Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, may be ridiculed for his idea, but it's worth considering if only for its novelty.
Instead of keeping it illegal to sell marijuana, legalize its sale to those over 21 years old, and tax it.
This idea of creating another "sin tax" is not new. We already do it with cigarettes and tobacco, but have shied away from going after what is considered a "narcotic," like marijuana -- probably because law enforcement and growers like the money that comes their way. Law enforcement would have to redirect their anti-drug teams against real crimes, and growers would see their enormous profits taxed.
However, the time may have come to consider Ammiano's idea officially. His Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed. Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide. The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view. Millions in revenue could be used by the state for health programs -- and more.
We should have learned our lesson years ago when the nation tried to prohibit the sale of alcohol. As a result we saw a growth in organized crime. The same thing has occurred with the criminalization of minor drugs such as marijuana, which is a lot less harmful than some of the pills popped by those suffering back pain.
"Marijuana already plays a huge role in the California economy," Stephen Gutwillig, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance was quoted as saying this week. "It's a revenue opportunity we literally can't afford to ignore any longer."
Let's admit our present drug policy is a failure and try something new. Let's tax the state's largest cash crop.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Daily Democrat
Contact: The Daily Democrat
Copyright: 2009 Daily Democrat
Website: An Easy, And Realistic Idea For Smoking Our Deficit
Instead of keeping it illegal to sell marijuana, legalize its sale to those over 21 years old, and tax it.
This idea of creating another "sin tax" is not new. We already do it with cigarettes and tobacco, but have shied away from going after what is considered a "narcotic," like marijuana -- probably because law enforcement and growers like the money that comes their way. Law enforcement would have to redirect their anti-drug teams against real crimes, and growers would see their enormous profits taxed.
However, the time may have come to consider Ammiano's idea officially. His Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed. Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide. The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view. Millions in revenue could be used by the state for health programs -- and more.
We should have learned our lesson years ago when the nation tried to prohibit the sale of alcohol. As a result we saw a growth in organized crime. The same thing has occurred with the criminalization of minor drugs such as marijuana, which is a lot less harmful than some of the pills popped by those suffering back pain.
"Marijuana already plays a huge role in the California economy," Stephen Gutwillig, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance was quoted as saying this week. "It's a revenue opportunity we literally can't afford to ignore any longer."
Let's admit our present drug policy is a failure and try something new. Let's tax the state's largest cash crop.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Daily Democrat
Contact: The Daily Democrat
Copyright: 2009 Daily Democrat
Website: An Easy, And Realistic Idea For Smoking Our Deficit
