Pot Can Fix Budget Mess

[Shadows]

Tom Ammiano wants to effectively legalize-- and tax -- California's trade in cannabis.

AB 390 "would remove all penalties in California law on cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, or use of marijuana, natural THC, or paraphernalia for persons over the age of 21," Ammiano's press secretary Quintin Mecke told the San Francisco Weekly.

Ammiano, a rookie state legislator and former San Francisco supervisor, may have a unique opportunity to win support for the bill in the wake of the state's budget debacle.

"California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana," he said.

Mecke suggested taxes on the trade could amount to $1 billion according to advocates.

And I'd bet that's a conservative estimate.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said at a morning news conference at the state building on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.

Estimates value the state's crop of marijuana at $13.8 billion, double that of the vegetable and grape markets combined. Nationwide, it may be the fourth largest cash crop, behind corn, soy and hay but ahead of wheat.

The proposed bill would allow Californians over the age of 21 to grow, transport, sell, possess and consume the plant, with state and local law enforcement professionals barred from enforcing the federal ban.

The tax would amount to $50 per ounce of marijuana, which retails on the black market for anywhere from $250 to $500 depending on the source and quality.

While it may sound like a pipe dream, with communities from the emerald triangle of Humboldt, Mendecino and Trinity Counties to liberal districts all along California's cost all strapped for cash, other lawmakers and voters might just tune in and turn on.

Frankly, I think they should sign an endorsement deal with Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps.

Jackson West figures libertarian stoners will inevitably complain about the tax.

Ammiano: Pot Can Fix the Budget Mess - NBCBAYAREA- msnbc.com

 

[Casey]

I agree, it should be done.

Mostly so that it can be regulated to kill out all the bullshit stress weed.

 

[S. Fourteen]

The Mexican drug cartels gonna be busting more caps if it happens.

 

[Duke]

^ There are no caps to bust if this happens.

 

[Bobby Sands]

Im all for the legalisation of marijuana.

 

[S. Fourteen]

^ There are no caps to bust if this happens.

Yeah, I guess they'll go back to growing avocados.

Nevertheless, beautiful plants they are. It's a shame people are put into cells for growing a personal amount. And it's more of a shame that half of America is afraid of this plant.

 

[Prize Gotti]

The truth is, there is no actual reason why many drug are illegal, they were only classified this way because of association with heroine and crack cocaine. And a very true fact that is nearly all recreational drugs are no more harmful than alchohol or tobacco. thousands die a year because of alchohol and tobacco (it is infact true that 95% of people that die from these 2 are in their 70's), but less than a thousand people die from recreational drugs per year. No one has EVER died from marijuana, period.

I think that an international legalisation of recreational drugs is not a bad idea at all. The majority of organised crime revolves around drugs. If these drugs were legally obtainable, these criminals would go out of business. Also, alot of third world countries could be taken out of poverty by being allowed to grow cannabis plants and cocaine plants to sell to the international market as those countries have perfect weather conditions to yield big crops. Many people are under the incorrect conception that drugs = crime. No body robs some one so they can get some E's or a bit of green. Its only Heroine and Crack that have this attributes and the other drugs are unfairly associated with them.

 

[ARon]

California's budget deficit is in the area of 16 billion dollars. Knockin 1 billion of it off with legalizing weed sounds good but to do something so drastic for so little doesnt make any sense to most. People argue you can knock the 160 million California spends on enforcing drug laws off the books too, but most lawmakers believe it'd cost a lot more to enforce the business of anyone who wants to try to grow. Most if not all dispensaries and non profits dont pay taxes on the weed they sell right now, so they definitely arent for this. Plus think of what the tax would do to people who actually need the medical marijuana not just someone trying to get high. Im all for legal marijuana, well im all for legal marijuana used by responsible people, but at a time like this its a pretty ridiculous thing to try to do and not fair to the people who are really in need of it.

 

[ARon]

No body robs some one so they can get some E's or a bit of green.

Lmao so not true.

 

[Flipmo]

I dunno about you, but weed being legal, I'm all for it. The harder shit, not really.

I wouldn't like the idea of PCP being legal. We'd have mother fuckers running around like Big Lurch ripping peoples stomachs open.

 

[Prize Gotti]

Lmao so not true.

Well I don't know about you, but I can buy both with pocket change, why would any body need to steal to pay for something that costs so little?

I dunno about you, but weed being legal, I'm all for it. The harder shit, not really.

I wouldn't like the idea of PCP being legal. We'd have mother fuckers running around like Big Lurch ripping peoples stomachs open.

True, not all should be legalised. But take E for example, even the UK government scientists (ACMD) confirmed that E isn't any more dangerous than alcohol. Unfortunately the government never listen to them regardless of the fact that they employ them to do drug research, because they are worried that they would loose votes.

What the world needs is the Truth about drugs. The scare tactics used in the 70s and 80s worked too well and left the world in a state where people believe taking drugs is criminal, a sin and harmful. when infact they are no where near as harmful as we were lead to believe, and in the case of cannabis, more beneficial in the field of medicine than many other drugs out there.

In a year 2002 review of medical literature, medical cannabis was shown to have established effects in the treatment of nausea, vomiting, PMS, unintentional weight loss, and lack of appetite.[34] Other "relatively well-confirmed" effects were in the treatment of "spasticity, painful conditions, especially neurogenic pain, movement disorders, asthma, [and] glaucoma."[34] A number of other conditions have been claimed to be treatable or otherwise ameliorated by cannabis, though based only on anecdotal evidence.

Elsewhere it has been shown to be beneficial in treating symptoms associated with treatments for cancer, AIDS, inflammatory bowel disease, and hepatitis.[citation needed]

Cannabis also acts as an antispasmodic and anticonvulsant and is indicated for neurological conditions such as epilepsy especially complex partial seizures, multiple sclerosis, and spasms. As an analgesic and an immunomodulator it is indicated for conditions such as migraine, arthritis, spinal and skeletal disorders. As a bronchodilator it is beneficial for asthma. It also reduces the intraocular pressure and is indicated for glaucoma. Recent studies have shown the drug to be efficacious in treating mood disorders and mental health issues such as depression, post traumatic stress disorder, clinical depression, attention-deficit disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder[35] It is also indicated for premenstrual syndrome, hypertension, and insomnia. It is also reported to be an effective treatment for constipation.[citation needed]

Preliminary findings also indicate that cannabis-based drugs could prove useful in treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (consisting of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis[36]



According to a survey on the recommendation of cannabis in California,[37] cannabis is indicated for over 250 conditions.

 

[Shadows]

Well I don't know about you, but I can buy both with pocket change, why would any body need to steal to pay for something that costs so little?

My friend got murdered for pocket change and a cell phone. She was about 15-30 ft away from the robbers before it happened. They were drug addicts.

 

[Prize Gotti]

My friend got murdered for pocket change and a cell phone. She was about 15-30 ft away from the robbers before it happened. They were drug addicts.

They may have been, but they were either crack heads or smack heads, no stoner would even be bothered to rob some one and if they were on E they would have been too loved up.

 

[Chronic]

Would the re-introduction of (industrial) hemp in America help or harm the agricultural business?

 

[Preach]

A lot of this cannabis stuff, I don't buy.

One key difference between alcohol and marijuana for example, is the fact that alcohol is treated as a single subtance by your body. Marijuana is split into several different chemicals. The very mechanics of the thc molecule makes it vastly different to alcohol. Coupled with the fact that alcohol has been studied more thoroughly for potential effects and side-effects, not only is that more difficult with marijuana, it also haven't been done to a sufficient extent yet. The factor of the unknown should always be an alarm.

Also, the medical marijuana topic is a heated one. I'm under the impression that synthetsizing or extracting certain components of the thc found in cannabis plants can have a beneficial effect on people with various illnesses. This is not pot they are given though. It does not give a high, and it is not smoked. The safest way to smoke marijuana is through a vaporizer, but most people don't use vaporizers.

As for the medical article above.. I'm also under the impression that to treat say glaucoma effectively with marijuana, the daily dosage needs continous adjustment until you smoke so much its hazardous for your lungs anyway. I have really looked into this matter, and the general concensus seems to be that marijuana has potential but so far we don't know enough about it and haven't done enough tests. This is what I believe.

As for the economic side of things, maybe this'll help. I have no moral quirrels about weed, I just acknowledge that it's not healthy. You say it's not worse than alcohol but that's no real anchor. Alcohol is poison that makes you sick for days. Doesn't mean shit lol.

 

[S. Fourteen]

I drank a bottle of wine yesterday and boy, I feel shittier than the morning after 4 blunt sessions. I have a tummy ache and have been shitting black gooey shit.

If I can do that, there's no reason why I can't enjoy a nice fat joint after work.

 

[Da_Funk]

Alcohol is worse for you than cannabis != cannabis should be legal.

 

[S. Fourteen]

It's all about money isn't it? I'm not really concerned about what's worse than what in this particular thread. If I'm an alcoholic than it's going to fuck my life up down the road. If I chain smoke, that's going to fuck up my life down the road. But we are free to do those things because big companies make money off of those that do. So why not weed? If they can make money on it than it's okay? I love getting high and to me it's not different from you cracking open a cold one.

 

[S. Fourteen]

Soooo

just saw on yahoo that Oregon is trying to pass a bill that would allow the state to grow, sell and tax Cannabis so they can take the growing privilege away from individuals. AND THEY WANNA SET THE TAX AT $98 per once.... NINETY. EIGHT. DOLLARS. AN. ONCE. --- FUCK!!!! THAT!!!!

NO legalization! NO legalization!!

 

[Shadows]

^wow. Shit just got expensive. lmao