Marijuana
What do we all think of marijuana getting legalized in Colorado and Washington? Will it help the economy? Will they tax it? Will the use of marijuana decrease because it is legalized? I think legalizing marijuana will help increase revenue for the state, but the amount of use will decrease because it is now legalized. I think many people do it just because they are breaking the law.
posted by Anonymous @ 5:24 PM
10 Comments:
I strongly disagree with that last statement. I really do not think that is the major or common purpose for people who smoke weed. I think younger generations tend to give it a bad name, or give off this impression of it being like a party drug or something, when really, there is quite a lot of health benefits that come from the plant itself, perhaps not necessarily smoking it, but that can even help with anxiety issues sometimes. There's also a lot of research out there on it's effects on pain and cancer patients. I'm not sure how I feel about it being legalized recreationally and I think because it now is in Colorado, there should be strict regulations on it. Otherwise I feel like many people may think they can just go off and grow and sell there own weed.
There are also many drugs that help with anxiety and health issues other than marijuana. But, don't you think for some of the younger generation, that it won't be such a thrill for them to smoke it since it is legalized? I may be completely wrong, but that is just what I have gathered. What are your thoughts?
Well if republicans stay consistent than they should be allowed to grow and sell their own weed. That would be a true free market. I hope they tax and regulate the crap out of it, turn it into another tobacco.
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I agree... Tobacco is legal and taxed like crazy. The tobacco industry is hovering about 35 billion in revenue. According to the CDC in 2008 tobacco companies spent 10.5 billion dollars just on marketing. Granted the effects are different and I'm not for legalizing marijuana i just believe that if it were to be legalized that the reason would be taxation and creating another revenue stream for the government. That being said i think that the usage will increase, mainly because the previous deterrence (the law) is now gone and people are free to do what they want. I believe that even though this drug is legalized, that they will switch to a different drug mainly because of the illegal factor. I think they will find another drug and that over time marijuana will be sold just like cigarettes. Ending the drug war and creating another revenue stream are both great reasons for doing legalizing...
I agree that it should be legalized but with quite strict regulations; like you can only possess a small amount at a time, and can only legally purchase it from a store or something, and strict purity standards, and maybe driving restrictions. I think that it is ridiculous that people get such harsh punishments for simple possession of marijuana. Legalization will end a small part of the war on drugs, like Dave said. It will also help lessen the amount of people in our prisons.
To my knowledge, when Portugal decriminalized all drugs (not just marijuana), usage for marijuana slightly increased (and all other drugs slightly decreased). I totally support the legalization of marijuana and I'm proud of the citizens of Colorado and Washington for doing so. It's a flower with plenty of industrial and medicinal merit that has no business being illegal in the first place. Not to mention that the prohibition has been, by almost any measure, a complete failure. All the current policy does is turn otherwise normal citizens into criminals, and help fund unregulated drug dealers and cartels.
I also disagree that people use marijuana just because it is illegal. While this is a motivation for some, many people use it for medicinal uses or just for fun. To put it simply, people smoke weed because they find it fun, not just to be a rebel.
I am personally extremely grateful that these two states have taken initiative and pushed forward, despite other groups trying to keep us in the past. The days of Marijuana prohibition are over, and we have seen worse and worse results every year that we have kept this substance illegal. If anything had been learned from alcohol prohibition, it would be that it simply is not plausible and ineffective.
Marijuana itself has been the center of debate for the last century, and only now are we taking steps to legalize a formerly legal substance. However I do not think that the recreational use of Marijuana should be the center of the issue. All plants of the Cannabis family have been outlawed as well. Hemp, an incredible natural gift, is outlawed as well.
Some say the criminalization of Marijuana began with the paper industry. Hemp is an incredibly fast growing, strong, and useful plant that has been grown and utilized in North America since the first colonists crossed the Atlantic. When hemp became a competitor for the paper market, it was outlawed through using "Mexican Marihuana" as the poster child for it's ill effects. These "ill effects" were often racist and outlandish, citing that blacks were the primary users and that if kept legal, white women would began to fall for black Americans. Seeing that all this happened around the turn of the century, it is no secret as to why it was made illegal.
I am grateful that the wasteful spending of taxpayer money will finally be coming to an end. With less money wasted, and an increase in revenues for the state, legalization will only prove to be a positive for these states, and what I believe to be, the country as a whole.
I've also read the Colorado amendment and the regulations are almost exactly like alcohol. No driving while impaired, you can grow your own plants, it will be taxed and regulated for sale. Alcohol regulation encompasses all of these. One of the best things to come out of legalization will be the fact that the first 30 million dollars in revenue will be put to the Colorado Public Schools system.
Overall I believe pretty strongly in this (as you can tell) and have a lot more to say. I doubt this will even get read, but at least it's out there.
Don't worry Parker I read it! I like the fact that the first $30 million will be spent in the educations system. I'm also glad to find they are regulating it just like alcohol! These states will be bringing in so much more revenue just on this one amendment. SMART.
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