Marijuana…. yeah, that’s it below….
It’s grown in many varieties, strains, potencies and even colors. This is “White Widow”…
“Purple Haze”…
“Blue Dream”…
And then there are strands which are named after folks you probably know, like Chuck Norris and Dirty Harry (here’s a fun link to a few of them… although there are many many more).
But all marketing aside, regardless of scientific, genetic or brand names, in the real world of the law, and of law enforcement, there are only two (2) types: Legal and Illegal Marijuana. That said, meet 24 y/o Nabor, an ILLEGAL pot grower in the Northwestern Mexican State of Sinaloa.
Nabor has been illegally growing marijuana for more than a decade, since age 14, and has watched the steady decline in the profit margin for his product during the course of his, er, career. Nabor has seen both the demand for his product and the dollars paid for it drop, and this pattern has steadily progressed as the various U.S. States have decriminalized and legalized marijuana over the same time period. Nabor was interviewed by NPR (National Public Radio) and gave some interesting statistics about his cash for crop business.
Nabor said that “Two or three years ago, a kilogram [2.2 pounds] of marijuana was worth $60 to $90 dollars. Now it is worth $30 to $40 per kilo.” That is in between 1/3 and 1/2 of what it’s value just ten (10) years ago. And this directly correlates with the fact with more than half of the fifty (50) U.S. States now have either recreational, medicinal use or decriminalized marijuana laws and accordingly many U.S. citizens can now buy, or even grow, their own marijuana, right here domestically. I you are a Mexican Drug Lord, or even a cartel employee, this cannot be good news, and if you are Nabor, then you yourself have predicted that if the decriminalization / legalization trends continues in the U.S. then you yourself will be “put out of business” (Nabor told NPR that when the per kilo price drops to $20 then they will no longer profit at all).
And this is not just Nabor talking. In a November, 2012 study the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness predicted up to a thirty percent (30%) decline in Mexican marijuana prices directly due to U.S. decriminalization (see an article discussing the study here).
Daniel Vinkovetsky, Editor of High Times Magazine, told NPR that “American pot smokers prefer American domestically grown marijuana to Mexican grown marijuana. The higher quality, soaring potency, and legal access all factor into why we’re buying American grown. The cheap Mexican weed is not cured or trimmed like American weed, is of much lower quality, and is usually compressed in order to smuggle it across the border.”
Last year, in 2014, Colorado alone had $700 MILLION in marijuana sales (combining both medical and recreational – see article here). Of that approximately $63 MILLION went into their general tax fund (see article here). Apart from supporting education, freeing up resources (police, courts, etc.) it may even be the case that up to $30 MILLION of those taxes collected will have to refunded to and spread among the CO residency (unless the politicians figure a way around their CO Constitutional mandate, which, by the way, may represent the first truly bi-partisan congressional effort ever – keeping the money – see article here).
Memo to the Federal and individual U.S. State governments: WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SENSIMILLA. Decriminalize, Educate, Regulate and Tax Tax Tax the sh*t out of marijuana.
Michael A. Haber, P.A.: Creative, effective and zealous criminal defense advocacy since 1991.
At Michael A. Haber, P.A. “Its all about reasonable doubt”.
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THIS BLOG POST (AS ARE ALL OF HABERPA BLOG POSTS) IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH IS PRIMARILY DESIGNED, BY WAY OF REAL WORLD EXAMPLE, TO ASSIST THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN AVOIDING CONDUCT WHICH COULD FORESEEABLY RESULT IN ARREST AND PROSECUTION!
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