Thursday, August 1, 2013

Et tu, Brute?

Politico's Byron Tau has a hilarious story:
Pot legalization activists are running into an unexpected and ironic opponent in their efforts to make cannabis legal: Big Marijuana...


Medical marijuana is a billion-dollar industry ... and like any entrenched business, it’s fighting to keep what it has and shut out competitors. Dispensary owners, trade associations and groups representing the industry are deeply concerned — and in some cases actively fighting — ballot initiatives and legislation that could wreck their business model. ...

...their businesses — still illegal under federal law — benefit from exclusive monopolies on the right to sell legal pot... those same federal laws that prohibit growing, selling and using keep pot prices high.

This spring, the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine joined the usual coalition of anti-pot forces that includes active law-enforcement groups, social conservatives and public health advocates to oppose a state bill that would legalize possession of small quantities of the drug. 
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 1, 2013 at 7:15 PM

    Professor Cochrane,

    I assume that You have already seen this, but it could be interesting to other blog readers. Just 3 things:

    First, Milton Friedman explains the economics behind marijuana legalization at this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsCC0LZxkY

    Second, a short CATO article about drug war in Mexico and Friedman's ideas on marijuana legalization: http://www.cato.org/blog/milton-friedman-marijuana

    Third, researchers at IZA explore the causation between medical marijuana and suicide rates. In their conclusion they also cite a study that can answer a million dollar question: What happens with alcohol consumption per capita when marijuana laws are passed? Here is the link: http://ftp.iza.org/dp6280.pdf

    ReplyDelete
  2. AbsalonAugust 3, 2013 at 6:44 PM

    Seems like a classic illustration of "baptists and bootleggers"

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootleggers_and_Baptists

    ReplyDelete
  3. João EjarqueAugust 4, 2013 at 9:53 AM

    Ironic for sure, but unexpected?

    ReplyDelete

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