Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Wed, 01 Oct 2014 04:20:21 PST
Study: Legal Marijuana Market Would Yield Over $3 Billion In Annual Tax Revenue
Washington, DC: Legalizing the retail production and sale of cannabis in the United States would yield over $3 billion in annual tax revenue, according to an analysis published this week by the personal finance website, NerdWallet.com.
Authors provided a state-by-state economic analysis, taking into account available data estimating marijuana use rates (for those age 25 and older), cannabis market size, and state and local tax rates. Researchers also assumed a flat, 15 percent excise tax on commercial marijuana production, which is the rate presently imposed in Colorado on similar activities.
Based on existing market projections, California would gain the largest amount of annual tax revenue ($519,287,052) if commercial cannabis production and sales were legalized for adults. Other top tax revenue generating states include: New York ($248,103,676), Florida ($183,408,640), Texas ($166,303,963), and Illinois ($126,107,360).
Washington, which began allowing retail cannabis sales this summer, is estimated to reap some $119,000,000 in annual tax revenue, according to the study's projections. Colorado, which has allowed retail cannabis sales since January 1, 2014, is estimated to gain some $78,000,000 in annual revenue.
Revenue projections for all 50 states are available online @ https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/cities/economics/how-much-money-states-make-marijuana-legalization
Poll: Younger Voters Say Marijuana Is Less Damaging Than Alcohol
Washington, DC: Younger voters overwhelmingly agree that marijuana is less damaging to society than is alcohol, according to the findings of a Rare.us/Gravis Marketing poll released last week.
Among those voters between 18 and 40 years of age, 47 percent ranked alcohol as the most harmful substance to society, well ahead of both tobacco (27 percent) and cannabis (13 percent). (Thirteen percent of respondents were undecided.) A majority of respondents of all ages, ethnic groups, and political affiliations agreed that marijuana is the least harmful of the three substances.
The results resemble those of a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released in March which reported that most Americans believe tobacco to be most harmful to health (49 percent), followed by alcohol (24 percent), sugar (15 percent), and marijuana (8 percent).
Under federal law, marijuana is classified as a schedule I controlled substance, meaning that its alleged harms are equal to those of heroin. Both tobacco and alcohol are unscheduled under federal law.
According to a study published in 2004 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the leading causes of death in the United States were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1 percent of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (365,000 deaths; 15.2 percent), and alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5 percent).
Survey: Women Say Cannabis Is Most Effective Alternative Pain Treatment Option
Shepherdstown, WV: Women say that cannabis is the most effective alternative treatment method for addressing their chronic pain, according to the findings of a survey conducted by the National Pain Report and For Grace, a non-profit devoted to better care and wellness for women in pain.
The online survey asked women to rate the efficacy of nearly a dozen non-prescription drug alternative pain therapies, including yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, and massage. Eighty percent of the respondents who reported having used medicinal cannabis said that doing so alleviated their pain. By comparison, only 53 percent of respondents reported finding relief from massage therapy, which was rated the second-most effective treatment option.
No other alternative treatment was reported to be effective by a majority of respondents. Only a third of respondents reported that more common alternatives, like physical therapy, meditation, and acupuncture, were effective treatment options.
In FDA-approved clinical trials, patients suffering from neuropathic pain have consistently reported significant relief following whole-plant cannabis administration, even in instances where it is administered in especially small doses. A meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology concluded, "[I]t is reasonable to consider cannabinoids as a treatment option for the management of chronic neuropathic pain with evidence of efficacy in other types of chronic pain such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis as well."
According to data published in August in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Internal Medicine, the enactment of statewide medicinal marijuana laws is associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates - indicating that many patients, when given the option of cannabis therapy, are choosing to either substitute or greatly reduce their use of prescription opiates.
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