US - Our View: Legal pot a bad idea

[edgarshade]

sgvtribune
Posted: 09/27/2010 05:27:01 PM PDT

Comments available

http://www.sgvtribune.com/opinions/ci_16187455

'THE best way to look at Proposition 19, which would legalize the sale and possession of marijuana for adults, is to paint a

picture of the state if the measure were to pass:

The guy in the cubicle next to you at work is stoned. There's an increased likelihood the driver of the car in the next lane on the freeway is under the influence of pot. Commercial entities openly selling pot in storefronts near where you shop, or perhaps in your child or grandchild's college dormitory.'

'There is no provision for a specific tax on legal marijuana. The measure leaves that up to whatever governmental entity wants to do so. But there is a provision that allows people to cultivate marijuana in their yards and even on empty lots. And how is the state going to tax cannabis plants? Knock on everyone's door and collect? Use Google Earth? Call Homeland Security? Will this really take the drug cartels out of the business?

Think again. They'll find a way to grow it or sell it on the black market, avoiding taxation.

All a voter has to do is think through the consequences of legalizing marijuana. It is not a pretty picture. On Nov. 2, vote "no" on Prop. 19.'

 

[Blossom]

uh thats a terrible argument...legalization is not going to lead to everyone smoking pot because EVERYONE is all ready smoking pot...

 

[nopipesdfw]

Think again. They'll find a way to grow it or sell it on the black market, avoiding taxation.

Everybody likes money, including plenty of current random weed growers.

Nonetheless, everybody else I know is ready right now to hand their paycheck over to what would be the government lol.

This guy realizes that a market is a market (hopefully??), he's probably getting a boner off of a big pile of money somewhere right now.

 

[Dragynfyr]

'There is no provision for a specific tax on legal marijuana. The measure leaves that up to whatever governmental entity wants to do so. But there is a provision that allows people to cultivate marijuana in their yards and even on empty lots. And how is the state going to tax cannabis plants? Knock on everyone's door and collect? Use Google Earth? Call Homeland Security? Will this really take the drug cartels out of the business?

Yes, yes it will. How does people growing their own (OMFG UNTAXED?!) supply at home lead to still buying shitty weed off Mexicans? Whyyyyy would people continue to fund cartels buying their shitty weed if you could A) grow it yourself or B) buy it off your neighbor, who is more likely to funnel his profits into his refrigerator rather than a cartels bank account, ie, guns and murder funding, or C) From a local business that follows the rules and pays taxes? This is AM-ER-I-KAH!! (fuck ya)We do EVERYTHING better when we try, including growing pot. Legalize and the cartels take a huge hit. Their crappy product only stays afloat because of a lack of options. We do it better, if we take over production, we will have the better product, and people will buy local, fucking the cartels.

 

[b4rd]

Vote no on prop 19. I still want to be able to privatize in cultivation X_x.

 

[b4rd]

Yes, yes it will. How does people growing their own (OMFG UNTAXED?!) supply at home lead to still buying shitty weed off Mexicans? Whyyyyy would people continue to fund cartels buying their shitty weed if you could A) grow it yourself or B) buy it off your neighbor, who is more likely to funnel his profits into his refrigerator rather than a cartels bank account, ie, guns and murder funding, or C) From a local business that follows the rules and pays taxes? This is AM-ER-I-KAH!! (fuck ya)We do EVERYTHING better when we try, including growing pot. Legalize and the cartels take a huge hit. Their crappy product only stays afloat because of a lack of options. We do it better, if we take over production, we will have the better product, and people will buy local, fucking the cartels.

I don't know many people in my area in california that are supporting the "cartels" by buying pot. They mostly buy from local growers who are natives of the land. Some have a marijuana club card, that is probably supporting the cartels though, as the marijuana clinics buy any type of weed from and type of person ...

 

[mecaib]

The guy in the cubicle next to you at work is stoned.

You mean a coworker might actually be happy while working?

There's an increased likelihood the driver of the car in the next lane on the freeway is under the influence of pot.

Somehow I doubt this. Even so, better stoned than drunk, IMO.

Commercial entities openly selling pot in storefronts near where you shop,

Right, and taking up shelf space reserved for alcoholic beverages, no doubt.

or perhaps in your child or grandchild's college dormitory.'

Now that's too much. We can't have our college kids exposed to legal cannabis. Keep it illegal so more of them get arrested and screw up their records for life. Kids who are brilliant and would have made a true difference, now unable to find meaningful work.

And how is the state going to tax cannabis plants? Knock on everyone's door and collect? Use Google Earth? Call Homeland Security? Will this really take the drug cartels out of the business?

Uh, the people who will be growing it themselves won't be buying shitty cartel brick weed. Is the logic so hard to grasp?

Think again. They'll find a way to grow it or sell it on the black market, avoiding taxation.

So the fuck what? There are countless other natural resources one can produce themselves which are not taxed when used for personal reasons. But when you sell them, then the state gets a chunk of the profits. There will be plenty of growers who will want to take the legal route, and they *will* be generating money for the state.

All a voter has to do is think through the consequences of legalizing marijuana. It is not a pretty picture. On Nov. 2, vote "no" on Prop. 19.'

No, all a busy voter has to do is skim through crap like this, make a programmed decision while juggling work, kids, the rat race, and vote 'no' because it 'seems right'.

 

[Dragynfyr]

I don't know many people in my area in california that are supporting the "cartels" by buying pot. They mostly buy from local growers who are natives of the land. Some have a marijuana club card, that is probably supporting the cartels though, as the marijuana clinics buy any type of weed from and type of person ...

ya that's my point, because of it's nearly-legal status there you have lots of good pot and don't need mexicos brick garbage that accounts for a huge % of their profits. (and the stuff in the clubs is good = not from mexico, club stuff is all local too).

 

[MadWolfZX]

Edgarshade, why do you constantly post such illogically based articles? I'm just wondering...

sgvtribune
Posted: 09/27/2010 05:27:01 PM PDT

Comments available

http://www.sgvtribune.com/opinions/ci_16187455

'THE best way to look at Proposition 19, which would legalize the sale and possession of marijuana for adults, is to paint a

picture of the state if the measure were to pass:

The guy in the cubicle next to you at work is stoned. There's an increased likelihood the driver of the car in the next lane on the freeway is under the influence of pot. Commercial entities openly selling pot in storefronts near where you shop, or perhaps in your child or grandchild's college dormitory.'

'There is no provision for a specific tax on legal marijuana. The measure leaves that up to whatever governmental entity wants to do so. But there is a provision that allows people to cultivate marijuana in their yards and even on empty lots. And how is the state going to tax cannabis plants? Knock on everyone's door and collect? Use Google Earth? Call Homeland Security? Will this really take the drug cartels out of the business?

Think again. They'll find a way to grow it or sell it on the black market, avoiding taxation.

All a voter has to do is think through the consequences of legalizing marijuana. It is not a pretty picture. On Nov. 2, vote "no" on Prop. 19.'

 

[Dragynfyr]

Edgarshade, why do you constantly post such illogically based articles? I'm just wondering...

I've been assuming it's to make us laugh

 

[LSDMDMA&AMP]

notice something?
child or grandchilds COLLEGE DORM?
in college youre a fucking adult, this article is aimed at old people

 

[phenethylo J]

Was I reading something wrong or did that article actualy try and claim that crime dramaticly increased in the Netherlands when the coffe shops opend up. How pathetic is when people have to flat out lie to back up their argument.

 

[Bardeaux]

The guy in the cubicle next to you at work is stoned.

First of all if the person next to you wanted to get stoned he would be stoned legal or not. Its not fucking plutonium its pretty easy to obtain marijuana.

Secondly, take a look at the person in the cubicle next to you. He IS drunk. Alcohol is legal so by this logic he IS drunk and so are you.

There's an increased likelihood the driver of the car in the next lane on the freeway is under the influence of pot.

Why? As I said earlier, pot smokers will smoke pot with or without consent from the government. By driving while stoned he is breaking the law, which makes the argument that "he's smoking pot because it's legal" completely invalid.

Commercial entities openly selling pot in storefronts near where you shop, or perhaps in your child or grandchild's college dormitory.'

This reminds me of the end of Reefer Madness. "Next it could be your son...or your daughter...or yours... or YOURS." I'm pretty sure drugs of any kind including alcohol are not allowed in college dorms.

'There is no provision for a specific tax on legal marijuana. The measure leaves that up to whatever governmental entity wants to do so. But there is a provision that allows people to cultivate marijuana in their yards and even on empty lots. And how is the state going to tax cannabis plants? Knock on everyone's door and collect? Use Google Earth? Call Homeland Security?

The government is pretty clever in finding ways to tax the shit out of it's citizens so I'm pretty sure they will find a way.

Will this really take the drug cartels out of the business?

Not while there's still cocaine and heroin to push. But it will greatly cut down on the illicit marijuana trade in the US.

Think again. They'll find a way to grow it or sell it on the black market, avoiding taxation.

Like the wave of illegal alcohol distilleries you've been reading in the news?

All a voter has to do is think through the consequences of legalizing marijuana. It is not a pretty picture. On Nov. 2, vote "no" on Prop. 19.'

The voter must ALSO consider the alternative. Locking up millions, paying to keep them in prison, wasting the time of police in order to combat pot smokers ect. All while giving all those people criminal records for possession of even a small amount of weed.

Would you rather your sweet innocent grandkids smoke a joint legally or going to jail and having a criminal record for smoking one illegally?

 

[edgarshade]

Just curious. Are there TV campaigns in California running adverts pro or anti proposition 19? What information are people getting over there?