Ron Kapaku
Mr. Derek Snyder
English 210
7 November 2010
A drug to cure
People associate marijuana as a drug that you buy on the street that causes harm to society. In the past decade many states have found that Marijuana can be extremely useful as a medicinal remedy. Throughout the process there has been much debate on how this medicinal plant can also be a cure to our struggling economy. Marijuana would be a million dollar industry for the State of Hawaii and it would also cut out the amount of lost revenue that drug dealers take when they sell it on the streets. The legalization would create jobs in agricultural production as well as create dispensaries to help distribute the product to help with Hawaii’s unemployment problem.
Hawaii today has a struggling economy with high unemployment, wage cuts, Furlough Fridays, and layoffs. Marijuana would help bring in the money needed to help the state crawl out of its financial woes to avoid all the fore mention problems we have today. We need to come to the realization that diversification is the only way to survive in the world today whether it is private or government sectored. Being stagnate and relying on our laurels have gotten us in the position we are today. Marijuana quite possibly is the solution to all of our economic problems.
It is no secret that in the State of Hawaii our driving force for state revenue is tourism. With the closure of many agricultural business including dairy farms, egg farms, pineapple companies, and an overall cut in sugar production, we have come to rely more and more on tourism to carry us. Hawaii has always been at its best when tourism was accompanied by agricultural. In the past we relied heavily on dairy products, canned and fresh fruits, small amounts of vegetables, and floral arrangements to carry our agricultural revenue but today we have seen massive shutdowns in canned fruit productions, closure of almost all dairy farms and egg farms, and a severe cut in sugar production. Marijuana would be the driving force to help surge our agricultural woes back to the forefront it once occupied in the 1980’s. The farming of the new cash crop would create jobs in the agricultural field that is sorely missed since the beginning of the 21st century.
As of right now Hawaii is one of the many states that have Marijuana legal for medicinal purposes. Like most states, the use of Marijuana for medicinal purposes has helped create jobs in the medical fields as well as construction jobs that helped to build these Marijuana dispensaries. Once Marijuana is totally legalized it would create more dispensaries which would open up more construction jobs, more medical positions, and jobs at all the new dispensaries. It would also open up security positions both at growing sites as well as the dispensaries. The lack of jobs as well as the lack of good paying jobs is one of the key elements in our struggling economy today.
The drug problem here in Hawaii like many places has been a problem for the past two decades. Counties spend a lot of money on special task force to bring down drug dealers to help stop the flow of illegal drugs throughout the islands. Although the Legalization of Marijuana would not solve the problem of drug dealers selling illegal drugs but it would land a huge blow to them by legalizing one of their main income sources. With the mass production of Marijuana here in Hawaii it would lower the cost compared to the price on the street as well as keep the money within the state and out of the pockets of the drug dealers. In turn it would put many of these drug dealers out of business causing a huge swing in the fight against drugs here in the State of Hawaii.
There are many skeptics that feel that the Legalization of Marijuana would bring lots more crime to Hawaii as well as the bad element like prostitution and people that would be a hindrance on our state. We must remember that crime is everywhere and it is up to our lawmakers to make sure that we do this right so the element of crime is taken out before it is even started. Prostitution is the oldest form of business alive. No matter where you go there will always be some sort of prostitution around especially in big cities like Honolulu. One could make a case that we already have a problem with prostitution in Hawaii. Lastly, we need to remember that our great state is for the people of Hawaii and not people that want to live off our government. It is up to us to make sure that people do not come here and we welcome them by taking care of them. We as a state already put out to much to support our own. We do not need to support others.
Many people do not realize the desperate times we are in. The State of Hawaii needs change. This past election we heard many candidates talk about change, a new beginning, and starting over. The Legalization of Marijuana will make this happen. A new day in age starts now with the Legalization of Marijuana at the forefront.
Works Cited
Westervelt, Amy. “Why Hawaii Should Legalize Pot instead of Gambling.” Travel News. The Faster Times, 02/19/2010. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://thefastertimes.com/travelnews/2010/02/19/why-hawaii-should-legalize-pot-instead-of-gambling/>.
Lowell, Alaine. “Hemp: The ‘miracle plant’ that can save the planet.” Pasedena Weekly, 10/22/2010. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/hemp_the_miracle_plant_that_can_save_the_planet/9371/>.
Jensen, 10. “California Dreams of Taxing Pot.” The Bond Buyer, 01/11/2010. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www.bondbuyer.com/issues/119_458/marijuana_tax_revenue-1019287-1.html>.
Morgan, Sarah. “Marijuana: A Half-Baked Investment Idea?.” Smart Money. The Wall Street Journa;, 01/10/2010. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/marijuana-a-half-baked-investment-idea/>.
Sieghart, Mary Ann. “Restore sanity in the debate on drugs.” The Independent , 01/10/2010. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-ann-sieghart/mary-ann-sieghart-restore-sanity-in-the-debate-on-drugs-2121949.html>.