do is to overcome their fears and social prejudices against marijuana and to imply the successful practices of other countries, also described in this paper. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. The evolution of mass conscience takes time and only time will tell if Bulgaria has the courage to embrace the many positive effects of marijuana legalization. [...]

[...] Under the current law, marijuana is technically illegal in Canada, but law enforcement does not prevent its use and production. In cities like Vancouver, coffee-shops similar to those in Amsterdam can be found, and tourists may smoke or purchase marijuana without being threatened by the police. Although it creates significant economic results, this "illegal but tolerated" status of hemp tourism in Canada and The Netherlands is not very suitable for academic research, due to the lacks of official statistical data. [...]

[...] In his article called: “Marijuana Prohibition and Public Safety” F. Wooldridge writes: criminals control all aspects of production, distribution and use not good! We must maintain the same restrictions and regulations as the two deadliest drugs in America: alcohol and tobacco.”(10) One can easily compare marijuana prohibition with the prohibition of alcohol in America in the beginning of the 20th century. Did this increase crime? Yes, it did! Not only did the dry regime increase crime, but it created a whole new class of organized crime in America. [...]

[...] What is more important now is that after the legalization in the Netherlands, marijuana use remains three times lower than in the U.S. Not to mention that this leads to much less convicted prisoners and state-sponsored facilities, using the money of tax payers to keep the “correction facilities” growing. Actually, no European country with decriminalized possession of marijuana for adults has higher rates of marijuana use than the U.S (12). Marijuana remains “addictive”, but a larger percentage of cigarette and alcohol users become even more addicted to their legal drugs. [...]