Pro-marijuana TV ads push legalizing and taxing pot as California budget fix

This image taken from a television commercial and provided Wednesday, July 8, 2009, by the Marijuana Policy Project shows Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks, Calif.

[Glasnos]

the only sane policy left is to legalize pot and drugs. It would be nice if we could prevent drug use, but we can't ... and it only results in a huge drain on police manpower, and drug related gangs and violence. Stop the madness ... and legalize and tax the drugs ... and set up drug counseling with just half of the money saved.

[Donna Atlanta GA]

Glasnos wrote:

the only sane policy left is to legalize pot and drugs. It would be nice if we could prevent drug use, but we can't ... and it only results in a huge drain on police manpower, and drug related gangs and violence. Stop the madness ... and legalize and tax the drugs ... and set up drug counseling with just half of the money saved.

If you could prove that state and local municipalities would make more money from legalized drugs as they do now from minor drug arrests and offenses, you might be able to get the laws changed. Otherwise, forget it. It's all about the money.

[Distant Thunder]

The Mexican drug cartels may not like this plan.

[Glasnos]

Donna Atlanta GA wrote:

<quoted text>
If you could prove that state and local municipalities would make more money from legalized drugs as they do now from minor drug arrests and offenses, you might be able to get the laws changed. Otherwise, forget it. It's all about the money.

We spend enormous amounts of money on drug enforcement and trials and incarceration. I'm feeling too lazy to look them up now, but something like 65% of those in prison are drug related ... and I think something like 30% of those are marijuana. We would see tremendous savings if we legalized drugs. You'd see a very steep decline in violence, muggings and killings as well.
Law enforcement is against it, because you'd see a huge drop in number of enforcement officers needed, and their budgets slashed.

[stella007]

Distant Thunder wrote:

The Mexican drug cartels may not like this plan.

Can u spell lobbyists? Beverage distillers fear pot
as they well should.

[oakgrove]

Absenth was banned because wine companies could sell their wine, so they made absenth seem evil. The lumber companies did the same to weed. You are right.

stella007 wrote:

<quoted text>
Can u spell lobbyists? Beverage distillers fear pot
as they well should.

[crazy ox3thong]

Donna Atlanta GA wrote:

<quoted text>
If you could prove that state and local municipalities would make more money from legalized drugs as they do now from minor drug arrests and offenses, you might be able to get the laws changed. Otherwise, forget it. It's all about the money.

CDC>control drug cigarweed?:)

[david]

They should give our democrat legislators free bongs. Maybe then they could balance the budget.

[Glasnos]

It is curious that it was the violence created by organized crime which controlled illegal liquor that convinced people to repeal prohibition ... but now we have 10 times that violence created by our illegal drug policy and the violent gangs continue to grow ... feeding off the lucrative drug trade. We would see gangs like the crips and mexican mafia cut 90% if we legalized drugs, and took away their main source of revenue.

It is insane we continue to wage this losing war on drugs, at the current price we are paying.

[Donna Atlanta GA]

Glasnos wrote:

<quoted text>
We spend enormous amounts of money on drug enforcement and trials and incarceration. I'm feeling too lazy to look them up now, but something like 65% of those in prison are drug related ... and I think something like 30% of those are marijuana. We would see tremendous savings if we legalized drugs. You'd see a very steep decline in violence, muggings and killings as well.
Law enforcement is against it, because you'd see a huge drop in number of enforcement officers needed, and their budgets slashed.

Have you ever been arrested for a minor drug offense? If you said no, then you're unaware of the "industry" that goes on in and around the legal system.

From the moment you're arrested the dollar amount is adding up. First there's bond, then there's an attorney, then there are fines and court costs that must be paid. You will probably be ordered to take drug education classes at your expense. You will probably be on probation and that will cost you money every month. If you were arrested while you were driving, most likely you'll lose your license (which will cost money to get back) and have to take DUI classes (at your expense). If you're ordered into Drug Court, that will cost you money every couple of weeks.

It's a huge industry and a lot of little entities have their fingers in the pie.

And going to jail is as much of an "expense" as you might think. Like public schools, jails are paid by the 'head'. The more inmates there are the more money the jail gets from state and federal funds. The more money that is earned the more that can be spent on police cars, street and correction officers, etc. Jails will keep those beds filled any way possible, hence the number of inmates there on piddly drug charges. Drug arrests are easy money-makers for the legal system. There is an industry to maintain and the thought of legalizing the product of that industry makes those who work in, around and with the legal system shiver with fear.

[Captain A]

DRUGS FOR TAX REVENUE !! Way to go California....

Put Executions on pay per view....there is some more taxes money

Screw it..just Print your own currency...

[light up]

In connecticut you can buy pot in any middle school or high school.When I hear people in office talking about decriminalizing pot and other drugs I just wonder where they have been the last 30 or 40 years.Are these people so full of themselves and what they say and do that they have no clue of whats going on around them.The only people who cant buy pot are the ones who want to buy it legally

[Glasnos]

Donna Atlanta GA wrote:

<quoted text>
Have you ever been arrested for a minor drug offense? If you said no, then you're unaware of the "industry" that goes on in and around the legal system.
From the moment you're arrested the dollar amount is adding up. First there's bond, then there's an attorney, then there are fines and court costs that must be paid. You will probably be ordered to take drug education classes at your expense. You will probably be on probation and that will cost you money every month. If you were arrested while you were driving, most likely you'll lose your license (which will cost money to get back) and have to take DUI classes (at your expense). If you're ordered into Drug Court, that will cost you money every couple of weeks.
It's a huge industry and a lot of little entities have their fingers in the pie.
And going to jail is as much of an "expense" as you might think. Like public schools, jails are paid by the 'head'. The more inmates there are the more money the jail gets from state and federal funds. The more money that is earned the more that can be spent on police cars, street and correction officers, etc. Jails will keep those beds filled any way possible, hence the number of inmates there on piddly drug charges. Drug arrests are easy money-makers for the legal system. There is an industry to maintain and the thought of legalizing the product of that industry makes those who work in, around and with the legal system shiver with fear.

I said law enforcement would be against it.
But take a look at California ... wanting to release illegals and deport them ... I would say the vast majority of those are non violent drug users who are costing California a lot of money to keep incarcerated.
Law enforcement does not make the laws ... the legislature who must meet budgets do that. If nothing else, facing bankruptcy may force drugs to be legalized.
We spend way too much for a losing battle ... the prevalence of drugs just get worse and worse ... time to run up the white flag, and save billions in the process.

[TomSawyer65]

stella007 wrote:

<quoted text>
Can u spell lobbyists? Beverage distillers fear pot
as they well should.

I don't think the two are equal in buzz quality. Distillers have nothing to fear, in my opinion.

[Legalize Cannabis]

Cannabis prohibition is not only the greatest civil rights violation since slavery, it is THE BIGGEST FRAUD EVER PERPETRATED ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

You know, we elected Bushchimp twice, while continuing a failed 75 year war on cannabis.

Now, 2 foreign countries no larger than New Jersey (Netherlands and Portugal) are light years ahead of America on drug policy.

That is a F&CKING DISGRACE!!!!!!!

We are no longer the country my dad fought for in the Battle of the Bulge.

We are no longer the greatest country on earth. No, we are in fact a LAUGHING STOCK around the world (I've been around the world, trust me)because of our percieved INCOMPETANCE!!!!!

[Jim Shorts]

I guess cutting some of the billions in social programs is out of the question?

[Danny_Livewire]

In Cali, Marijuana is already decriminalized and practically legal... It is everywhere. People smoke it outdoors in public places all the time.

Might as well tax it and make it legal already.

Prohibition doesn't work.
And I thought the USA was a free market.

[too droll to troll]

The history behind the prohibition of hemp is long and convoluted for a plant that has well-served mankind for thousands of years. One can read Jack Herer's book The Emperor Has No Clothes or do web searchs and find that pharms and big business (DuPont and the conglomerate IG Farber) wanted Cannabis totally banned for a myriad of reasons.
But what is undeniable, is that Cannabis is the biggest cash crop in California, Hawaii, and the mid-south (can't recall if it is Tennessee or Kentucky).
Think of that! More potential revenue than wheat, soy, corn or tobacco.
Yet, agencies like DEA still yammer that it cannot be decriminalized. Because???...it is a gateway drug or some similar horsesh*t argument.
It should be decriminalized, and if needed taxed....but never let corps like Monsanto have a hand in the plant breeding (and they have tried to do it in secret labs).
As to the post by Danny_Livewire, California's relaxation of the laws don't mean squat. The feds have already stepped in and denied some very ill people from getting some sound healing.

[Preston2]

You know, one of the best things about pot is how resistent to inflation is it.

I used to buy $100 ounces back in high school 25 years ago, and I just bought a $100 oz. 3 days ago.

If it's legalized and taxed, the price will rise and the quality will drop.

So while it would be mindblowing to be able to blaze up in public, I'm still sort of happy with things they way they are. As long as you're responsible and cautious, you have nothing to fear from law enforcement.

[Preston2]

too droll to troll wrote:

The history behind the prohibition of hemp is long and convoluted for a plant that has well-served mankind for thousands of years. One can read Jack Herer's book The Emperor Has No Clothes or do web searchs and find that pharms and big business (DuPont and the conglomerate IG Farber) wanted Cannabis totally banned for a myriad of reasons.
But what is undeniable, is that Cannabis is the biggest cash crop in California, Hawaii, and the mid-south (can't recall if it is Tennessee or Kentucky).
Think of that! More potential revenue than wheat, soy, corn or tobacco.
Yet, agencies like DEA still yammer that it cannot be decriminalized. Because???...it is a gateway drug or some similar horsesh*t argument.

Almost a century later, people *still* buy into the same ignorant propaganda spread by people like Anslinger and Hearst.