--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Why on earth the government hasn't legalized marijuana (at least), > regulated its use and taxed it to provide for needed government > programs puzzles me. > > Here in Humboldt County the estimates of how much marijuana > cultivation contributes to our local economy ranges from $200 million > on the conservative side to half-a-billion on the optimistic side. > And that's just a single California county; you can imagine how much > in potential tax revenues that single crop could generate if it was > legalized.
Hey, it's the #1 cash crop in the U.S.: http://tinyurl.com/vl538 > > And the savings in law enforcement, probation services, court and > related court services themselves would be tremendous in and of > themselves. Some portion of revenues could be directed towards drug > education and rehabilitation services for those who become caught up > in drug addiction, though marijuana ain't one of the drugs that > causes problems (outside of its illegality). And, although there > will always be something of a black market for any desirable product, > the heavy duty criminal element that is drawn to high-risk, high- > profit ventures would exit the market. > > I don't think that will happen until we have a responsible Republican > administration that will make the argument an economic one; once you > examine current drug laws through that lens I don't believe you can > long endorse this well-intentioned but fundamentally flawed drug war. > > ** > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "curtisdeltablues" > <curtisdeltablues@> wrote: > > > > I'm reading a book called Dry Manhattan, Prohibition in New York > City. > > It is such a strong parallel to what is going on now with an > > important exception. Because of the depression, society got sick > > really quickly of financing an unwinnable war which creates a > mobster > > underground making untaxible billions. The same issues of black > market > > impurities causing more health issues than the drug itself happened > > back then also with private stills cranking out some nasty stuff. > > > > Cry'n Mama, Mama, Mama, cry'n canned heat kill'n me > > Cry'n Mama, Mama, Mama, cry'n Sterno is kill'n me > > If canned heat don't kill me, I believe I'll never die. > > > > Sterno strained through bread was a favorite drink. Only problem > was > > is was wood alcohol, not grain alcohol. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Marek Reavis" <reavismarek@> > > wrote: > > > > > > Thanks for posting this piece, Bob. Seeing firsthand how this so- > > > called war is fought, at least on the jurisdictional battlefields > I've > > > been in, is a scary eye-opener to just how ineffective and crazy > the > > > whole enterprise is. One of the very worst examples of how a > good > > > intention goes terribly bad is the asset forfeiture laws that > > > essentially create self-funding task forces that receive > percentages of > > > property and cash seized from drug arrests. > > > > > > It makes these multi-agency task forces into freebooters who > profit > > > from their busts. > > > > > > ** > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante <no_reply@> > wrote: > > > > > > > > Think the war in Iraq is stupid? The war on drugs is much > dumber: > > > > > > > > http://www.slate.com/id/2178795/ > > > > > > > > > >
