Pot will save California

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Skyman
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Pot will save California

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Dragonkin
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Post by Dragonkin »

Despite not using myself, I've been extolling the virtues of legal marijuana for years. I've friends who've been tokers for years, and they remain law-abiding (in all other respects), productive members of society. I say (as I always do), legalize it, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it! Bye-bye deficit. Throw prostitution into the mix as well, and hello, surplus!

The logic is simple. You have dealer A, who's unregulated, but cheaper. Dealer B costs more, but sells regulated product which has a guaranteed quality. I think more people will opt for the safer, guaranteed buzz.
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ekomega
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Post by ekomega »

It sounds like win-win for CA. You get all these new taxes, and you also save money on jails and courts and police. It's great.

But once the drug becomes legal, the price will fall through the floor. And then all that tax money will be gone.

Besides that, it will only encourage and further the torture and exploitation of the poor producers of the drug in their home countries, which is not great.

So I doubt this will save CA. But it might be nice anyway!
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Digital_Boy
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Post by Digital_Boy »


[quote="ekomega"]It sounds like win-win for CA. You get all these new taxes, and you also save money on jails and courts and police. It's great.



But once the drug becomes legal, the price will fall through the floor. And then all that tax money will be gone.



Besides that, it will only encourage and further the torture and exploitation of the poor producers of the drug in their home countries, which is not great.



So I doubt this will save CA. But it might be nice anyway![/quote]




On the contrary, most of the pot sold in the dispensaries, i.e. the high quality strains, are grown in either California, Canada or elsewhere within the US.



Once it becomes legal, there'd be little need to buy from outside the US as the incentive for domestic growers to either start up, or greatly expand their existing operations would eliminate the need for lower quality foreign grown pot. Inherent in any legalization bill would be an amnesty clause for pre-existing growers who don't otherwise have violent felonies on their records.

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Drew
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Post by Drew »


[quote="ekomega"]It sounds like win-win for CA. You get all these new taxes, and you also save money on jails and courts and police. It's great.



But once the drug becomes legal, the price will fall through the floor. And then all that tax money will be gone.



Besides that, it will only encourage and further the torture and exploitation of the poor producers of the drug in their home countries, which is not great.



So I doubt this will save CA. But it might be nice anyway![/quote]


It's taxed by weight not cost so the taxes will theoretically go up if the quality decreases since that would lead to an increase in quantity sold. So one ounce of killer bud will be taxed the same as one ounce of schwag. And you need two ounces of schwag to get the same effect as one ounce of really good bud.



:mrgreen:

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mrlost
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Post by mrlost »

Although I support legalization. I doubt that this particular initiative will fair any better than the previous attempts to legalize M.J.

Especially with the Obama administration conducting the War on Drugs as business pretty much as usual, until he gets this economy straightened out. Yeah, yeah so what if the new drug czar position isn't cabinet level. The fact he even appointed one when the War on Drugs has been in desperate need of a policy change for at least two decades is proof enough that he doesn't consider a change in foolish ineffective tactics to be a priority, first hundred days be damned.

In a era when the EU and the UN are reconsidering their stances on zero tolerance drug policy: recognizing that perhaps criminalization isn't the best answer when dealing with recreational and highly addictive drugs. Even with popular support from the marijuana users, Green party types, I expect the same Anti drug lobby to harsh the vibe as it were.

The new BS coming from the gub-inator by which I mean Prop 1A, B, C, D etc etc. seems to want to solve current budget problems through optimism in the government stimulus package, extending republican favored tax cuts, cutting social programs, and changing how the lottery works so that education doesn't receive funds from it anymore. Basically it seems to attach a bunch of garbage to a few interesting reforms, including a budget cap/budget reserve that the state used to have until it was written out of the law as I understand it but then I haven't read the analysis yet so I may have missed something awesome.

The rhetoric hasn't changed. Its the same BS that they've been spouting for decades. Reefer madness not withstanding.
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Post by Drew »


[quote="mrlost"]


Especially with the Obama administration conducting the War on Drugs as business pretty much as usual.[/quote]


Actually, the Obama administration has already said they are going to give states more freedom in regards to medical marijuana and one of the names on the short list to be Obama's drug czar has a strong record of not prioritizing marijuana busts.

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Post by JALU3 »

Although I don't support legalization of Marijuana, I wouldn't be actively against it either. Medical usage as a controlled substance I can see ... which is the current legal status, as far as I am aware of now.

The problem with the States Budget deficit is not about not enough things being taxed, the tax rate being to low or to hi, but is about the State Government spending well beyond its means, and funding programs that are due to mandates that well above and beyond what they should be. For instance the actual budget of the state for the most recent year that was passed by the State Legislature and signed by the Governor, is larger then the previously passed year, even though expected income is expected to decrease.
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