Legalizing Marijuana - Who Benefits?

In the ongoing effort to legalize marijuana, there is all manner of discussion of what the outcome might be, what the benefits and negative social impact might be and who will profit the most from the legalization of marijuana. First and foremost, it is important to understand that marijuana has only recently been considered a harmful drug. In the early days of the United States, politicians and businessmen alike recommended marijuana and the cannabis plant be grown as frequently as possible. One of the most profitable crops at the time was hemp which was used for rope, fuel and all manner of other kinds of products.

Unfortunately, in the early part of the 20th century, the government, largely coerced by religious movements and other political activist groups, was pressured into criminalizing marijuana. Rather than enact a law permitting the use of marijuana, it was decided that no one would be allowed to sell marijuana or cannabis without being issued a certified tax stamp from the United States treasury. Of course, that tax stamp was never issued to any corporation or individual at any time in the history of the United States, making the sale and profit from the sale of marijuana illegal.

Over the years, individual states have adopted all manner of different laws regarding marijuana sales and use. Naturally, if you use any type of marijuana products and get caught, there will be some type of fine or citation that will swiftly follow as punishment for your misdeeds. But once marijuana is legalized, what will happen to all of those people who are serving time or were otherwise convicted of usage of the marijuana plant?

It is hard at this time to guess who will benefit from the legalization of marijuana. Those who sell the product will obviously benefit almost instantly, but other people who will benefit from the legalization of marijuana would be the United States treasury as well as corporations who are already set up to take advantage of the production and sale of marijuana. Cigarette companies, for instance, have already trademarked graphic designs and packaging for marijuana, just in case it ever becomes legal. This only makes sense, as they have much to gain by selling a product that is almost identical in manufacturing process to the cigarettes that they already sell.

While it might not seem readily apparent, the United States government stands to benefit greatly from the legalization of marijuana, through the taxation and sale of these types of products. Naturally, the revenue from taxing marijuana would be tremendous and the legalization of marijuana would be a massive windfall to the United States government. At any rate, is easy to see that the American economy would benefit greatly from the legalization of marijuana.