The following blog post was written by Patrick Wood, a student at SUNY-Geneseo in New York. Patrick was
an intern for the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation during the summer of 2012, and we thank him for his excellent
work on this and other projects throughout the summer. This is the second of a
three part series written by Patrick. Click here to view an analysis of Colorado's Initiative.
The official campaigns of the initiatives to legalize cannabis in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington all make
big claims about what the initiatives will do for their states if they are passed. How do these claims stand up
to the facts?
Oregon Measure 80’s campaign website says the initiative will do five things:
474.125 of Measure 80 reads “Sale or provision to minors,
penalties, exception. The sale of cannabis to minors shall be a Class B felony,
and gratuitous provision of cannabis to minors shall be a Class A misdemeanor,
except when to a minor over 18 years of age under the same conditions provided
by ORS 471.030(1) for alcohol.”
Oregon
Washington : 62.70 million
Oregon total police expenditures related to marijuana: $29,706,000
Oregon
ForOregon ,
this would mean 36.28 million in tax revenue AND another 61.318 million in
savings =$97,598,000 every year.
Link to The Budgetary Impact of Drug Prohibition:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/DrugProhibitionWP.pdf
From 2003-2005,Oregon produced an average value
of $473,972,000 worth of marijuana, making it the state’s largest cash crop.
The other major cash crops did not come close to surpassing marijuana (Hay- $346,751,000, Wheat - $195,018,000). -Jon Gettman, Ph.D. page 14 of Marijuana
Production in the United States
Link: http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/MJCropReport_2006.pdf
Supporting that Measure 80 will create jobs:
Oregon ’s
hardest-hit rural counties to manufacturing, engineering and professional
services jobs around the
Sphere: Related Content
Oregon Measure 80’s campaign website says the initiative will do five things:
- Protect
- Regulate the growth and
sale of cannabis, dramatically shrinking the black market.
- Restore the agricultural
hemp industry. Hemp offers an alternative green fuel source, and its
fibers can be used for clothing, food, and more.
- Generate tax revenue for
the state. Eliminate millions of dollars spent on corrections costs.
- Create jobs both through
the cannabis and hemp industries.
Supporting that cannabis will,
like liquor, only be sold to adults:
474.125 of Measure 80 reads “
Supporting
that legalization and regulation will shrink the black market:
“Regulating
and taxing marijuana instead of prohibiting it--by undercutting the black
market--can be expected to reduce crime and corruption, as occurred following
the repeal of Prohibition.” - Jefferson M.
Fish, Ph.D. “Leave Marijuana Regulation to the
States” in Looking in the Cultural Mirror, featured in Psychology Today
Supporting
the usefulness of hemp:
“Because
of their strength and durability, hemp fibers have been used for production of cordage
and coarse textiles for centuries. In addition, hemp can provide raw material
for pulp and paper manufacture, composite wood products such as particleboard
and insulation board, and industrial products including geotextiles and
nonwoven industrial fabrics.” Daryl T. Ehrensing Department of Crop and Soil
Science, Oregon State University in Feasibility
of Industrial Hemp Production in the United States Pacific Northwest
“Most
people know that industrial hemp has been a source of rope, cloth and paper
since ancient times, but few recognize its incredible potential today. It
represents an ecologically stable, renewable source of raw materials to make
such diverse products as automobile fuel, plastics, building materials and food
for animals and people.” - Jim Bauder and Linzy Carlson MSU Land Resources and
Environmental Sciences in Hemp:
Many possibilities as an alternative crop
Supporting
that legalization would generate tax revenue and eliminate millions of dollars
spent on corrections costs:
“Approximately
$8.7 billion of [savings] would result from legalization of marijuana”
nationwide (annually). - Miron & Waldock in The budgetary impact of drug
prohibition
“…assuming
legal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco.
Approximately $8.7 billion of this revenue would result from legalization of
marijuana” - Miron & Waldock
^ That’s 8.7 billion in savings AND another 8.7 billion in revenue = 17.4 billion dollars.
State marijuana tax revenue according to Miron + Waldock according to a population method and in 2008 dollars-
Colorado: 47.29 million
^ That’s 8.7 billion in savings AND another 8.7 billion in revenue = 17.4 billion dollars.
State marijuana tax revenue according to Miron + Waldock according to a population method and in 2008 dollars-
Colorado: 47.29 million
For
Link to The Budgetary Impact of Drug Prohibition:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/DrugProhibitionWP.pdf
From 2003-2005,
Link: http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/MJCropReport_2006.pdf
Supporting that Measure 80 will create jobs:
“…taxing and regulating cannabis
and hemp will create thousands of local jobs, from agricultural jobs in
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment