Pubdate: Mon, 29 Apr 2013
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
Copyright: 2013 Scripps Howard News Service
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/pm4R4dI4
Website: http://www.post-gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/341
Author: Dale McFeatters
Note: Dale McFeatters is a columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.
Page: B-7

POT, A GROWTH INDUSTRY

The legal and quasi-legal growing of marijuana is big business. The 
Wall Street Journal said so on the front page of a recent weekend 
edition in a prominent place right below its play story on the Boston manhunt.

"The Pot Business Suffers Growing Pains," said the headline, a cry 
for capital - seed capital, so to speak - for startup businesses that 
are a lot better bet, and a lot more fun, than packaging toxic 
mortgages for sale to municipal pension funds.

The Journal introduces us to pot farmer Elliott Klug, and if any 
member of Congress praised him in the Congressional Record as a job 
creator, I missed it. He employs 70 people to raise marijuana for 
sale to people who have a prescription for it.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia allow the production and 
use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, of which there are 
surprisingly many - such as existential angst. Two of those states, 
Washington and Colorado, allow marijuana for what is euphemistically 
called "recreational use," meaning "getting stoned."

Clearly, marijuana is on its way to becoming a mainstream business. 
The Journal estimates that there are now 2,000 to 4,000 legal 
marijuana businesses, with annual sales of $1.2 billion to $3 billion.

Perhaps it's even time to think about including marijuana farmers in 
the farm bill so they can get cheap crop insurance that pays for 
accidental losses - say, if your basement flooded - and pays if there 
are unfortunate fluctuations in price. Speaking of which, pot futures 
should be a part of any well-run commodities market.

Including marijuana in the food-stamp program - a major part of the 
farm bill - might be counterproductive. Food stamps are intended to 
combat hunger whereas marijuana is known to induce severe attacks of 
the munchies.

By the way, the growers do have a trade organization, the National 
Cannabis Industry Association, based in Washington, D.C. Their 
website doesn't give a street address, but I'm guessing it's high 
above Pennsylvania Avenue.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom