Legalizing Marijuana in California

[Tony]

The law is the law. If we unquestioningly accepted that maxim, imagine where we would be today. Jim Crow would be alive and well, rivers and skies would be polluted, and women wouldn't be allowed to vote.An opinion piece about the upcoming vote in California. Makes several good points.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oew-dershowitz-20100728,0,527914.story

[Nanuk]

Either you want state sovereignty or you don't. Sadly I think that most of the pot-heads are all still very much in favor of a huge, powerful federal government that tries to control everyone by regulating everything from guns to mandatory health insurance just so long as it lets then have their dope.

[LFE]

If only they could figure out a way to legalize gambling... oh wait.. never mind thats done.
Maybe they should just give pot users methadone and needles... yea... that otta help cure things.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

Funny enough, this is a great way to bring some states out of the red.

My focus on this California thing will be to see how much it closes their budget gap.

HOWEVER, I don't think that Police Officers will oppose this as much as the private corporations that run the prisons will (See: CCA). For it is they who will lose the most of our money.

[Nanuk]

Oh, here we go again with Chutney's "the evil private prisons..." conspiracy theory.

Not sure what he means since he never explains it, but it appears that in his worldview, anytime a private business contracts with the government to offer a service, somehow that business automatically becomes corrupt and all-influential.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

Less prisoners equal less profit.

There is no such thing as a willingness to accept less profit.

It's really not that hard to figure out.

[Kensey]

Oh, here we go again with Chutney's "the evil private prisons..." conspiracy theory.

Not sure what he means since he never explains it, but it appears that in his worldview, anytime a private business contracts with the government to offer a service, somehow that business automatically becomes corrupt and all-influential.

I firmly believe some things simply should not be contracted out. Police, prisons, taxation and courts would all fall in that category for me.

[Nanuk]

I can agree with three of your four, Kensey, but I see very little difference between using actual government workers and using privately-employed workers supervised by the government to babysit and warehouse a bunch of criminals. There is nothing unique about that job that should keep it restricted to state government employees. (Same for schools, IMHO.)

And it's not as if state-run prisons are free of their problems. When you hire trash and give it civil-service protection that prevents you from disciplining or firing it, you're going to have trouble. At least in private prisons, the government overseers can order that the bad employees be removed from the contract.

[Nanuk]

Less prisoners equal less profit.

There is no such thing as a willingness to accept less profit.

It's really not that hard to figure out.


OK, and that theory might hold water if we ever get to a stage where we don't have enough prisoners to lock up even without drug crimes.

[derricksonb]

The legalization of marijuana in CA makes sense as a means to increase revenues through taxation. This, along with rising violent crimes, was one of the reasons prohibition was repealed.

[OzGirl]

Let the growing begin.....I think the one thing they are missing in this 1st draft of law is the size of the pot operation. A $211K per year fee should be for operations up to X size and then incrementally get larger as the farm gets larger....it will be interesting to see how this all works out???

Oakland, CA City Council Approves Medical Marijuana Farms Ordinance (Oakland, CA) --

Oakland, CA--(ENEWSPF)--July 30, 2010. Oakland city council members last week approved legislation authorizing (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iEfyr1l3JEtTrX-S4fmAgRFTfxcwD9H7LR5G0) the private, large-scale production of medical marijuana by commercial providers.
Under the measure, the city will license (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/22/local/la-me-0722-pot-vote-20100722) four production warehouses where marijuana would be grown, packaged and processed for medical use. The privately owned facilities would not be limited in size. However, the regulations will require applicants (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-07-21/bay-area/21991429_1_marijuana-farms-marijuana-legalization-cannabis) to possess a minimum of $3 million worth of insurance, hire security, and pay a $211,000 annual permit fee to the city.
Members of the city council said that they will vote this fall on similar regulations to oversee the licensing of smaller size grow operations.
Voters in neighboring Berkeley will decide on a similar municipal measure (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/22/local/la-me-0722-pot-vote-20100722) in November that seeks to license up to six area medical marijuana production facilities.
In a separate Oakland city council vote this week, members rejected a proposal (http://oaklandlocal.com/article/oakland-council-approves-marijuana-tax-november-ballot) to tax medical marijuana cultivators and dispensaries – instead electing to put the measure before voters this November.

[LFE]

Hummm, that might help cover the expense related to all those critical helicoter missions.
Of course they will never catch Stephen Stills...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUmIO_MG5IU

[Kensey]

Not long ago I read an article about how lots of people in Humboldt County, CA are against legalization -- not because they believe pot should be illegal, but because while it is, that county pulls in a lot of income.

[Leprechaun]

Legalize pot? Good thing! Just think, a whole class of mutual funds built around a life-cycle of produts and services governing it's use. From head shops, to T-shirts, to abuse counseling, to medical treatment facilities (Bb Marley Clinic), ... all that cash that's sitting on the sidelines??? What are we waiting for? And did anyone mention tax revenues?

[OzGirl]

Oh and the career counselors at school....atleast the kids having an objective of going to WEED-U is better than wanting to be a Reality TV Star! Talk about going back into the farming business! Think of all the old farms out there that could be re-used for a more profitable business - I bet we wouldnt have any problems finding legal-american farm hands either! YO!

[derricksonb]

Legalize pot? Good thing! Just think, a whole class of mutual funds built around a life-cycle of produts and services governing it's use.

Already exists...... Vice fund- VICEX

[LFE]

But whats going to happen to that pirate who's looking at 40...
Yea, whats going to happen to that guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7qzpSwucc