Raleigh Marijuana March ©KL Slade 2010

There isn’t a good argument left for maintaining prohibition on the pot plant. The legalization of Marijuana is supported by almost half of the population quested in national polls, and the margins are steadily closing. For generations since its dubious inception, the outlawing of marijuana has been the status quo. For all of the rhetorical arguments about the ills to society caused by cannabis,  the reality has been an entire different story. Roughly half of America has experimented with cannabis first hand, including two of the last 3 Presidents of the United States. The tally of those who have tried pot and those who support its legalization are about the same, which tosses one of the most used rationales for Prohibition on its head: those who have no personal interest in marijuana will not suddenly partake because the law changes. This has been proven in many microcosmic experiments such as in Denver and San Francisco where weed is readily available. There is no indication that more people use weed, only that those who do are able to without fear or persecution. Support is growing and the argument to sustain prohibition is weak and dying.   North Carolina stands to benefit if it can get out ahead of the issue and bring pot into the legal light.

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Raleigh Marijuana March © 2010 KL Slade

In our great state of North Carolina there is a glimmer of hope and much potential to smash the assault to personal liberty that is Marijuana Prohibition once and for all. North Carolina law makers recently held a town hall to discuss decriminalizing for medical use where is was revealed that the state would see $60 Million in revenue from taxing and licensing cultivation alone. In combination with the revenue that could be gained from taxing the point of sale and we are talking about an additional tens-of-millions right into the state budget. Local cannabis cultivation, across hundreds of acres of North Carolina farm country would create many agricultural jobs, rejuvenating the farming industry and creating yet another product to export.  At long last, the thousands of casual users in the state could finally spend their dollars locally. As it stands now most of the poor quality pot available on the black market where the law has relegated it to originates from criminal sources in Mexico. North Carolina has a sustainable cash crop awaiting in the wings to fill the coffers and provide its citizens with a much preferred medical product, all that is required is the courage to see the Forest from the “trees”.

Greenville Marijuana March © KL SLade 2010