Emily Polson
Dr. Bajah
ECON 290: Political Economy
25 September 2021
Week 6 Blogpost:
Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side of Medical Marijuana Legalization?
In this milestone of public choice analysis on NC’s medical marijuana bill, we looked at special rules that affect policy, influence exerted by interested parties, and unintended consequences the policy might have.
RULES
All standard rules of legislative procedure in the North Carolina General Assembly apply to this bill. As it stands right now, SB 711 needs to clear the Rules and Operations Committee before it is subject to a vote on the Senate floor (SB 711, 2021). Interestingly, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, Sen. Rabon, currently serves as the Rules and Operations Committee Chairman. That position makes him one of the most powerful men in the Senate, second only to the President Pro Tempore. Since he has put forth the bill, it is nearly impossible it will fail in his committee.
INFLUENCE OF INTERESTED PARTIES
Some people have shared their stories with legislators to garner support for the bill. During a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting related to SB 711, military veterans and friends of people who died from cancer testified about the benefits of medical marijuana to treat PTSD and pain related to cancer treatment (Leslie, Baker, & Burns, Veterans, 2021, para. 5).
Marijuana producers that currently operate in other states have also engaged in lobbying activities related to SB 711. The organization “North Carolina Families for Medical Cannabis” identifies itself as “a coalition of families, veterans, physicians, and other medical professionals who believe safe, regulated access to medical cannabis is critical for the wellbeing and quality of life of NC patients suffering from debilitating medical conditions” (NC Families, 2021, para. 1).. Seven medical cannabis companies recently acknowledged that they formed the group (Leslie, DesArmo, & Burns, Marijuana isn't only, 2021).
Finally, Senator Rabon is especially passionate about this bill because he knows what it is like to endure painful cancer treatment. He battled colon cancer 20 years ago and says he has seen many people around him suffer over the years. He believes that medical marijuana will improve quality of life for people in pain: “In my opinion, it will not keep you on earth a day longer, but every day you’re here is a better day” (The Assembly, 2021).
Potential Unintended Consequences
1. Some have suggested that legalizing medical marijuana could have the positive unintended effect of reducing the amount of opioid addiction and overdose. Dr. Julie Manly has suggested that when marijuana is available as a treatment for pain, doctors will prescribe fewer opioids; if fewer people take opioids, the rate of addiction should fall (Leslie, Baker, & Burns, Veterans, 2021, para. 11).
2. Others have argued the exact opposite: that marijuana will become a gateway drug and addiction rates will increase (Schaeffer, 2021).
3. It is likely that some people will abuse the system to gain access to marijuana for non-medical reasons.
4. Opening this legal market would increase the general circulation of this substance, which would likely increase social acceptance of marijuana use. Greater social comfortability with marijuana brings the state closer to full legalization of marijuana.
5. This policy creates a new opportunity for rent-seeking behavior as cannabis producers apply for a limited number of licenses.
6. Support for or opposition to SB 711 could affect a representative’s chances of re-election.
References
The Assembly. (2021). Medical marijuana's conservative champion. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from
https://www.theassemblync.com/short-form/medical-marijuanas-conservative-champion/
Leslie, L., Baker, K., & Burns, M. (2021, June 23). Veterans, others plead with NC lawmakers to legalize
medical marijuana. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.wral.com/veterans-others-plead-
with-nc-lawmakers-to-legalize-medical-marijuana/19739709/
Leslie, L., DesArmo, L., & Burns, M. (2021, July 19). Marijuana isn't only Green involved in push to legalize
medical cannabis in NC. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.wral.com/marijuana-isn-t-
only-green-involved-in-push-to-legalize-medical-cannabis-in-nc/19779493/
NC families for medical cannabis. (2021, August 24). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from
https://ncfamiliesformedicalcannabis.com/
SB 711 (2021-2022 session) - North Carolina General Assembly. (n.d.). Retrieved September 02, 2021, from
https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2021/SB711
Schaeffer, Katherine. “6 Facts about Americans and Marijuana.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research
Center, August 23, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/26/facts-about-marijuana/.
Hi Mr. Berry,
Your question, "Is marijuana money greener when it's bought in the streets or given with prescriptions?," got me thinking. The fact is that as long as marijuana is a controlled substance, a black market will exist to sell it. Those black market dealers have every reason to say the money is greenest right now. Currently, they don't face competition from legal vendors, limited supply makes their product valuable, and they do not pay taxes on the money they make from illegal activity. However, I would push back against their argument to keep the status quo because society as a whole sees more positive economic impacts if the state opens a legal market for medical marijuana. I would say that the economic benefits of legalized marijuana that you mentioned apply even if the substance is only produced and sold for medical use.
Despite the strong points you made above, I am not ready to see full marijuana legalization in my home state. The main reason is because the long term impact of marijuana legalization are still not well understood (Zvonarev, et. al., 2019). Articles like this from Zvonarev, et. al. point out concerning trends taking place in states that have fully legalized marijuana. Because there is still a lack of clarity on where these trends are going, I like the idea of North Carolina waiting it out to see the consequences of full legalization in other states before it makes any changes beyond legalization for medical use.
Very respectfully,
your fellow non-weed user,
Emily
References
Zvonarev, V., Fatuki, T. A., & Tregubenko, P. (2019). The Public Health Concerns of Marijuana Legalization: An Overview of Current Trends. Cureus, 11(9), e5806. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.5806