Medical Marijuana Essay
Marijuana Madness: A Look at Organizational Implications
After the release of the film “Reefer Madness” in 1936 and all of the horrible things marijuana is purported to make a person do, who would have thought marijuana would ever gain legal status anywhere in the U.S.? It only took 76 years but on November 6th, 2012 marijuana became legal for recreational use in two states: Colorado and Washington. This report aims to analyze the many organizational aspects that need to be established in order to facilitate the growth, distribution, regulation, and the effects on both our economy and the people who will be using marijuana in those two states. In Washington State, agriculture already accounts for $8 billion in revenue with about 40,000 farms. As of December 6th, applications for marijuana growing permits had not yet been made available to those who have gone to apply and none of the members of the Washington Farm Bureau have any plans to enter their farms into the marijuana growing business (Kirotv.com). Most of these members have good reason, as the Justice Department and the federal government have remained silent on whether they intend to fight the newly enacted law, considering that although it is legal at the state level, it is still classified as a schedule 1 substance and growers, traffickers, or those in possession can still be federally prosecuted. Marijuana plants in Washington would have to be grown indoors, in a secure environment with special lighting. Since it will cost more money for this lighting through electricity bills and the additional fans and ventilation needed, this makes for a more expensive crop. Some of the other types of crops that a farmer could typically plant and yield the same amount of bounty for equal or more of a profit would be much more appealing than a venture into marijuana growing. In Colorado, the recently passed marijuana law called Amendment 64 goes into effect on January 6th, 2013 since there is a 30 day waiting
After the release of the film “Reefer Madness” in 1936 and all of the horrible things marijuana is purported to make a person do, who would have thought marijuana would ever gain legal status anywhere in the U.S.? It only took 76 years but on November 6th, 2012 marijuana became legal for recreational use in two states: Colorado and Washington. This report aims to analyze the many organizational aspects that need to be established in order to facilitate the growth, distribution, regulation, and the effects on both our economy and the people who will be using marijuana in those two states. In Washington State, agriculture already accounts for $8 billion in revenue with about 40,000 farms. As of December 6th, applications for marijuana growing permits had not yet been made available to those who have gone to apply and none of the members of the Washington Farm Bureau have any plans to enter their farms into the marijuana growing business (Kirotv.com). Most of these members have good reason, as the Justice Department and the federal government have remained silent on whether they intend to fight the newly enacted law, considering that although it is legal at the state level, it is still classified as a schedule 1 substance and growers, traffickers, or those in possession can still be federally prosecuted. Marijuana plants in Washington would have to be grown indoors, in a secure environment with special lighting. Since it will cost more money for this lighting through electricity bills and the additional fans and ventilation needed, this makes for a more expensive crop. Some of the other types of crops that a farmer could typically plant and yield the same amount of bounty for equal or more of a profit would be much more appealing than a venture into marijuana growing. In Colorado, the recently passed marijuana law called Amendment 64 goes into effect on January 6th, 2013 since there is a 30 day waiting
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