Should We Tax Pot?

[michaelkaer]

Dear US citizen;
Thank you for your letter. If you would be so kind as to address it directly to Stephen Harper it may go even further. He is the PM for now but we do not know for how long once Parliment sits at the end of his month. If the coalition gains power, we have a much better shot at making pot totally legal. Mr. Harper is Draconian in nature and a power hungry micro manager. He wants to set a manditory 6 months jail sentence for one plant! He is so far out of touch with the rest of Canada, it scares me.
Signed A Canuck from the great white north Eh!

 

[michaelkaer]

Slightly off topic, but I heard you folks down south have "Free Speach zones". What happened to your rights to free speach? When pot finally gets legalized and taxed, you should set up "Free pot zones"!

 

[MR.keifbox]

decriminalization would at the very least take out of the dealers hands. and not give such a greate reward for a high risk operation.
it would have to be some relly outragous pot for me to buy from uncle sam and not myself.

 

[MR.keifbox]

I just got a bill in the mail for 83,ooo dollers that was just for the pre op / post op for my wifes brain surgery, 5,500 of that was pharmacy thay gave her dillotins and vikadins around the clock but goddamm i could have went to down town tacoma and got a 6 month supply for that. tax my ass there butt raping us in the helth care system

 

[nbk380]

YES - weed should be taxed IF it becomes legal. If i could i'd legalize weed, but make it illegal to import it into the country -unless you pay the tax which will be the highest tax- so our border guards will have something to do and we'll resell the confiscated pot at 100% profit! dont worry no jail the first dozen or so times you forget, just sent home to grab the rest of your stash and try it again. In the country i would have a sales tax like on cigarettes w/some of that money goin to programs to help hopelessly addicted weed heads kick the stuff. lol-wait no-LOL. also have a yearly fee to operate a personal grow op. fees being based on size. rebates and incentives for growin for the elderly and medical grows. distributor fees based on quantity or potency -thc count- i haven't decided yet. I think my plan would not only line a few politicians pockets and keep a couple wars goin, but help w/heathcare costs, roads, schools, national debt, feeding kids and families here in america, saving endangered critters, and some more thangs ya'll! the lealization would have to be retro-active so our fallen growers can get back on the horse, free up jail space for pedophiles and people who dont really need to be out in freedom land. Jobs and weed companies will spring up like well weed. not to mention i could grow my hundred foot monster in the front yard just like in my dreams!!!! Vote For Weed - just write it in on all your ballots.

 

[Herb Fellow]

money goin to programs to help hopelessly addicted weed heads kick the stuff.

Cannabis is not addictive.

 

[nbk380]

^ ahh man you busted my super secret slush fund!

 

[nbk380]

with all the flunkies to replace middle men, and agribusiness taking over the growing - phew next would be GM (genetically modified) pot.

I'm already lookin for some of that 'gm'. it's workin good for the rest of the crops. Imma find a way even if i have to modify them myself. i need them 100 ft monsters.

 

[merickson]

... What happened to your rights to free speach? ....

Well, in November 2000 we had an election and ....
well, we weren't paying close attention and .....
well, ...

 

[nbk380]

^

 

[Herb Fellow]

^

Not so sure what is so funny about JuDiA's comment. This is a serious subject. As JuDiA said, this debate has been going on for decades. Personally I am against taxing any kind of medication. Cannabis falls under both medical and recreational drug. There are pro's and con's on cannabis becoming legal, decriminalized or remain illegal as today under federal law. If it stays illegal, smokers arrested could lose not only their freedom, but property and their children. If decriminalized, will it be so for growers, for distributors; will I legally be able to have more than an oz.? If it becomes legal, then many growers will be pushed out by big corporations. There are no easy answers. However, we all know that government's decisions are based on money more than anything else and the potential to collect taxes can be a big push toward legalization. I hope local growers will become like micro breweries specializing in custom strains to meet certain needs. I've heard several growers say they hope things stay just as they are in fear of losing their livelihood. This is understandable in a capitalistic society. Sometimes we need to look beyond our personal desires and look at what is best for society overall. I know, it sucks!

 

[michaelkaer]

How is it possible to kill the market? Even if the big guys get into the act, they will be hireing the best growers to grow for them and others will grow for local markets. If we are talking about another plant like tobacco, I have smoked some of the real leaf at a pow wow and there is no comparison to a machine rolled, additive drenched ciggarette. Bringing the big boys in will lower the price for everyone and that is also a good thing. Pot pirates will never totally go away, but there would a lot less of them. It is cheap to grow if you go the total organic, worm castings route and not use any petroleum products in the growing. Legal means no hassles to me and money the government can use on other projects, and it lowers the cost of jailing and policing this non-crime.

 

[MR.keifbox]

no its not addictive, but it sure makes you lazy, when i get really blizst i dont want to do anything but eat and contemplate the universe

 

[obiwannatokie]

If it is sold in stores then yeah it should also have sales tax or maybe even an excise tax put on the dry usable cannabis material. I also believe that adults should be able to grow cannabis on their own land or with written permission from the land owner and be free from permits and taxes. I think 8-10 flowering mature plants and 12-14 immature plants is a good limit for recreational use. For medical use, plant limits should be decided by the doctor based on the 60 day supply the patient needs. What I fear is that legal cannabis is going to be cruddy quality with prohibitive taxes put on it. I won't mind if it is legal to grow for myself.

 

[nbk380]

^ Yea legalization!! I can't wait to pay all those taxes and have all that over site. Beats prison.

 

[obiwannatokie]

^ Yea legalization!! I can't wait to pay all those taxes and have all that over site. Beats prison.

That is what it comes down too, I would rather get fined for not paying the proper taxes and permits for a grow under legalization then for the same situation to happen under prohibition where I lose my house, my job, custody of children, and be shipped off to prison to serve a mandatory minimum.

9 times out of 10 the people who oppose legalization because they predict that weed might be more expensive, are dealers who would hate to have to make a legit living.

 

[nbk380]

That is what it comes down too, I would rather get fined for not paying the proper taxes and permits for a grow under legalization then for the same situation to happen under prohibition where I lose my house, my job, custody of children, and be shipped off to prison to serve a mandatory minimum.

9 times out of 10 the people who oppose legalization because they predict that weed might be more expensive, are dealers who would hate to have to make a legit living.

how many people know how to change the oil in their car, but choose to pay someone else to do it!!! it's totally not the end of the world for dealers.. i grow some pretty good, yet i still buy off the local market. all that would happen is people w/shit weed cant make money and people wont go to jail for weed.