Small Town Colorado versus Small Town Texas: The Benefits of Weed and Health Care
Yes, it is like comparing apples and oranges. So let me get a little bit more specific. I am comparing small towns in west Texas with small towns in southern Colorado (the "poor" part of the state). Both are semi arid, flat terrained. The towns themselves appear to be about the same age. Their old downtowns have buidings from the same era. Both have economies that rely heaviy upon agriculture and the cattle industry.
After travelling through both in the space of a week, here is my conclusion:
Any state that does not legalize marijuana and accept the Medicaid expansion is loco. The legal weed is easy. Every town has a dispensary (or dispensaries). Every town is full of tourists who chose Colorado over a whole bunch of other western states, because of the legal weed. And by every town I mean cities as large as Denver all the way down to the tiniest little local market town. Eateries are full. People who smoke get the muchies. Hotels and motels are full. Small town store fronts are full. Compare this to the typical small town in Texas in which the old main street is boarded up, the only reliable businesses the Quickee Marts on the highways that cater to the folks driving through. The weed tourists are NOT all young kids with no money. Marijuana is a draw for Baby Boomers, middle aged couples who have lots of money to spend. Folks who know how to have a good time without raising (too much) hell.
And now an aside. Weed does nothing for me. However, legalized marijuana has attracted a crowd of tourists with whom I feel very comfortable. Everyone, native or visitor is so friendly, whether they are high or not. The people are more free spirited. They smile more easily. They do not go out of their way to cut your off in traffic. They hold the doors. The vibe is a lot like Amsterdam, one of the friendliest places I have ever visited.
Now, I realize that in a few years, Colorado will have to compete with other states to be the Amsterdam of the US. However, they are getting a head start on everyone else. Once you get the tourists used to visiting your state, they keep coming. Once you use tourism to finance more attractions for tourists---better restaurants, more parks, more public art----the tourists keep coming. And tourism is easy money that benefits the local economy without spoiling the local environment or creating an eyesore. On the contrary, in Denver, all the businesses are putting up public art. My favorite----the line of grates in the sidewalk along Curtis street across from Sam's 3. When you step on them, they make the sounds of cows, pigs, chickens, yodellers. Awesome, whether you are high or not (I was not). And fun for the whole family.
Now, about the Medicaid expansion. I saw bright, shiny new medical and dental clinics---in small towns! Remember that health care infrastructure spending is second only to education spending in the benefits it provides to the local economy. Health care spending pays for lots of jobs and it results in a healthier work force.
I did see a lot of disabled folks, especially in Denver, who may have been attracted to the state because they can get their medical marijuana without fear of harassment. But, since the state expanded Medicaid, these folks are insured. They can get all the health care they need, not just the THC. They are not a drain on the economy, because they are insured. When they get sick, the local hospital does not have to write off their care. The local homeowners do not have to pay more in taxes to keep up county hospitals so that the private hospitals will not go under. The small towns are not losing their hospitals...
Compare to Texas, which along with Georgia and other states, said "No" to the Medicaid expansion. Note that so called Red States never say "No" to free federal money. Had the cash been intended for a military base or more roads or even a bunch of bridges to nowhere, the Red State governors would have been holding out their hands saying "Gimme!" But because this was health care---Obama Care---most of them decided that their low income workers would rather die than be beholden to the federal government.
Small towns in Texas are losing their access to health care. Emergency rooms and hospitals are closing. Doctors do not move in. If a doc wants to work in a small town, he or she will go to one of the states that expanded Medicaid. That way the doc gets paid. A real no brainer. Texas is now training family doctors who are fleeing the state after they graduate from their residency programs. And lack of access to primary care is one of the major health problems facing the country right now.
What happens to Texas, when all its new trained FPs end up in Colorado or New Mexico? Its rural health care infrastructure falls apart. What business is going to relocate to a small town in Texas that has no doctors or hospitals? None. Even if the company does not care abnout its workers, its managers and executives want a place to get treated if they get sick.
So, if you are a small town in Texas, and you are sick of watching the cars speed through without stopping, maybe you should get on down to Austin and start lobbying. Legal weed and the Medicaid expansion can be your road to financial health, too. Even if you do not attract the tourists, your residents will be healthier (because they will have insurance and a place to use it) and you will cut down on the amount of tax money that goes to pay For Profit prisons to house low risk marijuana users.
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