California wants pot to save the economy

[Huntingdonhavoc]

Apparently California's heading further down the path of despair.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/2009031...08599188495600

"A few days after he introduced the bill, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that states should be able to make their own rules on medical marijuana and that federal raids on pot dispensaries in California would cease"

California was one of the first states in the nation to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Currently, $200 million in medical marijuana sales are subject to sales tax. If passed, the Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act (AB 390) would give California control of pot in a manner similar to alcohol, while prohibiting its purchase to citizens under age 21. (The bill has been referred to the California State Assembly's Public Safety and Health Committees; Ammiano says it could take up to a year before it comes to a vote for passage.) State revenues would be derived from a $50 per ounce levy on retail sales of marijuana and sales taxes. By adopting the law, California could become a model for other states. As Ammiano put it: "How California goes, the country goes."

Take away the 2nd amendment yet legalize marijuana use for anyone over 21? That's change I could do without personally.

[ChamberedRound]

Take away the 2nd amendment yet legalize marijuana use for anyone over 21? That's change I could do without personally.

IMHO the government shouldn't be telling people what they can and can't smoke, drink, or otherwise put in their bodies. I don't want to smoke it, but neither I nor the government should tell anyone they're not allowed either.

[xXWildPonyXx]

not only does california need to do it but the rest of the states should do it also. not even for the money but just the fact that they shouldnt be able to tell me if i can and cannot smoke. alchohol is a far worse substance but you can go to so many places and get it pretty much all day.

[dman]

Our country's economy was founded on tobacco,alchohol,and cotton !More people have died from alchohol than any other substance out there.There is much money to be made on pot,and why not ? I'd rather deal with 250 lbs.
pot heads any day vs drunken fools !

[Pa. Patriot]

Apparently California's heading further down the path of despair. .

CA may indeed be headed down the road to depair, due to socialism, but IMO not as a result of this....

I believe this is one move in the right direction for a change as the "war on some drugs" has caused way more despair than freedom and liberty.

[knight0334]

Our country's economy was founded on tobacco,alchohol,and cotton !More people have died from alchohol than any other substance out there.There is much money to be made on pot,and why not ? I'd rather deal with 250 lbs.
pot heads any day vs druncken fools !

Amen to that..

[LittleRedToyota]

Take away the 2nd amendment yet legalize marijuana use for anyone over 21? That's change I could do without personally.

taking away the 2nd is obviously bad.

however, restoring the 4th, 5th, 9th, and 10th, is actually a good thing, imho.

[ungawa]

Any money the government of California gets will be spent to make the government larger and their problems worse.

[Perkascene]

Well, the war on drugs is extremely expensive. It's more money we don't have. Booze is way worse than pot. Plus, the illegal drug trade would really suffer a blow if marijuana was legal. It would pull the rug right of from under them.

I don't use marijuana myself, but we really ought to just legalize the shit already.

[ungawa]

Plus, the illegal drug trade would really suffer a blow if marijuana was legal. It would pull the rug right of from under them.

Yeah, the criminals and drug cartels will have to go out and get honest jobs. Just like the Mafia did after Prohibition ended. After being reasonably decent businessmen (as far as that goes for criminals) whose only fights were with the police they had the rug pulled out from under them. And moved to racketeering, extortion, murder, protection, prostitution, drugs, unions, political corruption, everything illegal except for booze, thank goodness.

Not saying I have a problem with decriminalization, either way, just that it won't solve all the problems so simply as many say.