*Signs of Intelligencer*

Signs of Intelligencer
With the federal government attempting to demonize anyone who disagrees with the current war on marijuana use, and even resorting to name-calling (like “cynical, cruel, and immoral”), it’s not surprising that many are reluctant to speak out in favor of any relaxation of laws, let alone outright legalization.

It was very refreshing to read in yesterday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer a bold, clear, and common-sense OpEd by attorney Maureen Brown: “Legalize, tax marijuana to fill budget gap.”
While Maureen’s numbers don’t completely add up (for one thing, her numbers assume no reduction in gross prices, and on the other side she neglects many of the incidental cost savings from ending the marijuana wars), they still paint a remarkable picture.
I have long felt that one of the keys to reforming marijuana laws is coherently explaining economic realities. But it’s going to take a major effort to get the money argument out to the people. Under the current system, those who control the war (and thus have attempted to control the discourse) have found the war very profitable for them, at the expense of the ordinary citizen.