California: Finally legalizing pot?

Dollars outweigh EVERYTHING, when it comes right down to it.

I actually heard a conservative economist admit that the healthcare reform bill absolutely WILL save lives, "but at what cost?" - his words, not mine. So when it comes to saving Iraqi lives from a monster like Saddam, no cost could possibly be too high; when it comes to saving American lives right here at home? Mehhh... Not that interested, it would seem.


As to pot - you know WHY it's a "gateway drug" (assuming it even is)? Because the drug dealer you get it from now also happens to be selling other illegal drugs as well, and he's in the sales business, just like your doctor is with his LEGAL drugs. Sell, sell, sell, then UPSELL, UPSELL, UPSELL!

So far as it's treated like booze - no going to work high, no toking and driving, no selling to kids, etc. - I don't see the downside. Legalize it tomorrow, and I for one won't be running out to buy it or smoke up. I just never liked the way it made me feel, but for those who do, more power to 'em. I know people who prefer pot and hate drinking, so who am I to say that I'm right and they're wrong?

I'd like to see California do it. And for all those here who say that the states should have the right to do what they want, and they should be the experimental labs for new ideas, this should be a no-brainer. Here's a chance to try a grand experiment on a grand scale. Let's see where it goes!




"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

I got no problem w/ pot being legalized.

I find it funny, how some on the Left are trying to tax cigarettes and cigars into oblivion, ( while bankrolling all manner of health care on it ) and yet the ACTUAL Liberals are staying true to their own and pushing this forward.




Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor


Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Quote:

---

Originally posted by AURaptor:

I got no problem w/ pot being legalized.

I find it funny, how some on the Left are trying to tax cigarettes and cigars into oblivion, ( while bankrolling all manner of health care on it ) and yet the ACTUAL Liberals are staying true to their own and pushing this forward.

---

Actually, I don't think they're trying to tax them "into oblivion" - they're trying to tax them as heavily as they can, because they're seen as a cash cow that can be used to pay for some of the damage they cause. Call it "pay-go" writ small. :)

And do you honestly really not think that anyone is planning on taxing pot if it's legalized? Think tobacco tax AND alcohol tax added together, and you're on the right track to imagining the pot tax.

That's entirely the point behind the idea of legalizing it. Actually, two points:

1) Remove it from the purview of law enforcement, take cops off the job of running down pot sellers and growers. That saves tax money and puts them doing things that are actually USEFUL to the community (supposing cops are actually interested in being useful to their communities, that is).

2) Tax the living shit out of if. Also, any establishments that serve or sell will have to have the pot equivalent of a liquor license, which means more fees paid to government.

So it's a win-win-win for government: save money on useless law enforcement, get cops back to doing what they should be doing in the first place (solving REAL crimes), and provide a lucrative new revenue stream for the state government.

Also, as an extra benefit, you also get a nice new cash crop for farmers to compete for - and I'm sure they'll need to be certified and/or licensed to do so.

Not trying to piss on anyone's parade here; just trying to point out some of the possible windfalls and advantages.

And I'm not suggesting there are no risks or disadvantages. I'm sure there are. But it would also stimulate the snack-food industry. ;)




"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence [sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Tobacco is legal, and yet it's vilified to the hilt, by all the very touchy / feely types who paint its very existence as Satan's own device.

And yet, these are the very same folks use tobacco, via its tax revenue, to control behavior ? Hell no, they claim tobacco use is anathema to humanity, yet they NEED it to fund - anything they say they need to. Quite the catch 22, is it not ?

And what of the 'gateway ' drug, Pot ? Sure, it'll be taxed, heavily, and I got no problem with that. But will we suffer the public service campaigns, the ads, the edgy, damn near defiant commercials with guys shouting through megaphones , calling out the tobacco execs.... for all manner of crimes against humanity....

Can we expect the same sort of treatment, when the 'evil weed' is legalized ?

One can hope not.....

This being, the era of Hope and Change, I mean.






Summer Glau can simply walk into Mordor


Bones: "Don't 'rawr' her!"
Booth: "What? she'rawred' me first."

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Tobacco is addicting and causes cancer, heart attacks, and emphysema, in ANY amount (even second-hand).

Alcohol, up to about 1 drink per day actually helps you live longer. More than that and the negatives outweigh the positives.

Pot? Good for chemo and pain. Not addicting and not cancer-causing, but doesn't help you live longer either AFAIK.

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Nah, doesn't make you live longer, obviously. Maybe makes part of that living more fun, but it's no better than alcohol or cigs, just NO WORSE.

I'm one of those, Mike; as a teenager, I couldn't handle booze--booze doesn't like me--but pot didn't bother me, and at parties, most people like to have SOME kind of "escapism". Been smoking it virtually daily since I was 17.

One thing not taken into consideration is that, given pot is a "psychological high", if you smoke it over a long enough time, it only takes one or two tokes to get high...your brain does the rest on its own. Also, tho' not physically addicting, it CAN be a psychological addiction. Tho' I'm not convinced that's a serious problem; I haven't been able to afford any for almost a year now (tho' I found a tiny stash in the freezer a few weeks ago, almost gone now...sigh). While I miss it, I don't think about it and don't "crave" it, so after all these years, you'd think I'd be psychologically addicted if anyone was!

It's always bugged me that alcohol is not only accepted but encouraged in this society, as cigs were,m while "evil weed" is blamed for everything under the sun.

Besides, the biggest drug problem in America today, bar none, is LEGAL prescription drugs; apparently kids are getting high/low/otherwise in huge numbers by raiding mom and dad's medicine cabinet. That's more preferable than pot? Who's kidding who!

Yes, I smoke "medicinal" marijuana, both for pain and because it mellows out my bipolarity in the evenings so I can sleep. But it's more expensive than on the street (which hasn't been the "street" for me, as I have a friend of 30 years in Arcata who supplied me until it was medicinally available). The thing is, to get medicinal, I have to pay about $150 annually for the "official okey-dokey" just to buy it legally, so there's even more funds for the state...given I can't afford that, I'm going back to my friend.

Dope is less harmful than tobacco, as the normal person only smokes a few tokes, while people (like myself) chain smoke cigs all day. I have no problem with the taxes on cigs, I figure it's my own fault for not being able to quit--tho' I do mind the increasing regulation against smoking ANYWHERE in CA, I admit.

But Sig, if used in quantity, it's as able to cause cancer as cigs, just FYI. Nobody does, but it's not good for you, I'll freely admit.

But I agree with Mike: Let the cops do their REAL job and tax the shit out of it. Sounds fair to me...


"I'm just right. Kinda like the sun rising in the east and the world being round...its not a need its just the way it is." The Delusional "Hero", 3/1/10

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME