California consideres legalizing pot, taxing it

[eldondre]

Could marijuana be the answer to the economic misery facing California? Democratic State Assembly member Tom Ammiano thinks so. Ammiano introduced legislation last month that would legalize pot and allow the state to regulate and tax its sale - a move that could mean billions for the cash-strapped state. Pot is, after all, California's biggest cash crop, responsible for $14 billion in annual sales, dwarfing the state's second largest agricultural commodity - milk and cream - which brings in $7.3 billion annually, according to the most recent USDA statistics. The state's tax collectors estimate the bill would bring in about $1.3 billion in much-needed revenue a year, offsetting some of the billions in service cuts and spending reductions outlined in the recently approved state budget...

could common sense finally be coming to America?
Can Marijuana Help Rescue California's Economy?

[desolate]

It's logical.

So no, some nutjobs will say we are going to hell for doing it.

"My 12 year old...blah blah blah"

[Malloy]

Will it be sold in a 'state store' ?

[RussDiamond]

CNBC had a special the other night that focused on Mendecino County. Apparently, that county would collapse financially without the pot industry.

[raider.adam]

CNBC had a special the other night that focused on Mendecino County. Apparently, that county would collapse financially without the pot industry.

Pot growers are the last people that want it legalized.

[eldondre]

Pot growers are the last people that want it legalized.

are you sure? I imagine those that have the most to lose are foreign pot growers.

[raider.adam]

are you sure? I imagine those that have the most to lose are foreign pot growers.

Well, foreign pot growers would obviously be hurt if they are banned from importing and they lose out on a large legitimate market. Not doubting that.

But the average American pot grower (growing for sale, not consumption) would be hit as well. Think of how many small tobacco growers there are.

I remember years ago reading an expose on pot growers in Kentucky. They had their fields all hidden in the hills and mountains. Very few of them had any desire to have marijuana legalized because it just means big corporate gets to muscle in on their business and they wouldn't be able to compete.

[eldondre]

Well, foreign pot growers would obviously be hurt if they are banned from importing and they lose out on a large legitimate market. Not doubting that.

But the average American pot grower (growing for sale, not consumption) would be hit as well. Think of how many small tobacco growers there are.

I remember years ago reading an expose on pot growers in Kentucky. They had their fields all hidden in the hills and mountains. Very few of them had any desire to have marijuana legalized because it just means big corporate gets to muscle in on their business and they wouldn't be able to compete.

unless they produce high quality ganja, you know, stuff that just smoking it would be like killing a unicorn. foreigners would lose out because there'd be ain crease in domestic supply and unless their government legalized it (a real possibility for mexico I'd imagine), they woudl be at a disadvantage.

[raider.adam]

unless they produce high quality ganja, you know, stuff that just smoking it would be like killing a unicorn. foreigners would lose out because there'd be ain crease in domestic supply and unless their government legalized it (a real possibility for mexico I'd imagine), they woudl be at a disadvantage.

Again, not disagreeing about foreign growers. I was just pointing out that a lot of domestic contraband growers aren't keen on legalizing because of how it will affect their illegal agricultural business.

[phillyaggie]

you can grow ganja freely in India, and the gurus (this is the original definition of "guru"...a Hindu ascetic/saint) up in Himalayan foothills smoke it as a spiritual part of their lives. pretty cool, eh? Yet Xtians have bad things to say about Hinduism. Go figure.

[RussDiamond]

I see your logic, Adam, but you'd think that aleviating their worries over going to jail and losing their property might take precedent.

On the other hand, I already see an opening to go out there and represent the Small Pot Grower's lobby. First order of business: maximum pot farm size = 10 acres.

Then I'll go around and form the Marijuana Workers' Guild. WE WANT FREE HEALTH CARE! AND PENSIONS!

Gotta nip this free-market crap in the bud, so to speak.

Why not just legalize it and tax the income like any other income?

[raider.adam]

I see your logic, Adam, but you'd think that aleviating their worries over going to jail and losing their property might take precedent.

From what I read, a lot of them are not that concerned about going to jail. They said the most that happens is the government sprays their fields.

On the other hand, I already see an opening to go out there and represent the Small Pot Grower's lobby. First order of business: maximum pot farm size = 10 acres.

Then I'll go around and form the Marijuana Workers' Guild. WE WANT FREE HEALTH CARE! AND PENSIONS!

Gotta nip this free-market crap in the bud, so to speak.

Why not just legalize it and tax the income like any other income?

I wasn't making a judgment for or against. I was just adding in some perspective I had read that I thought would at least get a couple people to go "hmm, that's interesting".

Just trying to add to the conversation.

[phillyaggie]

Lewis Black has a nice take on legalizing pot, among other issues facing the nation in this time of recession. Take a look:

Back in Black - Recession Winners | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

[desolate]

We aren't taxing Amercia's largest cash crop.

I think that should be enough reason.

Then we spend billions to kill a plant.

So we are.

A. Losing revenue.

B. Spending tax money fighting an unwinnable fight against nature.

[eldondre]

Marijuana growers, many believed to be affiliated with Mexican drug cartels, are aggressively expanding their illegal farming operations in the U.S., clearing land to plant pot in dozens of national forests from coast to coast.

Illicit cannabis farms on public land first sprang up in California more than a decade ago and remain a serious problem in that state. But in the past two years, the U.S. Forest Service has documented a rapid expansion of the practice..."They're moving across the country," said David Ferrell, director of law enforcement for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which includes the Forest Service.

With the expansion comes an increased risk to campers and hikers -- a particular concern this Labor Day weekend, as families converge on public land just as many cannabis crops are ready for harvest.

The propane tanks, stoves and trash left behind by pot farmers pose fire risks; such a camp is believed to have sparked a fire last month that burned 88,000 acres in California's Los Padres National Forest. And many pot patches are watched over by armed guards or booby-trapped. Some are remote, but others are near popular tourist sites, such as a pot farm discovered late last month in California's Sequoia National Park, a half-mile from a cave famed for its crystal formations.

Pot 'Plantations' on the Rise - WSJ.com

[PhillyKev]

Pot 'Plantations' on the Rise - WSJ.com

Was just about to post this. Enforcement stepped up at the Mexican border? Check, grow it in the US. If they step up enforcement there? Grow it in Canada. More enforcement? Grow it indoors. More enforcement? Dig underground complexes.

Stop this ridiculous battle. Legalize it, tax it. Stop funding criminal organizations and wasting tax money for a war on pot that the majority of the nation opposes.

[lewblum]

unless they produce high quality ganja, you know, stuff that just smoking it would be like killing a unicorn.

i think you hit on something there.

it could be similar to the beer industry.

you have the big 3, then thousands of successful microbreweries.

I betcha ConAgra weed would be shwag.

I prefer Colonel Cottonmouth's Kentucky Indica.

[desolate]

Again, not disagreeing about foreign growers. I was just pointing out that a lot of domestic contraband growers aren't keen on legalizing because of how it will affect their illegal agricultural business.

As knowing growers I disagree cmpletely.


Not going to federal pound you in the prison and still making money is a big deal

[desolate]

Pot 'Plantations' on the Rise - WSJ.com

WSJ is Foxnews' print edition.


It's a scare piece to feed into the mindset.


Most growers are Americans.

It's no surprise that Foxnews Journal decided to stoke the flames.