CANNAINVESTOR Magazine February / March 2017 | Page 84

So what can we do?

One Utopian solution is simple. And education is the key.

Most marijuana possession arrests target young men of color with minimal access to education and/or professional opportunities.

Now, imagine if we invested into people instead of imprisoning them for profit.

A White House Executive Report discloses,

men of color could earn as much as $170 billion more

per year for the GDP - if the education gap in America is equalized.

Statistically, we are literally restricting black men back from creating a better country and economy for all of us.

The same executive report reveals the cost advantages of investing in education over incarceration:

- 1 year of incarceration = $100,000

- 1 year of tuition, housing, and expenses at a top university = $50,000

- 1 year of a professional mentoring program = $1,000

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