cannabisnews.com: Legalizing and Taxing MJ Would Ease State's Woes Legalizing and Taxing MJ Would Ease State's Woes Posted by CN Staff on April 26, 2007 at 11:44:34 PT By Greg Francisco Source: Kalamazoo Gazette MI -- Michigan is in deep financial trouble. That's common knowledge. Drastic times call for drastic solutions. That should be obvious, too. So, should we slash spending even further or raise taxes higher yet? Hard choices, either way. There is a third option, however, that would both dramatically cut spending and raise large sums of new tax revenue. The only question is, do the politicos in Michigan have the courage our grandparents demonstrated 75 years ago when faced with similar financial and criminal crisis? Legalize, tax and regulate marijuana. Marijuana is the third most valuable cash crop in Michigan today, trailing only corn and soybeans. According to official U.S. government statistics, the annual value of the Michigan marijuana crop is $350 million. Marijuana worth an additional $250 million is imported and sold in the state every year. That's $600 million in commerce. All tax-free. Every year Michigan collectively spends more than $158 million spread across police, court and corrections budgets to enforce marijuana prohibition -- money that could be spent to restore road, school and health care budgets. And what are we getting for that investment? Snipped:Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/2yzuj6Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI)Author: Greg Francisco Published: Thursday, April 26, 2007Copyright: 2007 Kalamazoo GazetteContact: letters kalamazoogazette.comWebsite: http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Hope on April 27, 2007 at 22:03:44 PT That is good, Fight for Freedom. Maybe it will be the start of an interesting conversation for the paper. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 27, 2007 at 16:16:41 PT fight_4_freedom Way to go! Keep on writing. You may never know how many people could be affected by your words. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by fight_4_freedom on April 27, 2007 at 16:02:27 PT: here's a follow-up letter....... to my letter that was published 2 weeks ago in the people's forum.Bay City Times People's ForumFriday, April 27, 2007Cannabis SativaVoice: Jim Hodapp, Elmhurst, Ill.Adam Krause (People's Forum, April 13) has driven the silver dagger of truth through the ignorant heart of Reefer Madness.Cannabis sativa is a medicine. The THC complex is a substance that is only produced naturally in the cannabis plant and the human body; THC receivers called cannabinoid receptors have been located in man's cerebral cortex and in several other areas of the human mind and body but amazingly not in the dopamine center of our brains.Dopamine drugs like alcohol, heroin, tobacco and cocaine have many harmful effects on people and societies while the naturally occurring (THC) cannabinoids like anandamide produced in our bodies and the THC found in marijuana are chemical compounds that have many proven benefits for human beings.Marijuana is presently rated as one of the safest medications in the pharmacopoeia.Using hemp vaporizers, patients can now easily and inexpensively inhale the purified vapors of cannabis sativa. This ancient-modern medicine no longer needs to be smoked, and as Adam Krause so convincingly argues, should never have been illegal in the first place. This made my day. Now I shall start writing a follow-up to this letter. Keep the trend going :)Keep up the good fight ya'll, we sure are here in Michigan! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 27, 2007 at 14:31:33 PT "Michigan is in deep financial trouble." Good! Let the governments across America bleed money and suck the prohibitionists taxpayers dry. I doubt being on skid row will change their minds. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on April 26, 2007 at 21:38:50 PT Michigan - 'Electronic Aborigines' The time is now. Vote it in. You know you want it.The blessings of peace and freedom be upon you. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment