Comments on: Help the Economic Crisis by Legalizing Pot?

By: Gregory

Gregory — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:16:04 +0000

I was tongue-in-check Carlo, but I do think that more people would smoke (drug testing is common in almost all organizations, unfortunately, although I have always refused on first Amendment grounds) and I have no issues with that at all. Many people are now subject to random tests as well a society (the U.S.) where the worker has no rights and labor unions have largely been either destroyed.

Having said that, taxes on Pot would not be significant if you could “grow your own” at little to no cost–else the State or large entities would again control distribution.

But Pot goes against the American Puritan ethic. Pleasure is bad! And the 60’s revolution has not changed that mindset amongst most Americans — look at the Religious Wrong and other fundamentalist groups who sill reign supreme even as they are likely more perverse than others in their daily lives.

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By: Carlo

Carlo — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:11:59 +0000

Do you really think that if it was legalised that there would all of a sudden be more people smoking pot? I don’t. People who like smoking pot and want to smoke pot, smoke pot.

@Jacob B. – I don’t think if weed was legalised that all the people who were involved in busting potheads would be without work. I would think that these law enforcement agencies would be putting their resources into more important things.

Bottom line, and it’s not a new revelation, the adverse affects of alcohol on society outweigh the adverse affects of pot. This would have been interesting to see as a statistic here too…alcohol related violence vs. marijuana related violence. “gang of youths arrested following pot-fueled brawl” – unlikely.

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By: Gregory

Gregory — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:09:46 +0000

I agree, of course, as does Rick Steves. One major problem though. If people smoke pot nothing would get done (which is fine with me as WASP/Puritan workaholism is one of cultural neuroses of the U.S.), but that might mitigate the positive economic impact…

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By: Hal

Hal — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:04:43 +0000

That arrests figure is the most staggering to me. Why are so many of my tax dollars going towards arresting pot smokers?

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By: Eva Holland

Eva Holland — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:38:18 +0000

Amazing, the numbers involved!

Foreign Policy makes a similar-ish argument, from the “legalize to stop the drug wars in Mexico” angle:

http://experts.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/17/the_case_for_a_domestic_marijuana_industry

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By: Jacob B.

Jacob B. — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:47:03 +0000

A very well-reasoned argument…but I think the problem rests w/ that “100 Billion” at the end. Stopping drugs is a productive good–that 100 Billion is going to people who are either building things to stop the drug trade (patching up that tunnel running under the border) or employing people to stop the drug trade. These people, by an large, don’t purchase marijuana.

Meanwhile, marijuana itself is a recreational commodity…something we get when we have plenty. Pull 100 billion dollars worth of salaries out of the mix, and suddenly the dope smoker will be competing with an out-of-work border guard for lead juicer position at the Scottsdale Jamba juice.

I’m also no economist, but the “value” of weed would probably drop, once drug cartels are allowed to drive across the border, virtually untouched, w/ semi-loads of the stuff. That would probably GREATLY reduce all of those tax revenue numbers.

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