Quote:
Originally Posted by Agamemnon
Bingo... not to mention the taxes you'd be paying when purchasing it would go right into the government's pockets.
1. Government legalizes marijuana
2. Government stops spending money enforcing marijuana laws
3. Government imposes taxes on the sale of marijuana
4. Profit!
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Sure, and as I've stated in the past, I'm all over decriminalization with conditions.
But first and formost, if you legalize dope, you don't think that the people that are subsidizing their income are just going to shrug their shoulders and say "Aw hell it was great having that money while it lasted". They're going to find other products and other markets.
Plus in terms of conditions, if the government legalizes that stuff, that means that the guy who grows his own stuff and sells it to his buddies is still going to be illegal, decriminalization just means that possession is ok, growing it and selling it is probably still going to be illegal as the dope business at least initially is going to be government controlled, the free enterprise aspect is going to be illegal as hell.
If someone is smoking grass and gets in their car and drives, its still going to be operating under a controlled substance, if someone is doped out of their mind and acting like an a$$ in public they're still going to be charged for being under the influence.
I highly doubt that they're going to treat dope like smokes, they're going to treat it like liquor, which means you're not going to be allowed to hoot and drive, or have it within easy access in a motor vehicle. And if you do get pulled over under the influence or you do hit someone while high they're going to treat it the same as doing those acts while drinking.
The biggest market impact is that possession is probably still going to be illegal for minors just like liquor, they won't be able to buy it, or consume it in public, or walk around with it, so where are they going to get it? You want your illegal for profit market, thats where its going to be.
I really have my doubts that decriminalization is going to change things all that much. The drug runners will work harder at getting harder drugs out there, the gangs are going to find a way to replace their income somehow, but I do like the taxation increase, but this shouldn't be about money.
If the police want to solve the problems, then ignore the penny ante stuff and go harder after the supply lines and the producers, go after the jokers who sell this sh%t to kids to make money, in otherwords, instead of a blow torch use a precision guided missile.