COLORADO=WINNING $184 Mill expected in Pot Taxes !

[JFK]

How long before the lure of quick cash attracts the other money hungry states ?

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/20/news...html?hpt=hp_t3

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

A sin tax on cannabis will hurt the poor, hurt the sick and provide little relief for California's perennial budget troubles.

We should continue to strive for a future in which Californians can legally, safely, and cheaply use cannabis without the regressive and unfair burden of government sin taxes.

I am opposed to applying a sin tax to cannabis...



ADG

[JFK]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

I am opposed to applying a sin tax to cannabis...



ADG

Take the sin part out and call it just tax

[Rochard]

This is what I've been saying all along.... Instead of spending money fighting this, make it legal and tax it. Less government money spent AND a new income stream for our government.

Win win.

[mineistaken]

Originally Posted by Rochard

This is what I've been saying all along.... Instead of spending money fighting this, make it legal and tax it. Less government money spent AND a new income stream for our government.

Win win.

Decreased productivity. Win win lose.

[Tom_PM]

There is what I believe a misconception that making pot legal will mean there will be more pot smokers. Unsupported bad theory. It will only mean that people living with paranoia will now have that lifted. Increased productivity is probably more likely.

[blackmonsters]

Originally Posted by mineistaken

Decreased productivity. Win win lose.

I think if you took a hit of weed every time you wanted to visit this website instead of
visiting this website, then you would be more productive.




OH wait!!!!

I gotta keep it real; I mean "we" above not just you.

Sorry.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Originally Posted by JFK

Take the sin part out and call it just tax

I call it an unjust tax...where is the sin in consuming cannabis in comparison to the items historically hit with a sin tax?

Sin Tax: A state-sponsored tax that is added to products or services that are seen as vices, such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. These type of taxes are levied by governments to discourage individuals from partaking in such activities without making the use of the products illegal. These taxes also provide a source of government revenue.

Sin taxes are typically added to liquor, cigarettes and other non-luxury items. State governments favor sin taxes because they generate an enormous amount of revenue and are usually easily accepted by the general public because they are indirect taxes that only affect those who use the products. When individual states run deficits, the sin tax is typically one of the first taxes recommended by lawmakers to help fill the budget gap.

I understand why much of the pro-marijuana lobby is pro-taxation, since they feel this will allow them to get their foot in the legalization door, however, once hooked on a tax, it is harder to ween legislators off of taxes than it is to get a junkie off of heroin.

Most of the costs associated with marijuana is for law enforcement. Cannabis related societal costs should go down substantially when cannabis is legalized (less police time arresting people, less court time prosecuting people, less/no jail time for simple possession, etc).



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[crockett]

Originally Posted by JFK

How long before the lure of quick cash attracts the other money hungry states ?

http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/20/news...html?hpt=hp_t3

The corruption that is going on with this shit is pretty bad. You just have to love it, when it's ex govt officials like congressmen and DAs are the ones getting the grow licenses. I'm all for making it legal, but the corrupt motherfuckers running the show should all be lined up and shot, hung or thrown off a boat 50 miles from shore..

[slapass]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

I call it an unjust tax...where is the sin in consuming cannabis in comparison to the items historically hit with a sin tax?





I understand why much of the pro-marijuana lobby is pro-taxation, since they feel this will allow them to get their foot in the legalization door, however, once hooked on a tax, it is harder to ween legislators off of taxes than it is to get a junkie off of heroin.

Most of the costs associated with marijuana is for law enforcement. Cannabis related societal costs should go down substantially when cannabis is legalized (less police time arresting people, less court time prosecuting people, less/no jail time for simple possession, etc).



ADG

I think we can all agree on that but we also have to agree that very few people are motivated to do much after using marijuana. And a fair amount of people seem to get addicted to it pretty easily. I think you have to pour that tax in education and treatment.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Originally Posted by slapass

I think we can all agree on that but we also have to agree that very few people are motivated to do much after using marijuana. And a fair amount of people seem to get addicted to it pretty easily. I think you have to pour that tax in education and treatment.

Can't agree entirely with that...

We've all heard it before -- if you smoke pot, you won't achieve anything and you'll go nowhere in life. Weed makes you a loser, and it makes you lazy and unmotivated.

Yet, many of the most successful famous people we know do or have smoked pot. From Cheech & Chong to Bill Gates, there is no denying that some of the most brilliant and creative minds known to mankind have smoked weed.

I'm all for education about cannabis, as long as it focuses on facts, and not paranoia.

I'm pretty sure cannabis education won't cost nearly as much as legislators are planning on taxing it...



ADG

[slapass]

Originally Posted by crockett

The corruption that is going on with this shit is pretty bad. You just have to love it, when it's ex govt officials like congressmen and DAs are the ones getting the grow licenses. I'm all for making it legal, but the corrupt motherfuckers running the show should all be lined up and shot, hung or thrown off a boat 50 miles from shore..

Why should they be exempt? It is a gold rush.

[slapass]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

Can't agree entirely with that...







I'm all for education about cannabis, as long as it focuses on facts, and not paranoia.

I'm pretty sure cannabis education won't cost nearly as much as legislators are planning on taxing it...



ADG

I doubt Bill Gates smoked a lot of weed. I have known way more Spicolis then Gates who do it daily. Just my experience but this is over a lot of years.

[420]

184 million in 18 months doesn't sound great. I wonder if that's projected to go up over the coming years due to tourism or down due to residents growing their own.

[JFK]

Originally Posted by 420

184 million in 18 months doesn't sound great. I wonder if that's projected to go up over the coming years due to tourism or down due to residents growing their own.

its 184 More then they had before

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Originally Posted by slapass

I doubt Bill Gates smoked a lot of weed. I have known way more Spicolis then Gates who do it daily. Just my experience but this is over a lot of years.

Bill Gates voted for marijuana legalization in Washington

Bill Gates wants to see Washington state experiment with legal pot. According to BuzzFeed, Gates voted in favor of his state's 2012 referendum to legalize marijuana, feeling that some states should assess the policy before a similar plan is implemented at a federal level. ?It?s an experiment, and it?s probably good to have a couple states try it out to see before you make that national policy,? Gates tells BuzzFeed. Though Gates didn't actually think that the 2012 referendum would pass, he's interested to see what happens now that its full effects are approaching.

"IT'S PROBABLY GOOD TO HAVE A COUPLE STATES TRY IT OUT."

Always the philanthropist, Gates is mainly curious as to whether it'll have a detrimental or a positive effect on the community and how well Washington will be able to enforce usage restrictions.

Gates poses to BuzzFeed, ?Can they keep it out of minors? hands? Will it reduce alcohol consumption? Are there some people who use it at levels you might think of as inappropriate? Will drug gangs make less money?? He suspects that latter point will come to pass, cutting down on drug traffickers' profits and damping some nasty effects of the illegal drug trade.

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[kane]

Originally Posted by slapass

I think we can all agree on that but we also have to agree that very few people are motivated to do much after using marijuana. And a fair amount of people seem to get addicted to it pretty easily. I think you have to pour that tax in education and treatment.

we can dump a ton of money into education and treatment and still have it cost less than arresting people and putting them in jail. Portugal decriminalized possession of all drugs. Instead of seeing a spike in users they have actually seen drug use cut in half over the last 10 years because (among other reasons) those who have a problem are not afraid of going to jail if they ask for help.

Just because it is legal also doesn't mean that companies will stop drug testing their employees. The potential risk of losing or not getting a job will deter some people.

There will always be stoners, but I don't think we are going to see a spike in people who now do nothing but sit around and smoke weed. Booze has been legal for decades and we don't see half the country sitting around getting drunk all day and doing nothing else.

[WDF]

I do not agree with taxing any medicine.

When sold as prescription medicine it should not be taxed, however if decriminalized and used for recreational purposes there is no real reason for it not to be taxed, it becomes a luxury item of sorts.

Revenue can also generated by regulatory fees and licensing of Growers, Processors/Packagers, and Distributors as is done with most other businesses. Inspections of facilities also would help support any office of government set up to over see the industry.

A tax stamp on recreation use products should not be an issue for any one, it has been an acceptable arrangement on both tobacco and alcohol for decades.

I am not going to get into the debate over the effect certain strains of marijuana has on people. Read some unbiased information and studies, don't base your opinion on events of the past in an uncontrolled environment.

Added: Not to mention the money saved from not policing, prosecuting, and incarcerating people that use marijuana. The only people that should fear this are those profiting from the silly laws currently in place from fear mongering in the early 1900s.

[dyna mo]

what about taxing recreational/retail pot?

[WDF]

Originally Posted by WDF

When sold as prescription medicine it should not be taxed, however if decriminalized and used for recreational purposes there is no real reason for it not to be taxed, it becomes a luxury item of sorts.

Originally Posted by WDF

A tax stamp on recreation use products should not be an issue for any one, it has been an acceptable arrangement on both tobacco and alcohol for decades.

Originally Posted by dyna mo

what about taxing recreational/retail pot?

There is no reason not to tax recreational use marijuana.

My Doctor has written me prescriptions for over the counter drugs and it saved me the tax, on 1 I got my prescription insurance to cover it.

[stickyfingerz]

Originally Posted by slapass

I think we can all agree on that but we also have to agree that very few people are motivated to do much after using marijuana. And a fair amount of people seem to get addicted to it pretty easily. I think you have to pour that tax in education and treatment.

You poured ignorance all over that statement. Cannabis is absolutely NOT addictive. No more than tits and ice cream are addictive. My liberty isn't lessened due to someone elses weak will power.

What "treatment" exactly? You realize the only people that go to "rehab" for cannabis are those that are court ordered right? lol

[stickyfingerz]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

I am opposed to applying a sin tax to cannabis...



ADG

It should only be taxed the same as any other retail product. Lets say tomatoes. Medical shouldn't be taxed at all. The sin tax crap is bullshit.

As far as projected revenues... lol those aren't even going to be in the same zip code 5 years from now. The increased revenue in paraphernalia alone would be awesome for any state. People are still scared to order online for a pipe, or vape, etc. Soon as it is 50 state legal in less than 5 years that will start getting added into the total revenues for each state.

While people still partook and were fairly open about it.. Once they have no fear anymore to buy what they want it will have a huge increase.

[RyuLion]

lol.........

[noshit]

Originally Posted by Tom_PM

Increased productivity is probably more likely.

Sure. Increased productivity from pot heads that can't remember where they put their last Oreo cookie.
But... It's a boom for the globalists, Pot works almost as good as Fluoride!

[L-Pink]

Very decreased productivity …. but (pass that joint) who cares?

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Originally Posted by noshit

Sure. Increased productivity from pot heads that can't remember where they put their last Oreo cookie.
But... It's a boom for the globalists, Pot works almost as good as Fluoride!

Pot and Fluoride...now you're just being silly.

More myth spreading, and surprise...since you are against cannabis, then it must somehow be a plot of the globalists. We have more to fear from paranoid schizophrenic conspiracy theorists and their weak minded followers, than cannabis users (and btw, stoners usually know where to find all of the oreo cookies).

Originally Posted by L-Pink

Very decreased productivity ?. but (pass that joint) who cares?

All of these creative productive people use/have used cannabis:



The common caricature of a stoner involves humorous license (most people think of Cheech and Chong or Snoop Dogg when they think of stoners, not Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Carl Sagan or Stephen King).



Sure people that consume cannabis for the first time or infrequently will often have a much greater reaction to the initial effects of THC, however regular consumers of cannabis generally regulate their use, and manage their lives just fine.







ADG

[slapass]

Originally Posted by stickyfingerz

You poured ignorance all over that statement. Cannabis is absolutely NOT addictive. No more than tits and ice cream are addictive. My liberty isn't lessened due to someone elses weak will power.

What "treatment" exactly? You realize the only people that go to "rehab" for cannabis are those that are court ordered right? lol

"Believe" what you want. It has been pointed out that Marijuana is hard to stop because the users "drink the kool-aid." They are convinced it is safe and non addictive so why should they have to give it up? The effects of marijuana are probably known by you, do you think you feel the same after a bowl of ice cream as you do after a bowl of pot? You made an odd argument.

[2MuchMark]

Originally Posted by slapass

I think we can all agree on that but we also have to agree that very few people are motivated to do much after using marijuana. And a fair amount of people seem to get addicted to it pretty easily. I think you have to pour that tax in education and treatment.

I think you may be misinformed. The propaganda against pot has been around since the 30's and has been proven wrong again and again. Pot is much safer than alcohol.

SOMEONE THROW AN ADULT CONVENTION IN COLORADO, PLEASE!

[nosey]

[seeandsee]

Nice revenue, now get yourself a plant and make biz

[SuckOnThis]

Originally Posted by slapass

"Believe" what you want. It has been pointed out that Marijuana is hard to stop because the users "drink the kool-aid." They are convinced it is safe and non addictive so why should they have to give it up? The effects of marijuana are probably known by you, do you think you feel the same after a bowl of ice cream as you do after a bowl of pot? You made an odd argument.

[WDF]

Somebody watched Reefer Madness 1 too many times!

[KillerK]

Originally Posted by slapass

"Believe" what you want. It has been pointed out that Marijuana is hard to stop because the users "drink the kool-aid." They are convinced it is safe and non addictive so why should they have to give it up? The effects of marijuana are probably known by you, do you think you feel the same after a bowl of ice cream as you do after a bowl of pot? You made an odd argument.

Agreed!

You've nailed it man.

[dyna mo]

I stopped smoking weed ~6 months ago. no biggie.

[TurboAngel]

Hope it will be soon!