Who smokes weed?

[ShadowWulf]

Originally Posted by President [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

And for the record, I believe all drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed.

This is what we get out of the drug war:
-Billions in dollars spent combating drugs.
-Thousands of people dying per year due to getting bad drugs or overdosing because they don't know how to use the drugs properly.
-Tens of Thousands of non-violent & violent people in prison to the tune of 40,000 taxpayer dollars per person per year.
-Underground network of drugs that promote criminal activity and prevent taxation and regulation.

This would be a debate/argument of epic size. One I have had before on other more debate/free-thought oriented web sites.

If you really wanna keep digging into the subject then make a new thread and ill be happy to (out of fun mind you, id like to keep the flames to a minimum). If not then we can just drop it [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] your call, though I am logging in game now for some leveling.

[Aeolwind]

The best thing about legalizing weed is the increased profit that would be seen by M&M, Mars, Lays, Pringles, Peter Pan, & Little Debbie.

On the other hand, I don't smoke weed....tastes like ass, smells like shit. I never do a drug that has that many similarities to an orifice.

Legalized weed will -never- happen. They are trying to CRUSH cigarettes, and based on the studies I've seen, 1 joint contains FAR more tar & carcinogens than cigarettes. Now, whether those studies were slanted one way or the other is up for debate. Health care companies DON'T want it: Lost revenue in rehab & increased cost in long term effects. Drug companies DO want it because then they can grow shit that will make your face melt off & make bitchin' profit.

Legalizing weed would create approximately 200000 jobs in the US (forgot citation): From regulation, to packaging, to cultivating, to sales. It would remove nearly 400000 people from prison (http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/53, validity undetermined), yielding 16,000,000,000 in recovered tax dollars(In prisons ALONE. This is not including the enforcement costs associated with the WOD; about 42 billion). This easily pays for government reg. Now, on top of that you gain taxes. If taxed similar to cigarettes (1.01$ a pack) at 20% of market value fed tax wages would reach nearly 8 billion dollars (avg of 35 billion spent on purchasing weed each year).

So, to me, from a capitalist stand point: Legalize it, tax it, remove the stigma, make people rich. Tax the seeds based on potential yield and you'll add another boat load in tax dollars.

It isn't the governments job to tell us what we can and cannot do. It is the governments job to make sure we can do it safely, within reason.

[President]

Originally Posted by Aeolwind [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It isn't the governments job to tell us what we can and cannot do. It is the governments job to make sure we can do it safely, within reason.

Exactly.

[ShadowWulf]

Originally Posted by Aeolwind [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

So, to me, from a capitalist stand point: Legalize it, tax it, remove the stigma, make people rich. Tax the seeds based on potential yield and you'll add another boat load in tax dollars.

It isn't the governments job to tell us what we can and cannot do. It is the governments job to make sure we can do it safely, within reason.

The governments job is telling us what we can or cannot do, OR making sure we do it safely is a point that, out of context, is meaningless.
Governments place is to serve the people. Nothing else.
If the people want to be told what to do, then government may do so.
If not, again its up to the particular social contract of that nation. Our particular constitution is very much open ended on that front, allowing us to go from one extreme to the next as the people wish.
The people are, at the end of the day, more important that the system.

In so far as legal weed, besides being a minor boon (Yep, minor at best) to fast food and junk food as with any other business when made legal profits would take a steep nose dive into shitville. People simply will not continue to pay hundreds of dollars for a stinky bud. People like me still willingly pay $15 and up for a bottle of beer, but I know VERY few others who would even when they have the money.
Once the legal aspect is removed all justification for artificial prices and market manipulation falls away and as the last 2 months here in California shows, the market stabilizes.
I know of 8 medical clinics for weed that have closed down in 60 days.
The rest are driving prices lower and lower. Either, as usually happens, a large transnational pharma will step in to control the market itself (effectively competing with only itself, as is the American way.... [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] ) if it ever becomes legal in the state, driving the small clinics into the dirt and, as they do NOW, not paying taxes by simply reincorporating overseas (Haliburton, BP, Transocean, most electronics manufactures in the US, ect).

If you want the entrepreneurs to get rich, then keep it illegal. If you want to help the rich get richer, then by all means go ahead.

[redghosthunter]

I knew there were a lot of smokers out there but WOW. I prefer to go UP not DOWN.

[guineapig]

Originally Posted by Aeolwind [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Legalized weed will -never- happen. They are trying to CRUSH cigarettes, and based on the studies I've seen, 1 joint contains FAR more tar & carcinogens than cigarettes. Now, whether those studies were slanted one way or the other is up for debate. Health care companies DON'T want it: Lost revenue in rehab & increased cost in long term effects. Drug companies DO want it because then they can grow shit that will make your face melt off & make bitchin' profit.

Do you have any idea how much money this country makes off of tobacco products? They aren't going to make cigarettes illegal. It would completely destroy our economy. All the anti-smoking ads are just a way for them to get away with breaking all the taxation laws that this country (U.S.) was founded upon when it comes to alcohol and tobacco.

[Tallenn]

Originally Posted by guineapig [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Do you have any idea how much money this country makes off of tobacco products? They aren't going to make cigarettes illegal. It would completely destroy our economy. All the anti-smoking ads are just a way for them to get away with breaking all the taxation laws that this country (U.S.) was founded upon when it comes to alcohol and tobacco.

Don't forget firearms. The BATFE was instituted to go after people for violations of TAX laws- in fact, the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) is, in essence, a law describing the collecting of taxes for certain types of firearms.

BATFE is an organization dedicated to going after people for not paying a $200 tax (with machine guns, black ninja costumes, and jack boots).