California takes first step to legalizing/taxing pot

[PromoTheRobot]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/comments_b...uana-legal.html

 

I've read that the bill passed committee and will be voted upon in the legislature. It would make pot legal and available for retail sale in California. The state was the leader in the medical marijuana movement. Could this be the first domino in the decriminalization and legalization of weed nationwide?

 

PTR

[DrDawkinstein]

yes its the first domino, although the real first domino was Oakland (the Amsterdam of America). LA is going to be the lab rat that the rest of the country watches. If weed is legalized in CA and LA doesnt implode on itself, watch Colorado and other states follow closely behind.

 

keep your fingers crossed and your lighters ready!!

[Cugalabanza]

It's funny how people's tight-ass morals can be bent when they see a financial angle. Anyway, it's about time. Hopefully the rest of the country will follow close behind. At the very least, decriminalization. Or, if you still want to bust people, make it a $50 fine, mail it in and that's it. Stop clogging up the jails and justice system with this dumb crap.

 

(And I don't even smoke pot.)

[Dante]

It's funny how people's tight-ass morals can be bent when they see a financial angle. Anyway, it's about time. Hopefully the rest of the country will follow close behind. At the very least, decriminalization. Or, if you still want to bust people, make it a $50 fine, mail it in and that's it. Stop clogging up the jails and justice system with this dumb crap.

 

(And I don't even smoke pot.)

Like you I don't smoke but it should be legal.

[Wooderson]

I smoke pot but will be stopping my use soon because of future career obligations. Even so, it's a big step and I look forward to seeing what results.

[Fan in San Diego]

Wait a minute dude, my bong went out.

[ajzepp]

It's funny how people's tight-ass morals can be bent when they see a financial angle. Anyway, it's about time. Hopefully the rest of the country will follow close behind. At the very least, decriminalization. Or, if you still want to bust people, make it a $50 fine, mail it in and that's it. Stop clogging up the jails and justice system with this dumb crap.

 

(And I don't even smoke pot.)

 

Agreed

[Pete]

LEGALIZE IT

DON'T CRITICIZE IT

LEGALIZE IT YEA-AH YEA-AH

AND I WILL ADVERTIZE IT

 

SOME CALL IT TAMJEE

SOME CALL IT THE WEED

SOME CALL IT MARIJUANA

SOME OF THEM CALL IT GANJA

NEVER MIND, GOT TO...

 

SINGERS SMOKE IT

AND PLAYERS OF INSTRUMENT, TOO

LEGALIZE IT, YEA-AH YEA-AH

THAT'S THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO

 

DOCTORS SMOKE IT

NURSES SMOKE IT

JUDGES SMOKE IT

EVEN LAWYER, TOO

SO YOU'VE GOT TO...

(CHORUS)

 

IT'S GOOD FOR THE FLU

GOOD FOR ASTHMA

GOOD FOR TUBERCULOSIS

EVEN NUMARA THROMBOSIS

 

BIRDS EAT IT

ANTS LOVE IT

FOWLS EAT IT

GOATS LOVE TO PLAY WITH IT

[DrDawkinstein]

LEGALIZE IT...

 

is that screen name short for -r Tosh?

[Chef Jim]

I'm torn on this. First off if it becomes legal I will use it occassionally only because I enjoyed it many years ago. What I don't like is every dope smoking, lazy assed loser from every other state is going to want to move here to smoke weed all day. We don't need those folks out here we have plenty already. And what I really hate is they are thinking of legalizing it for the tax revenue. The first thing out of people's mouth is legalize it and tax it. Why tax it? Why not sell it and tack on a sales tax like everything else. But no, there will be sales tax plus bong cleaning tax, rolling paper removal tax, roach pick up tax, munchie tax (I think we have that one already), get your lazy ass off the couch tax, etc etc. I hate government.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

NJ approved medical mariju-ha-ha, I think.

[billsfan89]

I hope so. It makes no sense to me why you can sell and advertise the sale of alcohol but you can't smoke a joint. I don't smoke pot anymore but if you look at it alcohol is just as bad if not worse for your health then pot. It always seemed kind of arbitrary for pot to be illegal.

 

Its also a matter of tax payer money. I don't want police man hours and court room time being used to prosecute people selling and smoking pot. Also you factor in the money being lost by not taxing the sale of it. It also takes the money away from organized crime. As I said its not a matter of me wanting to smoke pot but it just seems like we have accepted alcohol as part of our legal vices so why not pot?

[billsfan89]

I'm torn on this. First off if it becomes legal I will use it occassionally only because I enjoyed it many years ago. What I don't like is every dope smoking, lazy assed loser from every other state is going to want to move here to smoke weed all day. We don't need those folks out here we have plenty already. And what I really hate is they are thinking of legalizing it for the tax revenue. The first thing out of people's mouth is legalize it and tax it. Why tax it? Why not sell it and tack on a sales tax like everything else. But no, there will be sales tax plus bong cleaning tax, rolling paper removal tax, roach pick up tax, munchie tax (I think we have that one already), get your lazy ass off the couch tax, etc etc. I hate government.

 

Whenever I say tax it I generally think of putting a sales tax on it. I think a double sales tax on pot (Reason being its a vice tax) is the best idea it generates a ton of revenue and creates a brand new economy.

 

And I don't think that stoners will flock to California if its legal out there. Most stoners aren't motivated to do much and why would they want to pay more for pot?

[Chef Jim]

Whenever I say tax it I generally think of putting a sales tax on it. I think a double sales tax on pot (Reason being its a vice tax) is the best idea it generates a ton of revenue and creates a brand new economy.

 

And I don't think that stoners will flock to California if its legal out there. Most stoners aren't motivated to do much and why would they want to pay more for pot?

 

Trust me, they are not talking about sales tax. Right now they are talking about increasing the tax on cigarettes from $.87 to anywhere from $1.50-$2.10 per pack. This is just a brilliant strategy. At some point they are going to price cigarettes right out of the market and then where will that revenue come from. Oh there'll be a sales tax plus several other taxes attached to marijuana.

[Wacka]

Haven't touched the stuff for 20+ years. The idiot doing it is Tom Ammiano, a raging old queen, who was the DA in SF and is now in the Assembly. He stopped arresting prostitutes in SF, and the crime went up. Just doing it for the tax $. He talked about the >$1 B it would bring in. That wouldn't stop the illegal growing because it would still be cheaper to get it illegally. There are problems with people taking vacant houses and businesses and jerry-rigging electric to the building. These cause fires. One happened in the nice suburb in the next town over. Recently an Oakland city employee noticed a new electrical hookup to a closed down fortune cookie factory in Oakland. They found hundreds of plants. The city said the hookup could have electrocuted someone walking by on the street (it was from an underground vault). In the hills, the pot growers are growing stuff very near hiking trails. They have armed guards and sometimes booby traps. The cops even got shot at while raiding one patch (they shot the illegal alien dead).

 

Hey you potheads, we don't need even more problems here.

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

I smoke pot but will be stopping my use soon because of future career obligations. Even so, it's a big step and I look forward to seeing what results.

 

Sorry 'bout it!

[billsfan89]

Haven't touched the stuff for 20+ years. The idiot doing it is Tom Ammiano, a raging old queen, who was the DA in SF and is now in the Assembly. He stopped arresting prostitutes in SF, and the crime went up. Just doing it for the tax $. He talked about the >$1 B it would bring in. That wouldn't stop the illegal growing because it would still be cheaper to get it illegally. There are problems with people taking vacant houses and businesses and jerry-rigging electric to the building. These cause fires. One happened in the nice suburb in the next town over. Recently an Oakland city employee noticed a new electrical hookup to a closed down fortune cookie factory in Oakland. They found hundreds of plants. The city said the hookup could have electrocuted someone walking by on the street (it was from an underground vault). In the hills, the pot growers are growing stuff very near hiking trails. They have armed guards and sometimes booby traps. The cops even got shot at while raiding one patch (they shot the illegal alien dead).

 

Hey you potheads, we don't need even more problems here.

 

I think the idea is that you are getting safely grown and regulated pot legally from your local 7-11 (Or wherever they would sell it) is going to be a much more appealing idea even if it costs a little extra. Sure you will still have some who will want to buy pot illegally but the amount of illegal pot being grown would go down seeing the market for it would go down.

 

I think if the whole state made it legal the market place would be flooded with pot that is potent (Seeing as you can grow it openly) and legally available. Sure it would cost more but the convince and safety of legal pot alone makes the juice worth the squeeze for most.

 

I don't know the actual situation but from a hypothetical perspective it seems like it would at least be somewhat effective to just legalize it and go after those who sell harder drugs or other more violent crimes.

[billsfan89]

Trust me, they are not talking about sales tax. Right now they are talking about increasing the tax on cigarettes from $.87 to anywhere from $1.50-$2.10 per pack. This is just a brilliant strategy. At some point they are going to price cigarettes right out of the market and then where will that revenue come from. Oh there'll be a sales tax plus several other taxes attached to marijuana.

 

Also the tax on gas is over a dollar a gallon (Sometimes closer to 2 dollars a gallon in certain states) and alcohol is pretty steep as well. Now I think that if Pot gets legalized what is now considered a nickel bag (aka 5 dollars of pot) on the illegal market is going to cost closer to 10 dollars with taxes and such if legalized.

[BuffaloBill]

I'm torn on this. First off if it becomes legal I will use it occassionally only because I enjoyed it many years ago. What I don't like is every dope smoking, lazy assed loser from every other state is going to want to move here to smoke weed all day. We don't need those folks out here we have plenty already. And what I really hate is they are thinking of legalizing it for the tax revenue. The first thing out of people's mouth is legalize it and tax it. Why tax it? Why not sell it and tack on a sales tax like everything else. But no, there will be sales tax plus bong cleaning tax, rolling paper removal tax, roach pick up tax, munchie tax (I think we have that one already), get your lazy ass off the couch tax, etc etc. I hate government.

 

A libertarian are you?

 

Anyway, when you think of the crime that drugs create not only in this country but others (Mexico is nearly in a state of war over drug traffic) the U.S. has to take a different approach to the situation.