MarijuanaEconomy II

The last time I went on my economic rant, I was using vague polls by USA Today addressing how many people in the United States admitted to using marijuana. But patients, farmers, patient share co-ops, and the movement in general has progressed since then.

The Taylor/McQueen (or McQueen / Taylor as Brandon likes to call it, haha!) locker system is now a model that other facilities are already following. And I hope to work together with other cannabis providers. Particularly those that have taken the time to invent a responsible and proffessional system that can be proven to be legal, and better yet, somehow find a way to benefit more than just themselves. We NEED to be helpful to the community, and the State as a whole. We need to PROVE that we are not a nuisance, but a BOON to Michigan in this, or any economy.

This is much easier to prove now. The numbers will be much more accurate, and they will grow. According to potfinder.com, a medical marijauana link site that Compassionate Apothecary is featured in this weekend, there are 52 so-called "dispensaries" in the State of Michigan. Thats less that one per county.

Now, I have no idea if any of these other places have managed to get it together enough to get an LLC together, and file with the Dept. of Treasury to pay taxes to the State of Michigan. But... I DO know that we at Compassionate Apothecary have managed to help patients, their farmers, AND send the State of Michigan a $3500 check for ONE MONTH of sales tax. ONE MONTH!

Lets say that these other 52 facilites in Michgan were able to get some system together capable of producing the same... or for that matter, if the Taylor/McQueen locker system became the standard. HYPOTHETICALLY! Relax! Lets just say for the sake of argument that all of these 52 facilites were set up with the locker system Brandon and I invented, and they all payed taxes. Maybe they wouldnt all do quite as well as we did last month, lets say that, on average, a $3000 check is provided to the State of Michigan each month.

That sales tax alone on 52 facilites would be equal to $156,000. Yes, thats right... each month $156,000, or approximately $1, 872, 000. 00 per year for the State of Michigan. For roads, for schools, for law enforcement or drug prevention education. These funds could be used for ANYTHING. 1.8 million a year.

But that doesnt include the fact that under the McQueen / Taylor locker system, the farmers make almost 80% of the money. If tax at 6% = $3,000, that would mean that particular facility GROSSED 50,000 from that months service and administration fee's.

C.A. survives off of a service fee from this 50k gross, the majority of which goes to Michigan citizen farmers. These farmers then SPEND that money in the local economy, and pay Michigan sales tax again. Thats another $50,000 each month potentially being pumped into the local community at the supermarket, the ABC Warehouse, the mortgage payments, a new Lansing built car... long story short, this is EXACTLY what we need to get this economy moving again!!! People with some extra dollars, and the security to SPEND those dollars.

So if we ever lived in a world where 52 CA's, or 52 facilites similar to a CA existed in Michigan, that would mean, each month, each of these 52 facilites would produce $3000 directly to the State, and some $50,000 into the local economy.
Now lets multiply that $50,000 by 52 (the number of 'similar' faclities in Michigan) and we come up with $2,600,000.
That's 2.6 million per month, so if we multiply by the number of months in a year (12 x 2.6mil) that is now $31,200,000 per year.
Thirty One Million Two Hundered Thousand dollars per year.

Each year, some several hundered farmers could pump THIRTY ONE MILLION DOLLARS into the local economy, while the markets themselves would produce ONE MILLION EIGHT HUNDERED THOUSAND in taxes. Thats an extra 33 million floating around out there! EACH YEAR!!!

And that doesnt even count the number of wage jobs and small salaries this new sector of the economy that we free and peaceful citizens have built could produce. Jobs that could help loosen up the labor market a bit. Jobs for people like electricians, and construction workers who help Independent Farmers. We at C.A. have 4 people hired on, and that number could easily grow. But if there are 52 similar facilites, and each has 4 wage workers, thats 208 wage jobs, and one 104 small salaries like mine and Brandon's.

Thats 312 jobs that Michigan NEEDS right now. Not jobs that got moved from somewhere else, but jobs that were created... POOF! Like magic.

We didnt ask for any taxpayer dollars in order to put this together. We did EXACTLY what American citizens should do... we used our whit, our ingenuity, our sweat equity, and our private property to Pursue Happiness. We have used our ability to co-operate and solve problems, and we have CREATED this new and valuable sector of the economy.

Im not just talking about CA, im talking about everyone in this movement in general. We together have been creating an entirely new job and revenue producing sector of the economy that supports small family farming, cottage industry, and we have done it ALL on our own. Although we at CA have asked for input at every step in the process, we have drained not one dime from the taxpayers of Michigan in order to create a system that DOES pump revenue INTO the State. We have every reason to be somewhat proud of this accomplishment! It is in no way shameful to come through the type of economic innovation that makes America the greatest nation on earth, hopefully far into the future.
And it is exactly this kind of law... a law that allows the individual private citizen to participate, and help the State, if they are willing to take on that challenge... that we need more of.

So here is where we are at a year later...

POTENTIALLY 1.8 million (per year) for the State in sales tax. And potentially 31 million more (per year) in the pockets of peaceful Michigan Independent Farmer/citizens waiting to be spent, and get this economy moving again. 312 wage and salary jobs. All at ZERO cost to the taxpayer.

Or is the cost zero? Each time someone attempts to stand in the way of this natural and intelligent progression of Liberty, and the economy, it DOES cost money. Each time a peaceful farmer is harrassed, or a beneficial facility like CA is acted against, the taxpayer DOES foot the bill for this!
Such actions require that a salaried agent for the State or local community is working, doing research, paying assistants, paper costs, time and energy... all at the TAXPAYERS expense... all to slow down something that stands to benefit our State immensely.

Does anyone right now really want their tax dollars spent to PREVENT the raising of tax revenues (hopefully wisely spent revenue), and helping the economy of Michigan?

We know that the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal use has been taking place for thousands of years. We know that it has positive therepeutic effects. We also know that this is not going to stop, whether it is legal, or whether it is not legal.

So which is more valuable here? Spending taxpayer dollars needlessly to fight something which continues only because it DOES have some inherent value and a place in society, and actually helps some ailing patients? (And either way, will never be extinguished)

Or does it make more sense to harness the power of this medicinal herb no more powerful than valerian root, and create potentially 312 jobs, 1.8 million in sales tax revenue, and puts another 31.2 million per year into Michigan's economy, and food in Independent Farmer's childrens mouths?

You tell me.

M C Taylor