No, stop taxing the commodities to maintain the liberal Statists.....the LIBERAL leftist Statists who cling to this issue to preserve and expand their power.
People can grow their own, smoke their own, drink their own. Whatever.
We should not be enslaved to yet another “sin” tax, perpetuated by “freedom- loving” Progressive Statists and their corporate enablers (don’t forget Big Pharma’s role in Obamacare). This point is lost on the highly vulnerable logic of Libertarian extremes. And that is a shame, because they are so correct on the Federal Reserve private club that destroys our sovereign nation through debt and preserves the fake economy. It is the “fake economy” that is supported in the ever expanding State, paid for by the “hey we can tax it while making it legal” crowd.
It hasn’t worked for booze, and won’t for weed. Just creates yet another chemical dependency class which, “voila” will need to be maintained by the State, financed again by a “sin tax”, the enforcement of which leads to corruption in enforcement and legal halls.
The illegality of weed can be eliminated in one legal stroke. Overnight the prices would crash. Those who want to be stoned and impaired all day—let them— who the hell cares as long as they can then be kept from positions of responsibility by law derived from demonstrable scientific facts (like airline pilots, bus drivers, etc.) and not harm other citizens. And not treat them for addiction on our nickel (or cancer causality) either (same way, we shouldn’t for drunks). As in the days of corn liquor taxation, this is one of political power. It is the Whiskey Rebellion all over again— and favors the big outfits (the plantation class large distillers in that day) over a free populace.
We don’t ban tobacco, we limit it’s effects, taking a piece out of every interest in it. There shouldn’t be any tobacco tax, or booze tax. We shouldn’t ban weed (save a lot on enforcement), but limit the effects of free use and we shouldn’t tax it either. But for God’s sake, we shouldn’t be in bed with RJR/Nabisco et. al. who are positioned to direct the taxation— to fund Big Govt. freedom destroying agencies (EPA, Education etc.)— and let them dictate policy. In any case, there is already a healthy underground, tax free business in both booze and weed, and plenty available without the help of Big Govt. friends and their corporate cronies.
Be damned if this “freedom” then funds an even larger pestilent meddling State for the sake of opportunists. Progressive Statists have no problem enslaving us to maintain their power— and their friends are mighty strange— RJR? North Carolinians and Virginians know what I mean, what with the ridiculous state Alcohol Beverage Control Boards whose “sales revenue” funds——local schools!! Nuts and warped.
Deo Vindice.
I see your point. I've never advanced taxability as an argument for legalization - nor, as far as I know, have any libertarians. (But it's certainly not an argument against legalization ... not that you said it was.)
You're not one of those Wickard Commerce Clause supporters, are you?