The following story is written in first person, but this disclaimer is being placed: It is written in first person because the author feels that the perspective gives more relatability to this argument on behalf of students, but the first person is meant to embody students’ possible opinions rather than specific personal experiences of the author.They say that smoking weed can give you ideas for great inventions or theories, by making your imagination more active and wild. You know what, some people are high so much of the time that this rarely happens to them anymore. The only thing they get out of their smoke these days is just routine relaxation and euphoria, an improved immune system, better sleep, more active senses, and a more enjoyable life. Asyndetic and monotonous, this is the stereotypical life of a stoner. But back to my point, I rarely get the wild ideas anymore when I smoke. It’s been years since I invented a new type of knife that’s mounted with a flashlight, or discovered evidence that our government is trying to fuck us over as hard as possible. Except the other day.I was routinely listing the benefits of partaking in the glorious smoking of cannabis to a friend who isn’t a true believer yet, and a completely new one popped into my mind. Granted, in my sober days, I participated in the widely known and accepted pastime of reading. Something from days gone past fluttered into my brain, and it flew straight out of my mouth. Economics. A long word. One of those you throw around like synecdoche and onomatopoeia and photosynthesis and tetrahydrocannabinol and pneumonoultramicroscopic silicovolcanoconiosis. I was doing some reading, and found out quite a dazzling fact indeed. The state of Colorado, since legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use, has earned enough through taxes that they are financially capable of returning money to local taxpayers. The government is, in essence, able to pay its citizens back money that they can then use to legally purchase weed. It’s been a year and a half since the legalization of marijuana went into effect in Colorado. According to data collected by the Colorado Department of Revenue, business has become ridiculously profitable. The state of Colorado collected US$9.7 million in taxes related to cannabis in June 2015 alone, which is $5 million more than June 2014. Colorado has accumulated a total of over US$100 million in marijuana-related taxes since legalization. The money is so significant in fact, that revenue from weed sales has been used to improve the state’s public schooling system, giving back to the people. Legalization not only helps those who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes, it helps maintain the price and quality of the product, and takes stigma away from an emerging economic, medical and agricultural powerhouse-product, but also generates enough revenue to improve the lives of the local people in the tax bracket. And now there’s evidence.“The people who were smoking marijuana before legalization still are. Now, they’re paying taxes,” Gov. John Hickenlooper told USA Today in February.I love visiting developed countries. I love breathing in the freedoms we’re supposed to have, the dreams we’re supposed to believe, and all the distractions from the dull, numb feeling of the government taking all our money 24/7/365. But come on officer, give me my pot back. I need it. Take your money and f*** off. This article was written by Paddy Jow. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Arshaun Darabnia