Q: What’s your opinion in legalizing marijuana?

This afternoon’s ride home was a delightful conversation with Chef as we expressed our opinions on the matter. First and foremost, I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here, just a healthy discussion with my husband. Secondly, for scientific and health reasons, I am extremely against drug use. So kids, DO NOT DO DRUGS! HINDI NA USO YUN! SPEND YOUR MONEY ON iPAD OR SOMETHING.

Just to keep things straight – I have never done drugs of any kind. I have no interest in doing so. I’m not even a tad bit curious of the high people are so excited about, telling me that I missed out on that experience. I am a firm believer that one’s source of ecstasy is relative, so no one can tell me that I should try it at least once. I have fabulous sex enough to need drugs, and sex is actually good for you! As a person of science, I am informed well enough of the damaging effects of drugs, and I am just too vain to inflict any harm on my body.

Having said my opinion about personal drug use, now I shall speak as a person of business, because I have a different perspective on that.

In my perfect economic world where marijuana is legal, it is an industry similar to any other vices – tobacco, alcohol, hell, even fashion. The market structure is a perfect competition, where there could be an infinite number of buyers willing to pay the price of the product and infinite number of sellers willing to supply the drugs at a certain price. In this world, you can buy the “goods” in the same media as you buy liquor, and even have the same impositions in there. In this world, buyers pay the sales tax of the goods, and producers pay taxes for their massive profits. In this world, there is no need for any thug mentality of killing for territory, because in this world, marijuana has its own industry, where competition is present, and producers have to work their asses off to claim their portion of the market. In this world, marijuana won’t be obtained for the mere enjoyment of being rebellious because really, there is no thrill in it if it is accessible enough.

Business-wise, it can work. The revenues are high, meaning producers have to pay the necessary taxes for it. We can even get the FDA to regulate it.

Chef argued that more people are going to use it and it obviously impairs judgment. It’s illegal now, but you still have a lot of people with impaired judgment going around causing accidents on the road. It’s illegal now yet there are still a lot of people who can get a hold of it – and the means of them getting a hold of it is underground, which lures in that gangster mentality of power and greed. Regardless of being under the influence, there are still a good number of idiots running amuck for destruction.

I think we as a species are pretty destructive already. I think legalizing it will not necessarily lure in new drug users – rather, it will cater to its current market. If the discipline of use is the question – to be honest, I really could care less if a drug user abuses its use, because in reality, OD-ing is pretty instant. The person with a weak mind will allow this abuse to his own body, and perhaps it’s just allowing this person to self-destruct. And that was a choice he made himself.

I am not saying to use it so freely either. We have “No Smoking” areas everywhere, it can be applicable too. What I am saying is this should give focus to the much forgotten foundation of family values and education, where people learn the effects of this vice, and care for themselves and their loved ones enough to not damage their bodies and their lives.

Obviously, I don’t have all the information to completely say, just go ahead, legalize it. What I presented was a business case in which you are introducing a product to a market. Of course, there should be controls, as what regulations are for.

Just my two cents.