Posted on 11/06/2013 1:27:52 PM PST by Olog-hai
Bingo. Decriminalization keeps it out of stores, off billboards, and out of public consumption.
Legalization of same sex sodomy went from being an alternative lifestyle choice to a protected and quotaed segment of society that can imposes its will on photographers, employers, insurers, and ultimately churches. It now also is openly promoted in schools all the way down to kindergarten. So much for it being JUST about "consenting adults in private".
Procedural crime. Like carrying a 6-pack box with one beer missing being “open container” vs. the same 5 bottles/cans of beer being loose in a bag. Or 8 bullets in a ten bullet magazine clip in NYC rather than 7.
As craft brewing has increased, more Americans are looking at illicit home distilling.
It was the left’s new argument of the past few years.
“Legalize it” campaigns in presidential years strike me of a desperate attempt to draw young (18-24) voters to the polls and vote for the Rat candidate for the White House.
“All politics are local” but they can have national implications.
True on that last statement. The “California effect” still exists after all.
That’s insane. How can you collect more by taxing less!?
You must be one of those free marketeers!
They couldn’t find a way to lock up the drug dealers on drug laws, so I guess they’ll get them on tax evasion instead. Spreading poison around isn’t as offensive to the government as not paying taxes.
Actually in the southern states moonshine is still made in abundance.
I think a reasonable tax does not create a black market. People are usually willing to pay a small tax for a known product from a legit seller.
For example, most of what we pay for alcohol is taxes but few people buy from bootleggers today. Even though bootleggers can sell liquor for 1/3 or 1/4 the price of a store, few people risk it.
There is also pretty much no black market for tobacco even though taxes are sky high. Yes there is a black market for premade cigarettes but that has more to do with tax differences between states for identical legit products. Few people actually buy cigarettes from an illegal grower and taxes on cigs in some areas add up to over 500%.
Pot is different in that any idiot can grow it. I can easily see someone growing for friends to save money. People will always grow it but I think big pot dealers will be eliminated if people can safely buy in stores without fear of arrest or bad product.
Not enough to cut substantially into the tax revenue the Government gets from, say, Brown-Forman. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Colorado is going to collect some decent tax revenue.
Liqueur taxes are considered acceptable to most people, who would rather pay a tax and buy legally than buy from an outlaw. Same will hold true with MJ and other drugs(which will be legalized sooner or later)as long as the government doesn’t go hog wild with the taxes. NY has done it with cigs, there is a heavy black market for cigs in NY, especially in NY city where a pack can cost up to $12. As long as the taxes are kept fairly reasonable Colorado should do ok.
Agree. States have been collecting decent sized revenues from their medical mj programs for years. CA takes in about $100M/yr in taxes, for example. People are paying $300/oz and up for the legal product and business is booming.
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