cannabisnews.com: Pot of Pure Gold





Pot of Pure Gold
Posted by CN Staff on December 12, 2002 at 08:32:16 PT
By Michael Platt -- Calgary Sun
Source: Calgary Sun
Belching clouds of smoke could yet fuel Alberta's post-Kyoto economy, but fear-mongering over legal marijuana must first be nipped in the bud. It's true -- red-eyed sobbing over Draconian greenhouse gas laws would be greatly soothed by massive profits made off those whose red eyes are due to Alberta homegrown. Alas, turning this province into North America's equivalent of marijuana-mecca Amsterdam is going to require some very clear thinking, as well as open minds. 
Alberta's window of opportunity opened this week when Canada's Liberal government announced it plans to decriminalize cannabis in the new year, making simple possession of pot subject to fines, but no criminal record. The predictable reaction of provincial law and order types across the country -- including our own Justice Minister David Hancock -- was to accuse the nutty Liberals of passing a pipe amongst themselves. Decriminalizing pot would feed "organized crime and the criminals who make a profit from it," warned Alberta's worried minister, repeating a ludicrous assertion as old as Canada's 79-year marijuana ban. Think about it, Dave. When prohibition ended in 1920, do you really think mobsters already rich from bootlegging suddenly saw profits jump? Hardly. Soon after Canada ended its dry run, moonshining waned and legal liquor sales took over. The same would happen with marijuana. Take the criminal element out of pot possession, and the criminals will take themselves out of pot dealing. That's nothing but good news for Alberta, especially if the province's entrepreneurial instincts kick in, if pot is ignored completely by those in the legal profession -- there's much more to be made by NOT fining those who puff in public. It sounds like a bubble-brained scheme, until one looks at the $1.4 billion US -- yep, that's billion -- Amsterdam reaped on "narco tourism" in 1996, the last time it was tallied. The Dutch tourism authority doesn't count pot profits, only dollars spent on hotels, restaurants, museums and the like by the tourists who swarm Amsterdam just to enjoy a chance to smoke a joint or two, hassle-free. Amsterdam is but a single city serving a continent of frustrated pot smokers, who just want to get giggly and eat endless bags of potato chips in a relaxed environment. Any red-blooded Albertan can believe pot smoking stinks, yet still smell the profit to be made if America -- a country with an estimated 5-10 million regular smokers -- is offered a province in which to enjoy both the low dollar and a legal pot buzz. Of course, after decades of anti-cannabis propaganda, it's hard to believe a few laughs and some junk food is enough to satisfy the vast majority of pot smokers. Bumbling and bleary-eyed as they may be, potheads do not see their leafy lifestyle as a stepping stone to heroin use or crack. That's like suggesting beer is the lowest rung on the ladder to alcoholism -- for a few, yes, but not the majority. Holland, since it decriminalized marijuana in 1976, has seen hard drug use drop to lower levels than those in other European countries, something authorities there credit to better education and more focused law enforcement. And pot users tend not to get angry and hurt each other in drunken bar fights, something as common among alcohol drinkers as salt and lemon at a tequila-shooting session. Pot makes you daft, but nothing like the kind of daft that comes with seven shots of rye with beer chasers. If Albertans can get past their deep-seated anti-pot bias long enough to study the facts on what is really a pretty mild drug, there's a chance for us all to strike it rich, with less social and health impact than that caused by booze or cigarettes. And if the government's money-making sin taxes can be extended to marijuana, Alberta could soon be earning a extra billion or three a year. It won't make Kyoto go away, but pot could keep Alberta's economy from going up in smoke completely. Source: Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)Author: Michael Platt -- Calgary SunPublished: December 12, 2002 Copyright: 2002 The Calgary SunContact: callet sunpub.comWebsite: http://www.fyicalgary.com/calsun.shtmlRelated Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmDrug Czar Talks About Tightening at Border http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14955.shtmlChanges To Marijuana Law May Rankle Washington http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14952.shtmlCommittee To Recommend 30-Gram Pot Limit http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14951.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on December 12, 2002 at 19:58:48 PT:
Courage, Manipulation, and Respect?
This is an incredibly courageous article in cowboy land.Think about it, Dave [Justice Minister David Hancock]. When prohibition ended in 1920, do you really think mobsters already rich from bootlegging suddenly saw profits jump? Hardly. Soon after Canada ended its dry run, moonshining waned and legal liquor sales took over. The same would happen with marijuana. Take the criminal element out of pot possession, and the criminals will take themselves out of pot dealing.That's nothing but good news for Alberta, especially if the province's entrepreneurial instincts kick in, if pot is ignored completely by those in the legal profession -- there's much more to be made by NOT fining those who puff in public. It is also unfortunately highly manipulative, like saying, "I don't smoke drugs, I only sell them." I actually heard someone say that to me in Detroit.Any red-blooded Albertan can believe pot smoking stinks, yet still smell the profit to be made if America -- a country with an estimated 5-10 million regular smokers -- is offered a province in which to enjoy both the low dollar and a legal pot buzz. Does anyone respect such an attitude?
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