Spitzer's Crack-Pot Tax (proposed making drug dealers pay tax on their stashes of illegal drugs)

Captain's Quarters ^ | Feb. 17, 2008 | Ed Morrissey

[El Gato]

I believe, at the federal level, the laws against (some) drugs were tax laws. Just like the law, National Firearms Act of 1934, restricting machine guns, short barreled guns and other weapons was and is a tax measure. Or at least it pretends to be. In fact the NFA was patterned after the Harrison Narcotics Act which had been “vetted” by the Supreme Court at the time the NFA was passed. In fact the same Mr Justice McReynolds, wrote both that opinion, Alston v. United States, 274 U.S. 289 (1927) and the Miller case concerning a short shotgun under the NFA.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Actually, marijuana is not illegal.

Hemp is a very useful organic fiber that has been grown for thousands of years. George Washington grew it. During WWII the prohibition was suspended so farmers could supply hemp for rope for the war effort.

Congress knew they could never outlaw it, so they passed a tax on it. In order to possess it, you must buy a tax stamp from the Feds. Same with sawed-off shotguns and fully-automatic weapons - you can own them if you buy the tax stamp.

The trick is they made the cost of the stamp prohibitively high with hemp/marijuana.

[marsh2]

Medical marijuana is legal in California but illegal federally. Our County Auditor has floated the idea of taxing the growth of marijuana in the county. It would really help our County coffers decimated by loss of the timber industry.

[JerseyHighlander]

Not the first to pass a law, but the first to actually believe the state can fill a budget deficit from it.

[kublia khan]

Spitzer was always acting on the very fringe of illegality as a AG and people applauded him because “he was going after them”. There is a lesson here for everyone, if the rules are bent for a good cause there is nothing that says they won’t be bent for what you don’t think is such a good cause next time.

[Fred]

Wallstreet is not going to be happy about this.