General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Weed: Legalize and tax it [View all]Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Most people don't give a shit about pot. They don't smoke it. They don't think about. It's not a big issue.
They do give a shit about things like taxes and public services. The revenue from taxation argument is probably the strongest one legalization has. If legalizing weed can put money in the general fund, people who don't care about pot will vote for it, as we have seen in Colorado and Washington.
Now, don't get me wrong. I have issues with the initiatives in both states, more so with Washington's, which doesn't provide for personal cultivation and has that DUID provision (an unnecessary sop to scared parents, as Colorado showed by winning without having such a provision). But they are both legalization, albeit limited legalization. In Washington and Colorado, possession of small amounts is not decriminalized, it is legal. Period. We will see how the regulatory schemes they craft in those states turn out, and we will see how the feds react. It is an ongoing process. But both states envision legal, taxed, and regulated sale.
Personally, I prefer a scheme where personal cultivation and non-commercial distribution is legal and untaxed. But I have no problem paying a tax on a commercial marijuana transaction, just as I do with any other commercial transaction.
This anti-tax stuff seems like its coming from the Ron Paul wing of the marijuana movement. It fucked up Prop 19 in California and did its best to sabotage I 502 in Washington. I'm glad it didn't work there.
As for the media lying to us about legalization, well, yeah, maybe it is not unfettered, absolute legalization, but it is legalization. You can put an asterisk beside it if you wish, but headlines like "Washington Legalizes Marijuana" and "Colorado Legalizes Marijuana" are game-changers in themselves. That shit is rocking the world right now.
We'll see how many more states flip in 2016.