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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano believes California's budget problems can be helped by legalizing marijuana and taxing the sale of it.
He wants to legalize the sale of it, the transportation of it and then tax it $50 for every ounce. No one under 21 would be allowed to purchase it and it would still be illegal to drive under the influence of it.
Ammiano says $1 billion could be raised every year by doing this. It would also save the state money in other ways.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano believes California's budget problems can be helped by legalizing marijuana and taxing the sale of it.
He wants to legalize the sale of it, the transportation of it and then tax it $50 for every ounce. No one under 21 would be allowed to purchase it and it would still be illegal to drive under the influence of it.
Ammiano says $1 billion could be raised every year by doing this. It would also save the state money in other ways.
Interesting. Any little bit added to the state's coffers has got to help
You have to be delusional if you think its going to solve problems... the drug dealers will just sell it cheaper and without tax...
If you could stop by 7-11 for gas, smokes and some pot - I bet many people would be willing to pay more to avoid dealers. Time & convenience vs. money spent.
Only $1 Billion / year at that tax rate? I'm disappointed - I guessed it would bring in much more.
As a person of a libertarian bent I am all for the legalization of drugs. We as a nation spend entirely too much money and effort to stop something that there is a market for. I see no distinction between the horrible effects of prohibition of alcohol or our current "war on drugs". We as a nation simply have created an inflated drug economy. Legalization would drop the cost of drugs exponentially, while allowing millions of non-violent "criminals" to become productive citizens again who are currently draining the system with the high cost of incarceration.
Every "evil" of legalization is the same as was offered when we attacked alcohol. While rational people may agree that poisoning yourself is stupid, it is not something that our government should be wasting its resources on stopping.
It is only illegality which drives the high cost of drugs which in turn leads to all of the high societal costs in crime and violence associated with it. Like in the days of prohibition, we create monsters like Al Capone every day with our idiotic laws. Notice how many drive-bys and gang wars are currently raging over whiskey. Oh, there is none.
States all across the nation rake in the dough from alcohol consumption, I see no reason why we should not simply legalize drugs and reap the sin-taxes that follow. Maybe then the drug dealers would return to the less lucrative business of stealing car radios
Now I do admit that people will abuse these drugs and ruin their health and that will cost money. But, uh, the same idiots who do this do it now even though it is illegal. That is a problem of other dumb laws in this country concerning healthcare, but that is another thread. Instead of demonizing people acting freely and creating a dangerous underground economy, why not legalize drugs and at least take the money away from the maniac drug-dealers and allow new businesses to emerge?
If you could stop by 7-11 for gas, smokes and some pot - I bet many people would be willing to pay more to avoid dealers. Time & convenience vs. money spent.
Only $1 Billion / year at that tax rate? I'm disappointed - I guessed it would bring in much more.
I think most public figures horribly underestimate the toking population. Which is strange considering some of the people these guys hang out with.
If 1.6 million people bought 1 ounce each a month you would generate 1 billion at their rate. That is about 5% of California's population. I would imagine the real percentage of tokers is somewhere between 10-20%
Not to be an ass, but you don't see people selling whiskey in back alleys too much anymore do you? Not too many cigarette cartels shooting it out over territory in the streets either. Just an observation.
About time. Too much money & resouces spent on marijuana laws when they should be concentrating on the ga-zillion other illegal activities taking place every second of every day. Its just like alcohol, probably better. It is medicinal... it is such a crock that the state says its legal for medicinal purposes but feds say no.... Just legalize it already. You'd be surprised at who are already partaking anyway.
Not to be an ass, but you don't see people selling whiskey in back alleys too much anymore do you? Not too many cigarette cartels shooting it out over territory in the streets either. Just an observation.
The illegal liquor trade is more prevalent than most people think.
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