Robert Celt
New Member
In 2012, Washington and Colorado sparked the proverbial flame by passing laws to end marijuana prohibition within their borders. Since then, the flame has passed to 21 other states and the District of Columbia, effectively allowing some form of marijuana use and cultivation in these areas. The success of legalization in these states reveals itself in lower crime rates, greater medicinal uses and an upcoming industry with the potential to improve even West Virginia's desperate economy.
A 2015 press release from the Drug Policy Alliance gives a progress report of Washington State one year after full marijuana legalization. Aside from marijuana-related crime rates dropping significantly, it states, "Washington has collected nearly $83 million in marijuana tax revenues. These revenues are funding substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, youth and adult drug education, community health care services and academic research and evaluation on the effects of marijuana legalization in the state."
A similar piece of legislation focusing on using marijuana taxes to fund substance abuse programs was proposed in West Virginia by former representative Mike Manypenny. However, the legislation did not pass.
In a 2015 Bloomberg article, "2.8 Million Pot Munchies and Other Numbers From Colorado's First Year of Retail Weed," Karen Weise wrote, "Colorado collected $63 million in tax revenue and an additional $13 million in licenses and fees on $699 million of combined medical and recreational pot sales in 2014." Last year, Colorado alone brought $996.2 million into the economy from legal medical and recreational sales.
Additionally, a 2016 article from Inc. entitled "The Marijuana Industry Is Now a Force to Be Reckoned With" notes that nationally, the marijuana industry brought in $5.4 billion in 2015, which had increased from $4.6 billion in 2014.
West Virginia currently has a deficit of $353 million. An Associated Press article from the Charleston Gazette-Mail last month reported, "Facing a $466 million 2017 budget gap, Tomblin and Republican legislative budget leaders agree the state's tax system needs to rely on something more stable than constantly-fluctuating natural resources."
Instead of sacrificing West Virginia jobs to the coal plague, why not shift the attention toward a rapidly growing cannabis industry? Not only will the industry produce jobs and yield other economy-boosting results, but it also has the potential to increase the state's overall health rating.
Veterans are one of the most outspoken groups when it comes to legalization, and in states with legal marijuana, they claim it helps post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues they might encounter. Furthermore, it can also help with severe illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.
Instead of falling by the wayside while the nation progresses, West Virginia should make strides to become a leader in the upcoming cannabis industry in modern America.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Using Cannabis To Save West Virginia Economy
Author: Staff
Contact: The Daily Athenaeum
Photo Credit: MountaineerNewsService
Website: The Daily Athenaeum
A 2015 press release from the Drug Policy Alliance gives a progress report of Washington State one year after full marijuana legalization. Aside from marijuana-related crime rates dropping significantly, it states, "Washington has collected nearly $83 million in marijuana tax revenues. These revenues are funding substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, youth and adult drug education, community health care services and academic research and evaluation on the effects of marijuana legalization in the state."
A similar piece of legislation focusing on using marijuana taxes to fund substance abuse programs was proposed in West Virginia by former representative Mike Manypenny. However, the legislation did not pass.
In a 2015 Bloomberg article, "2.8 Million Pot Munchies and Other Numbers From Colorado's First Year of Retail Weed," Karen Weise wrote, "Colorado collected $63 million in tax revenue and an additional $13 million in licenses and fees on $699 million of combined medical and recreational pot sales in 2014." Last year, Colorado alone brought $996.2 million into the economy from legal medical and recreational sales.
Additionally, a 2016 article from Inc. entitled "The Marijuana Industry Is Now a Force to Be Reckoned With" notes that nationally, the marijuana industry brought in $5.4 billion in 2015, which had increased from $4.6 billion in 2014.
West Virginia currently has a deficit of $353 million. An Associated Press article from the Charleston Gazette-Mail last month reported, "Facing a $466 million 2017 budget gap, Tomblin and Republican legislative budget leaders agree the state's tax system needs to rely on something more stable than constantly-fluctuating natural resources."
Instead of sacrificing West Virginia jobs to the coal plague, why not shift the attention toward a rapidly growing cannabis industry? Not only will the industry produce jobs and yield other economy-boosting results, but it also has the potential to increase the state's overall health rating.
Veterans are one of the most outspoken groups when it comes to legalization, and in states with legal marijuana, they claim it helps post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues they might encounter. Furthermore, it can also help with severe illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.
Instead of falling by the wayside while the nation progresses, West Virginia should make strides to become a leader in the upcoming cannabis industry in modern America.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Using Cannabis To Save West Virginia Economy
Author: Staff
Contact: The Daily Athenaeum
Photo Credit: MountaineerNewsService
Website: The Daily Athenaeum
