Can Marijuana Help Rescue California's Economy?

[morteduzionism]

Story

"The last thing we need is yet another mind-altering substance to be legalized," says John Lovell, lobbyist for the California Peace Officers' Association. "We have enough problems with alcohol and abuse of pharmaceutical products: do we really need to add yet another mind-altering substance to the array?"

Seriously, how many cases have there been of a husband beating his wife/kids because he was high on marijuana?

Who smokes weed and gets violent? Isn't marijuana a depressant?

This seems like a no-brainer. Just completely legalize it. Cigarettes cost @$7 (Washington, DC) and you have people willing to pay for the wacky tobaccy in incriments of $10-150.00...

[Bovril]

[URL="http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090313/us_time/08599188495600"]Isn't marijuana a depressant?

Totaly technical point, but alcohol is also a depressant and is assosiated with violence. Its not the fact that Canabis is a depressant that means it is not assosiated with violence.

I fully agree with you that Canabis should be legal, no matter how harmful it is. And given that it is much less harmful than alcohol, even in areas where scare campaigns are conducted such as causing psychosis (alcohol is the major cause and exacerbator of psychosis amongst drugs), it's absurd that it is not.

[Erik]

Legalizing marijuana and taxing it would be good for the California State treasury, but it would be a disaster for the prison industry.

[morteduzionism]

Legalizing marijuana and taxing it would be good for the California State treasury, but it would be a disaster for the prison industry.

Explain...

[Bovril]

Explain...

The number of people jailed for offences involving the possesion or sale of Canabis is huge. Since prisons are extremely profitable for many corporate interests (construction, security, manufacturing, etc.), and push down wages and consequently social welfare programs in general as well as turning opressed groups against each other, it is in the elite interest to maintain high prison populations. Legalising Canabis would therefore be a blow to elite interests.

[morteduzionism]

The number of people jailed for offences involving the possesion or sale of Canabis is huge. Since prisons are extremely profitable for many corporate interests (construction, security, manufacturing, etc.), and push down wages and consequently social welfare programs in general as well as turning opressed groups against each other, it is in the elite interest to maintain high prison populations. Legalising Canabis would therefore be a blow to elite interests.

Oh, ok...I was confusing a prison with a jail (i.e. a county jail) where someone might spend 90 days to a year, you guys are referring to the industry istself. Which Erik did mention...

edit: and I'm not concerned about the elite, but about the hard working prison guards who will be let off if there aren't enough prisoners for them to guard.

Sorry but (bleep) them...it's hard for me to sympathize with people like that...people who enforce regulations they don't even believe in <--- personal grudge against those people...no logic to it

[Erik]

Explain...

IIRC about half the people in California prisons are there because of marijuana possession or sale.
So legalizing marijuana would mean far less prisoners and thus far less money to be made in that industry.

edit: and I'm not concerned about the elite, but about the hard working prison guards who will be let off if there aren't enough prisoners for them to guard.

[BNS]

edit: and I'm not concerned about the elite, but about the hard working prison guards who will be let off if there aren't enough prisoners for them to guard.

The increase in both public and private capital will more than secure them a job elsewhere.

[Justice and Mercy]

IIRC about half the people in California prisons are there because of marijuana possession or sale.
So legalizing marijuana would mean far less prisoners and thus far less money to be made in that industry.

edit: and I'm not concerned about the elite, but about the hard working prison guards who will be let off if there aren't enough prisoners for them to guard.

We shouldn't not stop spending in areas we shouldn't be spending in because we might put someone out of the job.

That's the damned point.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Decreasing the prison population is a good thing. Maybe those prison guards could be doing something more useful like patrolling the streets.

[Visna]

Doesn't California have that rediculous "3 strikes and you're out" - policy? Because if it does there is no way they'll run into problems with a dwindling prison population...

[Quadratus]

Decreasing the prison population is a good thing. Maybe those prison guards could be doing something more useful like patrolling the streets.

This I agree....

[C-Rob]

Yeah, dark elder, that thing is completely absurd.

But though i think the prisons will be helped/cleared out, making THEM cheaper and making it more difficult to put people in them, I dont' think the marijuana taxes will do anything.
I'd rather see it happen in Ohio. A brand new prison is being built just a mile from my house due to the high volume of inmates. Sucks, though my friend wouldn't be helped very much. he can't handle marijuana. He is too idiotic with it.

[Chaigidel]

legalization would only solve problems not create them, which is exactly why its so hard for our government to do, because its insanely efficient and proper.( legalization that is)

[Quadratus]

Well I understand you put a tax on it, but how would you get the tax money since most of the pot sold are sold via drug sellers and cartels..

[Aetius]

Well I understand you put a tax on it, but how would you get the tax money since most of the pot sold are sold via drug sellers and cartels..

Allow corporations to sell marijuana.

Corporations are vastly more efficient than the most powerful gang. Gangs will be driven out of the market, unless taxes are too high that is....

[Muagan_ra]

Hah, yeah. Anyone who links violent crime to be under the influence of weed has obviously, never, ever smoked it.

[Quadratus]

Allow corporations to sell marijuana.

Corporations are vastly more efficient than the most powerful gang. Gangs will be driven out of the market, unless taxes are too high that is....

Well that wouldn't be easy you know, since most 90% of the pot is sold via drug cartels... What would the corporations do, "Hey Colombian Drug Cartels, can I buy/lend (?) some pot from you!?! "

Hah, yeah. Anyone who links violent crime to be under the influence of weed has obviously, never, ever smoked it.

Guess who made pot illegal? The ing politicians.

[Erik]

Well that wouldn't be easy you know, since most 90% of the pot is sold via drug cartels... What would the corporations do, "Hey Colombian Drug Cartels, can I buy/lend (?) some pot from you!?! "

They could just grow the marijuana themselves.
It's not difficult.

[Quadratus]

They could just grow the marijuana themselves.
It's not difficult.

Sort of like the Cigarette industry does? I can see that..