Comments on: Yes, Legalize Pot, But Why Tax It?

By: guest

guest — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:31:21 +0000

The reason people want it taxed is to give the goverment an incentive to legalise it and keep it that way. Practical and sound political thinking if you ask me.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:53:40 +0000

I've spent many years working in the criminal justice system. I am an attorney and I've handled literally thousands of pounds worth of drug cases. I worked for many years as a public defender and dealt with more drug addicts than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime. I think it's crazy that simple possession of any drug is a felony, but I think it would be insane to legalize drugs like meth, cocaine and heroin and make them a lot cheaper and easier to get. People addicted to these drugs cause us enormous problems and the more who do them the more lifetime addicts we're going to have. Marijuana is already cheap and easy to get. Americans use more marijuana than all other illegal drugs combined. The black market for marijuana is most of the black market for drugs. Legalizing marijuana alone would reduce the problems from the black market for drugs and those involved with the trade considerably. Legalizing drugs like meth would cause us a lot more harm than the prohibition on meth causes us. Thankfully only a tiny few are for legalizing all drugs.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:51:15 +0000

As for arguing that marijuana be legal but not other drugs being a problem, that's your opinion. I see no problem at all with arguing that marijuana should be legal but not a drug like meth. These two drugs aren't even in the same ballpark. One is incredibly addictive and prone to causing problems for innocent people, the other is fairly benign. One is rather expensive, used by only a tiny percentage of our population and there are parts of the country where it is not so easily available. The other is widely used and cheaper than beer and so easily available that it would be hard to make it anymore available. So few use a drug like meth that it wouldn't take too many new users to double or triple or quadruple the number of new addicts. Most people have already tried marijuana. I doubt use would go up much if we legalized it but if I'm wrong about that it wouldn't be that big of a deal because marijuana smokers aren't that much of a problem for us. Meth users are a problem.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:50:31 +0000

I don't understand the "gray market" comment. If marijuana is legal and regulated like alcohol there would be nothing black or gray about the market. Licensed producers would produce it. Producers would probably then sell to regulated distributors who in turn sell it to the licensed retail shops.

By: Andrew S.