Show Me the Facts

By popular demand (i.e. by request of a lovely young lady, @ericaschenker), here is my Pro/Con of the legalization of Marijuana for #marimonday:

Pros:

• Lower taxes
• More money for public utilities, education, transportation, etc.
• Vast reduction in organized crime (as marijuana is currently the life-blood of their organization)
• Increased compassion for individuals unable to afford health insurance or proprietary pharmaceutical prescriptions.
• Vast decrease in availability to minors and children via regulatory obstacles and destruction of black-markets.
• Thousands of new jobs created in the hemp industry
• Ripple effect of the new “gardening hobby” would be felt in stores across the nation
• Reduction in need for foreign oil by replacing many petroleum based products with hemp based products (plastics, oils, etc.)
• Reduction of environmental pollutants as Hemp phases out Cotton for many products (hemp does not require nasty pesticides but can create products more durable and equally soft as cotton).
• Reduction in deforestation as hemp can create more, better paper in less space multiple times in a year.
• Respect for law as a whole will improve as millions of good Americans are no longer labeled a “criminal”.

Cons:

• Law enforcement agencies, such as DEA, will lose large chunks of funding
• Certain corporations will be forced to compete with a very cheap, versatile natural resource (pharmaceuticals, lumber, cotton, and petroleum industries, for example)
• International laws would need to be revised, addressed, and changed to reflect the new legalization of marijuana
• Private Prison industry would lose many of its inmates and thus much of its profits.
• It would be nearly impossible to keep Strawberry PopTarts in stock at any convenience store across America.

What is #MariMonday?

#MariMonday is a concept created by Tom (@tom_disabledvet) and myself (@SMtF) to help share marijuana appreciation and spread marijuana awareness on the Twitter network via the use of a hashtag every Monday! While marijuana is a topic of constant popularity on Twitter, we feel it would be beneficial, as well as entertaining, to create a once-a-week celebration of all things marijuana.

Just make sure to add “#MariMonday” to your twitter post every Monday you want to share something with your fellow marijuana-supporting tweeps! Even Jack Herer is doing it!

What kinds of things should I share on #MariMonday?

Several ideas that would make great #MariMonday contributions:

1. Wish all of your followers a #MariMonday!
   After a nice weekend of relaxing, it is all too common for someone to come down with a case of the Mondays. So why not do your part to cheer them up by wishing them a #MariMonday?
2. Share a personal marijuana story.
   Remember that time you and your friends definitively proved that Jif® brand peanut butter was better than Skippy®? How about the time when you and your buddies found that perfect hiding spot to get away from the world and unwind? Share them!
   *For those of you thinking, “No good story is less than 140 characters!” My first suggestion is to learn haiku. My second, probably more realistic suggestion is to use a service like TinyPaste.com to write your story easily and anonymously for sharing on #MariMonday! Just type your text, click “submit”, and you will get a shortened URL to whatever you typed.
3. Share your personal or most favorite marijuana-inspired art/artist.
   Marijuana has touched numerous artists throughout history. Why not share your favorite(s) with your followers?
   *While there are many image hosts, I suggest imgur.com for its simplicity and reliability.
4. Share marijuana facts & resource links.
   Why not spend your #MariMonday informing others about various marijuana facts. There are thousands of marijuana facts to choose from (ranging from various trivia-based marijuana facts, to interesting knowledge about what products can be made from marijuana and hemp).
5. Share marijuana quotes.
   Have a favorite quote regarding marijuana? There are thousands to choose from!
6. Share your favorite music.
   Have that one “special song” that really speaks to you? Share it on #MariMonday!
7. Re-share things people share!
   See something on #MariMonday you like? Don’t forget to re-tweet it for all of your followers!
8. You tell me!
   Have an idea? Tweet @SMtF

Simply put: if it has to do with the positive celebration of marijuana, share it with us all!

I know I am going to have a #MariMonday, how about you?