What is Digg?389 Comments
- rob132, on 07/16/2009, -7/+165Another 1.4 Billion in addition to the 1.4 Billion from the article from a few hours ago?
That's 2.8 Billion dollars from taxing weed!!
That's over 9000! - trer, on 07/16/2009, -7/+157I just wanted to say that the "gateway drug" argument is ludicrous. Alcohol can be considered a gateway drug and no one is going to stop selling alcohol! How about nicotine?
- Snarfy, on 07/16/2009, -3/+73They need to also calculate the cost of drug incarcerations.
- namja23, on 07/16/2009, -10/+78Not to mention $2.4 bill in snacks, $.9 bill in confectioneries, and $13 bill in ticket sales for the new Alice in Wonderland...
- ZimbuTheMonkey, on 07/16/2009, -3/+58The argument is ludicrous because it's not a gateway drug, neither are the other two. If a person decides to do coke or heroine after weed it is because he or she has a problem, not because the drug inherently propels someone to find a stronger high.
I'm 24 and I've smoked pot maybe 5-6 times in my entire life. The first time was at age 20 or so. I had a great time when I did it, and I'd do it again if the opportunity came up and I felt like it but it doesn't compel me to seek a high against my own will. The argument is just ***** aimed at ignorant parents that would rather listen to obvious propaganda than research on their own. - skektek, on 07/16/2009, -5/+53Too much common sense, it'll never work.
- thumber, on 07/16/2009, -7/+54its not good to punish people when they don't hert anyone else.
in fact. its ***** moronic.
legalize it - jmac9, on 07/16/2009, -2/+40 Even law enforcement is backing the end of prohibition: www.leap.cc
California prison expenses were $ 935 Million in 1985
in 2004: $5.5 Billion
$69 Billions a year of taxpayer money continue to be wasted on this prohibition.
America is now prison nation #1 in the world with the highest rate of prison population: 1 in every 100 Americans are in jail.
800,000 people were busted for marijuana in 2007. Almost 90% for simple possession – 1 ounce or less.
Over 45,000 people are in State and Federal jails for marijuana-cannabis. This doesn't count local and county jails.
The expansion of the prison business prodded by right wing nuts seeking to take away civil liberties and invade every aspect of your privacy, seems to be the rationale for keeping the failed - war on drugs - going.
Example: if you are convicted of marijuana-cannabis possession you can not get student loans for college. But if you are convicted of rape or murder you can get student loans.
All DEA claims of harm from cannabis-marijuana use have been discredited,
Marijuana Myths Marijuana Facts by Lynn Zimmer and Dr. John Morgan
www.drugwarfacts.org, are just 2 of many sites and books with the facts.
Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man
quote from: DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young 9/6/88
As stated in Marijuana Myths Marijuana Facts by Lynn Zimmer and Dr. John Morgan :
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funds research to find harm from marijuana...studies showing no effect, or a positive effect related to marijuana are ignored completely.
Illegal means: Al Capone, Mexican drug wars, violence, vast profits to international crime cartels, no age restriction of access,
profits to Taliban...corruption of police, judiciary, and destruction of our civil liberties
Legal means: We the people control, production, distribution, age access, taxation. Profits to crime groups both international and local street gangs dry up
Why was it made illegal?
Harry Anslinger - the first drug czar chief did say: "Reefer(marijuana) makes darkies think they are as good as white men."
and William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper owner who campaigned for making cannabis illegal did say:
"marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white mens shadows, and look at a white woman twice." - skektek, on 07/16/2009, -3/+40If they made caffeine illegal it too would be a "gateway drug".
"I'm already drinking a Mountain Dew, I might as well score some heroin too". - skiingpowder10, on 07/16/2009, -0/+37you mean deduct the costs of incarcerations??
like saving millions and milllions more...
and also, by locking pot smokers up, you take pot smokers away from jobs that pay taxes too! - chadsmith729, on 07/16/2009, -4/+33How is this different from: http://digg.com/business_finance/Taxing_Pot_Would_ ...
Another fine win for Digg's duplicate checker. - AutoTom, on 07/16/2009, -10/+35LEGALIZE IT!
- AmazingSteve, on 07/16/2009, -3/+26What's funny is that these ***** genius's are making these "discoveries" just now. Pot smokers have been taking about the tax benefits for Government since the Amsterdam model was established in 1975. Kind of a no brainer when all the data you could possibly want is available from a source that's been functioning for 30 odd years. What this all boils down to is money and control. If the "right people" can't make money from it, then no weed for you.
- Hetman, on 07/16/2009, -4/+23It should be legal also. If used correctly you will not hurt anyone by doing heroin.
- jeremymccurdy, on 07/16/2009, -1/+19Pot costs money, you need a job to make money.
- methdwman3, on 07/16/2009, -1/+19Actually, no. California has a graduated income tax, so everyone making over $45k pays the same rate. If the secretary makes under $45k, he/she is paying less percent than the CEO. If he/she is making over $45k, they pay the same rate (and presumably a much smaller dollar figure) than the CEO.
- doomchronage, on 07/16/2009, -1/+19Who the ***** would buy it from a shady dealer when you can *safely* go down to a coffee shop and buy some without worrying about being mugged?
Also, people would pay for it because not everyone has the time, money, space, or desire to grow it on their own. - kylere, on 07/16/2009, -1/+18Only someone high on something much worse than pot would make such a factually incorrect statement
- nigelsan, on 07/16/2009, -2/+19BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!! IF YOU CALL RIGHT NOW YOU RECIEVE A FREE BOX OF PAPERS!!!!!!
- lofi4life, on 07/16/2009, -1/+18Have you ever smoked pot or got drunk? You've get them all mixed up. Hangovers from alcohol are far worse than feeling slightly groggy(if that) the next morning. Hangovers make you physically sick and make you feel insecure or anxious. Weed wears off in a few hours.
- Hetman, on 07/16/2009, -1/+18WTF are you talking about. You can recover if that is the proper word from marijuna with in hours of using it. Even if you eat marijuana which is causes the affects to last longer it still only last around 8 hours.
- greenroom628, on 07/16/2009, -0/+16gateway drug, my ass.
the only reason it can be considered a "gateway drug" is because kids buy pot from dealers who sell other drugs. take that away, then it stops being a "gateway drug". - kaniz, on 07/16/2009, -0/+15I agree.
About the only way it is a 'gateway' drug (and really stretching the term here) is
- Pot is a black market drug
- You need to get pot from drug dealers
- Drug dealers tend to have other drugs
If you have a few connections for pot, you also now have access to other drugs.
If you had a passing curiosity in trying something else - but not strong enough to seek it out on it's own. ie: You're curious to try MDMA, your pot dealer just happens to have MDMA - you might snag it up, where if you had to go searching for it, then you might not bother.
That said.
a) If someone really wants to try other drugs, they'll find it anyways.
b) This is even a better reason to legalize pot - when you can buy it from a store / cafe / whatever legally, you are not being forced into the black market of which opens up easier access to other drugs. - Babazoz, on 07/16/2009, -1/+16The drug itself isn't a gateway. The argument is primarily used because of environment. Impressionable (read: idiotic) pot smokers go around other stoners, and some of them might also occasionally use smack, or coke. The impressionable pick up the habit from there.
Again, pot itself isn't a gateway. - footbag01, on 07/16/2009, -2/+16I think that California's biggest savings would be in the prison system.
- ShiftAWS, on 07/16/2009, -3/+17it's not acid dude.
- falafelkiosken, on 07/16/2009, -1/+15if you do something stupid while on heroin, but that's your own responsibility. People do stupid things while being drunk too, like running people over while driving intoxicated. The crime isn't being drunk, but driving while being drunk because it may harm other people, the same should apply to any drug that may reduce your driving ability
- Matteos, on 07/16/2009, -1/+15You need to get a clue. I have never had a pot hangover.
- Calcularius, on 07/16/2009, -0/+13Smoke every day, make 100K plus a year programming UI interfaces, own two houses and pay a ***** load of taxes.
Tried coke and even meth waaay back in the day, hated both of it.
Have been around heroin, but god you got to be crazy to stick a damn needle in your arm!
Still like the occasional fungus. - bsonline, on 07/16/2009, -1/+14Dude, it's not a gateway...it's a path...
Coke leads to Mountain Dew which leads to Jolt which leads to Red Bull which leads to Rockstar which leads to NOS which leads to a slow death by dehydration.
My recommendation? Drink plenty of water, sleep twice per week and learn to program. - penglust, on 07/16/2009, -1/+14And it would also release thousands of people in state prisons and saving much more money.
- evileddy60, on 07/16/2009, -1/+13Water is the gateway drug.. first you drink that. then yer on milk.. then OMG.. soda.. then beer.. then whiskey then ROCK COCAINE!
We need some multi-trillion dollar war on this horrible life killing substance!
/sarcasm - HomeSkillz, on 07/16/2009, -1/+13So that's 1.4 billion towards a 26.3 billion deficit?
Well, I wouldn't complain. - KSUdesigner, on 07/16/2009, -0/+12$500 an ounce? I have never paid that much for an ounce, even the really good ***** is cheaper than that. Someone's ripping you off.
- emjaymj, on 07/16/2009, -0/+12When I had minor surgery for a kidney stone, the doctors sent me away with practically a bucketful of hydromorphone and fentanyl. Both are more potent narcotics than heroin, and I got considerably more than I actually needed.
Was I a danger to anyone else? Hell no... opiates make you sleepy and just want to relax.
Was I a danger to myself? Again, no, because A) I've been educated on the substances I'm taking, and how much was okay to take, and B) the purity was not suspect - I knew exactly how much I was taking. As opioid drugs are relatively non-toxic (the potential for a normal dose to do damage is far greater with TYLENOL), this is all one really needs to stay safe.
Do I need to spell this out for you? Points A) and B) were only true because they were legal, regulated drugs that have been deemed acceptable to take. By keeping "illicit" drugs illegal and not educating the public, people aren't aware of the real dangers and the precautions they can take, and really have NO IDEA how much drug they're actually taking. THIS is why illegal drugs are so dangerous.
Ignorant people seem to think that these drugs are illegal because they're dangerous, but the truth is that for the most part it's the other way around. These drugs are so dangerous BECAUSE they're illegal.
I know some idiot is going to jump on that statement and say "lol, do you really think drugs aren't dangerous, idiot?" so I'm going to clarify that. Drugs, both legal and illegal, have the potential to kill (pretty much anything). Many are extremely toxic with long-term use (meth, alcohol, and cigarettes are the biggies here). ALL drugs carry some risks. But by keeping a substance illegal, we're turning what would otherwise be a fairly small, acceptable risk into an absolute certainty for a lot of these people. - penglust, on 07/16/2009, -1/+12No true. In the Air Force we drank a lot. When my time was up I did not drink for over a year. And then I went to a part and got pretty stinking. Several days later I was still noticing the effect and only then did I realize it had always been there just masked by the next nights party.
I have smoked pot a few times. I never had any lasting effect the next day I could detect.
Now with kids I do not do either and I am glad for it. I have friends (approaching 50) who do it occasionally. They are never a problem.
In Oregon they passed a law so I can not buy pseudo ephedrine. While Claratin keeps my allergies under control, a couple times a year this simple drug would prevent extreme headaches. But because some goody goody idiots pushed a law through because of meth heads I have to suffer. I just do not believe the couple of bottles of over the counter pseudo ephedrine they could by from each drug store makes that big a difference. - inactive, on 07/16/2009, -1/+12AND IF YOU CALL NOW WE WILL DOUBLE THE OFFER! TWO BOXES OF ROLLING PAPERS FREE. YOU CANT BEAT THAT, CALL NOW!
- aadyss, on 07/16/2009, -3/+14With California's $26,300,000,000 deficit the stoners would have to ratchet up their love for the weed by 2600%. Can on guys, you can do it. Instead of saving the whales or the planet, show your love and give it up for California.
- ancalagon73, on 07/16/2009, -2/+13Dude, shut up. You're not helping :-p
- ATXChappy, on 07/16/2009, -0/+11Yea, because everyone is saying let's make Marijuana legal for 10 y/o. Part of the reason to legalize and tax it is so you can regulate who buys it. Is a drug dealer going to card your kid? There might be a few out there that would. But, I seriously doubt it. Send someone under 30 into a liquor store to buy booze or tobacco and see what happens. There is a reason kids polled today say they can get Marijuana easier than alcohol. Because the Marijuana market is controlled by criminals and the alcohol market is controlled by the government.
- depro9, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10Billions of our tax dollars would be saved if they ended the fleecing they call the war on drugs.
- emjaymj, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10I guess the monthly Vitamin B12 injections I get for anemia is just a gateway to shooting heroin, because I'm already open to the idea of needles, right?
Are you THAT ***** stupid? - mnocket, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10Because we all know that if we increase taxes on companies they will never just pass those increased costs back to us in terms of higher prices.
- marcb83, on 07/16/2009, -0/+10I think they underestimate Californians. it will be more then 1.4
- Tyrghast, on 07/16/2009, -0/+9I drank milk as a child and I drink alcohol now. Milk is obviously a gateway substance.
- HomeSkillz, on 07/16/2009, -0/+9How many cigarette smokers do you know who grow their own tobacco? I know none.
- falconear, on 07/16/2009, -1/+10No, I think the correct way to word this is:
Make money off of all the people who are already getting stoned anyway.
Everybody who smokes out there can get a doctor's note for...whatever. This just cuts out the middleman and makes some money off of it. - jeexbit, on 07/16/2009, -0/+92600 is one of my favorite numbers...
- ShiftAWS, on 07/16/2009, -2/+11That is not true i know many people around here (boston) that want it legalized and don't smoke. I as a pothead think its ***** up how medicine like Seroquel (there is a sidebar ad on digg for it....) a dangerous anti-psychotic that has a list of dozens of side effects is legal and advertised to millions of people.
- mjk340, on 07/16/2009, -1/+10It takes a special kind of person for heroin to be 'used correctly'. It is highly physically and mentally addictive and even the most disciplined individuals can lose control of themselves (stealing from family to get a fix, etc). It is addictive in the kind of way that your body physically changes and needs a constant supply to function normally. Anecdotal evidence of people taking heroin use overboard is more of the norm than the exception.
Marijuana on the other hand is 'addictive' in the kind of way that going out to see a movie or taking a day off work is 'addictive'. You find that it is a safe and relaxing activity so you do it every now and then for your mental health. Anecdotal evidence of people taking it overboard can not be applied to the majority of responsible users. -
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