Marijuana Laws Cost Taxpayers $41 Billion a Year

[High Plains]

Press release from the Marijuana Policy Project, detailing new research results. This has already been picked up by Forbes...

Here is the link to MPP and the complete press release:

http://www.mpp.org/site/c.glKZLeMQIsG/b.1493403/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={9F59FE2E-A5A0-42C3-A9AD-745172C137F8}¬oc=1

Study Shows Marijuana Laws Cost Taxpayers $41.8 Billion Per Year


Prohibition Diverts $113 Billion from the Legal Economy, Losing $31.1 Billion in Revenue

Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion every year in law enforcement expenses and revenues lost to government at all levels, according to a new report released today.

The analysis, by researcher Jon B. Gettman, who has a doctorate in public policy and specializes in economic development, is based primarily on government estimates of the U.S. marijuana supply, prices, and arrests. Gettman made international headlines in December 2006 with an analysis showing marijuana to be the top cash crop in the U.S. The full report, "Lost Taxes and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws," which uses different methodology than previous analyses of the costs of marijuana prohibition, is available at www.drugscience.org/bcr/index.html .

"This report documents a massive waste of taxpayer dollars in pursuit of eradicating a government-forbidden plant, and the financial waste hit all-time high levels last year, as the FBI just reported there were a record 829,627 marijuana arrests in 2006," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "Prohibition has done nothing to reduce marijuana use, which remains at about the level it's been for decades, but prohibition has created a massive underground economy that's completely unregulated and untaxed. The parallels with Alcohol Prohibition in the 1920s, including the needless violence and a huge underground economy, are eerie."

Key findings from Gettman's report include:

**Marijuana arrests constitute 5.54 percent of all U.S. arrests, costing taxpayers $10.7 billion.

**The total U.S. marijuana supply is 14,349 metric tons annually, with a retail value of $113 billion.

**Marijuana prohibition diverts the entire $113 billion in sales from the legal, taxed economy. Based on the White House Office of Management and Budget's estimate that 28.7 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product goes to federal, local, and state governments as tax revenue, marijuana prohibition costs $31.1 billion in lost tax revenues annually.

With more than 23,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

Date: 10/1/2007

[High Plains]

1. Heck, we could pay for the Iraq war for a couple months with that $$$

And not make criminals out of about 20 million American pot smokers.

[Mabus]

19. and have money left over to pay for health care

and some other problems we should be working on here at home.

[dysfunctional press]

20. nevermind...

on edit--i misread the subject line.

[Lost4words]

80. Stop making sense! Ops, I made a play on words!

nm 8643

[porphyrian]

2. I'll kick that. - n/t

[L. Coyote]

3. This does not include losses due to prohibition of hemp agriculture.

[mcg]

77. "Industrial Hemp Movement Growing"

"Industrial Hemp Movement Growing"
http://ndsn.org/FEB97/HEMP.html

While the implications of new medical marijuana laws in California and Arizona are debated, another marijuana-related debate is growing -- the industrial use of hemp. One of the world's oldest crops, hemp was used to make the first fishing nets and rope. Eventually it was used to make sails, maps and garments, becoming the leading crop in America, Europe and Asia from 1500 to 1800. With oil-rich seeds and tall, fibrous stalks, it is used worldwide to make paper, cloth, food, cosmetics, plastic and medicine. Recently, a growing number of farmers and businesses in the U.S. have been lobbying lawmakers to allow for its domestic cultivation (John Mintz, "Splendor in the Grass?" Washington Post, January 5, 1997, p. H1).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

Hemp (from Old English hænep, see cannabis (etymology)) is the common name for plants of the genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Hemp is cultivated virtually everywhere in the world except for the United States, and is growing immensely. For example, Canadian Hempseed exports surged 300% last year, according to VoteHemp.

[defendandprotect]

102. Also good for Ozone -- and we can't even have rayon clothing here!!!

[Webster Green]

4. What a waste of time and money..

To prevent us from utilizing an amazing resource.

[porphyrian]

6. That's so pretty... - n/t

[tridim]

10. ..but very very EVIL.

:eyes:

[porphyrian]

24. That's OK, the bong I have in hell will be, too. - n/t

[JuniperLea]

53. Whodathunk God would create something so evil...

And then have the NERVE to tell us to partake of every herb of the land... how cruel is that???


:sarcasm:

[Tyler Durden]

13. a real beauty...

Do you know what variety that is?

When I retire, I'm gonna grow the WHITE WIDOW



for fun and profit. SOONER if the shit hits the fan.

[Webster Green]

16. Early Purple Mazari-Sharif..

An old favorite. Very Kushy!:hippie:

[Tyler Durden]

22. The Widow smells like apples cooking while she cures.

I'll be dedicating an indoor section of the greenhouse to Her Royal Highness.

[Webster Green]

25. The White Widow is quite popular here as well..

Very nice!:9

[Tyler Durden]

29. Looking for non-smoking pot inhalation.

I'm getting a bit old to start actually smoking something again, but I understand there is a device/process that uses sort of a sub 451°F burn, spares the throat/lungs. Know anything about that? Feel free to PM.

[High Plains]

34. You're thinking of vaporizers. They work quite well.

As far as I know, the best is the Volcano, but it's expensive, like $500.

[yowzayowzayowza]

52. Naw...

vapor brothers, $120. The bags are a pita. :D

[tridim]

57. DIY vapes are about $10.

Don't ask me how I know. :)

[ellisonz]

71. There's always brownies!

[Tyler Durden]

75. Never worked for me.

Also, prep time and technique is a major issue. Like the vaporizer: could make one in minutes.

[frylock]

37. the white widow is one dynamite lady..

I've enjoyed more than a few dances.

[RufusEarl]

14. Makes my eyes red just looking at it !

[tridim]

42. Don't look here if you don't want more red eyes

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=67495

^ One of my favorite "browsing while bored" sites of all time.

[RufusEarl]

86. Thanks for the link, now i'm totally blind!

[loudsue]

33. Sweet!

That's just beautiful.

[angel823]

40. it's got to be

4:20 someplace.....

[sbyte]

67. Look how much bio fuel oil this plant makes!

If your were really serious about bio-diesel wouldn't this be the plant?
What a dilemma, Should i smoke it or elixir-fy it.

[Le Taz Hot]

78. Now THAT is a thing of beauty!

Highest compliments to whoever is growing it.

[RainDog]

96. okay, a stupid question

I heard someone use the phrase "let's tango" -- what does that mean? --in relation to the topic of this thread, of course.

[RainDog]

100. so it doesn't mean anything? n/t

[appal_jack]

5. In other words...

Legalization could pay for 100% of the SCHIP program B*sh is about to veto, and leave $6 billion more for something else worthwhile.
:smoke:
Or, as noted above, we could just pay for two more months of war in the Middle East.
:-(

-app

[porphyrian]

7. On top of that, pot could, and most likely would, be taxed, increasing the numbers again.

It's just ridiculous for this to prohibition to continue.

[Mabus]

21. Now you're just thinking

Are we still allowed to do that? ;)

[porphyrian]

23. I try hard not to, but it just happens...

I know I can think less, just give me a chance...
;)

[Mabus]

26. I knew this would happen

Someone posts an OP about pot and then suddenly the creative liberal thinkers come out of the woodwork. Now get back in the box. You know, the one you're not allowed to think out of. :spank:


I think that pot should be decriminalized. It would save a lot of people a lot of heartache. Some students could get loans again. Our prison populations would fall dramatically. I also believe that a lot of people who are on other medicines (particularly those for stress related issues) would find pot a better alternative for them. I just think there's a lot energy that is being spent prosecuting pot smokers that could be used for real crimes.


:thumbsup:

[porphyrian]

32. Law enforcement, the prison industrial complex and the black market are the ones who profit...

...from the status quo with regards to keeping pot illegal, and they are the ones fighting to keep it so. It's funny who gets into bed together when the paycheck is big enough. All we have to do is take the profit out of it, profit which is largely created artificially by keeping it illegal, and we can get it done in an election cycle or two.

Pot is what I used to self-medicate my anxiety disorder and depression long before I was diagnosed with them, and I can tell you from experience that it is still the best for me, with the worst of the side effects being the risk created by its illegality. So I have a dog in this fight, and I really want to win it before I join those sucked into the gears of the system.

[Mabus]

45. I could not agree more

There are probably more people getting rich from the so-called war on drugs than are getting rich selling drugs illegally.

I live in a college town. I know a lot of people who like to smoke pot to relax. They'd rather smoke a joint than drink a beer. I also know people who prefer pot over alcohol because they either don't like the taste of alcohol or its after effects. And I know people who smoke pot because their parents were/are alcoholics or diabetic.

I also know people who use pot instead of prescription drugs for a number of things ranging from menopausal symptoms to depression to arthritis and chemo. At the same time I also know people who have tried pot but they either didn't like it or they didn't feel like it was beneficial for their symptoms. A few of them admitted that pot did help them but they were too freaked out about getting caught with it that they won't use it at all.

As for those who use pot for things like depression and the like, imagine how much easier jobs would be for therapists. Get your client to smoke a little pot and then let them open up. They'd be more likely to gain insight into some of their problems if they were able to get relaxed right away. I had a friend once who said her massage therapist suggested smoking a joint before the massage session. She said those massages were the best because she was really able to relax beforehand.


With all that said, I don't think pot should be illegal. It's stupid. It really is. There are much bigger fish to fry and the resources would be better allocated elsewhere.

[porphyrian]

60. The thing is that MOST people feel the same.

Even members of law enforcement know it's bullshit, but the law is the law. Well, hopefully we'll see it change in our lives, if we don't lose complete control of the country to the fascists first.

[JuniperLea]

55. Another reason "they" won't allow legalization...

You can grow the shit in your backyard... that would severely limit the pharmaceutical companies from robbing us blind. BigPharma would take a huge hit... and not in a good way:)

[porphyrian]

61. I'd love to hit Big Pharma... - n/t

[Pastiche423]

56. Don't forget Big Pharma!

[porphyrian]

62. Yeah, they suck too.

I appreciate the real life-saving contributions they've made, but the moment they put profits before our better interests, they became bad guys.

[High Plains]

84. Don't forget the drug testing industry, the drug dog industry.,..

...and the drug treatment industry. Must be quite a racket "curing" 17-year-old "marijuana addicts" who go into treatment to avoid jail.

[porphyrian]

94. Smaller players, but players all the same.

While I'm all for drug treatment as an alternative to prison, the system, as is, is largely a joke. And, from what I've heard, too many of the programs are nothing more than thinly-veiled recruiting centers for religious interests (usually Christian). Trading one addiction for another that's officially "socially acceptable" is OK, apparently.

[JuniperLea]

54. I think it blocks absorption of Kool Aid into our systems...

And that's why it's not allowed.

I'm only half joking here:)

How many tokers do you know who have befallen the evil and poisonous effects of the dread Kool Aid?

I know of none myself.

[porphyrian]

63. Heh, that question could mean a number of things. - n/t

[CrispyQ]

83. Do you know if there is a test that indicates if you are under the influence of MJ

at this moment, not just in the past 30 days? The whole drug test for mj is ridiculous. What good is a test that tells that someone smoked it last weekend at a party, or for that matter, didn't smoke at all, but was around those who did. :banghead: Honestly, it only weeds out people who won't back off for 30 days. It doesn't weed out the alcoholics or other drug users, & don't even get me started on big pharma drugs.

There is no war on drugs, only a war on some drugs. :grr:

[porphyrian]

106. Standard sobriety test would show if you're impaired...

...and you can look for the usual signs - bloodshot eyes, cotton mouth, thinking Pootie Tang was funnier than it actually was. The test you mention is so much bullshit, and it is an attempt to single out potheads. It's absolutely unnecessary, because a field sobriety test shows whether or not you're impaired and shouldn't be driving (and the process itself is enough to kill the best high anyway). The problem is that they use their propaganda to sell bullshit like the 30 day test rather than the truth.

[mdmc]

8. Lame ass politicians support the drug war

LAME ASS...

[mike_c]

9. while the OP makes a good point...

...and as a Humboldt County, CA resident I can certainly attest to marijuana's economic importance-- it is far and away the backbone of our local economy-- I wonder whether the implied "fix" is ever really possible, i.e. legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana production. Legalization and government acknowledgment that responsible pot consumption isn't dangerous, harmful, etc. is a prerequisite for regulation and taxation, but unlike distilled alcoholic spirits, which must be manufactured, marijuana is easy to produce. I mean, stoners can do it, LOL. While the obvious solution might seem to be making marijuana use legal, but not unlicensed marijuana production, I would expect lots of judicial and political challenges. After all, once the gov't admits it's prior wrongdoing in marijuana prohibition, it won't have much credibility as a regulatory agent. Not to mention that LEGAL pot need not generate nearly so much profit as black-market pot does today. Not unless the government exercises very tight controls over the supply, not something that would sit well with free market types.

I am an unabashed proponent of complete and unfettered marijuana legalization-- something that would likely wreck my community's economy BTW, at least in the short term-- but I really don't think the gov't could ever realize as much revenue from legalizing pot as one might expect from the underground economy that today's drug laws foster.

[appal_jack]

31. tax stamps could be a limited revenue tool for the gov't

Imagine if you could buy a tax stamp that allowed you to grow mj legally. Say it cost $200 per lb., just to toss a # out. Say that the fines for bootleg mj remained pretty stiff. A lot of growers would then just go ahead and get the stamp, in order to avoid all the stress. It could be a nice chunk of revenue for localities, the states, and the feds (if they were willing to split it up between them all...)

-app

ps - :hi: mike. i miss humboldt sometimes. i worked as Heartwood's landscaper for two years, but now make my home in the appalachian mountains. i hope that someday we'll have some enlightened mj laws on this side of the world too..

[mike_c]

41. my path was just the opposite...

...from the appalachians to norcal, LOL. I spent most of the first half of my life in north Georgia, NC, VA, and WV.

Sure, a tax stamp makes sense if you're selling pot. And doing a really good job of producing quality bud requires a reasonable initial investment (and the willingness to deal with the smell if it's indoors), so maybe I'm overestimating the number of folks who would simply grow their own (raises hand). Casual users would certainly be more likely to buy small quantities occasionally, so maybe the impact of home production would not be as great as I think it would be. Still, half the fun-- at least for folks like me-- is DIY. As the pic upthread attests, a lovely fresh bud is a thing of beauty. :smoke:

[appal_jack]

46. word

:smoke:

[BR_Parkway]

73. Welcome neighbor - joining you in hoping we'd get some

enlightenment on the laws here as well.

[RainDog]

95. the beginning of a new U.S. export economy

humboldt could become the silicon valley of mj. not only that, but just like people can make their own wine, why shouldn't they be able to grow their own? -- sell at farmer's mkts, etc.

I just think this country would be a better place if we stopped punishing adults for something this innocuous.

[AlecBGreen]

11. WOW

14,349 metric tons

1 metric ton = 1000 kg

1 kg = 2.2 lbs

US supply = 14349 * 1000 * 2.2 = 31,567,800 pounds of pot

Thats a lotta dope!

[tridim]

58. And it's probably safe to assume that the real number is double that. nt

[defendandprotect]

12. It costs us more than $$, it costs us our freedom -- legalize marijuana ---

You'll only hear third party candidates talk about this --
Why not Democratic candidates???

Push the subject --

Meanwhile, the phony Drug War is about limiting freedom not only in America but all over the world; enforcing our way into other countries; destroying their land with spraying; and, yet, in Afghanistan where the Taliban were limiting Heroin production, it's reached a new peak now under our "occupation."

Who are we kidding -- ????

Only ourselves -- !!!

[DemGa]

15. Exactly why it won't be made legal

too much profit for the enforcement/prison industry.

[jberryhill]

17. The lost tax amount is somewhat circular...

...since the 113B market value is largely based on the illegality premium built into the market price.

Prohibition is still a tremendous waste of resources.

[porphyrian]

35. We're not trying to gain it as profit, but to stop it as loss.

You are correct that it wouldn't be worth the same amount once legalized, but it is the amount of money we spend now.

[Warren DeMontague]

18. Legalize it, Regulate it, and Tax it.

The way things are now is Fucking Ridiculous.

[fenriswolf]

27. while were at it

legalize hemp too, we can do so much with hemp, clothing, paper, fuel, food, carbon cleaner.

[Festivito]

28. About $600 for a family of four. NOPE. Not worth it. LEGALIZE IT.

I want my money and my freedom.

[defendandprotect]

30. Sen. Grassley/C-SPAN 2 right now discussing marijuana --

he's against --

Don't know if this is part of a larger discussion or just his joy for the day?

I think he wants more $$ for campaign against marijuana ---

[tridim]

59. Sen. GRASSley is against MJ.. Figures. nt

[defendandprotect]

87. Just a guy trying to live down his name . . ..

Cute comment . . . .

[High Plains]

36. Meanwhile, more than 800,000 marijuana arrests last year...

...89% for simple possession, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report.

What a racket!

Where is the Democratic Party on this issue? Hello?

[Ariana Celeste]

38. I was one of them.

Course I had mushrooms, too.

Two of us arrested for a dozen mushrooms and 6 grams of pot cost $15,000 in lawyers fees, $10,000 for bail, half a year of court dates, close to $2000 in assorted court and probation fees. And who knows what it cost other people in taxes.

For a dozen mushrooms (these were not even fully grown mind you), and a little bit of pot. Enough for two to ~kind of~ party for an evening. Abuse from officers, some time in jail, a half a year of court dates, a year and a half of probation.

Not to mention the money that has to be spent for us to take drug classes, for however long they deem appropriate (and by 'they', I mean, the people who are PAID for every class...). Drug classes, outpatient treatment.... for a few half grown mushrooms, and a little bit of pot.

Lord knows the two of us were such fucking addicts, that we managed to somehow always have our bills paid on time, always have ample food in the fridge, cared for a dog and a turtle, and had lots of extra money in the bank to waste on dvds and old coins and video games and crap, not to mention never late to work, never missing a day of work, and no complaints from neighbors- in fact, friends with our neighbors. Yes, addicts in need of critical outpatient treatment, indeed.

[mike_c]

43. illustrating who's making the real profits in the WOD....

Damn, that's terrible.

[defendandprotect]

88. Hard to say whether the Drug War is more about $ or intimidation . . ...

These are dangerous people running our nation -- !!!

I'm amazed that the Drug War is almost not a hidden "taboo" subject everywhere ---

[Forkboy]

39. I think that's about how much a friend of mine spends on it a year as well.

:)

[Gregorian]

44. When will we declare war on cluster bombs, depleted uranium?

When that day comes, I will fly an American flag for the first time. Until then, we're an oppressive country that I do not support with my heart. Just my pocketbook.

Why aren't more people awake? Bombs are killers. Pot isn't even worth our time and energy. This is totally ignorant. Total hypocrisy.

[Trillo]

47. Legalize and Tax it make the most logical sense. n/t

[defendandprotect]

89. Ah, but you'd be shifting profit from irreputable sources to reputable ones -- !!!

Therein lies the rough --

[defendandprotect]

90. delete

[otherlander]

48. forty one billion...

that's, like...

forty one thousand millions.

or four thousand one hundred ten millions.

Imagine what you could do with ten million dollars... And then imagine having four thousand one hundred of that. You could buy four thousand one hundred different things, and buy ten million dollars worth of each one!

You could buy ten million dollars worth of oranges for people.
And then you could buy ten million dollars worth of motor bikes for people who don't have transportation to get into the cities to look for jobs.
And then you'd still have four thousand and ninety eight other things you could buy, and ten million dollars worth of on each one.

Hell, if we weren't spending all that money enforcing stupid pot laws, we could probably get single-payer health care without even raising taxes at all.
:wow:

[Beelzebud]

49. I'd gladly pay a tax on it if it meant going to a safe, reliable establishment to buy it.

The older I get, the more scoring some weed becomes a pain in the ass. I should be able to buy it at a grocery store, just like booze.

[Ariana Celeste]

50. kick n/t

[piedmont]

51. Huh. I would have thought it would be higher than that. nt

[ms liberty]

64. KR&B - Thanks for posting! Excellent info.n/t

[LibertyorDeath]

65. That would by a lot of Weed....What a waste of $$$

[pingzing58]

66. I agree with proposal for less Jail time for possession. We would save billions on Jail time. But

three times "you're out" is a good policy - damn I sound like fu*ing Repug. It's a compromise - because all you older people supported the Repug bit on "tough on crime" bull. We spend more money on privatized Jail systems than on education and keeping manufacturing jobs (with health care and retirment benefits) for our poor and economic disenfanchised population. You get what you voted for and now we have to live with your....

[Lost4words]

103. you are forgetting the elections were stolen?

I didnt vote for the war on drugs and three strikes is WRONG any way you look at it.
I have never voted for a repuke.

I am older but This isnt my mess, its you TV generation kids that have swallowed all the crap from the media, you generation is not without blame in this unless you are 16 years old.

what have you done to save our country???

8643

[Oldenuff]

68. If I'm not mistaken...

Our Government has spent 1 Trillion over the last 40 years on the War on Marijuana....I wonder how thats working out?..

It's amazing that after all this time,there are still legislators who think it's dangerous.It's no wonder that people don't have any confidence in their own government....they couldn't tell the truth to save their lives...(most of them anyway).

[Quantess]

69. Before reading any previous posts, here's my .02

I personally despise weed.

However, it's definitely no worse than alcohol, and outlawing it makes no sense at all. "The herb" does not agree with me. I personally cannot stand pot, but, I would like marijuana to at least be decriminalized. Most of all, marijuana offenders DO NOT belong in prison. It is comparable to alcohol prohibition, in a way. Prohibition doesn't work, and only encourages the "black market".

[LaStrega]

70. Oh. My.

mike_c: "...and as a Humboldt County, CA resident"

I literally do a Homer drool when I hear the words Humboldt+County (*delicately wipes away oh-so-glamour-puss drool*).

Yet another reason I miss living in San Francisco. However I am not Carol King, and I do not miss feeling the earth moving under my feet.

Oh and ... k + r.

p.s. Are there ever DU meetups like we flickrites have? Me thinks we lot would have one helluva hoot if we were to meet, smoke, joke etc.

[ellisonz]

72. Stop the Drug War Now.

[Naturyl]

74. $41 billion could almost pay for a gauranteed basic income

Which would end poverty and homelessness overnight. But we'd rather spend it to put pot smokers in jail.

Screwed up priorities...

[formercia]

76. Make a law, make a business.

41 Billion reasons why the law won't change.

[Trillo]

92. That reminds me of a fellow DUer's signature line.

"Give a man a fish, eat for a day: teach a man to fish, you lost a great business opportunity."

[harlinchi]

79. But what will be used to criminalize Black behavior?

How will we fill our for-profit prisons? How will our under-educated rural men get high-quality jobs?

[mdmc]

81. A town down south is trying to make baggy pants / visible undies

illegal.
:kick:

[harlinchi]

82. I cannot defend those sartorial choices for aesthetic reasons,

only for constitutional ones. For some reason, I thought the constitutional reasons would be more important! Then I realized the document has little significance during this administration and this Supreme Court.

Maybe if a town tried to outlaw the pickup truck display of a (supposed) confederate flag and it's accompanying shotgun rack, freedoms of speech and expression would become important again.

[mdmc]

85. Or the kids in the hood could wear stars and bars boxer shorts

:shrug:

[harlinchi]

93. Manufactured by a Black owned company! Boy that would chafe...

...their tender spots!

[mdmc]

107. Time to email FUBU

Peace and low stress my friend.

[defendandprotect]

91. It's also training us all to be OBEDIENT . . . . and the costs are very high, indeed!!!

[ThePowerofWill]

97. I have a problem with this part.

**The total U.S. marijuana supply is 14,349 metric tons annually, with a retail value of $113 billion.

**Marijuana prohibition diverts the entire $113 billion in sales from the legal, taxed economy. Based on the White House Office of Management and Budget's estimate that 28.7 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product goes to federal, local, and state governments as tax revenue, marijuana prohibition costs $31.1 billion in lost tax revenues annually.


My point being, if grass was legal the price would be very low. Production wise marijuana out yields corn by the acre, and is no harder to grow. Hence marijuana cost in a legal world should be on par with corn. Basically you can throw the whole economic model used in the trash.

I don't understand why folks use black market prices in a theoretic legal model. It's a very common mistake.

[formercia]

98. How many would grow their own?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist.

[ThePowerofWill]

99. Yup,

It would be like summer here when folks have grown so many vegetables in their yard they can't give it away.

I guess the people who put this stuff together just figure to freeze prices at black market levels for profit sake, or to help their numbers come out right.

It just grows well most anywhere with the right strain, and is easy to grow. There really are not much big profit potential in a fully legal marijuana model. This is why it remains illegal. Theres more money to be made by most power wielding groups in it's illegality.

[Lost4words]

104. Yup, back at you! Its all about profit,$$$ $$$ $$$ $$$ $$$.

money grabbing SOB's

save the country, terminate a US CEO. One a day thats all we ask.

[Trillo]

108. But, aren't "market forces" the be all end all of our western civilization?

I happen to know that the price of vegetables in stores is not strongly correlated to the price the farmer gets, but rather is based upon the cost of shelf space, in other words, 'the real-estate value' of the store owner's shelf space.

It's hard to predict the degree to which prices would decrease. A tax structure could be devised that keeps the market price artificially high, curiously, that would also increase motivation to 'grow it yourself', just as the black market has apparently done. I presume that even current marijuana smokers or tokers buy it from growers and distributors, otherwise, every smoker would grow their own. They do not seem to do that even at very high prices, if what I understand about marijuana and its current market is true.

Lots of people can make their own beer and or wine, they can even distill their own grain alcohol, yet, most do not, opting instead to buy it.

I don't smoke or buy marijuana at this time, everything said about it is what I have gathered from reading, though if it was legal, I'd enter the market as a buyer. I'd love for it to be legal. How many others who currently feel restricted by current laws would enter the market?

[Lost4words]

105. That is very insightful, may I use this?

thanks! :hi:

8643

[defendandprotect]

101. Drug War/Marijuana is another subject which gets very light treatment in campaigns --

Rarely is there any depth to the question/discussion, except from third party candidates ---

[Trillo]

109. Kucinich has said in past campaigns to legalize or decriminalize it.

Not sure about his current campaign.

With the war, so many areas of our government failing to follow the constitution, the election fraud, warrantless wiretapping, torture, corporate personhood, among other big issues, I'm not certain marijuana prohibition is in the top 10 of present concerns when viewed objectively.

Corporate Personhood is a huge issue to progressives, but it's generally not being talked about now, except for current top candidates to release their latest dollar based 'warchest' funding as rationale for why they will win: this suggests these top candidates mean to imply 'corporate personhood' as it exists today is just fine and peachy with them.