Why should pot be allowed such special status?
Do you think the legalization of pot will ever get enough votes (from Congress or the people) without taxation? That's about the only positive aspect of marijuana legalization.
"I would really like to take all the JBTs off pot enforcement ..."
But wouldn't they remain for the other drugs?
"... and put them on the border"
According to the ONDCP budget, half their money already goes towards overseas drug interdiction and domestic border control (the other half being drug treatment, education, and anti-drug advertising).
Special status? You can grow your own vegetables, herbs, flowers, even tobacco. You can brew your own beer and wine. You can also bake your own bread, and raise your own dogs, cats, sheep, horses, cows, and other animals. You can grow your own trees, and use them for lumber, or make your own charcoal. What are you talking about? There are very, very few things that the government insists it absolutely must have control over, pot is one of these very rare exceptions - it's just the opposite of what your question implies.
Do you think the legalization of pot will ever get enough votes (from Congress or the people) without taxation? That's about the only positive aspect of marijuana legalization.
Not in the immediately forseeable future, but I don't know the future and you don't either. As it is, a significant number of states has gone for medical MJ, but SCOTUS claims that preserving the statist quo of the drug war is more important than restricting the "interstate commerce" clause to mean things that are either interstate, or commerce, let alone both.
But wouldn't they remain for the other drugs?
Sadly, they would, but fortunately, some would have to be laid off, because those man-hours expended on pot would no longer be needed.
According to the ONDCP budget, half their money already goes towards overseas drug interdiction and domestic border control
LOL! Yes, we've sent many hundreds of millions of dollars to regimes like the Taliban - yes, that Taliban - to support their anti-drug efforts. Money wisely spent, no doubt. Not a dime of that was spent to give scholarships for bright young men to take pilot lessons in the US, I'm sure. As for border control, I wish they would go after illegals coming north as they do for people with an ounce or two of pot.
(the other half being drug treatment, education, and anti-drug advertising propaganda).
There, fixed.