Marijuana should not only be decriminalized but legalized in all 50 states. A report in 2006 by researcher John Gettman cites marijuana as the top cash crop in 12 states and
among the top three cash crops in 30. The report estimates that marijuana production, at a value of $35.8
billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat
($7.5 billion).
We believe it should be sold and taxed with those taxes going to pay for universal health care and reducing the federal deficit.
Legalization: Costs vs. Benefits
Police chief Scott Kirkland debates marijuana advocates Eugene
Schoenfeld and Richard Lee over the costs and benefits of legalization.
Kirkland argues that the tax revenue it generates will be offset by the
increased public health costs, while Schoenfeld and Lee counter that
keeping marijuana illegal insures unreasonably high crime rates
associated with the drug.
Marijuana is by some estimates California's largest cash crop,
bringing in more than twice the revenue of vegetables, yet we don't tax
this green. Legalizing and taxing pot could provide $1.3 billion to
help our hemorrhaging economy, but it might also lead to additional
problems and undermine anti-drug efforts. Is this crop just cash
waiting to be reaped, or is it more complicated? Come hear advocates on
both sides argue the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. -
Commonwealth Club of California
Scott Kirkland is the Chief of
the El Cerrito Police Department. He is also a member of the board of
directors of the California Police Chiefs Association.
Dr.
Eugene Schoenfeld practices psychiatry, with a specialty in
psychopharmacology. His work in psychopharmacology includes the study,
diagnosis, and treatment of problems related to drug abuse and
addiction. Since 1983, he has served on the Advisory Board of the
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. Dr. Schoenfeld is a member of the
court-appointed psychiatrist panels for the Superior Courts of Alameda
County, Contra Costa County, Marin County, and San Francisco, CA. In
1997, the University of Miami School of Medicine selected him as a
Distinguished Alumnus.
Richard Lee has been working to end
cannabis prohibition for 17 years. In 1999, he opened the Bulldog
Coffeeshop, the second cannabis outlet in "Oaksterdam". In 2003 Lee
founded the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance, the PAC that passed
Oakland's Measure Z making private sales, cultivation, and possession
of cannabis the lowest law enforcement priority and mandating that
Oakland tax and regulate cannabis as soon as possible under state law.
In 2007, he founded the first cannabis college in the United States,
Oaksterdam University. Since 2005, Lee has been serving on the City of
Oakland Cannabis Regulation and Revenue Ordinance Commission, which was
created after Measure Z passed with 65% of the vote 2004. He manages
several other Oaksterdam companies, including the Oaksterdam Gift Shop
and Nursery.
