Monday, March 9, 2009

Is Weed The Answer ?

Can a one dollar tax on each joint be the answer to California's problems?
Fox News reports that three more people were found decapitated in California border city Tijuana.
But this is nothing new.
Some reports say that the legalization of Cannabis would create a 1-2.5 billion dollar windfall for the state in the form of increased tax revenue.
The same report estimates a savings on law enforcement of more than 156 million dollars.
The positive economic impact on the state would be 8-13 billion dollars.
And now, the most newsworthy threat to Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa is seen in the form of Pro-Pot advocate Craig X Rubin.
http://www.send2press.com/newswire/2009-01-0116-002.shtml

So with breadlines forming at community outreach centers in parts of California - can the legalization of weed be the answer to slowing California's problems with crime, violence and money?
Or will this be seen as hypocritical to Afghan drug lords? (Causing more problems in the Middle-East?)
And would Big-Pharma, Big-Tobacco and the alcoholic beverage companies be pinched out of the lucrative self-medication industry?
Maybe it's time to invest in the NEW California Gold Rush.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Weed is not the answer, people will still rob stores for that joint, and they get hi also. you will have more robberies of innocent, because of the demand. A thief is a thief, and a killer is a killer regardless of the law.

I Bullet am sorry

RiPPa said...

Well, considering that Cali has pretty much has had a freeze on taxes since way back when, it might not be a good idea.

Actually, it might be a good idea to decriminalize marijuana throughout this country. Just like tobacco and other inelastic goods, the incidence of taxation will fall heavier on the consumers.

Mo money, mo money, mo money!!!

Anonymous said...

Weed is the answer for the people who want to remove the stigma off of it like your closet weed smokers. Its the same as stealing MP3 off the internet once Apple told you they were a buck each. But for the entrepreneur we can still download music free and we'll grow our own weed.

So while it's a revenue boost how can they control it. No one really knows how to make tobacco leaves but we already mastered weed and now we can market the chronic. Be on the lookout for those crazy MFers from the Bay area who are straight scientists about this increasing the THC and creating the hybrids.

So overall it might make money but it also might create a definite unregulated black market and thus a sue able offense. If you can sue someone from giving you bad weed how do you prosecute. You open up a can of worms making it legal because right now the whole industry is home grown.

DPizz said...

Spark-up the spleef mon!

Rippa makes a good point on taxes. If they would revise that sacrosanct Prop 13 bulllllshit (which Warren Buffet suggested when Arnold was running and then he quickly disappeared from the Gov's economic advisors), they might be in a better position with respect to taxes. This ludicrous tax proposition has me paying 2 times the amount of taxes than my Dad pays on his house that is 4 times the value of my house. Quite unfair, in my opinion.

But whether or not I can get my smoke from CVS, I will still probably just call my boy Chris when I wants to get blunted.

uglyblackjohn said...

Actually, I think that it would just add another layer to the market. Much like the market for perscription drugs.
It would also be a way to keep drug offenders in jail (MoonWeeding would be illegal).
I can't jump on the decriminalization band wagon just yet.

RiPPa said...

LOL@MoonWeeding

Now that right there was hilarious.

I still think as with anything gov't regulated there will be a Black market.