Solution to California's budget crisis: Legalize marijuana. (Santa Rosa, Napa: how much, school)

[58robbo]

Originally Posted by PKRWUD

Actually, that's not how it's going to work. The government won't be the ones selling it, and no one will be prohibited from growing their own. Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed.

Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide.

The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view.

You don't have to buy it from anyone if you'd rather grow your own. but I suspect the numbers of people that did that would be low because it would be much easier to just stop at the store on your way home.

are you sure? if that is the case then i have to say that i'm behind them all the way. this is a very positive step then and one which will hopefully lead to the nation wising up to the evil that is "the war on drugs"!. what i can say is that i doubt the state will make any money out of this. times are tough and if the stores are going to charge a $50 tax AND allow people to grow their own, the distribution will just end up bypassing the state. having said that, the state will save considerable money in policing and incarceration and potentially reap the rewards of hemp production and it's various uses (biofuel, textile, construction material, insulation, etc)

[PKRWUD]

Originally Posted by 58robbo

are you sure? if that is the case then i have to say that i'm behind them all the way. this is a very positive step then and one which will hopefully lead to the nation wising up to the evil that is "the war on drugs"!. what i can say is that i doubt the state will make any money out of this. times are tough and if the stores are going to charge a $50 tax AND allow people to grow their own, the distribution will just end up bypassing the state. having said that, the state will save considerable money in policing and incarceration and potentially reap the rewards of hemp production and it's various uses (biofuel, textile, construction material, insulation, etc)

I suspect you're going to enjoy reading this.

Legal pot: Bill sees cash harvest for state - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by killer2021

Legalize marijuana, sell it at any place that sells cigarettes and charge similar taxes as cigarettes.

Grow the marijuana in California (already California's largest cash crop, 2nd being grapes) which will help stimulate local rural farming communities and create jobs in those regions. It will also provide extra revenue for local stores. People will smoke marijuana, regardless if it is legal or not. As a society we need to make the right choices as to where these people get their drugs. Would you rather have those marijuana smokers buying from the local street thugs or from CVS, Rite-Aid etc.?

The vast majority of marijuana comes from foreign countries which is grown by drug lords which finance terrorism and violence.

It is time we say NO to violence and terrorism and yes to job creation and local economic growth!

AND! It would sure increase sales for the snack business!!

[killer2021]

Originally Posted by cobmw

Great - legalize dope and gambling. Tax them both. Then add prostitution and bath houses on every corner. Require stiff fees for licenses. California's budget crisis would be fixed. What a great place to live.

Most of the stuff you said already happens. Prostitutes still exist. They are in the front of your child's school. All the kids can see it. If prostitution were legal, it could be regulated. Prostitutes would only be allowed in specific, "red light" districts. No kids would be able to see and the prostitutes would be able to get STD checks. When you make something illegal, it forces that industry to go to the black market where it is out of control and unregulated.

Same story for gambling. Most if it is confined in hotels. Even in states like Nevada they don't let kids inside.

[dogard321]

How would you regulate people high & driving. I've passed out a few times after smoking several while driving

[PKRWUD]

Originally Posted by dogard321

How would you regulate people high & driving. I've passed out a few times after smoking several while driving

There's no law in the world that can fix stupid, but in my experience, you are in the minority. I'm 42 y/o, and while I haven't smoked pot in more than 5 years, I used to smoke like a chimney for years and years. In all that time, I never once met someone that liked to get high and then go driving. I'm not saying people like that don't exist, but they are few and far between. Alcohol, on the otherhand, usually has the opposite reaction in people. I've lost count of the number of people I've heard proclaim that they are even better drivers when they're drunk.

Regardless, the same laws that apply to alcohol would apply to smoking pot; if someone is stupid enough to drive while high and they get caught, they will be charged with a DUI.


Something that I feel really needs to be pointed out to those that fear the worst is the simple truth that if pot becomes legalized, and you yourself don't smoke, you won't notice anything different. Life will be the same for you. I recently read in another forum where one person was vehemently against the idea of legalization because she and her family members were allergic to smoke, and it would make things more difficult for them. I'd like to know how. The only way she'd experience more smoke is if she decided to go to a friends house that liked to get high, and honestly, most people that want to get high already are anyway, so she probably already avoids going to that friends house in the first place.

[Puddy4LyF]

One of the biggest reasons to legalize marijuana is the added effect of relieving the prison system which is all too often filled with people who were caught multiple times for using or selling marijuana. It should be treated just as ciggarettes should be. When I have a son and if I ever caught him as a minor smoking a ciggarette, I'd make him eat a pack. Just because something is legal, doesn't make it altogether positive, but we're only hurting ourselves by attempting to stop it. Why do you think Prohibition of alcohol was ended?

[ascreamingYeti]

Originally Posted by PKRWUD

Actually, that's not how it's going to work. The government won't be the ones selling it, and no one will be prohibited from growing their own. Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed.

Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide.

The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view.

You don't have to buy it from anyone if you'd rather grow your own. but I suspect the numbers of people that did that would be low because it would be much easier to just stop at the store on your way home.

This is true, I read it strait from the Bill its self. This is the exact reason why I am behind Bill 390 also. Really, we would be saving billions in prison, intake, court fees, rehab, police, dogs (much more expensive than most ppl think), illegal money trafficking enforcement, and taxes.

Plus it would be an amazing stimulator and generate billions through growing and farming jobs, companies that can sell home grow ops., seed companies and growing nurseries, the guy behind the counter selling it, the guy that owns that particular franchise in that city. The bonuses go on and on, but I highly recommend for anyone and everyone here to check why it was made illegal in the first place if you are still against legalization.

[hellaslover]

you guys are crazy...you really want marijuana legalized?? i understand that people still smoke it but since it's illegal it's only limited to smoking at parties or at home...and smoking marijuana is not the same as smoking tobacco. marijuana affects you right away, cigarettes affect you in 20yrs when you get cancer. we already have enough problems with people driving drunk, we don't need high drivers. And kids will think it's ok to smoke it since it's legal + it will be much easier to get
people are already doing bad things, this doesn't mean we have to legalize it just so because it's happening anyways..
come on people

[ImRandy]

Originally Posted by hellaslover

you guys are crazy...you really want marijuana legalized??

Yes.

I don't know where you live but where I do smoking isn't limited to parties or at home. I regularly see people on the street, in parks, in bars, etc smoking. I came out of Baskin Robbins the other night and four or five people were sharing a joint before going inside to take advantage of the $1 scoop deal.

Kids already think it's OK to smoke, they've been doing it for years, with limited or no repercussions, and I can't imagine it getting much more available to them unless the teachers start shoving it in their pockets on the way out of class.

I don't believe smoking in and of itself is a bad thing so legalizing it is perfectly rational. Legalizing it won't make the real crimes legal. Driving while impaired would still be illegal, hacking up our national and state parks to grow it would still be illegal, tax evasion would still be illegal.

You're right, we don't have to legalize it just because people are breaking the law but laws aren't handed down from above, they're derived from the will of the people. If the majority of people want marijuana to be legalized and/or think that it's better not to use our scarce resources to fight a battle that is not winnable it makes perfect sense to legalize and reap the benefits.