dudeone Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Will Pot Be the Next Obama Stimulus Plan? By RICK NEWMAN November 26, 2012 http://www.usnews.co...a-stimulus-plan President Obama has said he's open to new ideas during his second term. Here's one that at least two states are pushing: legalizing marijuana to help ease government finances. On Election Day, voters in Colorado and Washington approved measures that would make it legal for citizens to buy pot and smoke it recreationally. Among other things, legalizing pot would help each state raise some desperately needed revenue. But whether pot becomes commonly available, and taxed just like alcohol, depends on whether the federal government tacitly goes along with the new measures or cracks down on them, which it has the authority to do. The federal government regards marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, in the same class with powerful narcotics such as heroin and LSD. Pro-pot groups have been pushing the feds for years to reclassify marijuana and adopt a more permissive stance, especially since some doctors believe the leafy drug has important medicinal properties. Washington has tolerated the legalization of medical marijuana, but it hasn't budged on recreational use, and last year the Obama administration reaffirmed its opposition to any changes in the status of marijuana. The question now is whether the two statewide measures, along with others that might follow, might persuade a second Obama administration to mellow out and reconsider its tough stance against pot. The economic arguments in favor of legalizing pot are no hallucination. Forecasting firm IHS Global Insight reports that Washington state could pull down nearly $2 billion in additional revenue over five years, through fees on licenses granted to pot providers. Colorado, which would manage pot sales differently, could earn about $342 million from excise taxes over five year. In a tough economy, with voters staunchly opposed to most new taxes, that's a meaningful amount of revenue. The government has swiped away other taboos when an economic crunch created an urgent need for new funding sources. The most obvious example is the 1933 repeal of Prohibition. State and local governments now collect more than $6 billion per year in alcohol taxes. Many states have loosened laws that once prohibited gambling, which now generates nearly $8 billion in tax revenue for states, and also provides thousands of jobs. Marijuana backers insist that legalized pot would be no more likely to generate reckless behavior than booze or gambling. But states can't really normalize pot sales, and earn revenue from it, without Washington's approval. The Justice Department, which enforces federal law, has a few choices: It could issue a clear statement indicating that it plans to either go along with the new statewide measures or oppose them. That would either encourage state officials to establish the regulatory structure for allowing pot sales, or dissuade them. Washington could also take no stance at all, leaving state officials guessing about whether federal prosecutors would interfere with pot sales or look the other way. That might create uncertainty over the legalization issue, but allow Obama and his fellow Democrats to avoid a political fight over states' rights or moral decay while still giving some liberals what they want. Obama is a strong advocate of more funding for teachers, cops, firefighters, and other public service employees usually paid by states and localities. He's also a former pot smoker who scored plenty of illegal weed as a kid growing up in Hawaii. Legalizing pot could generate a bit more revenue for Obama priorities, in a way the president might have supported in his earlier days. If Congressional Republicans continue to reject Obama's other stimulus ideas, he could even say Republicans made him do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wizard of AZ Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Looks like it was typed up on a typewriter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surtur Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Canada should do it first We can be know as the Oil and Grass Country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 They really need to get it together and capitalize on legalization if they can. And I'm also curious how it could impact the drug cartels as I have been studying them of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surtur Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 They really need to get it together and capitalize on legalization if they can. And I'm also curious how it could impact the drug cartels as I have been studying them of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grapefruits Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 They really need to get it together and capitalize on legalization if they can. And I'm also curious how it could impact the drug cartels as I have been studying them of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tearloch7 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I am not sure, but I have heard that pot seldom stimulates anything but your appetite? .. Hostess could make a comeback .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It probably won't make a huge difference as they will just shift into other drugs. The money isn't really in weed anyway. It's in the cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Medical costs will shoot through the roof. I'm not talking about the marijuana, I'm talking about all the stoners driving to the nearest White Castle and loading up on burgers, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I'd be irked if the US legalized marijuana before Canada did. We are supposed to be the cooler ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wetcoaster Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Seems unlikely as it would require the US to withdraw from the UN Single Convention on Narcotics given the way in which the US forced cannabis into the treaty - it cannot simply be de-listed or de-scheduled. because the US insisted that the treaty when enacted deal with cannabis in the same manner as cocaine and heroin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucks since 77 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Never happen. The banks have to much invested in money laundering, also the DEA is a juggernaught with enough momentum that it will be difficult or impossible to stop them from coming down on people for even simple possesion. Colorado and Washington will be stepped on at a federal level. Reality sucks for pot imbibers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 If they did it, you know we'd be right behind them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wetcoaster Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 If they did it, you know we'd be right behind them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tearloch7 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Unlikely given the recent statements from the PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wetcoaster Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Harper would suckle that American teat in a second!! .. he is as facile as it gets when it comes to "being the tail on the dog" .. I would legalize ALL drugs .. would save billions in the long run .. that is a thread for 2013 .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tearloch7 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I doubt that very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It always bugs me when pot, cocaine and LSD are referred to as 'narcotics.' They are not. Illicit drugs, yes, but this desire to use a century old term, once meant for opiates et al, for all psychoactives and stimulants should stop. Using umbrella terms for them in this fashion only reinforces misunderstanding of the physical effects and dangers of each substance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dral Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 It always bugs me when pot, cocaine and LSD are referred to as 'narcotics.' They are not. Illicit drugs, yes, but this desire to use a century old term, once meant for opiates et al, for all psychoactives and stimulants should stop. Using umbrella terms for them in this fashion only reinforces misunderstanding of the physical effects and dangers of each substance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 To me there are far more dangerous legal drugs and this whole issue is ridiculous. Although only use the 'recommended' dosages provided to the public when it comes to 'legal' substances. Oh and make sure to check the 99/100 things that could be harmful to you, with a physician, before taking said legal drug. I love those commercials. Maybe someone should ask Michael Jackson how he feels about drugs. Big pharmaceutical should be on trial for murder and the government with negligence. RIP MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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