Posted on 10/30/2013 3:38:46 PM PDT by sdnet
Libertarians have long supported the legalization of marijuana and putting an end to the expensive War on Drugs program on constitutional grounds, arguing the federal government has no business regulating drug use. But, the legalization of marijuana has an attractive side benefit as well – it would flood government coffers with billions in additional revenue.
According to a Cato Institute study, legalizing marijuana will result in an additional $8.7 billion in yearly federal and state tax revenue. In a time of excessive national debt and threats of a credit default, the prudent and expeditious dismantling of drug prohibitions is a wise choice.
Not only will government revenue increase, spending will decrease. The study found that eliminating drug control will reduce government expenditures by more than $40 billion every year.
(Excerpt) Read more at smallgovtimes.com ...
All of those things are man made. Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants.
It’s easier for most folks to grow good weed than to distill Jack Daniels quality whisky. Gov’t shouldn’t confuse leagalizing marijuana with getting rich off it.
No. Slavery increases the national debt.
I hear those large Labrador buds are pretty potent.
Will it ease our national debt? Not as long as the welfare state remains in its present form.
IMHO, pot smokers, and I know a few, tend to be stupider, lazier, fatter, and more likely to be unemployed, addicted to cigarettes and other drugs, have unstable homes, and be more involved in crime than other adults. In America of today, that’s hitting the motherload for government expenditure.
They still don’t get it. No new taxing mechanism is enough to feed the humongous spending appetite of the political elite.
LOL hardly.More money to waste and new laws to pay for.
There will be no pusher to sell to kids cause they will sell pot like they sell whiskey. It’s a simple concept.
Are there streetcorner bootleggers now?
Do you realize that the most smuggled drug in America is tobacco?
Believe whatever you like, but we are going to make money on this crop. Yes we are.
No kidding? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The tax is astounding.
CNN story about a Mackinac center study on tobacco smuggling.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/16/news/economy/cigarette-smuggling/index.html
“Wanna make a quick $1,944,000? Buy a truckload of cigarettes in Virginia and sell them in New York.”
Smuggled from state to state, no?
The point is that illegal sales are minuscule compared to legit ones. If pot is legalized and sold in the liquor stores, that is where the vast majority of sales will come from.
Of course if taxes are too high, bootlegging is increased. But you need to use some perspective. I am sure i could find some moonshine if i really wanted to. But there is no reason for the average, generally lawful person to choose that path.
better than money will get you through times of no pot.
That's a fact, Jack!
Holy cow.
Wow. Unreal.
nope, they’d just spend that much more.
Wonder how the liquor industry helped.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.