OPINION: Kansas Would Benefit From Regulating Marijuana

[Jim Finnel]

The estimated market value of Kansas' 2006 marijuana crop was $64 million. Once a small part of the nation's farm economy, marijuana is now America's top money crop. And with an annual market value of $35.8 billion, marijuana ranks ahead of the market value of corn and wheat crops combined.

As Kansas' congressional delegation helps piece together a new federal farm bill in Washington, they should consider how marijuana, long an agricultural outcast, would better serve the folks back home as a legal, regulated crop -- like tobacco.

Past studies suggest that new federal and state policies regulating rather than outlawing marijuana could benefit Kansas three ways:

• Cut costs. Taxpayers could save up to $54 million a year by no longer enforcing anti-marijuana laws.

• Add revenues. Tax revenues on marijuana sales could bring in up to $6 million per year.

• Reduce sales to minors. Using tax revenues on marijuana sales, public officials could do a better job keeping marijuana out of the hands of minors and fund anti-drug education programs aimed at kids.

Lobbyists for the big agri-businesses will, as usual, use the new farm bill to annually hit up taxpayers for more than $11 billion in farm welfare payments. Marijuana growers, on the other hand, are prospering without handouts of any kind from Topeka or Washington.

What to do? President Bush's draft farm bill sent to Capitol Hill earlier this year included in a section titled "Specialty Crop Support" a request that Congress help the nation's potato farmers compete in the marketplace. If members of Congress declare the potato a "specialty" crop deserving help, they will surely agree that marijuana farmers also raise a specialty crop with marketplace hardships.

Here is an opportunity for Congress to begin easing marijuana into the agricultural mainstream by replacing a failed federal policy with one that actually controls the use of marijuana.

This, in turn, will give state lawmakers in Topeka and elsewhere the green light to do likewise.



News Hawk- User https://www.420magazine.com
Source: Kansas.com
Author: Ronald Fraser
Contact: Kansas.com | Kansas news, sports, jobs, cars
Copyright: Kansas.com
Website: KANSAS WOULD BENEFIT BY REGULATING MARIJUANA

 

[Damagoman]

From My mornin' Ranting
I'm saying they are spending our tax dollars in all the Wrong Places.
The legalization of Marijuana/Hemp is a prime example.
If folks could produce their own pain Meds in their backyard or basement for lttile or no cost, how many billions would the US save?
Last estimate I heard was 1 Billion to keep Weed prisoners in Jail.
More than this is being spent to keep a 30+ Million dollar crop(Marijuana and Hemp) off the Free Market.
I'm not real good with numbers
But
seems to me if you eliminate 1 billion of overhead and add 30+ million to your tax base, we may have enough money to rebuild Our Infrastructure.
This 1 billion is not all Federal overhead, it's States , counties and cities.

Man I gota' look those numbers over again.

They are Really Friggin' Screwin' Us.

 

[yo420]

That would be great!Finally I will be living in the cool state!