Creating a Government Tax on Marijuana Research Paper

Creating a Government Tax on Marijuana - Research Paper Example Its use today is for a combination of medical and religious purposes, but recreational use is no less popular. This is why it would really be beneficial to tax marijuana, as it would bring in a sizeable amount of taxes to the USA and really boost our economy in the present lackluster conditions. Why One Would Support a Government Tax on Marijuana One tends to support a Government Tax on marijuana to legalize its use and make it available to those who want it. There are those who need it for medicinal purposes and it would be cruel to deny them this privilege. For those who are habitual drug users and are addicted to the substance, they would find a way to get it anyway and frequently use criminal avenues to satisfy their needs. By making marijuana legal, the street value would reduce and illegal smuggling would be stopped or greatly reduced. Drug control authorities could then concentrate on rehabilitation rather than on stopping the sources of illegal supply. Drug education is a bet ter way of stopping the menace and should be widely introduced in schools, colleges and universities. By making dealing in commercial quantities a punishable offence this would solve the matter in terms of arresting and incarcerating drug pushers as well. There are two commonly used methods of taxing the citizens of a State or nation. One is by direct taxation in the form of deduction from salaries or other earnings of individuals and corporations. This amount then gets transferred in the accounts and coffers of the IRS. The other is by indirect taxation. In this case, the tax is hidden in the various commodities that we buy and sell that contain marijuana in one form or another. Since there has usually been a huge hue and cry raised over allowing consumption and use of marijuana in the USA for medicinal purposes anyway, the State or Federal Government can allow a minimum threshold of use per month or per year without taxation, and anything above that would be automatically taxed at the decided rates. This would appease the groups of people that use marijuana for medicinal purposes such as in the suppression and control of chronic pain, or for religious and spiritual uses. With the number of people smoking, injecting and inhaling marijuana in its various forms increasing every day, there is a good amount of tax to be earned from it. According to UN estimates, marijuana is the most widely consumed illicit drug in the world. While the Federal Government supports the control and restrictions on marijuana, around 14 States in the USA have allowed the use of marijuana to date. It is worth remembering that was only in the early part of the 20th century that the open and unrestricted use of marijuana was challenged and made illegal. Even so, countries like Spain, Canada, Austria and the Netherlands have legalized a certain amount of marijuana for personal and medicinal use. In fact, there is an argument that production of hemp in large quantities was outlawed because it was a cheap substitute for paper and nylon. It would have ruined the business plans of DuPont, the inventor of nylon and affected the fortunes of William Randolph Hearst, who had invested millions in the wood industry (Wishnia, 3). The Case against Legalization The debate as to whether the use of marijuana should be legalized or not is far from over. Among the reasons opposing legalization of this drug are its known harmful effects. For instance, it has been documented that the use of mariju