Could legalising marijuana save the US economy?

[Zen Dog]

Nah.The Taliban would just turn into capitalists,create a monopoly and screw us that way.Still,I s'pose it's better than blowing us up.Or was that some Irish blokes.What year is this?

[rev-jaholbrook]

Make it legal,tax it,use hemp products for paper,clothes,fuel...I have been preaching this for years..What a boost it would be...products,JOBS,money...I think it would help..spending tons of cash to keep it out is a fucking waste,and its not working...
Making it legal?..I mark it an 8,all the way around.

the thing is that hemp and marijuana differ slightly.  Hemp has little to no thc content.  The problem is that either way you slice it the law hates cannibas.  Just hemp alone would do wonders.  Clothing, plastics, food, cosmetics for the female types.  It would create jobs.

[cckeiser]

Colorado marijuana regulators sign off on pot tourism

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/19/marijuana-regulators-ok-pot-tourism-idea-in-colo/#ixzz2LZV7348b

DENVER ?  Marijuana tourism is on the way to Colorado, under a recommendation made Tuesday by a state task force to regulate the drug made legal by voters last year.
But Colorado should erect signs in airports and borders telling visitors they can't take pot home, the task force recommended.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/19/marijuana-regulators-ok-pot-tourism-idea-in-colo/#ixzz2LZVFk07B

[cckeiser]

And there is new hope for my state as well! Woo Hoo dudes...thinks are finally looking up!
PA State Senator Daylin Leach Formally Introduces Marijuana Legalization Bill Today in Harrisburg

http://blog.norml.org/2013/02/11/pa-state-senator-daylin-leach-formally-introduces-marijuana-legalization-bill-today-in-harrisburg/

Today, Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach will formally introduce a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in Pennsylvania.

?This past November, the people of Washington State and Colorado voted to fully legalize marijuana,? said Leach. ?It is time for Pennsylvania to be a leader in jettisoning this modern-day prohibition, and ending a policy that has been destructive, costly and anti-scientific.?

[RighteousDude]

It is time for Pennsylvania to be a leader in jettisoning this modern-day prohibition, and ending a policy that has been destructive, costly and anti-scientific.

I agree with the cause, surely I do, but third in line is not exactly a leadership position. Was he wasted when he said that?

Can't finish this right now, my dick's on fire.

[BikerDude]

This is reason enough.

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/02/20/cost-of-prison

The USA is number one in the world when it comes to the number of people in prison. Bigger than China. Bigger than Russia. America?s prison population is tops. 2.2 million. Bigger than fifteen American states. And its incarceration rate is number one. Three times ? triple ? any other nation?s. All that American imprisonment is very expensive. And very debatable when it comes to effectiveness, fairness ? to justice itself. Now states across the country are reconsidering the mandatory sentencing policies and more that filled those cells. This hour, On Point: slimming down American prisons.

[LotsaBadKarma]

When it comes to criminalization/decriminalization/legalization of any drug the gummint simply needs to put down the law and step away from it. Because what we have here in any case is a Private Property Issue. And there is no more private piece of property than the human body we all walk around in. I say total legalization of all drugs of abuse, sell 'em over the counter at Wally World, let people have as much of any drug(s) as they want. If somebody ODs on heroin my guess is that Darwin would have picked that schmuck off sooner rather than later. The side benefit is you legalize all the drugs and street gangs disappear overnight. They no longer have anything to sell that a person can't buy at the corner store. And sure, tax the shit out of it. Tax it like alcohol and cigarettes. Will that end our financial woes? Hell no! Those are part of the plan.

[Masked Dude]

I'm not sure that all street gangs would disappear, but they'd sure as hell be hurt by it. However, as a non-toker that's for the legalization, I look at it at pretty much the same way. It's your body, do with it as you will. I'm sick of my tax money going to waste on courts and cops looking to bust someone who wants a little while of getting out of his own body.

It just makes no sense to me.

[purple_drank]

Fuckin aye the government will make money off of it man, look at the way they tax alcohol and cigarettes with their fascist "sin tax" man.

But I will GLADLY pay that fascist sin tax to be able to legally enjoy such a wonderful herb.

Dealers may go out of business, or maybe they'd just have to start paying taxes on it lol. But I'm sure the hemp/smoke industry would bring in a tremendous amount of money to our economy and provide thousands if not millions of people with a job.

Plus a whole lot of good dudes would be able to take it easy knowing that their jobs would be safe from u/a terminations, so long as they weren't using some other substance but that would be their business and not mine lol.

A cold beer, Big bowl, Cute lady friend & Dudeitude for all!

[This Dude Abides]

I'm for legalizing just to get the hemp market back on track.  Hemp is a far better option then tree's for a majority of everyday products.  Forget the actual numbers but I think it's something like 2 acres of hemp produces 4 times more paper then 2 acres of tree's and requires 5 times less effort in manpower and machinery to process.  Heck I'm pretty sure the US constitution was printed on Hemp Paper lol

Ropes, fabrics, clothes, books, paper...  They used it for just about everything back in the old days and I'm pretty sure it's considered a more sustainable and quicker refreshing resource then waiting for the redwoods to mature and grow. 

If there was a way to develop a plastic derivative with hemp that would actually break down instead of just dividing into microscopic particles and forming a garbage dump in the middle of the sea we'd be all set. 

But the mood is changing.  I wouldn't be surprised in the next 5-10 years seeing a reversal on the Marijuana section of the "drug war"

[milnie]

One of the biggest complaints on any drug taken is the damage to the body and the knock on effect on health provision. If they legalise cannabis you will probably need to declare it for health insurance which will then put you premium through the roof

[DigitalBuddha]

There is a lot of money in the marijuana market. If everyone paid taxes for it, then I think the United States would become richer!

fuckin' eh, man! A cash machine!