cannabisnews.com: The Case for Legal Pot Use





The Case for Legal Pot Use
Posted by CN Staff on November 20, 2005 at 07:06:06 PT
By David Lazarus
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
USA -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors last week approved new rules to allow most of the city's 33 pot clubs to continue dispensing medical marijuana. Earlier this month, Denver became the first major city nationwide to legalize small amounts of dope (although Colorado state law still makes marijuana possession illegal).
Meantime, California officials say bigger-than-expected tax receipts mean the state will likely have a balanced budget next year. But we'll once again be billions of dollars in the hole by 2007 unless spending by lawmakers is curbed (yeah, right) or taxes go up. So I say: Let's connect the dots. Decriminalize marijuana. And tax the heck out of it. I've touched on this issue before, but now there's some heavy artillery to help make the economic case for legalizing pot. A Harvard University professor of economics, Jeffrey Miron, has crunched the numbers, and he's determined that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion annually in money spent on enforcing dope laws. That breaks down to $5.3 billion in savings for state and local governments, and $2.4 billion in cost reductions at the federal level. This is noteworthy because the FBI reported the other day that more Americans were arrested for pot last year than at any time in U.S. history. And of the more than 770,000 people cited for dope-related offenses, nearly 90 percent were charged only with possession. Those are hundreds of thousands of criminal cases that didn't have to be taking up the time and resources of our cops and courts. Meanwhile, Harvard's Miron estimates that tax revenue for legalized pot would run about $2.4 billion annually if it were taxed like all other goods. Yet if marijuana were taxed at rates comparable to the aggressive levies placed on alcohol and tobacco -- and it should be -- Miron determined that it would yield $6.2 billion in annual revenue. "It's kind of small potatoes compared to the ($319 billion) federal budget deficit," he told me. "But it's not nothing." For the record, Miron says he isn't a pot smoker. His interest in the subject comes instead from a desire to address what he sees as a failed public policy. Snipped:Complete Article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/11/20/BUG1IFPV1M1.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: David LazarusPublished: Sunday, November 20, 2005 - Page J - 1 Copyright: 2005 San Francisco Chronicle Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Related Articles & Web Site:The Miron Reporthttp://freedomtoexhale.com/mironreport.pdfTime for a Marijuana Sales Taxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20977.shtmlThe High Cost of Prohibitionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20904.shtml 
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Comment #20 posted by Toker00 on November 21, 2005 at 14:55:25 PT
Hey siege
I have two dachsunds that love to tunnel through the snow! You can see a ridge through the snow, above their tunnels! I couldn't believe it! Outside of the bizarre white Christmas we had last year, it never snows here, but I lived in Arkansas a while back where we got 18 inches one year. Snow is fun and beautiful, but it gets old after two straight weeks, for me. Enjoy and stay warm! Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on November 21, 2005 at 13:59:32 PT
Siege
I turned on the weather channel and it looks like it's going to be a mess. Stay safe.
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Comment #18 posted by siege on November 21, 2005 at 13:33:33 PT
 O T snow
 1 1/2 + Snow from 2:18 to 3:39 PM Monteagle Tn. 
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 21, 2005 at 12:28:49 PT
Siege
A Berlin Wall is a better term then the Great Wall of China. Thanks.
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Comment #16 posted by siege on November 21, 2005 at 12:18:24 PT
smoke screen
A smoke screen to get the people to OK a Berlin Wall on our southern border. 
translation: U S COPS I am not MAN enough to lose my LIVE over a little MARIJUANA and the Drug War... I can only bust the ones that are high on marijuana at home, and woun't fight back!!!! They where most likey drug cartels people any way brought in be the CIA, to keep the drug trade going.
OUR Uncal Sam likes to train the under dog, Let us hope he train's more to help us in our journey to Legalization! -------------- IT is snowing in Tn.-------------------------
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Comment #15 posted by b4daylight on November 21, 2005 at 10:39:10 PT
Comment #9 posted by Max Flowers on November 20, 2
"It's a very serious incident," Doyal said. "We are very fortunate ... no one got hurt. Everyone had the presence of mind not to cause an international incident, or start shooting."As WorldNetDaily has reported, there are widespread reports of U.S.-trained Mexican commandos, called the Zetas, making cross-border runs into U.S. territory in military-style vehicles, armed with automatic weapons.The Zetas were trained as elite commandos by U.S. forces to combat the drug cartels, but they have switched sides and are working for the drug smugglers in the border area posing a special hazard to American law enforcement and Border Patrol agents, according to a U.S. Justice Department memo. Under the control of reputed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Zetas are conducting a bloody war for control of the entire southern border in an effort to secure a monopoly on drug-smuggling and people-smuggling routes.translation we unprepared."We are very fortunate ... no one got hurt"
translation We are very fortunate ... no one got hurt for simple non-letal potsecond
"the Zetas were trained as elite commandos by U.S. forces"when will we learn not to train people into a killing machine?
1945 Vietcong, 1980 Talibian,1980 Iraqi, 1990 Elsavador, Now the Zetas,this is amazing news. a turnig point. 
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 21, 2005 at 09:09:57 PT
Max Flowers 
I don't know why these incidents aren't covered but they aren't. They are planning on building a great wall of china ( don't know what else to call it ) but smaller to keep the border separate I have seen on the news a week or so ago. A friend of ours who lives in Yuma, Arizona when he was home here to visit his family said Bush has made it terrible down where he lives.
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Comment #13 posted by Max Flowers on November 21, 2005 at 09:05:08 PT
Also
I find it really interesting that I'm not seeing any coverage of this "international incident" in the major press at all. I mean come on, the Mexican army steals tons of pot back from the US at gunpoint, and no one's talking about it?!
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on November 21, 2005 at 05:00:12 PT
"But aren't we fortunate it didn't?"
Indeed.Thankfully, finally, cooler heads prevailed and decided it wasn't worth dieing or killing over. I do hope it was a cooler heads situation and not just fear of "an international incident". I bet it was something to see and I'm so thankful no one was killed or hurt.No way on Earth was it worth anyone shedding a drop of blood over. Maybe more people are gradually waking up to the truth. Let's hope so.
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Comment #11 posted by Toker00 on November 21, 2005 at 03:52:28 PT
You cannot ignore THIS much good.
All roads lead to the Liberalization of Cannabis/Hemp. For Peace. For Love. For Enlightenment. For Food. For Thought. For Freedom. For Clothing. For Building. For Medicine. For Anger Management. For Alcoholism. For Pain Management. For Healing. For Public Relations Management. For Atmospheric Management. For Soil Management. For Bio-degradable Plastics. For Clean Energy Production. For Mental Health. For appreciation of the fact that there is a God who thought enough about us to provide us with a PROVIDER.Max, that's a hella heads up! Mexico may declare Peace on the War on Drugs. (Notice, no shots were fired!) I know, it coulda gone the other way. But aren't we fortunate it didn't? After all, it was a truck full of CANNABIS!Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! 
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on November 20, 2005 at 20:44:38 PT
Legalize it! Legalize it! Legalize it!
And finally stop all the stupid insanity of the war on some drugs.
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Comment #9 posted by Max Flowers on November 20, 2005 at 19:17:24 PT
Oh my gawd check this out - what will ol"W" d
Armed standoff on Rio GrandeUniformed Mexicans with guns, bulldozer
seize drug-bust truck from Border PatrolPosted: November 20, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern© 2005 WorldNetDaily.comU.S. Border Patrol agents were backed down this week by armed men, dressed in what appeared to be Mexican military uniforms and carrying military weapons, who seized a captured dump truck filled with marijuana from the U.S. agents and dragged it across the border into Mexico with a bulldozer.The border incident occurred Thursday evening when Border Patrol agents attempted to pull over a dump truck on Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County, Texas. The driver fled from the agents, exiting the freeway and driving toward the Rio Grande which runs within 2 miles of the interstate in this portion of West Texas.The driver abandoned the truck after it became stuck in the river bed, escaping into Mexico.Agents called for reinforcement from the Texas state troopers and Hudspeth County sheriff and began unloading the haul – estimated to have been nearly 3 tons – when everything changed.Officers "started to retrieve the bundles when the armed subjects appeared," said Agent Ramiro Cordero, Border Patrol spokesman.According to Hudspeth County Chief Deputy Mike Doyal, the dump truck driver returned with armed men, some of whom drove "official looking vehicles with overhead lights." Some of those armed, Doyal told the El Paso Times, appeared to be Mexican soldiers in uniform with military weapons."It's a very serious incident," Doyal said. "We are very fortunate ... no one got hurt. Everyone had the presence of mind not to cause an international incident, or start shooting."As WorldNetDaily has reported, there are widespread reports of U.S.-trained Mexican commandos, called the Zetas, making cross-border runs into U.S. territory in military-style vehicles, armed with automatic weapons.The Zetas were trained as elite commandos by U.S. forces to combat the drug cartels, but they have switched sides and are working for the drug smugglers in the border area posing a special hazard to American law enforcement and Border Patrol agents, according to a U.S. Justice Department memo. Under the control of reputed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Zetas are conducting a bloody war for control of the entire southern border in an effort to secure a monopoly on drug-smuggling and people-smuggling routes.As both sides faced off, a bulldozer appeared from the Mexico side of the river and was used by the armed men to pull the dump truck – and the two-thirds of the marijuana that had not yet been unloaded – into Mexico. The bulldozer, Doyal said, is believed to be used regularly to make makeshift crossings over the Rio Grande.The "armed encounter with drug smugglers," as Cordero described it, is under investigation. No confirmation was made as to whether or not the "soldiers" belonged to the Mexican military. 
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Comment #8 posted by Jim Lunsford on November 20, 2005 at 18:56:52 PT
Goneposthole
Loved that link. Though I don't agree with some of what he is saying, I can tell you that the options agreement expiration policy is just the barest tip of the iceberg in that institution. Been there, done that. Also, that housing bubble thing. That's been a bubble since the Stock Market crashed in April of 2000. Carlton Sheet's no money down program made that a reality. Dumbest way ever to buy property. Increase your debt for convenience sake. That won't drive up an interest rate?! Houses have one terrible problem, they are not liquid. If all your money is illiquid, then you have a problem. Sorry, I spent a number of years in the financial industry, I'm so glad I left it.I liked this article. I agree with the word games, but in this case I didn't mind too much. He doesn't like Cannabis, but he doesn't care if someone else does. I think it's a good point of view. I love watching the Supreme Court decisions on Cannabis. In this one covering Religious Freedom vs the CSA, the court has asked the people which they feel is the most important to us. They can be over-ruled by the Congress, and have been. Once. They can also be over-ruled by a majority public petition (ammendment), and so they cover their bases by asking us what we want as a nation. Then they make an educated democratic opinion and call it law. Bush gave his answer in China when he spoke there. And I quote :"I will continue to remind President Hu about . . . my personal faith and the belief that people should be allowed to worship freely," he said in a pre-departure interview. He added, "And a vibrant, whole society is one that recognizes that certain freedoms are inherent and need to be part of a complete society." The complete text can be found:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20051120-9999-1n20bush.htmlBut then again, I'm an optimist. Note that he also stays at the most modern and spectacular building in China. That means he recognizes China as a modern power. That's an interesting point. I have faith in the world, regardless of how we choose our fates. I believe the tides are turning so wonderfully well now, in favor of a much better world. And if not, what does it matter? Fear really is all we have to fear. For fear is nothing but a lack of trust in perfection.Peace to all, Rev JimReverend Jim LunsfordFirst Cannabist ChurchLife: Best lived fully 
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Comment #7 posted by mayan on November 20, 2005 at 18:08:41 PT
Newsweek Poll
Should U.S. troops begin an immediate withdrawal from Iraq? * 16772 responsesYes - 74%No - 21% I don't know - 5% http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10112386/site/newsweek/#survey
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 20, 2005 at 11:46:08 PT
Max Flowers 
Word games drive me crazy too.If a person is condescending they can call it Dope.If a person is talking to you seriously most often they call it Cannabis.
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Comment #5 posted by Max Flowers on November 20, 2005 at 11:29:38 PT
Excuse me while I shoot up some pot
- Earlier this month, Denver became the first major city nationwide to legalize small amounts of dope - They just had to use a negative-stigma word for it, didn't they? Dope... most people hear that word and think of needles and heroin, so I resent when journalists use it (and other derogatory words) because each time they do, they choose to set the subject back rather than advance it. If they just always wrote cannabis instead of "dope" or "drug", things would change that much faster. Words have a lot of subliminal power, and professional writers know this very well. 
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 20, 2005 at 11:26:59 PT
Off Topic: A Cool Article About The Rolling Stones
The Scene at the Rolling Stones Concert Friday Night at MGM Grand ***John Katsilometes, Columnist November 20, 2005 Is that medical marijuana I smell?Is the person across the aisle from me Ed Asner, or just a longtime fan?Are those who paid more than $470 for seats close to the stage upset when that stage moves to the other end of the arena for four songs (including "Get Off My Cloud" and "Honky Tonk Women")?Did those two guys in front of me in the concession line who cranked up an $85 tab (and threw back two glasses of white wine while awaiting their change) even remember the show? Did the woman next to me who spent 20 minutes selecting a stack of concert T-shirts (for $330) believe she stumbled into Macy's instead of a rock show?And how can it be that Mick Jagger and Dad are the same age -- 63? They have always been the same age, yet with every passing year Jagger is still that much cooler than Dad.Those were just a few questions to ponder as I took in the Rolling Stones show on Friday at MGM Grand. The sellout audience of 14,000 apparently upper-middle-class Baby Boomers returned to adolescence for a couple of hours as the Stones mixed many classics with a few new songs off their latest album, "A Bigger Bang."Some of the more memorable moments in an all-Stones installment of Fabulous Las Vegas:Still kicking: Early in the show, Jagger splashed the crowd up front with a bottle of water, then kicked the bottle into the audience. The projectile landed just behind two members of the Killers, vocalist Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci, who were seated several rows near the stage in the floor section. Jagger's timing was perfect -- just as the band launched into the Vegas-esque "Tumblin' Dice" ...Still swinging: Recently retired Major Leaguer Larry Walker was spotted wearing a tie-dye Stones shirt and packing a bit more around the middle these days. That physical characteristic, coupled with his shaved head, had one observer mistake him for Red Sox pitcher David Wells ...Rock 'n' roll: As the cameras feeding video to the big screen behind the stage panned the crowd, one particularly excited fan was easily identifiable -- comic Chris Rock ...Shecky Jagger: Riffing off the slogan "What Happens Here, Stays Here," which has nearly ascended to cliche status, Jagger commented, "I've heard that new slogan, 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' Does that mean my money, too?" ...Eh? Not to pick on Keith Richards, who must be considered some sort of medical marvel at this point, but he took over as frontman midway through the show as Jagger took a well-deserved break. According to my meticulously crafted notes, Richards' first words to the audience were, "Beforacarrin, romanova ha ronis def." Then he threw back his head and laughed ...Quite a pair: Palms owner George Maloof was spotted entering the show with a group of folks that included Pam Anderson ...Lookalikes: Maloof and Vannucci ...Why bother?: Jagger introduced each of the dozen musicians and singers assembled onstage -- including charter members Richards and Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood, who has been with the band for 33 years ...Stats: The Rolling Stones' career spans nine U.S. presidents and 34 albums. Fabulous Las Vegas runs Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Las Vegas Sun.Copyright: 2005 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2005/nov/20/519693505.html
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Comment #3 posted by runderwo on November 20, 2005 at 11:08:11 PT
taxation
Well, they can't tax it too much, or the black market will stick around. There's a point of equilibrium somewhere in there which naturally limits how much taxation could be placed on psychoactive cannabis products.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 20, 2005 at 07:59:27 PT
goneposthole 
Thank you for the compliment and thank you for making me smile and laugh so many times with your great wit and insight.
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Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on November 20, 2005 at 07:52:36 PT
I've got it, FoM
Fields of MarijuanaYou're great, FoM. Keep up the good work. I don't like the idea that cannabis should be taxed to support the imperialistic agenda of the US government.Did you know that Vermont is considering seceding from the union?Here it is:"I am tickled, and frightened, to see that Vermont is considering seceding from the Union and "return to its natural status as an independent republic as it was between January 15, 1777 and March 4, 1791." As justification, they quote Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, "governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it ..."Naturally, this leads them directly to "A Declaration of Independence by the People of the Sovereign State of Vermont" In it they note that "Vermont has suffered, as have other states, from the debilitating effects of…big government, and…the United States government has become too big, too centralized, too powerful, too intrusive, too materialistic, too impersonal, too grasping, too militarized, too imperialistic, too violent, too undemocratic, too corrupt, and too unresponsive to the needs of individual citizens and small communities. 
"The free people of Vermont have reached a turning point: whether to fight for 'liberty and justice' or to trade in their heritage for the shackles known as progress. It is not progress. It is comfort. It is an illusion. We, the people… reject a system of intrusive federal control that is antithetical to a prosperous way of life, and to the well being of a sovereign state."Bravo! Bravo! Well said! And I hope it works out better for them than it did for the Confederacy in 1861! But why are they seceding? For the same reason all desperate people eventually get desperate; they don't have enough money anymore because the government is so big, so greedy, so rapacious and so ridiculous. This secession stuff is right out of the "How States React To Inflation" handbook, which is a lot better than the remedies in the "How Poor People React To Inflation" handbook, which usually involves a lot of prostitution, burglaries, begging, bank robberies, rioting, burning things to the ground and calling me up begging for a loan, which is the ugliest part of it all, because they aren’t going to get a dime out of me, but when I politely tell them to go to hell, they get all huffy!" http://news.goldseek.com/RichardDaughty/1132153266.php
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