March 04, 2007
By Carl Hedberg
Source: Union Leader
New Hampshire -- We have been fighting the war on marijuana for over three generations to no avail. Lives of our fellow
citizens continue to be torn apart, not by the drug, but by Draconian laws that do nothing to stem supply or demand. How
long must we stay the course on this social and fiscal abomination before we finally adopt a new approach?
Consider just the social cost. In 2005, the United States reached an
all-time high in marijuana arrests. The FBI reports that more than 780,000 people were nabbed -- a rate of one every
four seconds.
Of those charged, approximately 88 percent -- just over 696,000 Americans -- were cited for possession. The others were
charged with "sale or manufacture," a category that includes all cultivation offenses, including marijuana
being grown for personal or medical use.
One might argue that this surge means we're making progress in the war. On the contrary, like the recent discovery of
sophisticated hothouses in otherwise vacant luxury homes in New Hampshire, higher arrest rates point to a robust and
growing underground economy. The only way to put a dent in this illicit marketplace is to alter the fundamental
economics of the marijuana trade.
Before any real consensus on a new way forward can be reached, however, citizens would have to face the fact that
marijuana has found a permanent place in the fabric of American culture, and as such, prohibition is a long-lost cause.
In addition, we would need to put to rest a few age-old misconceptions about marijuana and the potential impact of more
progressive policies.
* Children will use marijuana more if it is decriminalized: As with alcohol, tobacco, safe driving, safe sex and the
like, parents need to lead by example, establish ground rules and expectations and explain the risks.
There are tons of great reasons why our youth shouldn't be experimenting
with marijuana, but current laws and just say no programs have never, and
will never, keep it out of reach. Besides, it's not the state's
responsibility to raise our children.
* Marijuana is a gateway drug: In the current environment, this appears to
be true; marijuana often leads to the use of even more unsavory substances.
However, sampling the gamut of pop drugs is not typically driven by the
quest for a better or stronger high. It is largely driven by youthful curiosity and the presence of a deep and wide
network of one-stop-shop drug vendors who employ a basic business strategy: to increase sales, offer a broad line of
products.
* High potency increases the incidence of abuse: The vast majority of adult
marijuana users aren't getting wasted and falling down on hyper-strong weed
any more than social drinkers are chugging beers or throwing back shots
every night after work. For the multitude of productive members of society
who use marijuana, high-potency just means that a little goes a long way.
* Legalize, commercialize, and tax: This is a common solution proposed by
fans of legalization, but it is absurd. High-potency marijuana is not a
viable commercial product for three reasons. First, marijuana is a weed that
can be easily cultivated anywhere in our state. Second, commercial ventures
are in the business of promoting and selling product. Given the opportunity
to vend weed, there is every reason to expect that for-profit firms would
pursue similar tactics to develop and perpetuate that market. Lastly,
marijuana could never be a truly viable commercial product because the
average user doesn't consume enough of it. Over a year, even a casual
drinker can be expected to spend quite a bit on beer, wine and spirits. On
the other hand, a teacup full of potent marijuana would last a similarly
responsible user for months.
There is a solution: The way to defeat illegal purveyors of anything is to
make it unprofitable for them to engage in that activity. We can eliminate
the economic incentive to sell marijuana in New Hampshire -- and restore our
American right of self-determination and free will -- by decriminalizing
personal cultivation. If adults were permitted to grow marijuana under the
same laws and social, workplace and parental expectations that they are able
to produce wine and beer, the market for illegal weed in New Hampshire would
collapse.
Allowing cultivation and private use would remove marijuana from the overall
war on drugs and free up millions: http://tinyurl.com/25z2tg that could fund
enhanced educational, outreach and treatment programs.
Carl Hedberg of Lyndeborough is a senior teaching case writer at Babson
College in Wellesley, Mass., and founder of EEcases, a case clearing house
for entrepreneurship educators.
