Prop 19, Is Just Another Way For Politicians To Collect More Taxes

Next month on election day, Californians will have the chance to legalize marijuana for the specific purpose of raising revenues via taxes. Think about that for a moment: legalizing a dangerous product for the specific purpose of collecting more taxes. I guarantee you that the politicians will begin demonizing marijuana the moment the Secretary of State reports the initiative passed. By Christmas they will be telling the public how much revenue they will collect from taxing marijuana, and by next June they will be raising taxes on it to pay for the treatment of those who want to quit but cannot do so on their own. Then in the run-up to the 2012 election, the politicians, the MSM, Hollywood, and the music industry will claim we need to support an initiative to raise taxes on marijuana so that schools will have the funds needed to keep up with the states that spend 1/10 of what California spends per student. Let's be honest, we all knew that it would be just a matter of time before the same individuals who pushed to legalize medical marijuana would get enough signatures to put up a ballot initiative to legalize it without qualifiers. It is, however, a bit ironic when you consider that these same individuals have gone on a witch hunt against tobacco products.

That attack began in 1964 when the U.S. Surgeon General, Luther Terry, presented his report on Smoking and Health That report led to the tobacco companies being forced to label their products with a warning to the user about the health risk of smoking. Almost 50 years later there are now communities in California, like Santa Monica, that are so militant they even banned smoking in many out doors areas of the city. Some communities are even considering banning smoking in private homes where children live. Which begs the question, "If smoking tobacco is so harmful to society that we need to ban it from being smoked even in the privacy of one's home, then why legalize a drug that scientific studies have proven is upwards of five times more harmful to the body than tobacco?"

A 2007 study by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, found that smoking one marijuana joint is equal to smoking five cigarettes at the same time. And there are numerous other medical reasons that should keep such a drug from being legalized. Besides having over 400 chemicals that have been identified in the plant, over 2,000 more chemicals are generated when cannabis is set on fire and smoked. That's 2,000 toxic chemicals invading the blood stream though the lungs. Most of these chemicals have a wide assortment of instantaneous, short-term effects, but when continually smoked over a long period of time, the drug has numerous already proven long-term effects as well. Medical research doctors are still unsure of all the possible risks involved in smoking marijuana, so they refuse to support the legalization of the drug.

As nearly everyone is aware, the drug that gives the euphoric feeling that makes marijuana so popular is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). When smoked on a regular basis, a large supply of THC begins to accumulate in the body's fatty tissues. This produces a high steady level of THC in the blood system which can cause a certain level of continuous sedation. With this sedation, the user's brain begins to become numb and the mind can begin to experience side effects of confusion, paranoia, and a lethargic feeling. While the brain can begin to operate clearly within 30 to 45 days after the user stops smoking marijuana, the long-term effects to the brain are still being studied, as I already stated.

Eventually, for the heavy pot smoker, the euphoria experienced from the drug will gradually diminish. This is where studies have shown that some users will attempt to either find more potent marijuana or experiment with other drugs. The fact is, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana has become five times more potent than the cannabis of the 1970s. It has also been reported that many public health officials are looking at new data that suggest this stronger marijuana is increasing the addiction rates. A disturbing trend that Hosted by imgur.com

is beginning to emerge among the youngest users is that they are more likely to try harder drugs as they become less affected by the stronger marijuana being sold today. It is these younger users that studies show are more apt to become interested in harder drugs like crack cocaine, or even heroin. This is the reason why marijuana is rightly called a gateway drug. For those who think that marijuana will be less potent if legalized, just check out the different types of marijuana on sale right now at medical marijuana clinics.

Along with the many red flags that are beginning to pop up, there is the very real potential of the stronger marijuana negatively affecting the brains of teenagers at a time when the brain is entering a very important phase in its development. Remember, the skull of a human does not form into one solid bone until around the age of 28. That is because the brain is still growing and maturing, and thus needs room to expand. There are studies that have conclusively shown that even the casual user often times will drink alcohol while getting high. So the problems of drinking can be added to the problems of smoking marijuana. A disturbing trend that has been consistent through the years is the way adults who smoke marijuana do so with little regard to the effect it has on their children. Is it any wonder that the age of marijuana smokers has consistently trended towards a younger age to the point that Hosted by imgur.com

children as young as seven years old are now smoking pot. It's my opinion that this is a major reason why 360,000 of the people who checked into drug treatment programs in 2007 reportedly did so to get help with their addiction to marijuana. It does not help those trying to quit that the proponents for the legalization of marijuana are consistently downplaying the dangers of habitually using marijuana.

In his book "Concepts of Chemical Dependency", Harold E. Doweiko related that researchers investigating the effects of marijuana on users have found that anxiety has been reported by as much as 50% to 60% of marijuana smokers and many have stated that such anxiety attacks are why they refuse to smoke it anymore. He also points out that statistics prove that the chance of having an automobile accident while under the influence of marijuana increases by up to 700%. Another problem, that many proponents refuse to admit, is that marijuana has been proved to cause psychosis in some individuals that lasts from 5 to 7 days. This side effect is not some newly discovered problem. The fact is that for almost 150 years, medical doctors and psychologists have pondered the relationship between smoking marijuana and psychotic reactions that can be life altering if not treated properly. What is most disturbing is the medically proven fact that the use of marijuana by individuals already suffering from psychotic disorders have had their symptoms exacerbated, and the drug has been known to initiate psychosis with individuals predisposed with such disorders.

I find it very telling that when liberals began their push in the 60's to rid society of what they considered to be evil, their two biggest targets through the years have been guns and cigarettes. Recently they have added such evils as trans fats, sugars, and carbon (the building block of life). When it comes to guns, America is the only country on the planet that has a constitutional law specifically protecting the citizens right to keep and bear arms, yet the left has been on the warpath against our constitutional right to bear arms.

As for tobacco, they have attempted to do everything but outlaw the use of it in their campaign to demonize it in the minds of the public. Many anti-tobacco Nazis have even vowed to continue their assault until the dreaded tobacco plant has been eradicated from the planet, but marijuana is to be considered a harmless weed. I can only imagine how safe our society would be if the left were to direct such energy towards stopping those who actually commit crimes as they do towards those who are just doing something legal. After all, the left hates guns, but the judges they appoint continually hand out light sentences to those who use them in violent crimes. Then there is the way they continually go after the tobacco industry by taxing the product for revenue, while their biggest icons in Hollywood continue to make movies that glamorize smoking cigarettes.

More times than not, when it comes to actual criminal behavior, the left makes excuses for the criminals and will even argue that maybe if the act was not against the law, the problem would be solved. This is our situation in the war on drugs. Their judges hand out sentences to those breaking the laws, and within a few years the criminal is out on the streets again because to the left, ten years really means one year with probation. So we end up with a revolving door of drug dealers going in and out of prison and there is no deterrent to their behavior.

Now when it comes to legalizing bad behavior, Californians have been through this door before. in 1998, many of us warned that if gambling was legalized, there would be millions of citizens whose lives would be destroyed by it. In the 12 years since Californians voted to legalize it, our fears have been justified because the problem of gambling addiction has escalated to epidemic proportions. We are now seeing addicted gamblers, who have lost everything from their jobs, possessions, and even their families, become either homeless or wards of the state. The left will not even mention this problem because of the tax revenue they need from gambling casinos to support their bloated socialist programs. How long will it be before the legalization of marijuana causes millions more Californians to join the fate of the addicted gamblers? We live in a society who's politicians continually betray the oath they take when elected by trading the health and welfare of the citizens for any means of collecting revenues for their failing tax-and-spend policies. This is one time that Californians need to just say NO by defeating proposition 19!

A very interesting read with a lot of information. Unfortunately, this initiative is going to pass because the left owns the state.

Prop 19, Is Just Another Way For Politicians To Collect More Taxes

Are you implying that politicians are whoring for money? (gasp) /s

The smugglers will continue to smuggle (think bootleg weed). Will you have to carry a receipt for your weed to prove that you paid a tax at the time of purchase? The state will not gain as much tax revenue as they think they will.

I think the revenue from pot will be pathetic compared to alcohol or tobacco.

8 posted on 10/15/2010 6:55:31 PM PDT by mamelukesabre (Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum (If you want peace prepare for war))

It’s going to pass because people capable of critical thought are sick and tired of seeing people thrown into cages for pot, while being forced by government to fund billions more for jails, cops, judges, and the rest of the intrusive government machine, that making a great tax paid living, by keeping it illegal.

Many think that this will lead to major gun wars with the Mexican Cartels assassinating those involved in home grown pot farms.

Also they are suggesting that Nevada, Arizona, and other states will be overwhelmed with drug dealers flooding their states with drugs.

Imagine Jerry Brown even winning the Governors race. It will give a whole new meaning to Governor Moonbeam.

I haven’t smoked in a long time - yes, I inhaled - but don’t hold that joint, my friend...

(Who sang that song with that line at the end of that sentence above? It’s going thru my head now but I can’t recall it. It wasn’t the Rolling Stones or Iron Butterfly...Not the Doors. Definetly not Andy Como or Dinah Shore...See the USA in your Chevrolet... Obuma ended that.)

Just asking...

Many think that this will lead to major gun wars with the Mexican Cartels assassinating those involved in home grown pot farms.

Somebody is jerking your chain...lol

I don’t agree with legalizing pot, but you do point out an interesting unintended outcome for CA. Unionized prison officers may have just voted themselves out of a job. Maybe it is CA way of cutting gov costs and at the same time get more people addicted to a revenue generating product. Does that mean CA can have classes in public schools to encourage students to try it out like the gay life style? Just like MacDonald’s happy meals, pot would be CA gov happy meal top create future revenue generators.

Many think that this will lead to major gun wars with the Mexican Cartels assassinating those involved in home grown pot farms.

Not much thinking went into that thought.

Hey, maybe all the pot smoking hippies will move to Ca, then all the other states will move to the right.

Agreed. It is much easier for people to grow and distribute marijuana than it is for a private individual to grow and sell tobacco or produce significant amounts of alcohol for under the table sales. Hell, people can grow marijuana in their homes. Dope busts will continue...for non-payment of the state marijuana tax.

Californians, as a whole, with the exception of good people in the Mayacamas, the backcountry in the Coastal Mts and the Sierra Nevada, need to be eradicated.

Sorry, you’ve had your chance. Time to call in B-1 strikes.

And keep your damn manzanitas - the most worthless bush on Earth.

It’s going to pass because people capable of critical thought

Yea, looks to me like this guy is real capable of thinking critically. He will be voting, if he finds the voting precinct.

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