Regulating Cannabis Sales Could Yield Over $17 Billion In Annual Savings And Revenue

[saveliberty]

The liberals are all happy with $17B. in government revenue regardless of the Billions beyond that in lost productivity and personal losses in the real economy. Nice.

 

[Avatar4321]

"Let's encourage bad behavior because we can make money off it!"

When will we learn?

 

[G.T.]

"Let's encourage bad behavior because we can make money off it!"

When will we learn?

Well first of all, "bad behavior" is a pretty fucking subjective phrase.

Second, "encourage" is a loaded word. Legal = encouraged? Not to me.

Third, well........... 1 and 2 were sexy enough points to not need a third.

 

[MikeK]

I'm certain you'll enjoy your expensive government weed with all the "dangerous thc" removed. It's for the children you know.

Suckers every one of you.

First, referring to all who enjoy marijuana as "dopers" is no different from referring to all who enjoy alcohol as drunks. And your assumptions about widespread home-growing and government removal of THC from cannabis are vague, desperate and rooted in ignorance. Instead of firing wild shots in the dark at something you evidently know nothing about it would be more productive to make an effort to learn the truth about marijuana and the insane prohibition that causes infinitely more harm to society than legalization ever could.

 

[topspin]

Wonder why the stock market does better under democrats?

 

[MikeK]

The lengths people need to go to to alter the consciousness is amazing. Why don't you try learning how to do it without pot ? Too lazy ?

The irony in that comment is how much your consciousness would benefit from being altered.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

The liberals are all happy with $17B. in government revenue regardless of the Billions beyond that in lost productivity and personal losses in the real economy. Nice.

....And, "conservatives" will continue to spin lies (like lost productivity and personal losses), without any facts to support them.

Nice.

​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

"Let's encourage bad behavior because we can make money off it!"

When will we learn?

Hey....you know....when you align yourself with some delusional/psychotic/burnt-out alcoholic.....you get what you GET!!

​

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I'm certain you'll enjoy your expensive government weed with all the "dangerous thc" removed. It's for the children you know.

Suckers every one of you.

First, referring to all who enjoy marijuana as "dopers" is no different from referring to all who enjoy alcohol as drunks. And your assumptions about widespread home-growing and government removal of THC from cannabis are vague, desperate and rooted in ignorance. Instead of firing wild shots in the dark at something you evidently know nothing about it would be more productive to make an effort to learn the truth about marijuana and the insane prohibition that causes infinitely more harm to society than legalization ever could.

I'm thinkin'.....it's pretty-obvious (to me, anyhow) that Mad Scientist is some young-kid....still livin' at home....and, more-than-likely a D.A.R.E.-graduate.

If Mad Scientist is (in fact) an adult....we've got a serious-case of arrested-development.....or, a Limbaugh-fan. ​

 

[saveliberty]

The liberals are all happy with $17B. in government revenue regardless of the Billions beyond that in lost productivity and personal losses in the real economy. Nice.

....And, "conservatives" will continue to spin lies (like lost productivity and personal losses), without any facts to support them.

Nice.

​

I'm sorry Shaman, perhaps you can locate the articles which show pot INCREASES productivity and INCREASES personal income or DECREASES absenteeism. I was not able to find them.

 

[GHook93]

I'll go with the economist on this one. And compare it to beer and cigs, people can brew and grow thier own. They don't because it's a hassle. Do some brew? Yes will some grow? Yes
Tax collections will still be in the billions.

Neither growing tobacco or brewing bear is easy as growing pot. However, I agree most people will purchase very grow. However, if weed becomes legal, I'm growing some and I will pick up smoking again every once in a while!

 

[BlindBoo]

I'm sorry Shaman, perhaps you can locate the articles which show pot INCREASES productivity and INCREASES personal income or DECREASES absenteeism. I was not able to find them.

Jailing users not only decreases productivity, decreases personal income, increases absenteeism, but also cloggs up the court and jails, and that mean lots of taxes.

 

[saveliberty]

I'm sorry Shaman, perhaps you can locate the articles which show pot INCREASES productivity and INCREASES personal income or DECREASES absenteeism. I was not able to find them.

Jailing users not only decreases productivity, decreases personal income, increases absenteeism, but also cloggs up the court and jails, and that mean lots of taxes.

Showing up for work under the influence will get you fired most places. The OP makes a false conclusion of a better economy.

 

[teapartysamurai]

Marijuana Law Reform - NORML

Regulating Cannabis Sales Could Yield Over $17 Billion In Annual Savings And Revenue, New Study Says
Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:30:49 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Share This Article Treating marijuana as a legally regulated commodity would yield some $17.4 billion dollars annually in cost savings and new tax revenue, according to an economic report published yesterday by the CATO Institute think tank in Washington, DC.

The report, entitled “The Budgetary Impact of Ending Drug Prohibition,” estimates that taxing the commercial sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol would generate some $8.7 billion in annual revenue. The report further estimates that abolishing marijuana prohibition would additionally yield approximately $9 billion in annual law enforcement savings. Full text of the entire report is available for download here.

A previous 2005 study commissioned by NORML estimated that marijuana law enforcement cost taxpayers some $7.6 billion per year.

A separate California statewide analysis published in 2009 by the state Board of Equalization and Taxation estimated that imposing retail taxes on the commercial sale of cannabis in California would yield approximately $1.4 billion in yearly revenue.

An op/ed in favor of legalization by the CATO study’s co-author, Jeffrey Miron of Harvard University, appears in today’s Los Angeles Times here.

Topspin smokes pot! Gee I'm sooooooooooooooo surprised!

Let me tell you. The biggest argument you will ever have against legalizing pot you will find if you ever debate a couple pot heads. Try it sometime and see.

 

[topspin]

Teabag has no job. Duh

 

[BlindBoo]

I'm sorry Shaman, perhaps you can locate the articles which show pot INCREASES productivity and INCREASES personal income or DECREASES absenteeism. I was not able to find them.

Jailing users not only decreases productivity, decreases personal income, increases absenteeism, but also cloggs up the court and jails, and that mean lots of taxes.

Showing up for work under the influence will get you fired most places. The OP makes a false conclusion of a better economy.

Yeah, showing up drunk will get you fired too. But where in the article did he advocate that people show up to work under the influence of any recreational substance? That is a false argument. It is not a false conclusion. Marijuana prohibition has been costly in many aspects of our society not just the economy.

 

[teapartysamurai]

Teabag has no job. Duh

See what I mean? Thanks for proving me right top!

 

[MikeK]

I'm willing to bet that it's easier to grow marijuana than it is to brew beer.

[...]

Not necessarily. It depends on where you live, how much you know about growing things (everyone does not have a green thumb), how protected your crop is against pilferage and insects. Most of all it will depend on whether or not the government imposes laws against growing marijuana, just as there are laws against brewing whiskey, to protect its tax revenue. If there are such legal restrictions some will still grow their own but most will not. And of those who grow their own and sell it, some will get caught and go to prison.

Much of the growing question will depend on how high the tax is. If it's reasonable most people will prefer to play it safe and just buy it. But regardless of the level of growth activity the tax revenue from legal pot will be enormous.

 

[teapartysamurai]

Jailing users not only decreases productivity, decreases personal income, increases absenteeism, but also cloggs up the court and jails, and that mean lots of taxes.

Showing up for work under the influence will get you fired most places. The OP makes a false conclusion of a better economy.

Yeah, showing up drunk will get you fired too. But where in the article did he advocate that people show up to work under the influence of any recreational substance? That is a false argument. It is not a false conclusion. Marijuana prohibition has been costly in many aspects of our society not just the economy.

The problem with that argument is, it derives from a false premise.

I mean we could just as easily look at how much the prohibition to murder costs, but that's hardly the POINT.

The point being does society want to tolerate murder or let it run rampant?

Potheads then argue that marijauna is victimless but that is a narcissistic argument TO THE EXTREME.

Anyone living in Columbia or Mexico will tell you the trade HAS PLENTY OF VICTIMS.

The same people who will cry about letting illegal immigrants come into the country freely will take another toke and turn a blind eye to how many of them ARE KILLED so he can toke that blunt.

Domestic pot growing might cut into that blood shed on the American side.

BUT . .

Then I could go into the studies who have found smokers more likely to have mental illness, decreased intelligence, heightened emotions.

Any commodity designed to cause intoxication or a "buzz" as tokers call it, is going to cause effects on the brain.

Now you guys can believe that comes without consquences all you want. I don't buy it. Take a look at topspin!

I haven't met a pot smoker yet that didn't suffer some cognitive loss.

The smoker is always last to know it.

That's not victimless.

I also find it HIGHLY hypocritical that the same people FOR pot smoking are usually AGAINST cigarette smoking.

Anyone want to look at the cost to try and keep cigarettes out of the hands of people?

I don't see ANYONE complaining about that!

 

[MikeK]

[
Growing Pot definitely involves less care/hands-on, after it's been planted, but....you're gonna need 6 months (at-the-least; indoors), to have a worthwhile-product.

I'd say the brew-folks have the edge, here, regarding production-time.

I've tried to grow marijuana both indoors and out and failed either way. Those who think it's a simple matter of sticking a few seeds in the ground and letting nature take its course are mistaken.

Some might find it easy, even enjoyable, to do but I didn't. I should mention that I'm talking about the 60s and 70s when marijuana was decriminalized in New York City and the going price for an ounce of ordinary weed was $20 - $25 and up to $50 for the finest sinsemilla. Whereas I've heard that people are paying between $200 and $500 an ounce today, in which case I can understand taking great pains to grow it.