Pot tax would bring california $1.4 billion in revenue. (Orange, Weed: health insurance, motorhome)

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by NOVA Kate

The majority if not all of these "profits" would go towards regulating/enforcing licensing of industry. How would regulation even happen? Sounds very impractical. This is a very bad direction for California. Decriminalization of marijuana is the solution. If it passes I hope the Obama Administration will sue to block law as it preempts current Federal Drug Laws!

Saying the majority of tax money made on cannabis would go to enforcement and licensing doesn't take into account the licquor industry model or the tobacco industry model. Both have high taxes relative to the cost of manufacture and sale, but the companies that make them are doing ok and the states that tax them seem to think so too. Cannabis is far less toxic and problematic than either of those two substances, so enforcement and licesnsing should be a smaller portion of the costs.

Most pervors of cannabis would rather pay taxes and fees than face prison. Enforcement and licensing should not be a problem. We manage to license drivers and register cars, and they move around, a storefront should be an easy target.

Decriminalization, in most forms, helps the user who possesses small amounts, but still leaves the criminal element in charge of production and sale, and funnels all the money to the very criminal organizations we would like to eliminate. Decriminalization offers no income producing opportunity to the state, but still leaves the state with the cost of enforcment and incarceration of violators. Not a good solution..

[Roaddog]

Pot tax would bring california $1.4 billion in revenue

yeah and every burnt out stoner in the USA would come a running, welfare, disability and crime would skyrocket, California would be the laughing stock of the USA and rightfully so.

[Highnlite]

yeah and every burnt out stoner in the USA would come a running, welfare, disability and crime would skyrocket, California would be the laughing stock of the USA and rightfully so.

Who smokes pot? Fire fighters, architects, insurance brokers, teachers, farmers, sailors, mechanics. People from all walks of life smoke pot, it doesn't make them burnt out stoners any more than alcohol makes its users drunken wifebeating slobs.

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by Highnlite

Who smokes pot? Fire fighters, architects, insurance brokers, teachers, farmers, sailors, mechanics. People from all walks of life smoke pot, it doesn't make them burnt out stoners any more than alcohol makes its users drunken wifebeating slobs.

Yeah but those people are not burnt out stoners, it's the low lifes that will be first to move here because theres nothing keeping them where their at, it will draw in many low lifes. I know the differance than a burnt out stoner and a person who parties from time to time.

[native56]

Get the hookers off the streets. And boost tax revenues. Not the piddly billion $ from a MJ tax, but by ten billion $ from a tax on legalized prostitution. Legalize prostitution and hookers will no longer live in fear of violent crime. And there are health benefits too. Regular health inspections would reduce the spread of disease.

An added bonus would be to use up some of our extra mall space. Let the hookers market themselves like they do in Europe. We all know how advanced Europe is over the US. In Europe hookers put themselves up on display in storefront windows. What better place than in some of the empty mall stores? Everyone benefits. Johns get easier shopping. Hookers no longer have to walk the streets. And California would get $10 billion+ in annual taxes. Forget MJ, legal prostitution is the way to go. And no smelly MJ smoke to endure either.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by native56

Get the hookers off the streets. And boost tax revenues. Not the piddly billion $ from a MJ tax, but by ten billion $ from a tax on legalized prostitution. Legalize prostitution and hookers will no longer live in fear of violent crime. And there are health benefits too. Regular health inspections would reduce the spread of disease.

An added bonus would be to use up some of our extra mall space. Let the hookers market themselves like they do in Europe. We all know how advanced Europe is over the US. In Europe hookers put themselves up on display in storefront windows.

In certain European countries. Not in all.

There are some European countries where prostitution is illegal like Italy and Sweden. There are others where it's fully legal and there are displays of the sort you're talking about like Germany and the Netherlands. And others where it is decriminalized, like most European countries.

What better place than in some of the empty mall stores? Everyone benefits. Johns get easier shopping. Hookers no longer have to walk the streets. And California would get $10 billion+ in annual taxes. Forget MJ, legal prostitution is the way to go. And no smelly MJ smoke to endure either.

I agree with legalizing prostitution but legalizing weed really is a no-brainer, especially since the state is a major producer of it. There would be economic benefits besides merely more tax revenue, it would attract economic activity and tourism to the state. It would also take a major spending burden off the state's hands - the burden of having to pay for arresting and incarcerating people because of weed.

[native56]

Then lets legalize prostitution now. I'm tired of these incremental steps towards a new and better society. First the push for medical MJ and then work all over again to legalize it entirely. Why are we moving so slowly? Lets do the entire agenda all at once and enjoy the benefits sooner.

So legalize MJ, prostitution, gambling and all drug use. It's no one's business what I do with my body. And get more real about how we live our lives. Europeans have learned to live within the capacity of their environment. While we have multiple cars per family, TVs and computers in almost every room and live in disgusting big homes the Europeans have learned to use mass transit, buy only what they really need and Germans live in average 900 sq ft dwellings. We need intelligent leadership to adopt European laws so that we too can enjoy their lifestyle.

I think California can lead the way. But it will take too long by following this incremental route. Lets get prostitution done now and get to work on the rest of our agenda. That $10 billion per year in prostitution tax would make a big difference in the lives of the needy.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by majoun

I agree with legalizing prostitution but legalizing weed really is a no-brainer, especially since the state is a major producer of it.

So, will the state license public lands currently being used by the cartels for the cultivation? At a minimum, revenue from leasing fees would be worth something and people could use the rest of the lands for recreation without risking being shot, or could they?

If cultivation moves to SoCal I can just imagine the MJ water wars that will ensue between SoCal growers and Central Valley agriculture; not to mention a huge influx of illegals to tend the fields and harvest and process the herb.

This could be fun to watch, from afar!

Originally Posted by native56

We need intelligent leadership to adopt European laws so that we too can enjoy their lifestyle.

Mutually exclusive terms when it comes to California's governance!

[Highnlite]

Passing the prop will lower the price of pot to the point where the cartels will no longer find it profitable to grow on other peoples land, they will go out of business.

The farming of pot would be like any other crop. Phillip Morris is already buying farm land to grow pot on.

Illegal is only a piece of paper. It has been the policy of Republican (there are very few Democrat farmers) Farmers to use illegal labor for 40 years.

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by Highnlite

Passing the prop will lower the price of pot to the point where the cartels will no longer find it profitable to grow on other peoples land, they will go out of business.

The farming of pot would be like any other crop. Phillip Morris is already buying farm land to grow pot on.

Illegal is only a piece of paper. It has been the policy of Republican (there are very few Democrat farmers) Farmers to use illegal labor for 40 years.

Your dreaming, the Goverment will want their taxes, the price will be higher than the stoners themselves, the cartels will offer it much cheaper.
To grow it leagal there will major overhead, Illegal no big overhead, there will not be near the demand as other products so the price will be higher.