Obama Legalizes Pot... Kinda?

Yep, hippies and Paultards alike* should be jumping for joy. Last week Attorney General Eric Holder had the following to say about the administration's official policy on marijuana raids undertaken by the Feds:

So, no DEA raids means that in states like California where one can get a medical marijuana prescription relatively easily, pot is basically... legal. Of course, the obvious next step for other legal vices is also freer to occur: They're gonna start taxing your mary jane, yo.

Huzzah on both counts, I say. Pot has been de facto legal in SF for years, and it's about time that state and local governments can start capitalizing on this most obvious of cash crops.

Marijuana is California's biggest cash crop so it should be made legal for any adult since A. The state and nation really needs the increase in tax revenue B. they are adults and should be able to make their own choices and C. it will limit and hopefully end the drug cartels that smuggle it in and sell it.

Hold on...there's no taxes on brothels? That's just silly.

I'm curious to see how this turns out. It's not my drug of choice, but the situation is interesting nonetheless.

I would imagine that, like porn, they're taxed in the usual ways, and this is a proposed "sin tax" specifically on those things. But I could be wrong. I've never been near one.

Nevada brothels are currently legal only in rural areas and just get taxed by the county but that could change.

Geez...can you imagine how much the state could make off a sin tax in Vegas? Only $200 million a year? What, is someone already planning to skim off the top?

I'm going on a weed induced, drunken hooker binge. If I pay taxes on it then I'm being patriotic at the same time. Total win - win.

It's amazing to see what happens when some common sense leaks into politics.

WHAT?! ANOTHER TAX INCREASE?!

That's a threat to the prison industrial complex, dude.

Pros: Almost everything
Cons: Agreeing with someone who calls themselves Radical Russ

You beat me to it wildswan. Just imagine how much the public coffers will be saving by no longer investigating, enforcing, prosecuting and punishing people for using, possessing, transporting or selling marijuana.

BTW, America is already an incarceration nation. We're addicted to prisons.

Ha. I forgot to close the asterisk above. So here you go.

HAHA!


Also, taking fuel away from the hardcore Mexican cartels will give Dobbs less to go all apoplectic about. That means less money for Brill Cream. That's cruelty to Lou Dobbs.

You did just mean a "as if there's any difference", in regard to the missing asterisk and not in comparison of Hippies and Paultards, right?

Actually, a relaxed drug policy alliance between more liberal and libertarian minded people might just wreak further havoc on already out-of-touch conservatives. It could mean a... Oh hell, never mind, why give the idea any further thought at all. t's not as if Libertarians could agree with Democrats on anything else outside of drugs and perhaps a few civil liberty issues.

Yeah. What about public service as a way to deal with non-violent crimes? Oh, I almost forgot: privatization of the prison system.

Mo money, yo-- for them. We get to pay for it.

One doesn't need much money for Brylcreem. A little dab'll do ya!

But in regards to the hardcore Mexican cartels, I wonder how legalization might affect the street gangs? Sure, they deal harder drugs as well, but I'd think marijuana would be a core product.

No, I'm sure he meant the latter.

But there's probably a chance, however slight, that he was kidding.

Marijuana is, if i recall correctly, the biggest (in raw poundage) and usually the most commonly transported drug across the border from Mexico to the United States.

From everything i have read, if it is legalized it would create a huge void in the cartel's finances, which in turn would cripple some of the smaller cartels causing them to collapse.

Oh, is that how it's spelled? Brylcreem? Dobbs is doing more than dabbing that stuff. I think he may be snorting it.

Anyway, I believe it is a core product. The hard drug thing is a problem, though. Ultimately, I think the lessons from the Prohibition movement should be examined really closely. I think illegality makes the game more profitable and more dangerous.

I'm actually thinking of adding a new thread to the CE boards entitled American Milestones: XXXXX (working title) highlighting the disproportionate growth of prisons in America (largely citing that Pew research study) along with focusing on the skyrocketing increase in unemployment recipients. Truly, they are both major indicators of our society in turmoil and something needs to be done to reverse course.

I think mandatory public service for non-violent crimes (along with counceling and rehabilitation when applicable) is an excellent idea. The .pdf I linked to earlier has shown positive results in States that have already implemented changes like this (Kansas - and lookout, their awesome Gov. is set to be our new HHS secretary!) There are also some other great ideas proposed within.

That would be great. Innocent people could stop dying in epic proportions because of the efforts to supply us with our rec drugs.

Oh hell yea.

I also like the idea of not stuffing our prisons full of non-violent offenders who are serving prison terms that are entirely too long and not accomplishing anything but creating another citizen that hates their government.

I am kind of on the fence about legalizing harder drugs, but to me, keeping marijuana illegal just doesn't make any sense. Legalize it, educate people on it and tax it, just make sure there are regulations for it set into place. (i.e. driving under the influence and all that fun stuff).

This is a bad idea, not locking up people for drugs will lead to more shit like this happening.



Seriously tho it's about damn time. Violent criminals belong in jail nonviolent ones belong under supervision and a shit ton of community service.

what is the current penalty for stopping at a green light?

The most important regulation would be making those damn day-glo pot leaf posters illegal.* Also, the legalization of pot would lead to a significant decrease in the number of people drenching themselves in patchouli, and that can only be of benefit to the nation.

*and those raggedy assed "rasta" yarn hats. Oh, and Ultimate fucking Frisbee.