Then we need a farm subsidy for it Keith Addison wrote:
>See "Invisible farming": >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html#invis > >--- > >Marijuana Production in the United States (2006) >by Jon Gettman > >Full text online. >http://www.drugscience.org/bcr/ > >Entire Report (356 kb pdf) >http://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/MJCropReport_2006.pdf > >---- > >http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=2735017&page=1 >ABC News: >February 14, 2007 | Local News and Weather > >Marijuana Called Top U.S. Cash Crop > >Marijuana Takes the Pot as Most Valuable Cash Crop in the Country > >Marijuana is the top cash crop in 12 states and among the top three >cash crops in 30, according to a new study. (AP Photo ) > >By NITYA VENKATARAMAN > >Dec. 18, 2006 > >Weeding through the value of the nation's cash crops, a study >released today states that marijuana is the U.S.'s most valuable crop >and promotes the drug's legalization and taxation. > >Drug enforcement officials say the equation is not that simple. > >The report, "Marijuana Production in the United States," by marijuana >policy researcher Jon Gettman, concludes that despite massive >eradication efforts at the hands of the federal government, >"marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the >national economy." > >In the report, Gettman, a marijuana-reform activist and leader of the >Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, champions a system of legal >regulation. > >Contrasting government figures for traditional crops - like corn and >wheat - against the study's projections for marijuana production, the >report cites marijuana as the top cash crop in 12 states and among >the top three cash crops in 30. > >The study 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). > >Pot Tax? > >To activists for marijuana legalization, the study confirms a >position they've held for years, and uses government stats to support >their claim. > >"The fact that marijuana is America's No. 1 cash crop after more than >three decades of governmental eradication efforts is the clearest >illustration that our present marijuana laws are a complete failure," >says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project >in Washington D.C., a group that focuses on removing criminal >penalties for marijuana use. > >Kampia, whose comments were included in the study's press release, >adds, "Our nation's laws guarantee that 100 percent of the proceeds >from marijuana sales go to unregulated criminals rather than to >legitimate businesses that pay taxes to support schools, police and >roads." > >A 2005 analysis by Harvard visiting professor Jeffrey Miron estimates >that if the United States legalized marijuana, the country would save >$7.7 billion in law enforcement costs and could generated as much as >$6.2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like alcohol or tobacco. > >Miron's report on the costs of marijuana prohibition was signed by >more than 500 leading economists, most notably the late Nobel >laureate Milton Friedman, who served as an economist in both the >Nixon and Reagan administrations. > >The Dangers of Legalization > >Aside from the health debate over legalizing marijuana, Garrison >Courtney, spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Agency, says groups that >advocate its taxation sometimes paint too rosy a picture. > >"It's still a drug," Courtney says. "Just because it's a good cash >crop doesn't mean you should legalize and tax it." > >"It's not these cute mom-and-pop bong shops anymore," Courtney >continued. "It's violent drug-trafficking groups that are doing all >these grows." > >Local marijuana growers, he says, are the tentacles of international >drug-trafficking organizations that bring weapons, violence and a >slew of other drugs into the market. > >"You can't tax a Mexican drug trafficking group," Courtney explains. >"That's the side a lot of people don't focus on." > > >_______________________________________________ >Biofuel mailing list >Biofuel@sustainablelists.org >http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
