SHOULD IT BE MORE?
This website has previously criticized the excessively high marijuana taxes levied in Colorado and Washington State – the first two states to legalize pot.
“If individuals want to grow marijuana on their own private property – and smoke it in a manner that doesn’t infringe on others people’s liberties – then they should be able to do so free from any government taxation,” we wrote. “Meanwhile if they want to sell their pot to others, they shouldn’t be forced to pay anything beyond the regular state sales tax.”
“Decriminalizing pot is not enough … it needs to be taxed fairly, not taxed to death,” we concluded.
Of course that’s not happening in left-leaning Colorado – where an assortment of levies raked in $2 million in tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales in January, the first month pot was legal (for purchases up to an ounce).
Bizarrely, Colorado will spend much of its pot revenue on government programs aimed at … you guessed it … keeping young people away from pot.
Sheesh …
Are these elected officials high? Wait … don’t answer that.
Excessive tax rates – as well as government-mandated limitations on purchase size – do not represent the free market at work. And on top of that Colorado is plowing its resources into demand reduction? This system is rigged for pot legalization to fail … forcing consumers back into the black market economy (where government makes nothing).
We have never believed the prospect of government revenue was a good reason to legalize anything (drugs, gambling, prostitution … you name it). Government has more than enough money to perform its core functions.
These things should be legal because America is – or at least is supposed to be – a free market, where individuals are permitted to buy and sell what they wish (including themselves) up to the point such transactions compromise another’s liberty.
63 comments
Alcohol and tobacco are both taxed in addition to the sales tax (or even hospitality tax) that goes with purchasing them. Why should marijuana be any different? If it’s the way it is being taxed, fine, but I see no reason not to tax it.
Treat pot like you treat alcohol. Same laws, same age requirement, and perhaps similar taxes. If you don’t like the laws or age requirements, change them, but they should be treated essentially the same way. An arguable exception would be that alcohol, like tobacco, may warrant a higher tax since it can much more easily cause health problems, addiction and abuse, violent/reckless behavior, etc.
Spending it on ad campaigns and the like is stupid, but again, we do the same with alcohol and tobacco. If we aren’t wasting tax dollars and young peoples’ futures on prosecuting minor drug-related offenses, I’d say we are ultimately coming out on top anyways.
I’d rather the money go to something more useful, though.
Let’s legalize marijuana, prostitution and gambling federally, and tax them. That should repair our infrastructure.
WHAT A resounding SUCCESS: $2 million cleared for the gov’t to spend…GREAT…
And the extra law enforcement for all the hold-ups, break-ins and thefts only cost Colorado $10 million.
And the protective services for abandoned children by potheads, the lung cancer increase and lost productivity only cost another $40 million….
NEVER has liberal gov’t worked this well…
Hold ups? Break-ins and thefts? What do you base that on? Surely not statistics. If so please share them with us. Also the lung cancer increase is interesting. Has it spiked in 60 days? Whats the percentage increase on that?
How many more police officers have been added since the legealzation of pot in Colorado? Share those numbers also.
I will be waiting.
He’s got pot confused with cigarettes.
And booze and crack. He’s been watching Reefer Madness again. To him, it’s new and vital cinema.
Yeah, we need MORE legalized vices, you ignorant, can’t-handle-your-life-now, Dumb@$$…
But you’ll be the first sorry piece of $#!* bashing me when I don’t want to take food out of my child’s mouth to pay for your AIDS cock-tail (no pun), cancer treatment or the abortions, that you now deem as your civil right……
Watch what you call a vice, you might buy yourself a one way ticket to hell.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/06/science.religion
http://www.openbible.info/topics/smoking_pot
http://ourreligiontoday.blogspot.com/
What do AIDS and abortions have to do with legalized marijuana ? I’m not seeing the connection other than marijuana might help with symptoms and regaining of appetite in some AIDS patients. Color me very confused.
Reefer Madness much?
Delusional much???
Republicans could have won the Senate two years ago if the tea party PACs had not saddled them with a batch of insurgent candidates who turned out to be yahoos who scared off independent voters.
Possibly true, but we can all be grateful for small gifts. I guess I have not fully appreciated the Tea Party contribution.
You neglected to factor in the possibility that availability to marijuana will likely quell usage and addiction to very dangerous prescription opiates. There are very real statistics on family devastation, financial ruin, and criminal activity that is linked to Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, morphine and codeine. Just ask Rush Limbaugh, if he hadn’t had the money for it he probably would have been off sucking dicks to score.
Excellent point.
btw, Limbaugh never did apologize to the prescription drug addicts he’d formerly slimed before his admission that he was one himself.
His addiction to his own ego is greater than any other one he might have.
You people are f#*+king idiots if you don’t think pot use comes w a boatload of residual and costly damage.
And jay are you saying there should be abuse of presciption drugs WO prosecution?.. smart…
Because it being illegal has stopped how many people from being able to acquire and use it? Please leave the cave and stop drinking to Kool-Aid/Tea. TIA, all of us who read Fits/
________
You people are f#*+king idiots if you don’t think pot use comes w a boatload of residual and costly damage.
the Senate Conservative Fund is a rogue political operation that has co-opted the Liberty movement for its own enrichment to the detriment of the conservative cause.
” It increases the chance of lung cancer by ten times of more…”
Funny, studies show THC actually neutralizes the carcinogens of the plant matter. Also, using a vaporizer will allow THC and other oils not to combust and another option is can explore baking it into foods or fuse it with things like butter and cooking oils.
Dr. Gupta also changed his mind on pot after doing extensive research on the matter:http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/05/health/gupta-medical-marijuana/index.html
Boy, you sure love speculation…
Facts! GT doesn’t do facts. He believes facts are biased against Republicans and therefore bans them from any conversation in which he is involved, just like Fox.
I have no idea how you would conclude that I am advocating abuse of prescription drugs, with or without a prescription. Family devastation, financial ruin, and criminal activity is not limited to people procuring illegally.
But more legalizing of pot will just enhance drug use, at a a time when we can least afford more immorality and decadence. Just look at what the White House done to America by being lenient and corrupt.
And legalizing more dope smoking will not ‘QUELL’ drug use, it will increase drug use.
To condone behavior that you KNOW costs society exponentially…no matter what the liberals feed you, is irresponsible.
And we need RESPONSIBLE leadership now, more than ever….
Do you think that the D.A.R.E. program is a responsible measure in keeping kids off of drugs? A program that has proven to get kids interested in drugs at an earlier age than if they were left to their own devices. Is that morality at work? The demonization of marijuana and the proliferation of prescription drugs and alcohol seem to be working out for us how?
Statistics to back this up please. Because everything I’ve read basically says the opposite. I’m sure it’s all “liberal propaganda” right?
Look at The Netherlands, Portugal, and Norway as examples. Their crime rate decreased, and the overdose rate decreased.
I’m on the fence about legalization of all drugs, but it has been beneficial in other countries. Our government would rather profit from the prosecution of drug users than it would help those addicts get off of drugs. If we spent a quarter of the money on treatment that we do on the War on Drugs and the judicial process, we would be in a much better place as a society. The fact of the matter is this, the pharmaceutical industry needs the criminalization of Schedule I drugs, police forces nationwide need the criminalization of Schedule I drugs, prison systems nationwide need the criminalization of Schedule I drugs, the legal process needs nationwide need the criminalization of Schedule I drugs. Criminalization is all about profiting from another’s misfortune.
I’m on the fence about legalization of all drugs,
——
It’s not about the legalization itself, ITBGHO, it’s about the details – where and how will they be distributed and taxed, how will it be regulated, what contingency plans will be in place in case something needs to be tweaked or rolled back… etc.
I can see him now, with a giant spliff in his mouth, puffing away like he owns grand central station.
Although,I agree with you to a point,I believe all narcotics should be legalized.Opiates are easily available,but hardest to quit,due to their expense.Legalization would make it easier to stop,just like alcohol and tobacco,because you have more control over that,’monkey on your back’,when trying to give it up,instead of chasing your next ‘fix’.
at least we could see what the results are, instead of guessing on a political blog… marijuana was a cesspool of lies… other drugs are definitely more dangerous, but a mature reasoned approach hasn’t been tried here yet.
Sucking dicks? You have my full attention!
Limbaugh concurs…
This is not “liberal government” it’s decriminalization of something that never should have been illegal. It’s a plant, one that god put on this earth for people to use. It has medicinal, industrial and recreational value. Legalization will reduce crime and likely reduce dependency on opioids (legal and ilegal). Washington and Jefferson both grew and smoked marijuana, so legalizing it really can’t be a “liberal cause” now can it.
Marijuana has been legal in The Netherlands for many years, and their seems to be no ill effect on crime rates there. On the contrary the Netherlands has one of the lowest crime rates in the civilized world, so much so that they are closing prisons because they don’t have enough people to put in them. Prohibition of any kind doesn’t work, it’s never worked and it never will work. Legalize it, tax it reasonably and move on, a very pro-freedom stance right there. You can’t legislate morality so why even try.
Oh and just as an FYI marijuana was criminalized in by The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, signed by arch-conservative Franklin Roosevelt.
Everything isn’t a liberal / conservative thing. Sometimes it’s just a thing and sometimes it’s just common sense.
PS – I’ve never smoked or used marijuana in any form and I have no desire to do so.
“Washington and Jefferson both grew and smoked marijuana”
Are you shittin me? I’d of loved to burn one with the Founders.
Just look at who is lobbying to keep it illegal and why… http://www.republicreport.org/2012/marijuana-lobby-illegal/
The bulk of the money raked in by groups such as the SCF, the Club for Growth, Freedom Works and the Madison Project comes from much bigger donors — self-interested rich guys, such as the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers.
$2 million to government coffers beats the hell out of however many millions would’ve gone to drug cartels, smugglers, dealers, gangs, etc.
Also, not arresting people for simple possession or what have you saves tons of money otherwise spent jailing people for something stupid.
As a former resident of SC now living in CO, I can tell you things are going well here with legalization. At the moment, there are only recreational cannabis shops in Pueblo & Denver. Many municipalities have opted to not have recreational sales. Guess what they’re wanting a piece of? Yes, the taxes are high. However, any adult can grow 6 plants of their own (way more than enough) tax free. I lived in SC for 30 years and I never had a problem buying pot. And as we all know, there is no shortage of people wanting to buy it, from all walks of life. Get ahead of the ball SC, legalization is something conservatives and liberals can both get behind.
I bet your ass is happy!!!!
As has not been a secret to anyone except the pro-legalize pot crowd, this is an extremely inefficient tax to administer. There’s no way they’re going to make more in tax revenue from it than they spend to collect it.
$2 million: That won’t even pay to clean up the JOB wrappers these zoned out zombies litter the streets with…
Colorado must have a lot of Dumb@$$ politicians, bad at math….
All the elderly tea party folks in their tricorn hats with their paranoid view of government do not get their ideas only from talk radio, they also get them from fear-mongering mailings from conservative PACs — mailings that generally end with a solicitation for money.
bad at math
——-
you meant “bad at meth” didn’t you?
So three slightly built men of middle-eastern descent back their van up to a nondescript building in Santee, SC. Under the cover of darkness they load their cargo quickly while a partner stands out front watching for the federal authorities. They close the doors, ease out onto the highway, head down the ramp and point the van north on I-95. They drive through the night taking turns at the wheel. Careful to blend in with the traffic they keep their speed around 70 to 75 mph.
At dawn they arrive in a small town in upstate New York just outside of Buffalo. They check into a little roadside motel and back their van up to the curb just outside their room. That evening another crew pulls a similar van into the lot and park four doors down. Over a beer they laugh and tell their stories of close calls and near misses. As they ready to part ways the van keys are traded for a suitcase full of cash and a new set of keys.
The first crew heads south again fully aware of the risks that lie ahead. The second crew drives over to a warehouse in a neighboring town. They are waived into a big overhead door where there are twenty more vans with crews transferring cargo. They have a long afternoon ahead of them. With little enthusiasm the joking stops and the real work begins. They have 50 orders for cigarettes to assemble and they must be delivered into Manhattan by midnight.
As the crew heading South reaches Baltimore a highway patrolman pulls alongside them at a toll booth. Their spines stiffen just a bit. The cop rolls down his window and the smugglers grow nervous. Then he smiles, spits and throws a cigarette butt to the ground and pulls away.
The leader of the crew curses in Arabic and one of the passengers replies “only in America my friend, only in America”.
OVERGROW THE GOVERNMENT!
A chick like that should be smoking my meat pipe too.
Instead of your brother? Keep dreaming.
Don’t project your fantasies on me, be brave enough to live them out instead.
I could forgive the black ear stud and the neck tattoo for the freckles and cool hair, but I’d like to see the rest of her.
She’s a dope smoker w/ a tat.
1) for a joint, she’ll show you all you want to see.
2) If she’s not nasty yet..just hold on…she will be.
3) envision Lindsey Lohan.. That’s the ABSOLUTE BEST she could EVER look.
asshat
Sorry to hurt your feelings: I’m just telling you what others won’t.
Liberals hate (and fear) truth and honesty. You always have.
Liberals care about people.
Conservatives care about the rich and their corporations.
You, on the other hand, care about nothing.
I have a fairly conservative set of ideologies, however I am neither rich nor own a corporation. I also care deeply for people, just not crazy about Americans that are a part of the entitlement society (aka Welfare State)
I know the drill, drill, drill. It’s not what you think you support – it’s what you support.
I’m sure if you think about it for a second, you’ll think I’ve been duped by propaganda because I’m gullible.
I’m blinded by a mistaken stereotype of “the way things are.”
Plus points for the freckles. Minus points for the tattoo, especially on her neck, and for the black ear stud. Plus point for long fingernails, and the french manicure on them. IDK, have to see her rack, legs and rear to decide.
yup
Luckily for her, black ink the easiest to laser out of the skin.
Driver in Columbia bridge crash had been drinking, smoking marijuana
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/12/3321120/driver-in-columbia-bridge-crash.html#storylink=cpy
…and some asshole with 6 DUIs killed a girl. you do know everyone who commits a crime is high on the pot. Hell, since the statues are now expired: I once stole a bag of chips after toking on a number getting the munchies…
shame on you!
Taxing marijuana won’t matter if it’s legal to grow your own. The price will stabilize due to competition, and the convenient packaging at the pot store will be preferred by many, akin to tv dinners, bagged salads, and sliced watermelon at the grocery.
IMO 2 mil seems like a low ball figure. I know that they mandated a certain % of the money should go to prevention and addiction programs to make the law more palatable to voters, but I think they got their math wrong if the numbers are accurate and they only have $2 mil so far.
The pot industry there should be raking in boat loads of cash by now, even though it only became legal on Jan. 1.
Looks like the stoners won the war on drugs… USA: 1 to 4