The Insane Economics Of Not Legalizing Marijuana In One Handy Infographic

but I hope Oregon will legalize in 2014.

Tax it.

Regulate it.

Both non-commercially, free from tax and regulation, and commercially as other commercially used plants.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm nice and legal here in CO and it's time to smoke

but I'm not much of a user.

The Growing Kitchen brownies are sooooooo good I have to be careful not to eat too much! Next week I'm going to buy a 100 mg caramel.

I go for the 225mg Blue Kudos on weekends when I'm going to be home all day. 1/3 in the morning, 1/3 in the after noon and the last of it after dinner. 8$ each at Golden Meds, you just can't beat it

things might look a little differently.

They patented the use of cannabinoids while busting legal growers and dispensaries. Now, they've started awarding parts of the patent. Why not split it up and get potentially hundreds of payments instead of only one?

The feds do this stuff in plain sight and get away with it. I can't begin to understand how.

see: http://www.kannalife.com/

One more thing: Why is the media lying about Washington? They didn't legalize cannabis, they decriminalized it. Why lie about it, unless it is to convince gullible suckers that they got something they didn't.

I 502 also mandated that the state set up a tax and regulate commercial marijuana cultivation and distribution system. We will see how that goes and how the Obama administration responds.

I 502 isn't full-blown legalization, like you were growing tomatoes, or even like you were producing alcohol. You can home brew beer, but you can't grow your own weed under I 502. I think that's stupid and regrettable. And then there's that DUID provision they threw in as a sop to fear-mongering prohibitionists. Colorado proved you don't need to give 'em that.

But this is still legalization in Washington, and in Colorado. And what's important is precisely what you're decrying: That media outlets around the world screamed "Two American States Legalize Marijuana!" Dude, we have broken the dam. The game has changed. Wait until the next presidential election year, and we'll probably see legalization on the ballot in three or four more states, including California. If other states haven't legalized it legislatively by then.

You Wikipedia definition of decriminalization notwithstanding, decrim in the US means possession is no longer a criminal offense, but an administrative one, like a traffic ticket. They can fine you, and they can steal your weed. In Washington and Colorado, now they can't fine you or steal your weed. That's legalization of up to an ounce by adults.

Safed, Israel — Moshe Rute survived the Holocaust by hiding in a barn full of chickens. He nearly lost the use of his hands after a stroke two years ago. He became debilitated by recurring nightmares of his childhood following his wife's death last year.

"But after I found this, everything has been better," said the 80-year-old, as he gingerly packed a pipe with marijuana.

Rute, who lives at the Hadarim nursing home outside of Tel Aviv, is one of more than 10,000 patients who have official government permission to consume marijuana in Israel, a number that has swelled dramatically, up from serving just a few hundred patients in 2005.

The medical cannabis industry is expanding as well, fueled by Israel's strong research sector in medicine and technology — and notably, by government encouragement. Unlike in the United States and much of Europe, the issue inspires almost no controversy among the government and the country's leadership. Even influential senior rabbis do not voice any opposition to its spread, and secular Israelis have a liberal attitude on marijuana.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121104/NATION/211040303

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The left and centre-left parties favor new regulations of the supply of cannabis to the coffeeshops, arguing the resulting taxes would bring the treasury €500 million – €300 million in taxes and €200 million in savings to the police and criminal justice system.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2012/10/12/weed-for-all-again-dutch-politicians-say-maybe/

What the government SHOULD be doing is national legalization, then have it sold in stores like alcohol and taxed. All of the money they've spent towards the WOD could've been best put to use on drug awareness programs for young people and programs that help people quit. Even our neighbors to the north made marijuana legal. And with all these facts that the OP has presented, it's illogical that our elected leaders don't want to follow in their footsteps and end prohibition.

Thanks for the great post, pokerfan!!