Pot Crusaders Mantra Summary

Justin Burton
Dr. Wayne Partridge
English 1101
20 September 2015
“Pot crusaders’ mantra: It’s a business opportunity” In the article, “Pot crusaders’ mantra: It’s a business opportunity”, it is said marijuana is an illegal substance but the sales of it are in the billions each year. Medical and recreational sales in the states where it is legal are estimated in the billions according to Marijuana Business Media. All sorts and types of goods have been created because of the marijuana growing industry. There are many perks of making marijuana legal. It can greatly improve the economics of a state or country. Colorado has become a sort of “free market” for those who wish to make their fortune in marijuana. With vigorous front-end regulations

Other states however, do not have such a lackadaisical stance on the growth and distribution of marijuana. Some states seem to be in competition of who can have the strictest laws. Illinois limits cultivation centers to 22, while Maine has a limit of only 8, specific only to non-profits. In New York, the limits are a meager 5, and states that though they can be either for-profit or non-profit, they can only manufacture medical marijuana which cannot be smoked. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, believes some are trying to shift the public opinion of marijuana and want to alter their strategy to toward cultivating restrictions rather than total prohibition of marijuana use. Dispensaries have been controversial in Michigan; they were deemed illegal by the state supreme court, but some dispensaries remain in business in Detroit and other cities. There are nearly 100,000 registered patients

This seems fitting since only female marijuana flowers produce cannabinoids responsible for the THC that marijuana smokers enjoy. Women are moving into the industry so fast that it could become the first billion-dollar industry that isn’t dominated by men. (24) Though the industry is still predominately male and employment statistics are somewhat hazy, the power and influence of women in the marijuana growing and distribution industry is definitely growing. In the past two or three years, marijuana legalization movements have been flowing through America’s states surprisingly fast. The article says that to date, 40 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana use in some form or another, primarily for medicinal use. In four of those states and D.C., recreational marijuana use is allowed and anyone over 21 can purchase it. (26) Though the war on drugs is still being fought, it may be close to an end. “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” states that despite its illegal federal status, the marijuana business is one of the nation’s newest and fastest-growing industries. There were $2.7 billion in regulated weed nationwide revenue in 2014, up from $1.5 billion the year before. If this trend continues, in 2019 the marijuana sold in the states and