So much of what is consumed in America comes from foreign countries, but now American "farmers" have made a former import their own. Yes indeed, today the largest cash crop in the U.S.A. is none other than marijuana.
According to a study conducted by Jon Gettman, a public policy analyst and former head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), domestic growers produced roughly $35 billion worth of grass in the past year. The number estimated by NORML would mean the illegal herb generates more sales than corn and wheat combined.
The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy was not willing to substantiate Mr. Gettman's estimate, but a spokesperson for the organization told Reuters the illegal drug trade in the country is estimated at $200 billion a year.
The five biggest states for marijuana cultivation, California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii and Washington, are estimated to produce more than $1 billion in sales annually.
Mr. Gettman arrived at his numbers based on government reports issued between 2002 and 2005.
"Marijuana has become a pervasive and ineradicable part of the economy of the United States. The contribution of this market to the nation's gross domestic product is overlooked in the debate over effective control," said Mr. Gettman. "Like all profitable agricultural crops, marijuana adds resources and value to the economy. The focus of public policy should be how to effectively control this market through regulation and taxation in order to achieve immediate and realistic goals, such as reducing teenage access."
Tom Riley Office of National Drug Control Policy said that, although illegal drugs were a "serious part of the economy," the use of marijuana was an "inherently harmful activity" and its production and consumption should not be legalized.
Discussion Questions: Is it time for marijuana to be legalized for over-the-counter sales? What are the implications for retail if the drug were to be made legal? Should retailers, specifically grocery, convenience, packaged goods and tobacco stores, be lobbying for a change in current laws that make the production, sale and consumption of marijuana illegal?