Posted on 05/31/2016 12:00:11 PM PDT by DenverCossack
Dollar signs are flashing in the eyes of state lawmakers under pressure to legalize marijuana. In Arizona, the state has been told it could make $113 million if it legalizes recreational marijuana; in New Jersey, the financial promise behind a push for legalization is $300 million.
If all 50 states jump on this bandwagon, total revenues could be approximately $5.3 billion at a 15 percent tax rate, a Tax Foundation study found. That number could surge to $8 billion at a 25 percent tax rate.
More money may sound like a win for states. But some officials may be paying too much attention to the potential dollar signs — and not enough to the health and societal ramifications of making marijuana legally available.
“Legislators are being aggressively pressured by an army of lobbyists hired by the marijuana industry, which is motivated by increasing marijuana consumption,” said Henny Lasley, co-founder and project director for Smart Colorado, a nonprofit group aimed at protecting the health, safety, and well-being of children in the state. Lasley said legalization supporters claimed the model would eliminate the black market and generate revenues at the same time but that hasn’t been the case.
The state itself has emerged as a new black market, said Lasley. There are also reports of marijuana from Colorado being found internationally.
“The voters of Colorado were promised that the first $40 million annually of new tax revenue would go to our schools, and yet this annual number has not been achieved,” she said.
The revenue goals were not reached in the first two years and just $27 million has gone to schools, reports have found. A new video circulating — dubbed “How Marijuana Legalization Impacts Denver Public Schools” — aims to educate voters about how state excise taxes on marijuana are used.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifezette.com ...
Sure, except it turns out the "X nanograms per ml" metric doesn't work...
Blood tests that try to quantify marijuana use are in fact useless at assessing how impaired a driver is, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. In other words, the study found that people with low blood amounts of THC—or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of pot—may still act as if they’re really stoned. On the other hand, some people may have THC measurements off the charts yet still act normally.http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/05/legal-limits-for-marijuana-dui-are-arbitrary-and-unsupported-by-science/The finding is critical because several states have already set legal limits for the amount of THC a person can have in their blood while driving. AAA concluded that such limits are “arbitrary and unsupported by science, which could result in unsafe motorists going free and others being wrongfully convicted for impaired driving.”
Stoners will buy from illegal dealers just as always because it is cheaper.
...ned. On the other hand, some people may have THC measurements off the charts yet still act normally....
Acting normal and actually being normal (unimpaired) are two different things.
I go back to my original point. $1B in legal sales were generated in 2015. Somebody is buying legal weed in CO.
And once the stoners figure out how much cheaper it is to buy on the street, the government sales will go down. And, do you think the government won’t crank up the taxes sky high on weed just like they do on tobacco?
BS, you know not of what you talk.
So the stoners were buying illegal weed prior to legalization, then enough switched to legal weed to generate $1B in sales. But they're going to switch back when they figure out the price is too high?
Again, that makes no sense.
Have some Cheetos. Think about it and get back to me.
So how has the war on weed been doing for almost a hundred years? Is it any less available because it’s illegal? Kids can still get if they want , right? Alcohol prohibition was a total failure. Has drug prohibition been a success? How much longer will the war on weed and other drugs go on until it is a success? Or admitted as being a failure?
Wouldn't be too bad. It's desert, but it's high desert - there could be some improvements made that would make it far more feasible economically, such as use of solar and wind power. I would think the biggest obstacle would be water. There is generally a decent water table available, but generally farther down, to 300+ feet in some cases, although it's about 125-150' on average, but with well digging fees @ $30/foot, it could get expensive rather quickly.
Yes, I'm looking to get a hold of a plot out there. No, not to grow pot.
Again, another drug wArrior speAking out his assistant. I hAve family growing in Co. Legally. Expensive to set up yes. 16 lbs. On May 5th,,.two weeks lAter another 20 in second flowering room. Indoors out of sight 5k month in Nutes, 2k Month in power costs. Lights Ac et . 2400$ a pound wholesale to the guys mAking cookies candies etc. no different than corN or soybeans, just a crop.
Except the regulated "government" stuff runs about the same per ounce as the black market stuff, and is far better in quality. It is only slightly more expensive with taxes added, but thus far, that isn't stopping people from buying at the regulated shops. There is still a black market, but the cause of that is generally cities in CO that have opted not to allow the legal shops. In those cases, the city governments are outright supporting the Mexican drug cartels and the black market.
“Acting normal and actually being normal (unimpaired) are two different things.”
That was poorly worded. The issue is being able to drive acceptably or not, which is only loosely related to blood THC levels. Read the article.
BTW, CO is booming. It has about the 5th highest GDP growth and 5th lowest unemployment rate among the states.
Are you giving the stoners credit for that?
I’m in a am too. Which legislator was that?
“Did they calculate how much they are going to save from not enforcing these stupid laws?”
If a person is busted with an amount that only incurs a fine, seems that would be a net gain. Decriminalization up to some certain amount would end most legal problems for the casual user.
I don't know if it's any more immoral than smoking cigarettes or drinking booze, but I'd say you should probably start on your kids with the difference between legal and moral. Abortion is a hell of a lot better example than smoking marijuana.
“You can make your own alcoholic drinks too, but it’s a royal pain to do.”
Fermenting different things to create alcoholic beverages has been going on a very long time. Some of the most basic are primitive tribes fermenting fruit. From a long term cultural perspective, is been the Muslims who have traditionally grown dope and westerners (Christians) who perfected alcohol production.
“6 plants? The War on Drugs continues.”
Not when each plant is 12 feet tall and at least as wide. That’s many dozens of pounds of product.
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