Marijuana Legalization Could Bring Billions to States
By admin at 3 March, 2009, 12:09 pm
As states across the country suffer from budget deficits brought on by the sagging economy, a number are considering legalizing and taxing marijuana - something that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.
Already 13 states have legalized the drug for medical use and a number of states and cities have decriminalized the drug, making the possession of a small amount of marijuana a misdemeanor.
But some, like California state assemblyman Tom Ammiano, are suggesting the legalization of the drug could lead to a tax boon for the state.
In a bill brought to state lawmakers last week, Ammiano proposed that the production, purchasing, selling and possession of marijuana would be limited to those over the age of 21 and said taxes and fees on the drug could bring in more than a billion per year to the state.
Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML, told AFP that with the amount of marijuana consumed in California, the state could bring in up to $20 billion per year.
St. Pierre said that given people are willing to pay up to $500 for an ounce of pot, it makes sense for states to consider the proposal.
“Even if one has strong moral feelings against cannabis, those working on today’s fiscal policy have to be excited about what humans are prepared to pay for dried vegetable matter,” said St. Pierre.
the legalization of marijuana is the smartest thing to do at this time. The economy is failing terribly as it was in the 1930’s in what we know as the Great Depression when the 18th amendment prevented alcohol from being produced. However organized crime took advantage of that to make tons of illegal cash. What the american government needs to realize is that people get high. There isnt anything wrong with getting high, its just like drinking a beer or glass of wine. Who wants to deal with dealers who add so many variables to the situation? getting robbed, getting ripped off, having to deal with many inconviences. If pot was available for purchase in the cornerstore with a consistency of potent product and a consistent price, im almost positive you would deeply damage gang activity for extreme loss of profit and also a severe increase on funds the governement would bring in. We like to get high, its been around for thousands of years, JUST GIVE UP THE FIGHT and make it all easier on US the people of these united states. Lets just all smoke and get along, lose the violence and this sense of feeling that everyone owes us something.
$500 an ounce?!?!
That’s outreageous! If the Feds put that kind of price tag on marijuana, then a lot of people will still be buying it through illegal means. The ounces down here in Louisiana are $65.
Pot is only a gateway drug if you actually WANT TO try other things. I know quite a few people that only smoke pot. No other drugs, no alcohol, even no cigarettes. (Yeah, they’re a bunch of old-school country smokers but who cares?)
This could be a HUGE economy boost for the whole nation. How much money is Amsterdam making with its coffee/pot shops? People vacation over there just to smoke weed out in public. That is revenue that our country desperately needs.
Now, if we could only get them to legalize it for EVERYONE, not just for people with debilitating illnesses. Yes, I’d rather pay the hundred dollar fine instead of going to court, but if I have to pay a hundred dollar fine for having a dime bag? That’s crazy.
LEGALIZATION SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE SICK.
Ounces aren’t 500 dollars, the articles states that people are willing to pay UP TO that. But seriosuly… 65 for an ounce?? Now THAT’S outrageous. Oh wait… Louisiana you say? Okay… MAYBE. But I would imagine the greens down there aren’t near in comparsion of Cali’s sweet sweet greens. I mean you gotta be smoking pencil shavings or something. I’d say the street rate of an 8th is around 50 bucks in Cali… so an ounce for 65 makes no sense. But who knows…. I haven’t been to Louisiana just yet…. but if I ever go, I’ll make sure to skip the weed as it could never compare to the fine buds we grow in sunny California. But yes, LEGALIZE IT!!
500.00 an ounce is hydroponics.. 65.00 an ounce has to be regular.. im from texas and an ounce of regular is 40.00 - 50.00 depending how good it is….
dude im from louisiana, if ur payin 65 dollars for an ounce ur smokin parsley or something. we dont have the constant flow of great stuff like in cali, but when it does come around here it can run 400-500 dollars an ounce
Here’s a little break down -
1 gram of high quality is $10-20 depending on where in the US you are buying.
1/8 ounces of high quality run from $40-70.
Full ounces of high quality, from what I have seen as an experienced smoker, go from $200-250 (lowest) to $300-500 (highest).
Ounces under $100 are sold every day. But it is brick weed. Schwag. terribly dry . brown , non potent weed. And its usually from mexico, and bought in texas.
the closer to the mexican or canadian border you get… the more available the product is, and prices go down
I live in NH and lived in Louisiana as well a couple years ago. Let me tell you down there they have no clue what even decent marijuana is for starters. Not only that though, you buy an ounce and everyone who has their hand in getting that ounce to you, including the dealers all pinch. There is a reason why it is called the dirty south!
Up here it is an honest business transaction where you can feel safe you are getting what you paid for and down there it is shady bring a scale and check at least twice. If they get defensive or offended then they are shorting you down there or anywhere for that matter.
A “legit” dealer takes no offense to you checking weight or even weighing in front of you. As a consumer I have been around the block enough to know this and the Anarchist’s Cook Book even tells you the same. If I brought it up in Louisiana that I just wanted to check the weight, no matter how diplomatic it was a big scene. Sure enough walk away and check it at home after they swore it weighs and it wouldn’t be close. I dealt with a few down there too so not like I am saying this from one.
The only legit person I found was a vato barrio Mexican from TX who worked in LA on the same construction sites as me and it wasn’t even a “dealer” situation. He was doing me a favor and not only that he knew what quality stuff was. He would pick up for me on occasion when he was for himself.
Legalization would put a big damper on that type of stuff. Here is a comparison. People complain about the price of a pack of cigarettes at $5 -7 for that pack. That pack contains exactly one ounce of tobacco. Most of the cost on that pack is taxes.
It is a fact acre for acre it is cheaper to grow marijuana then tobacco with higher yields as well and if they taxed the ever loving you know what out of it, sold it at $50 for an ounce for example, people would more then willingly pay that.
Down in Louisiana I could get a supposed ounce for $50 - $80 and the amount didn’t necessarily reflect the quality. Up here it may be $180 for me currently an ounce but it is always fresh, gooey, sticky, and a hell of a lot better then what I could ever find there. The point, I am willing to pay that difference. So aren’t most. Especially when you can smoke a hell of a lot less and get higher then if sitting there smoking the whole bag at once of what you can get in Louisiana.
I am not a pot smoker and would not even buy it if it were legal but I believe it should be legalized. It would help the economy. I think it is less dangerous than alcohol. It at least has many medicinal purposes unlike alcohol that has none.
Some people think it would increase crime. I think it would decrease crime. I agree that the pices would go down because it would be easy to get.
Okay. well im from indiana and i can get a half for 50 and its some prety good stuff i mean its not the BEST but it gets me high. maybe its the demand down were you guys are. Were an ounce is 400-500 dollars…If it was that expensive i just wouldnt smoke.
I am from Louisiana also and I can say that there is high potency for high price or shwag for still a high price, not just a extreme. I have already stated to friends that even if weed is legalized and I can’t grow my own , I will still purchase from the underground. I refuse to pay a $100 tax on an ounce that costs $60. Then when it is legalized, that ounce of shwag will drop to about $30 or less in a given amount of time. I’m sure it will get that low because I have ha ol’ timers tell me their O’s, even in the 80’s were around $10.
On another note regarding the Drug War. The Mexican cartels aren’t dumb. They are running a multi billion dollar business, not a charity. If weed was legalized, they would simply try to go legite or change their number one product to a different drug. It’s cheaper and easier to grow shrooms than pot. They will just shift business plans to another drug like shrooms or meth. If they shift to hard drugs like heroin or meth, things will get worse. Instead of having a bunch of high teenagers, they’ll be on a much harder and addictive drugs. They will start pushing ( in business terms: advertising)the harder substances to keep the money flowing. Basically, the gov. should be smarter in choosing it’s battles. This is somehting that even the Big Bad U.S. government can stop.