It's often said that California leads the nation. If the saying is true, then soon there could be more states considering recreational marijuana use. And as more people light up, these cash-strapped states would generate revenue from sales taxes on cannabis.
Californians head to the polls this November to consider the legalization of pot and, by extension, whether the state and local governments should receive income by taxing it.
The typical argument for legalization: pot is harmless, tax money spent on fighting it can be used better elsewhere, taxing sales of pot can generate money for needed social programs.
The standard claims against legalization: pot is not harmless and will increase public healthcare costs, pot is a 'gateway' to hard drugs, it fosters criminal activity.
While both sides have merit, when emotion is stripped from the debate, it becomes a simple economic issue. Watch as marijuana advocates and law enforcement spar over the "costs and revs" of legalization:
Watch the full program on FORA.tv.
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After imprisoning millions of innocent people for many years, this desperate tactic wouldn't surprise me one bit!
http://www.miller-mccune.com/business-economics/marijuana-dark-horse-savior-of-california-agriculture-11863/
It should be legal and its a shame cigarettes are legal, far worse with there 600 chemicals, than pot. Another thing, cigarettes and alcohol are legal and yet kill a ridiculous amount of people each and every day, marijuana does not.
The way I see it, we can have a beer when we get off work right? Why not a blunt? Legalize the plant!!!!
Hopefully Californians will be prepared for the "October Surprise" that the prohibitionists will pull out of the hat as November approaches. They will no doubt try some late-breaking scare tactics and continue to ignore the harm caused by putting our young people in prison, the loss of tax revenue, the waste of tax money, the huge cost of enforcement, and all of the other evils of prohibition.
Parents, let’s watch out for the "October Surprise" and let’s stop putting our own kids in jail!
Citzens of California can register to vote at w w w . sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm Just complete the online form and mail it to the address on the form.
-Milton Friedman on ending marijuana prohibition
The sanity of legalization of recreational and medicinal Cannabis, and Industrial Hemp (IH), may be too much for those interests to allow, or the brainwashed to support (in most of those cases a light rinse would be more than sufficient) including our cowardly co-opted representatives. We must fight and lobby for, the right to possess and grow cannabis for personal adult recreational/medicinal use, and to legalize IH to help save our economy.
Our economy could create hundreds of new enterprises and hundreds of thousands of new jobs by legalizing IH, too bad our prez doesn’t have the vision or stones.
Work to end the madness!
http://www.njweedman.com/100,000.html
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/20-marijuana-arrests-set-new-record/
How's that from a GOPer? I cant believe i agree with the hippies here.
Let me ask this...Did the person that gave you your first drink make you an alcoholic?"...didn't think so
1. Many potential cannabis users are already using it. The legal status of cannabis has only a minor effect on usage rates.
2. To the extent that more people use cannabis because it is legal, they will tend to SUBSTITUTE it for alcohol rather than combine its use with alcohol. Since cannabis is relatively safer than alcohol, this will result in a net decrease in social cost.
Reference: Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, Mason Tvert (2009), "Marijuana Is Safer So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?"