Doobies were undoubtedly sparking throughout the United States a few weeks ago when California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested it’s time to discuss legalizing marijuana in the Golden State. It seems the stogie-puffing governor is desperate enough to solve the state’s economic woes he is willing to consider calling on Kaptain Kronic.
Hear him out, people; it’s not such a “half-toked” idea.
Stopping short of calling for a “marijuanatorium” against the federal War on Drugs, Schwarzenegger told the media at a fire-safety event in Davis, Calif. on Tuesday, May 5, “I think it’s time for debate.”
Schwarzenegger was responding to questions about a Field Poll from April that indicated more than 56 percent of Californians support legalizing and taxing the plant for recreational use. While no studies have been conducted to determine the medical benefits legal weed might provide a flailing economy, it definitely presents thinking-out-of-the-box possibilities.
We’re certain we will probably get blazed for agreeing with somebody we’ve never agreed with before — on anything — but we read the headlines. The state is in its worst financial dilemma in recent memory. The rumbling we’re feeling isn’t one of our famous earthquakes; it’s the groan of capitalism being decapitated.
Only four weeks after his plea to start the dialogue Schwarzenegger faces mega slashes to all levels of education, is threatening to cut Cal Grants and just about every imaginable social service, and is watching as unemployment burns California like an empty rolling paper.
Conservatives should welcome a concept such as being able to regulate and tax the plant. Some marijuana advocates predict lifting the ban on marijuana could provide tax revenues in the billions. The state could release tens of thousands from its overcrowded prison system, loosening up hundreds of millions spent on confinement and prisoner health care.
One huge benefit would be cost-effectiveness. Marijuana is a low-maintenance weed, if you erase the black market and legal components. Because it is against the law it’s a lucrative business for the criminal element.
Many counties in Northern California largely ignore pot laws. In counties with sparse populations like Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt, cannabis has become not only a cultural staple, but is an enormous part of the local economy, supporting everything from manufacturing plastic pipe for irrigation to garden supply stores.
Let’s face it, legal or not, marijuana has truly become one of the state’s leading cash crops. It’s wasteful and ignorant to turn our backs on the potential means to right a sinking ship.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to read the Daily Forty-Niner and then smoke it? We say that if Schwarzenegger feels it’s time to open the dialogue about simultaneously abandoning draconian laws and easing our economic strife, let’s talk.
The worst thing that could happen is the laws remain on the books, while the state’s economy goes up in smoke.
it needs to be done!!
It’s TIME To Legalize , End the funding of criminal behavior. (cartels)
tell the hired help in Washignton to get in touch with the people?
@ The Pope
You seem to have all the answers…however, the prisons are overflowing with ‘potheads’ (thanks for your insightful bigotry), the system is bankrupt, and it collapsing. We have balls and are not pussies. Cops have a shoot to kill policy toward cannabis users. We’re too busy ducking bullets to be afraid. The cops bottom line is our death. Hard to reason with prohibitionist when they pattern their politics after the taliban.
marijuana isn’t just used for smoking.
if it’s one of the largest cash crops why dont we legalize it and sell it in a variety of different ways.
it will not only open up thousands of jobs but it will bring everyone to inner peace.
open hemp clothing stores, coffee shops (hash), create more farming jobs, glass blowing factorys, and glass shops…ect.
their are a million ways this can change our problems.
more then 60% of the kids at my highschool smoke and buy pot on a regular basis. why are we letting this money go into the black market when it can be pulling us as a state out of debt.
i believe it wont change an individuals mind on the subject. if their against it why would they change their mind? let the people who smoke, smoke and continue to mind your own business.
Hi! Thanks for the report. I’m all for legalizing mary jane, not for its abilities to generate revenue, but for its tendency to make people care and love each other (commune), and for its tendency to make people deeply analyze things. I love hippies, and I’m proudly one still. I love the love that hippies inspire. Flower power! Love the dogs, kids, music, each other, you can’t beat it. Pot smokers tend to be very docile and kind.
And just when you thought I was going to be docile and kind to the problem that CAUSES California’s (and world) economic problems, please think again.
Readers, you DO see the pyramid scheme symbol on the back of the USA one dollar bill, right? You DO see the servitude infestation in capitalism, right? And do you see the “pay up or lose your wellbeing” Chicago mob-like felony extortion widespread within capitalism? Do you see the “join or starve” felony extortion done to the 18 year olds… by this ugly competer’s church called capitalism? See how forcing competer’s religions onto 18 year olds… kills membership in the cooperator’s church (Christianity/socialism)?? Do you understand that AmWay (American Way) (New World Order) got “the exclusive” (legal tender) on the TYPE of survival coupons (money) accepted in supply depots (stores) and leverages 18 year olds into the organization via that felony activity as well? (It puts AmWay-coupon slaving requirements called price tags… on all the survival goods). Do you understand how farmyard pyramids work… from your childhood?? Remember?? Upper 1/3 are “heads in the clouds” while the kids on the bottom ALWAYS GET HURT from the weight of the world’s knees in their backs? Still with me? Do you see anything illegal, immoral, or just plain sick… in any of this pyramid scheme’s activities?
Us American Christian socialists are still patiently awaiting the natural fall of the pyramid-o-servitude, or the busting of the free marketeers felony… by the USA Dept of Justice. Us Christians are VERY CLOSE to issuing a cease and desist order until the servitude and inequality goes away… which means it turns into a commune. Commune is a word we LOVE when used in the word “community”… but its one the caps HATE when used in the term “commune-ism”. Go fig. PROGRAMMED!!
Do a Google IMAGE SEARCH for ‘pyramid of capitalist’ to see a full color picture made way back in 1911, when capitalism was first discovered to be a con/sham instigated by the Free Masons/Illuminati. Folks sure bought into the thing… hook, line, and sinker just the same. The caps didn’t even check if a string was attached! Now THAT’S easy fishing, eh?
Time to level the felony pyramid scheme called capitalism. Abolish economies and ownershipism worldwide, and hurry. Economies just cause rat-racing, and rat-racing causes felony pyramiding. BUST IT, America! Look to the USA military supply/survival system… (and the USA public library system) for socialism and morals done right. Equal, owner-less, money-less, bill-less, timecard-less, and concerned with growth of value-criteria OTHER THAN money-value. Quit doing monetary discrimination immediately, and make it illegal. There are MANY measurement criteria of “value”… not just dollars. Try morals, efficiency, discrimination-levels, repairability, etc etc. Economies are cancerous tumors, and to cheer for their growth… is just insane. Profiting causes inflation, so if caps LIKE inflation, and if they LIKE a terrible time in afterlife when they meet the planet’s ORIGINAL OWNER before caps tried to squat it all with ownershipism, then keep it up with the felony pyramiding. I dare you. While us Christians are finally bulldozing that pyramid scheme back to level, lets make servitude and “join or starve” (get a job or die) illegal in the USA, and lets level the architecture seen in USA courtrooms, too. Right now, USA courtrooms are church simulators or “fear chambers”, by special design. Sick.
Isn’t that back-of-the-dollar pyramid… a Columbian freemason symbol? And WHERE is the USA gov located? District of Columbia? (Not even part of the USA!). How much more blatant can ya get? The “Fed” runs a pyramid scheme called the free marketeers. If you’re using the “federal reserve note” certificates, or using no-other-living-thing-on-the-planet entitles of ownership, you’re bought into a servitude/slavery con/sham… called capitalism. Pyramiding 101.
Larry “Wingnut” Wendlandt
MaStars – Mothers Against Stuff That Ain’t Right
(anti-capitalism-ists)
Bessemer MI USA
Legalize it. Treat it like alcohol plain and simple. End black market and violence.
I’m so sick of the Gateway Drug Argument. Alcohol is the ULTIMATE GATEWAY DRUG. It’s probably 90% of people’s first buzz. And if they like it, the want more. None of my successful friends that smoke got into heavy drugs like coke.
It’s a shame that the people who get addicted and kill themselves with crack & cocaine get wrapped in the same category as an adult that want to smoke a joint on a Friday night….. What a weird world.
Once it’s legal it will be exciting for the first 3 months. After that, the people who smoke now, will probably smoke the same amount. And the people who won’t, simply won’t. Not much will change.
And if treated like alcohol. Kids will have as much access to it as a 6 pack of beer. In otherwords, if regulated, kids can’t get it.
So legalize it. And to the folks that say NO and that have never done it, what right do they have to judge it?
The war on cannabis users is one of the reasons that our Federal & State Govts are bankrupt. It all adds up. $70 billion/yr squandered on prohibition that only makes everything worse. Plus, billions of sales tax dollars lost each year on untaxed cannabis sales. Have you noticed how many States are considering cannabis reform laws this year. It’s obvious that even our block-headed politicians are figuring out that it’s now a liability to remain on the prohibition band wagon. A whole lot of hardliner politicians are not going to get re-elected next time around due to their intractable support of cannabis prohibition. Then, we’ll see just how fast the remaining politicians will come running over to the abolition side. They’ll be making ridiculous claims like, I’ve always supported cannabis legalization. But, the time just wasn’t right to come forward earlier. Right! The writing is on the wall. The war on cannabis users is lost. Now, let’s figure out the best way to legalize the sale of cannabis to adults. This will have the added advantage that with drug dealers run out of the cannabis trade it’ll bee harder for minors to get their hands on it.
The Pope needs to quit Dope and try herb. That powder will kill you Mr. Pope and BTW Saturday is the day I rested. Not SUNDAY… Geez
God californians are idiots. You want to get it legalized? Get 50% of the nation to buy, grow and sell it. Sell it online. Sell it on the internet. Set up millions of online stores selling it. When the prison system becomes over flowing with potheads the system will go bankrupt and collapse. If 50% of americans all bought weed online on the same day, what would they do? It costs $40k or more a year to incarcerate people. Now imagine 100 million people in prison. There is not enough room. And it would bankrupt the nation so fast. Sure they’ll just penalize the sellers. If you really had the balls though you’d stop being afraid of them and tell them this is the bottom line, legalize now. But you don’t, because you are pussies.