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Should pot be legalized? Any other drugs? How high would you make the tax?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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69 comments:
LOL, "how high?"
Yes and the tax should be relative to cigarettes, so something like 75-100%.
Unfortunately, this is a moot argument because even if the Canadian government wants to, our neighbours to the south have a problem with it, so we wont.
Yeah, I lol'd too.
I'd legalize it just to keep cops from throwing people in jail over SMOKING MARIJUANA. Of all the things...!
Legalize it and tax it like cigs.
Legalize prostitution as well. People will do what they wanna do, so you might as well regulate it.
Yes. It's more natural and less chemically tampered with than tobacco or alcohol. I know there's a stigma attached to pot and often referred to as the gateway drug, but any real drug users will find drugs regardless of marijuana being legal or not. It's also a lot safer than alcohol. Tax it, regulate it, distribute it. Business owners and employers can still have the legal right to test for drug use and deny employment to anyone who fails a drug test. Unfortunately, there is a lot more money from keeping it illegal. And as one friend pointed out, it's too easy to grow so the government wouldn't be able to profit off of it if everyone grew it themselves which would most likely happen. Any other drug? Heck to the no.
Absolutely it should be. Do you think the cartels are lining up bodies at the border to prove a point about a possible fence being raised? Take the criminal element out.
Amen @discoflux. I was coming to say something similar.
Legalizing pot will save many souls from being murdered.
YES!! I'd gladly pay tax on pot.
Absolutely it should be legalized and taxed. The paper magnates of past eras were instrumental at getting it criminalized in the first place--they didn't want hemp to take its place! (see the likes of http://www.reefermadness.org/propaganda/essay.html )
Yes, legalize pot and tax it like booze or cigarettes. Put an age limit on it too, of course.
But first we need to ensure there is a valid method of testing drivers to see if they are currently too impaired to drive. THC stays in your bloodstream for about 30 days after you smoke it (generally) so we don't need to be pulled over and charged with DUI today for the bong hits we took last weekend.
And I believe it will happen in the next decade or so. The resulting tax revenues cannot be ignored.
I think it should be legalized, too. I think the use of any drug should be legal, but when it comes other drugs such as meth, the production and sale should be illegal. There also needs to be more respect for drug rehab and counseling services. These services are so horribly underfunded that they barely have a presence in most communities now.
I also think employers should always have the right to test, but they would need a different test for marijuana. The test wouldn't be about the use of marijuana in the past month, but about if a person was currently under its effects.
Absolutely, but it should be taxed at a rate lower than cigarettes. Weed doesn't have the same detrimental health effects as tobacco or alcohol.
Definitely should be legalized in FL. The money they waste on sending in a team to buts a guy with a two-leaf seedling is insane.
Should be legalized. But from what I understand there are detrimental health effects from weed - inhaling smoke doesn't do your lungs any good and with M. you tend to hold the smoke in a lot longer. Not sure of what chemicals are in weed versus cigs. And frankly, weed smells just as obnoxious. If it's legal, we'll be baking it into brownies or something. And tax at the same level as cigs, with the same age restrictions and strict penalties to any party that sells to the underaged.
for sure. i dunno, 10%? it's stupid that it's illegal for the public, but insane thast it is illegal for terminal patients. really? end of life care and they can't get some relief?
Count me as one of the supporters of legalization. We waste too much money with policing. It would also take out the growing on public land in Ca and other states by armed Mexican cartels. Much easier to get a couple of workers over the border to grow here than to transport pounds of pot into USA. Legalise it and tax it, same as cigs and alcohol!
YES. Absolutely. And tax it like cigarettes. Take away the power from the cartels & make room in prisons for actual criminals.
Yes & I agree with taxing it like cigarettes.
Of course it should be legalized. The savings in court proceedings and incarceration for pot-related offenses alone should run into the billions of dollars, if not even higher. As to taxing it, something along the lines of cigarette taxes might be appropriate.
Yes, I think it should be legal, and I don't even smoke the shit (well, unless I can't sleep, in which case, it HAS to be better for you than Zopiclone, you know?).
There was a woman here in Oklahoma who was convicted of selling $30 worth of pot. She got 12 years!
Yes, legalize it.
legalize the handful that are illegal an yes, tax them. How high of a tax, non lo so. However it would have to equal or be more profitable than what "they" (lawmakers) make off keeping them illegal (i.e. prison biz, etc).
Sigh. I guess legalize it for the tax purposes and all that.
Not a fan of pot or any drug. I'd rather see my kid drink a beer with his dad or a glass of wine with us at age 17 than smoke a bowl. But, that's just me. I've NEVER smoked a ciggie or weed in any form ever. Just not my bag.
your kid can score pot in 10mins at school....booze not so easy.
the guy at the liquor store will card your kid, the dealer won't. this is why it's important to legalize it.
Yes w/ the tax added.
Yes it should...........
If you want to fix the economy....YES
Or just plain old YES! ☻
Goverment cld make fortune off weed taxes. And by legalizing, u render smuggling and petty crime to buy weed null and void. Its like prohibition- it just doesnt work. U cannot legislate morality. And im for legalizing prostition too, altho i find it disgusting. Let adults do what they want.
Legalize it, tax the hell out of it, and treat it like cigarettes, complete w/age limits--if people can just go down to their local store and pick up a bag instead of dealing with scummy characters in bad neighborhoods, 99% of the population would be perfectly happy to do so. (The 99% of the smoking population, that is; I know plenty of people don't indulge at all.) Cut off the cartels' big source of income and see how fast they start withering away.
As for legalizing anything else...um, NO. Definitely increase the number of counseling and rehab facilities, and treat addiction as a public health issue rather than simply a legal one.
Legalize all drugs and tax and regulate them just like alcohol, cigarettes and prescription meds. People who want to use drugs are going to find a way to get them, so why not keep them out of the black market and make them safer and taxable. End the expensive, useless war on drugs, and perhaps the economy will turn around. The government has no business legislating morality, and victimless "crimes" will continue until the earth is engulfed by the sun whether or not they are criminalized.
Legalize it!
I've never had a friend die from smoking pot.
Can't say the same about alcohol.
Definitely legalize it. When are we going to figure out that prohibition DOES NOT WORK. Never has, never will. It simply creates the opportunity for criminal enterprise which in turn leads to gangs and violence. (no, it's not a straight line but there is certainly a high correlation that all started with the prohibition of alcohol - how did the gangsters in those days become do powerful? Oh yah, they made and sold alcohol. Do we not remember how that worked out? History is just repeated again and again, humans do not learn from the past mistakes of others. Sigh)
Sorry to rant, but I am studying criminology. Despite experts showing the government study after study proving that the amount of crime directly related to the illegality of these drugs (trafficking, gangs and related violence) vastly outweighs any crime resulting from people taking the drugs (in fact, marijuana use is NEGATIVELY correlated with criminal behavior) the US and Canadian governments both insist on continuing to fight the war on drugs with increased laws and jail sentences. The rest of the world is waking up to the fact that this is not working. Why aren't we? /rant
Yes, and the tax should be lower than the one on cigarettes and beer.
Marijuana should be legalized, regulated, and taxed, with discounts for people with medical needs.
All other drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed, with possession and influence outside the home completely illegal and punishable by fines, community service, and possible vehicle booting. Jail should be reserved for violent criminals and people who text while driving.
To your point, there are too many government jobs depending on the war on drugs; therefore, limited incentive to decriminalize. Also, big pharma would hate to compete with a "houseplant" that the individual could grow and consume to manage many basic aches and pains. Let's face it, this isn't about health or logic, it's about interrupting somebody's cash flow. Just saying.
Definitely legalize it.
Curious, do they tax medical marijuana in California?
I just heard an HR manager saying that they don't even test for THC when they random drug test employees anymore. They are way more concerned about their employees using alcohol and other controlled substances, they don't care about pot at all.
Laws against recreational drug use have long since proved an abject failure. They serve no purpose and achieve nothing, and their consequences to the country have been catastrophic.
More than that, though, the whole concept is fundamentally un-American. We get to do things that are bad for us, including doing recreational drugs like nicotine and alcohol.
Taxes should be equivalent to cigarettes, but should concentrate on producers.
Do we want to spend tax dollars on it?
OR
Do we want to make tax dollars on it?
The answer seems so clear to me.
To quote the Bible: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (Genesis 1:29.) Herbalism (so to speak) and vegetarianism in the same passage.
Yes...legalize it!!
I too would happily pay tax on it! :)
I don't smoke it. Although I did seriously consider starting when I had auto-immune issues last year. The thing that stopped me is the fear of what else you may be getting when you buy from some random person off the street.
I definitely think it should be legal to grow and smoke your own plants. That would be the best way to fight the "war on drugs" Then resources could go to stopping the actual criminals who make the really harmful stuff, or the cartels who use young desperate girls as drug mules.
Although I would hope there could be some way to test for dui with pot. I've known many people who think it's perfectly ok to drive while high, and it's just not.
Absolutely. Making it legal would lessen the criminal element, and all the various governments could use the tax income. Tax it up there with cigarettes and liquor. There won't be any more pot smokers if it's legal, but they won't have to go to jail or lose jobs for partaking of such a pleasant habit.
While we're at it, let's legalize prostitution too. Make them register and have regular STD checks. Tax their incomes, eliminate the pimps and the danger of walking dark city streets.
As Peter Tosh said, legalize it!
Absolutely yes to pot and prostitution.
FS thank you for adding that those of us with medical needs shouldn't pay taxes. In addition, I'm so grateful MM is legal in WA, I know the stuff I'm getting is clean and vetted by pros.
I smoked lots of pot in my past, as did all my friends, it is NOT a gateway for "normals" ie no deep psych issues altho I did suffer from depression was highly functioning and successful in the world. Then I stopped completely, until everyone kept suggesting it for my MS. And yes it helps.
If you use a vaporize there is no effect on the lungs.
I agree with Feed Watcher. There is no "good" test for THC. A lab cannot tell if you are currently intoxicated or not. This is the main reason the Dean of Students at my medical school (who was also head of the ER) said he would give us a one month warning prior to the 'random' drug screens. So, tax it!
As for other drugs, the pharmacology professor who lectured on psychedelics believed everyone should do psilocybin and LSD. He actually told us how to prep for the perfect trip.
You can die from an too much water, too much oxygen, but you cannot overdose on marijuana.
I give a "Hell, NO" to legalization of cocaine. I've seen cocaine ruin the hearts of people who were too young to have heart failure. I have begged a 20-something to quit the crack pipe and clean up so I could even think of getting him a heart transplant. So sad.
Oooooooh yeah! Same taxes as cigarettes and alcohol! Sales taxes in states where applicable. I love Oregon!
Pot should be legalized. It is a natural plant that has been growing on this Earth for thousands of years. No one has ever overdosed and died from pot- it is impossible. Dying from doing something dumb when high, maybe, but not directly from marijuana itself.
The benefits of marijuana far outweigh any risks associated with it. Unlike alcohol, which will pickle your liver and other organs, cause physicial addiction and horrible withdrawal, marijuana does none of that. It soothes cancer patients' pain, as well as many other ailments.
This is not to say that everyone should toke up and then go for a drive- I think that just like with the far more dangerous alcohol, if someone is stupid enough to put the safety and lives of others at risk, they should face DUI consequences. I see no problem with responsible use in one's own home or other safe setting (obviously not around children, not at work, etc.)
The War on Drugs is not working, and if the government were to take advantage of pot legislation, regulation, and taxation, it would not only damper cartel activity (at least with pot, can't speak to coke and heroin on the matter) as well as generate tax revenue not only through taxation of the substance, but by reducing the number of people incarcerated for marijuana crimes that our tax dollars pay for. It would be an incredible boost to the economy, the medical industry, and I'm sure that its cultivation, manufacture, and distribution would also supply countless needed jobs to our economy.
LEGALIZE IT.
Oh, and just tax it like any other "sin" tax- cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, tanning, etc. With the notable exception of medicinally purposed marijuana- the ridiculous privatization of hospitals and pharmacies in the U.S. has already had a crippling effect on the affordability of medicine for many who need it- I've known people who have had to choose between the meds they need to survive and food, and it is a shame.
Yes, legalize it and it should be taxed for non medical use. I don't see the point in legalizing drugs that are actually linked with crime and violence such as meth, but we do need to treat drug use/possession as more of a health issue. It shouldn't be 20 years in jail because you did any type of drug.
I also think something like Tylenol 3 (tylenol w/ codeine) should be over the counter. I think it is in Canada or England, maybe both.
Yes legalize it and tax it like cigs.
Pot isn't the gateway drug, alcohol is.
Exactly!!
*like*
It is an open secret in the legalization community that, though we tout the potential tax revenue argument, the government will collect a relative pittance from trying to tax legal marijuana. It's just too easy to "bootleg".
You won't be smoking it either. Solved that problem long ago. Still can't fix the red-eyes thing or the residual buzz from THC stored in body fats.
@Little Miss--Yes, they've tried to tax medical MJ. It's a complicated issue, I won't try to explain it here.
Not only should pot be legalized, they should be using the hemp plant for all paper making (grows really fast and better quality), for clothing (stronger longer wearing than cotton)
http://www.informationdistillery.com/hemp.htm
Yes, legalize it. Not because I want more pot smoking. But because I want less profit for drug cartels, less gun violence between warring cartels, less toxic poisons or other drugs sold due to failed eradication or shady dealers making false product, less wasted tax dollars on enforcement and prison efforts that ultimately change nothing, etc. Then also regulate it with all the same limitations or more as smoking, and tax it plenty too.
Pot can cause health issues. Son of a family friend smoked pot, became schizophrenic, then killed himself. Read up on the Opium Wars. China almost didn't exist because they traded with England who brought them opium in exchange for spices etc. Do we want more people on drugs than we do now. Legalizing it will open up the option for those who stay away due to the legal ramifications. I am against legalizing more drugs.
"Son of a family friend smoked pot, became schizophrenic, then killed himself."
That is one of the most dumbass comments I have ever read about marijuana legalization. Utterly wrong in all respects. And I'm quite well-read in the Opium Wars, thank you very much.
Regardless of your own personal beliefs, religion, whatever, EVERYTHING between consenting adults should be legalized. Our Government should not be restricting freedom, they should be protecting it.
Regardless of your own personal beliefs, religion, whatever, EVERYTHING between consenting adults should be legalized. Our Government should not be restricting freedom, they should be protecting it.
Regardless of your own personal beliefs, religion, whatever, EVERYTHING between consenting adults should be legalized. Our Government should not be restricting freedom, they should be protecting it. We should have the freedom to do what we want and the knowledge to do the right thing. If we don't have that knowledge, take it upon yourselves to educate others on your beliefs and try to persuade otherwise. Making it illegal for everyone is not the answer. Remember as soon as you wish something illegal for others based on your own principles, the same can be done to you based on mine.
Uh, sorry to hear that a friend's son became schizophrenic, but I highly doubt there is a correllation between that and marijuana.
And opium and marijuana are two entirely different things. The Opium Wars has little, if anything, to do with marijuana.
The only reason marijuana was ever made illegal in the first place was due to tobacco lobbyists and religious propganda- two things that have no place in politics or medicine.
yeah I wanna smoke weed but I don't wanna pay tax.
B profane, no need to be rude when commenting, and there have been studies that show detrimental effects of long-term pot use. I mentioned opium because if we legalize pot we open the door for other drugs, and the opium wars are an example of how badly that could turn out.
feraltart, I happen to have known Dr. Tod Mikuriya, one the leading cannabis researches until his death. He confirmed to me what Grinspoon has stated many times, and many other legitimate medical researchers have stated: the relatively few "studies" of marijuana use that purported to show proof of harm were mostly fraudulent. There is a minor issue with residual levels of THC in the bloodstream of heavy users due to cannabinoids being stored in body fats. That's it.
The fraudulent studies were concocted by law enforcement agencies to bolster their funding requests for drug enforcement, and to gull people like you. Fine, now you know better.
Yes. No. As high as cigarettes.
1. Yes.
2. Same as cigarettes.
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