Stoners!

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

without having drugs illegal, our government would make no money.

sure they could. drug dealers would just work at "coffee shops" and such. some for the hardcore user such as lsd and heroin and the much like coffee shops sell marijuana and mushrooms. they have employees so just tax them and the products. I am sure scientist could make some of the best man made drugs ever and distribute them to dealers throughout. I mean what makes a drug different than any other product? it just messes you up.

All the talk of the government cant make money off of drug distribution without arresting people who deal is absurd. Think about it logically, if they really wanted to make it legal they could easily mass distribute any and every drug known to man.

Or am i stupid and it really is impossible to take hidden dealers and/or non dealers and employ them in shops that the gov. tax and distribute the drugs to?

edit: i believe AMSTERDAM makes money off of it.... most drugs are tolerated.

 

[Lingerfelt 10+ year member]

The government wont pass it unless they figure out a good plan to make money off it. Why do you think tobacco and alcohol are legal?
It pisses me off when I see a beer advertisement but at the bottom it says Drink Responsibly so I guess that makes it okay, then I see a Live Above The Influence commercial where some high guy runs a girl over on her bike.

Give me a break, it's such a joke. Over 600,000 people die A YEAR from tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs, ALL LEGAL. Combine marijuana, crack, heroin, LSD, Meth, any other drug you can think of and they don't even approach the number of those 3 legal drugs.

Maybe our gov. will come to some sense, doubt it tho.

Playing devil's advocate here, everyone has a MUCH easier time finding alchol or tobacco.

Drugs are not as simple as walking to the store and buying some.

And contrary to what people say, I know for a fact EVERY big time drug user I've known has been unable to find what they want, at some point.

 

[Donks 10+ year member]

this makes hella since because here in ohio they dont give a fukk if you got weed their looking for Coke....my dude just got caught yesterday with a Qaurter Pound of Killer and all they did was write him a ticket and gave him a court date.....lol

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

The government wont pass it unless they figure out a good plan to make money off it. Why do you think tobacco and alcohol are legal?
It pisses me off when I see a beer advertisement but at the bottom it says Drink Responsibly so I guess that makes it okay, then I see a Live Above The Influence commercial where some high guy runs a girl over on her bike.

Give me a break, it's such a joke. Over 600,000 people die A YEAR from tobacco, alcohol and prescription drugs, ALL LEGAL. Combine marijuana, crack, heroin, LSD, Meth, any other drug you can think of and they don't even approach the number of those 3 legal drugs.

Maybe our gov. will come to some sense, doubt it tho.

Do people honestly think there isn't a way for money to be made on marijuana? I bet all those grow houses in California aren't making any money at all. Well, they may not be, but it's probably only because of current regulations and them fighting against getting busted by the higher government powers.

If it's really soooooo easy to grow marijuana, then why doesn't everyone already? That's right, most people buy it from someone else. You make it legal, people start buying it from the low cost producer. Who's going to be the low cost producer? The people who grow it on farms. In this case, they aren't going to be able to move that much product without it being noticed. It WILL be taxed just like everything else if it becomes legalized. You can rest assured of that.

 

[thehardknoxlife 10+ year member]

It's not about making marijuana legal. It's about de-criminalizing the possession of it. You'll still be fined for possession(depending on your states law against marijuana). It will just be a misdemeanor and a ticket instead of a felony and jail time.

 

[Lingerfelt 10+ year member]

In this case, you aren't going to be able to move that much product without it being noticed.

True, but it eliminates the threat of the guy who buys an ounce a week, gets busted, and then gets a more lenient sentence for bringing down the dealer.

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

Anybody know where to find the full wording of the legislation?

 

[ThomasG 5,000+ posts]

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Legalize It.

Category: News and Politics

Money Spent on the War On Drugs this Year Federal $5,970,286,656

State$5,970,286,656

Total$15,134,676,673

As of 04/17/08 6:00 P.M

Mountain Time. (U.S and Canada)

The U.S. federal government spent over $19 billion dollars in 2003 on the War on Drugs, at a rate of about $600 per second. The budget has since been increased by over a billion dollars.

Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy

..tr>..table>

_____________________

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 18 Apr 2008 at 12:13:07 AM GMT is:

..tr>..table>

U.S National Debt

$ 9 , 4 0 2 , 4 4 5 , 8 2 7 , 2 5 9 . 7 6

The estimated population of the United States is 303,827,653

so each citizen's share of this debt is $30,946.64.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of

$1.58 billion per day since September 29, 2006!

Scary isn't it?

____________________________________________________

Cost of keeping marijuana illegal =

* cost of active law enforcement +

* cost of prosecution (and defense!) of accused offenders +

* cost of incarceration of convicted offenders +

* hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue that would be generated if drugs were legal and taxed +

* cost of foster care and social services for children of incarcerated offenders +

A report released today by a marijuana public-policy analyst contends the market value of pot produced in the United States exceeds $35 billion — far more than the crop value of such staples as corn, soybeans and hay.

-Eric Baley, Los Angeles times.

After all this information you can choose to stay in your ignorant little bubble, or you can wake up to reality. Your choice.

Police arrested an estimated 829,625 persons for cannabis violations in 2006, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 738,915 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

Do people honestly think there isn't a way for money to be made on marijuana? I bet all those grow houses in California aren't making any money at all. Well, they may not be, but it's probably only because of current regulations and them fighting against getting busted by the higher government powers.
If it's really soooooo easy to grow marijuana, then why doesn't everyone already? That's right, most people buy it from someone else. You make it legal, people start buying it from the low cost producer. Who's going to be the low cost producer? The people who grow it on farms. In this case, you aren't going to be able to move that much product without it being noticed. It WILL be taxed just like everything else if it becomes legalized. You can rest assured of that.

my question is this: how many of us care if it's illegal or not, really. i mean other than the principle of being free. drug dealers maybe, but the regular smoker, not so much. i smoke at home usually at night. 1 ounce of weed for me, by myself, lasts a long time. don't get me wrong, i think it should be legal, but it would be a minor miracle for the cops to get you as long as you follow the responsible pot head rules. and even if they do, in most states it's just a ticket.

 

[kballa422 10+ year member]

Playing devil's advocate here, everyone has a MUCH easier time finding alchol or tobacco.
Drugs are not as simple as walking to the store and buying some.

And contrary to what people say, I know for a fact EVERY big time drug user I've known has been unable to find what they want, at some point.

Well they have a much easier time finding it cause it's legal, lol.

I've never done any of the drugs I mentioned other than smoke weed. I've never put a cigarette to my mouth, but I have no problem hittin the bong every now and then.

I don't think they should be just completely legalized. There should be some regulation. If you want to grow your own marijuana, you should have to get a lisence to, take some classes, get educated, if you want to do it still, that is your right and you could pay for the lisence. Obviously driving stoned would still be a crime, it should be up to your work place if they allow marijuana usage or not. Things of the such.

Instead of throwing people in jail for being a "criminal" maybe set up treatment facilities, just a thought.

You would've thought we would have learned after trying to prohibit alcohol, that only led to the highest homocidal rates the nation had seen at the time along with the uprising of the mafia. Funny the two highest rates of homocide in America have been during the Prohibition and the War on Drugs.

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

True, but it eliminates the threat of the guy who buys an ounce a week, gets busted, and then gets a more lenient sentence for bringing down the dealer.

I think the government will be an lenient or staunch as it aims to be in a case like this.

Take taxes as they are this very moment. Doesn't matter if someone is avoiding a couple hundred in taxes or millions, the IRS will nail you to the wall no matter what when they find out you're not paying them. It's just a matter of them being able to catch you.

 

[kballa422 10+ year member]

Do people honestly think there isn't a way for money to be made on marijuana? I bet all those grow houses in California aren't making any money at all. Well, they may not be, but it's probably only because of current regulations and them fighting against getting busted by the higher government powers.
If it's really soooooo easy to grow marijuana, then why doesn't everyone already? That's right, most people buy it from someone else. You make it legal, people start buying it from the low cost producer. Who's going to be the low cost producer? The people who grow it on farms. In this case, they aren't going to be able to move that much product without it being noticed. It WILL be taxed just like everything else if it becomes legalized. You can rest assured of that.

I think they could make money off of it, I had to debate on the legalization of drugs in class and I had a whole system planned out, I honestly don't know why the gov wont legalize it. I guess it might put a lot of people out of jobs if drugs became legalize, but they could at least legalize weed and keep the other one's legal, it would be a start.

 

[Liquid Bass 10+ year member]

if this gets passed im gona start smoking it.

 

[kballa422 10+ year member]

Police arrested an estimated 829,625 persons for cannabis violations in 2006, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 738,915 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.

Funny we are "the land of the free" and we are THE NUMBER ONE INCARCERATED COUNTRTY IN THE WORLD PER CAPITA.

And you're right, most of the people in jail are there for NON VIOLENT CRIMES.

 

[ThomasG 5,000+ posts]

Playing devil's advocate here, everyone has a MUCH easier time finding alchol or tobacco.
Drugs are not as simple as walking to the store and buying some.

And contrary to what people say, I know for a fact EVERY big time drug user I've known has been unable to find what they want, at some point.

Yes it is. Well at least marijuana is in most places.