Parvati Magazine February 2014 - Sobriety1 | Page 30

BUSINESS

HIGH
On Capitol Hill?

M

any Americans and Canadians support legalization of marijuana and many states
already permit medicinal use. It seems that an end to the criminalization of weed
would generate billions in tax revenue and relieve the criminal justice system. This is a business column and not a politics column, so I will not wade into the debate on decriminalization. I will say that as an individual, marijuana use is not something I choose to endorse,
and as a business person, it is not something from which I would seek to profit. I think that
part of our calling in practicing awakened, positive possibilities business is a deep sobriety
about the economies we choose to engage in and the effects they have in our world.
For example, there is a co-op store here in Toronto called The Big Carrot that refuses to
sell anything containing genetically modified organisms, even though that no doubt limits
what they can purchase and make available to customers. Many coffee shops choose to
pay more for “fair trade” beans grown by people paid fairly for their work.
Medicinal marijuana is definitely a vast and fast growing business. The state of Colorado
is going through an economic boom, in part due to the explosion of start up pot shops.
In 2009 Boulder opened its first medicinal marijuana dispensary. Four years later, Boulder
now has 32 dispensaries and 37 cultivation facilitates licensed to do business in a city with
a population of only 101,808. Given such a massive growth rate and boost to the economy, it is highly probable that the 19 other states will also increase their business revenues
through the cultivation and sale of medicinal marijuana.
The question is, is this really an awakened direction for business or government to pursue?