Melrose here...
I left when I graduated high school. I think mostly the schools drilled the anti-gun message.
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+1. The response from the civil liberty fools is that it would then be inaccessible to the people that need it. What?!!! [Help]
I believe making it a Class II Substance also makes it non-taxable.
The dirty little secret is that the politicians want it legal because of the tax revenue potential (no pun intended) and the easy accessibility ensures a sustained and growing tax base.
The short version: People are going to smoke dope regardless of the law.
Colorado's MMJ law actually frees up police and court resources, as they no longer feel compelled to charge/prosecute/plea bargain someone for having a small amount for personal use. As illegal drugs go, marijuana is pretty benign (not entirely, but the same could be said for alcohol, tobacco, or fast food). Yes, there does need to be regulation, as with most other potentially detrimental substances, but probably not more so than with alcohol. What most people don't realize is that marijuana was made illegal not because of it's potential as a drug, but rather because of lobbying by the cotton industry, which saw hemp as a threat. They proceeded to demonize MJ, and put out some overdramatic propaganda in the 1920s and 30s (Reefer Madness! ).
Yes there are a lot of people that shouldn't smoke dope, just as there are a lot of people that shouldn't drink, shouldn't own guns, or shouldn't consume caffeine. Allowing for that, why should the .gov continue to spend $100B every year to fight it, when it could be a significant source of tax income?
Aside from the federal excise taxes on Schedule II narcotics (I realize I mis-spoke ... er ... typed before and said Class II when I meant Schedule II) there's also the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act.
The federal government will actually benefit from reclassifying MJ ... but the problem is political. Too many Drug Warriors on both the left and right. Frankly I could care less about the legalization of these stupid drugs, I just want to see the drug war and the unconstitutional methods used to fight it done away with.
Hey I know! Legalize it, grow it here and put the cartels out of business which would also end a lot of violence. Wait that makes to much sense for the gobment to figure out. It is a joke anyone can get a prescription.
Maybe they could use the tax money from that to pay all the welfare for the people buying it? I know not all mmj users are on welfare, just half.
I'm high right now[Neene2]
The Government really has no business regulating Marijuana, or taxing it. We are adults and should be able to smoke what we please.
These bullshit mala prohibita crimes are complete bullshit.
For full disclosure I don't even like the smell of Marijuana, and I am not interested in smoking or selling or getting an RX for it.
Cameron