Cycles

Another example of a virtuous cycle would be legalizing and taxing cannabis at standard VAT. This would raise an estimated revenue of 150 million Euros each year, more than enough to provide a state-of-the art, free-at-point-of-use mental health service.

That means people would be able to access treatment for any mental health issue virtually instantaneously without having to go through their GP. When people are able to access treatment, problems don't snowball; in fact, most mental health issues are easily treated. People aren't pushed to try to cope on their own, which could lead to substance abuse, family breakdown, job absenteeism or job loss and other issues.

These negative effects of not being able to access treatment often come at a high cost: emotionally, but also financially. When people are able to access help straight away, they are less likely to suffer any of these other consequences, and thus more able to lead a full and productive life. That means less burden on other social services (unemployment, jails, physical health costs, etc.), while productivity also goes up. That generates more revenue through savings and increased tax revenue, which can be ploughed into better public services in other areas.

A further example of the virtuous cycle is optimizing transportation.

If we had a quick and cheap public transportation service, people would be able to change their job more flexibly, spend more time with their families, and access public services and private businesses over a wider area.

That in turn would mean that having to change jobs would not be as traumatic (people might be able to leave a job they hate or that they are unsuited for, because they know they can easily travel to a new workplace); plus people would have more time to care for their children. In addition, people would be able to access facilities and shops more easily.

That could especially help older people and people who cannot access a vehicle of their own to live independently. It also means there is less need to replicate social services, as it would be easier for people to access services further away. Furthermore, children are more likely to excel when their caregivers have the time and energy to nurture them and step in to help them when they need it. Even having an extra half hour every day (a savings of just fifteen minutes on each leg of a commute) can have a big impact in the quality of care one can give to children and other family members. That can prevent any small problems (and everyone has small problems) from becoming major ones.

When people have time to deal with little issues or the freedom to leave their job for another one or the ability to take up other employment that may be further from their home, that translates into savings and, ultimately, a reduced burden on the public system. Those savings can be translated into improved public services or tax reductions, and the cycle starts again.