Brian M.

Putzy
Guerilla Thinker
715.220.3148 | Email: putzy@wharton.upenn.edu Education The University of Pennsylvania - Bachelors of Science in Economics
Coursework: Economics, Nutrition, Sociology, Global Studies & Urban Studies

The Wharton School of Business - Marketing Concentration CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, MARKETING RESEARCH, MARKETING STRATEGY, STRATEGIC BRAND MGMT, PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISNG *w/ extensive coursework in:
Real Estate, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Management & Legal Studies

The University of California at Los Angeles

Coursework: Eco Urbanism, Globalization

Lead America at Fordham University

Venture Capital Business Plan Finalist

New York, NY River Falls, WI

River Falls High School

Graduated from River Falls High School in June 2007 with High Honors. Valedictorian Honor Roll recipient 2003-2007 AP Scholar Varsity Tennis Captain + Class Representative Letter of Accommodation for Excellence

*Future Business Leaders of America Conference Champion Work Click Model Management New York & Los Angeles

Corporate America Going Green

Legal Studies & Ethics The Wharton School of Business

By: Brian Putzy 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or more commonly referred to as THC is the psychoactive chemical compound soccer moms are smoking up to in their Chrysler Town & Countrys as we speak. Professors, doctors, scientist and even law enforcement officers use it. The United Nations estimates that roughly four percent of the worlds population (or roughly 162 million people at the time of the study) use marijuana annuallyi. Marijuana is no longer an an alleyway hallucinogen reserved for the criminal underworld, but rather a product that has become a staple in the homes of millions. Although illegal, marijuana has quickly become the new cash crop of the twenty-first century. So the question becomes, when (some may argue if) marijuana is legalized, will it be unethical for corporations, most likely Big Tobacco, to mass distribute, market and profit from cannabis consumption? The government, those that believe corporate America should not profit from the distribution, marketing and/or sale of marijuana, typically defend their argument with the fact that marijuana is a drug, and because of this, it would be socially irresponsible to market and mass distribute this menace to the public. But this raises the question: why is marijuana bad? And why can American corporations profit from the sale of other drugs, such as alcohol, but not marijuana? In 2001, there were 331 reported deaths due to alcohol overdose alone, but 0 deaths associated to overdosing on marijuana.ii And when

the spectrum is broadened to include alcohol-induced deaths, the number jumps to an astonishing 20,687 deaths, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. And Marijuana? The CDC has no reports of marijuanainduced deaths.iii The reason for this statistic is that marijuana is among the least toxic of all drugs. The most toxic recreational drugs, such as GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and heroin, have a lethal dose less than 10 times their typical effective dose. The largest cluster of substances has a lethal dose that is 10 to 20 times the effective dose: These include cocaine, MDMA

(methylenedioxymethamphetamine, often called "ecstasy") and alcohol.iv To overdose on marijuana, it is estimated that an individual would have to consumer over a thousand times the average individual dosage, but again, as no deaths have ever been attributed to a marijuana overdose, this number is purely an estimate. The American Medical Association has taken an increased interest in marijuana and its research, recently asking 4

the federal government to downgrade marijuana from a class one drug (with peers such as heroin and PCP) to something less substantial, citing appropriate research. The United Kingdoms Science and Technology Select Committee did a study of twenty different legal and illegal stimulants in order to better clarify the nations drug classification system. Not only did this study find alcohol to be among the most harmful drugs, but it also classified marijuana as a Class C, or the lowest classification awarded during the study. Therefore, the argument presented by the government, that corporate America shouldnt be allowed to manufacture, distribute advertise or sell cannabis is fundamentally skewed in that marijuana is a relatively harmless drug with mild societal impact as well as the notion that corporate America has been and will continue to profit from the sale of alcohol; a far more detrimental drug than marijuana. Economics is the study of supply and demand. In terms of capitalism, it is defined as creating the most utility possible for those participating in this ideal.

An action is right from an ethical point of view if and only if the sum total of utilities produced by that act is greater than the sum of the total of utilities produced by any other act the agent could have performed in its place. Given this definition, if smoking marijuana increases the utility of many people with very limited negative externalities to others, marijuana should, under the utilitarian principle not only be legalized but also mass produced and marketed by corporate America. This

utility maximizing product should be made readily available to the public. Some would even argue that it is corporate Americas responsibility to change the way in which people receive THC, taking it from a sketchy backalley transaction to a reputable medicinal purchase, such as purchasing Advil for a headache, as the overall benefit to society is far superior. Every year, hundreds of thousands of American citizens, 755,186 in 2003 alone, are arrested for marijuana related crimesv. Of this, 88% are arrested for minor possession costing American taxpayers over $1.2 billion annually for imprisonment alone. If the total cost to society is taken into consideration, estimates calculate the annual cost to the American taxpayers to be between $5 and $15 billion annuallyvi. Revisiting the traditional utilitarian approach, we perform a costbenefit analysis as to the validity of the ban on marijuana. With millions of people admitting to using marijuana, present company included as well as former presidents, it is unrealistic and far to expensive to police and punish these offenders for consuming a product far less dangerous than other legal offerings, mass manufactured in America today. Taxpayers are being forced to bear the burden of

unnecessary enforcement capital; I, as a tax -paying American citizen ask myself why? In spite of its illegal classification, marijuana has grown to be a $36 billion industry.vii Tax revenue from the legal sale of marijuana would be substantial. Not only would corporations pay corporate tax on profits, but consumers would also pay a sales tax for the substance. The cost to even momentarily stifle the growth of the marijuana industry would be far too expensive and the process much too inefficient, if even feasible. The benefits to legalization (tax revenue, stricter quality control and safety, overall increase in utility) far outweigh the costs of prohibition. From the firms perspective, if the negative connotation of marijuana is removed through its legalization, corporations could begin to supply consumers demand for marijuana. Milton Friedman, an American economist and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, believed that it is the social responsibility of business to increase profits. Given this belief, American corporations have the duty to their shareholders to profit from the legal sale and distribution of marijuana. In our current economic system, there is no time for morality. Morality is, in its essence, inefficient. It is not the responsibility of the government to define what is moral and immoral. It is a government of the people for the people. the political system that underlies the market mechanism is unanimity. In an ideal free market resting on private property, no individual can coerce any other, all cooperation is voluntarythere are no values, no social responsibilities in any sense other than the shared values and responsibilities of individuals In other words, governments cannot determine morality and what is deemed as right. It is the individuals making decisions independently of one another, but collectively combined, that create a set of values that society lives by. In the case of marijuana, 7

millions have acted independently of one another, but, collectively, have established that the smoking marijuana is indeed a moral pursuit. And because the consumers have demonstrated a demand, it is corporate Americas duty to both its shareholders as well is consumers to manufacture and sell marijuana. In the United States, Marijuana is the fourth largest cash crop. In a discussion of morality, it would be immoral to allow criminals and underground rings to control and profit from the sale of marijuana rather than American business interests. America was founded on the freedom of choice. Who says I cant get stoned..turn off the lights and the telephoneme and my house alonewho says I cant get stoned?viii Our economy exists on the basis of fulfilling consumers wants and needs, while, in the process, creating the greatest amount of utility for society as a whole. The people have spoken. Chances are many people reading thisis have children, maybe even a daughter. And chances are during her teenage years your daughter will almost inevitably try marijuana. So let me leave you with the question I initially posed but worded in a more realistic context: Would you as a parent rather have your

daughter buying marijuana from a convicted felon in the back alley of the slums or would you rather have her casually stroll into CVS with her girlfriends, buy some Marlboro Greens, and safely return to her dorm room with the girls to watch a love movie? Think about it-Weed isnt immoral. The prohibition of weed is immoral. Usage BEFORE COLLEGE

Science Behind Marijuana: https://twitter.com/#!/HempNews & .Edu

History/Culture by SHOWTIME

&

10

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2006) (PDF). Cannabis: Why We Should Care.. 1. S.l.: United Nations. 14. ISBN 9-2114-8214-3. http://www.unodc.org/pdf/WDR_2006/wdr2006_chap2_biggest_market.pdf. ii U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm iii http://bbsnews.net/bw2005-02-01.html iv http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/53/ v http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=2878 vi http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=2878 vii "Marijuana Called Top U.S. Cash Crop". 2008 ABCNews Internet Ventures. http://abcnews.go.com/business/story?id=2735017&page=1. viii Artist: John Mayer. Song: Who Says. Album: Battle Studies. C. 2009.