Posted on 03/25/2017 9:14:16 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Proponents and opponents of legalizing pot in Illinois are firing up their talking points after a proposal to legalize the sale of weed for recreational purposes sprouted up this week.
Opponents of legalizing, regulating and taxing pot say they don’t care how much revenue it could generate for Illinois’ failed finances.
Amendments to bills in the House and Senate this week would allow for the sale of recreational marijuana with a $50 tax per ounce. That would be on top of any sales tax. Supporters says it could generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year for the state.
Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, sponsor of the House measure, said it’s a win, win, win.
“For me it’s common sense …," Cassidy said. "We can create jobs. We can bring in revenue. We can make our communities safer. All with taking this thoughtful vote.”
There are critics, however. Anita Bedell, executive director of Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems, said, “Just because something brings in revenue doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. They’re not considering the harm, they’re not considering costs.”
Proponents also say it will spur on jobs. Bedell said, “So has gambling, so has other things … there’s always going to be money in some things, but this is not a good way to have money for Illinois, and it would just cause more harm and cause more damage.”
Both sides also addressed whether legalization would affect black market sales.
Former Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Inge Fryklund supports legalization and said anytime something people want is illegal, mayhem is sure to ensue.
“Whenever there's a product which is illegal, but people want it, it’s going to be supplied by the criminal market," Fryklund said. "And the criminals are going to be making all the decisions, keeping all the revenues, and because this is a business, there are going to be business disputes and because they can’t sue each other in the circuit court of Cook County, they go out and kill each other.”
Because black market business disputes are settled with street violence, legalization would mean disputes could be handled in courts, Fryklund added.
Illinois Family Institute’s David Smith opposes legalization and said there would still be a black market.
“The guy on the street that’s selling the pot doesn't have to have the brick and mortar and the overhead and the employees and the insurance, and the workman’s comp,” Smith said.
Smith also dismissed proponents who say illegal marijuana is a criminal justice issue because, he said, there are a very small number of inmates in the system for drug possession only.
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police said they oppose the bill because of the traffic safety concerns.
The bill will likely change before any votes are cast. However, legalization advocate Dan Linn said they won’t compromise on allowing adults to grow up to five plants at home.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office said the proposed legislation is under review.
Re the rest of what you wrote about illicit substances...you couldn't be more wrong and delusional, if you tried for the next 100 years. When has mankind, EVER been "good", all oh his own? That wasn't the case, even in the Garden of Eden...if you take that literally.
As long as man has been alive, there have been rules and laws. And the whole "do what thou wilt" crap,expecting families to take care of the self destructive people, won't EVER happen; the rest of us will continue to have to pay, in many different ways, for their utter stupidity and depravity.
Would I have EVER done illicit substances, if they were legal? HELL NO AND AGAIN...HELL NO AND IN SPADES! But then, I'm not the "norm", seeing as how I have also NEVER been drunk and don't understand why anyone would do that to themselves. And no, though I am not complete teetotal, I hardly ever imbibe alcoholic beverages.
Every single person belongs in jail, for breaking the law!
The vast majority of people, in jail, for pot, are dealers, murders, gang members;criminals who have managed to cop a plea and have accepted a much lower penalty for a MUCH larger crime!
Oh sure...you try to make a claim about "freedom" and appeal to my passionate CONSERVATIVE bent; however, none of that works on me. I'm a hard nosed realist and don't see "tyranny" when the government wants to outlaw mind altering substances, that turn people into dependent, many times criminal crazies.
OTOH...I also want insane asylums brought back! ;^)
I’d like to see the issue go back into the domain of preachers and doctors.
You hit it on the head: such bans are actually a leftist move. They were not even known in the 19th century. A pot abuse problem is really a relating to God problem and we can’t ban that away. Supernatural law is the only thing that avails here.
Correct. Prohibitions on drugs and alcohol were virtually non-existent in the US until the Progressives came along.
I was unable to find any historical examples of marijuana prohibition anywhere in the world prior to the Progressive Era.
And the bible already warned us. It is not the material world that is inherently bad or good. It is how it is used that is bad or good. If it is sanctified to the glory of God it is good. We had public drunkenness bans for centuries before anyone thought to prohibit alcohol. We sap the notion of personal responsibility with sumptuary laws.
No... SUPERNATURAL law is the only satisfactory thing.
No we are not. Natural law is a varying imperfect image of perfect supernatural law.
all HAIL to WEED...the new god for so many.....you know, the simple weed that absolutely has no effects on anybody, so it doesn’t do any harm to anybody or anything....ever..believe me..../sarcasm/
knowing that he is a globalist, you have to ask yourself "why"????
your reasoning is idiotic....
you're just like the school district that caught the 50 yro male teacher kissing his 15 yro student, the school took her out of his class, but then SENT THEM ON A FIELD TRIP TOGETHER and then the 50yro proceeded to abduct the girl..Perhaps you've read about this...INSANITY... .
And, with your thinking, we just let the 18 yro male illegals come to school with the 14yros so they are in the position to rape them.......
absolutely insane....
insanity is doing or allowing things to happen that have a great chance of causing mayhem, chaos, injury, or death....
but you're all for it....
no matter the probable consequences..
this is the thinking of the stinking liberals....
You forgot the high property (real estate) taxes and the proposals to crank the income tax back up to 5%, as well as a generally stifling business environment...
I would think that fully legal weed = less productive citizens, more traffic accidents, etc., so, at best it’d financially be a wash.
Just who's gonna sell heroin to the kids if they can pinch it from their parents? This will put all the black marketeers outta work!
Who's gonna buy a bag of brown frown when they can get some sweet smoke at the grocery store? It could literally bankrupt Mexico!
Well, in the case of Soros, it certainly has, has it not?
When some FReepers get on their “return to the Constitution” soap box, I say two words. Drug War. They show their Nanny State colors pretty quickly after that.
Thanks for the ping. If the Illinois legislatures wants to decriminalize/legalize cannabis then that’s what they should do.
Cannabis should be legal to have, use & grow, IMO. Prohibition/durg war is an epic fail, IMO. Our drug war has enriched criminals for decades. It’s past time to end it.
Drug prohibition has been a sterling success. Right up there with The Volstead Act.
Ummm... You really need to think that one through a little more. No, ALOT more
“Keeping ‘em dumb and stupid. The Soviets used vodka”
Which is readily available in this country. Either it’s keeping Americans dumb and stupid too and should be banned like pot - or it’s not the substance but the user so the pot ban doesn’t help.
That's just straight up ignorant slander.
No need to attempt rational discussion with such stupidity...
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