Bankrupt San Bernardino looks at marijuana sales to raise funds

Reuters ^ | 07/31/2014 | Tim Reid

[MichaelCorleone]

‘Course they’ll never look on the other side of the ledger, which is the spending side. Once they legalize this or that, the time will soon come for more self-defeating legislation in the name of revenue.

Then the cycle continues until it all collapses.

[VideoDoctor]

“Quiet Desperation” is beginning to set in throughout America.

[jmacusa]

Having the government involved in any aspect of a market/consumer based economy invites corruption, waste, high cost and low return.. I respect that a lot of my fellow FReepers feel strongly against drug legalization. However if you want to put the criminals out of business and keep drugs way from kids legalize it and give it's manufacture, sale and distribution over to Anhauser-Busch or Miller Brewing or R.J. Reynolds. The(pseudo) morality of ''drugs are bad'' is literally killing people. You can't point to the immorality of being a drunk all you want but that isn't going to get an alcoholic to recovery. It didn't get me to recovery. Yes people do immoral things under the influence of drugs and alcohol and that is what laws and the court system is for. But drugs are a commodity, that means money. Get control of the money and you get control of the problem. Consider that there are laws in place and stiff penalties for buying or providing the under-aged with alcohol. Drug dealers don't ask for ID. Legalize it and tax the crap out of it. Taxes are the quickest way to put anything out of business. Do that or bring back the 18th. Amendment, prohibition. We all know what a success that was.(sar.)

[jmacusa]

You could say the same about Chicago and New York City.

[jmacusa]

Typo: meant to say ‘’you can point to...’’

[DPMD]

Another money maker would be to use the police as a vehicle for at-large contract killings. Rent out the mayor’s bedrooms by the hour.

[jwalsh07]

Meth and horse have higher margins and lower distribution costs. I mean what the hell, why go the half step route.

[IronJack]

The argument that drugs should be legal because alcohol is is a lot like saying that two wrongs make a right. Alcohol is bad enough. Do we need to compound the chemical abuse problem by adding yet another substance to be abused?

Taxing drugs is an immoral way of gathering revenue. It basically says the end justifies the means. The last thing I want to put in this government’s hands is more money.

And we can eliminate crime in the country entirely if we just make everything legal. I doubt anyone would want to LIVE in such a society but lawlessness would be nonexistent.

I guess you’ll have to put me in the category of FReepers who oppose legalization.

[ConservingFreedom]

The argument that drugs should be legal because alcohol is is

not an argument that jmacusa made. His point was that Prohibition failed, and drug prohibition is failing in the same ways for the same reasons.

Alcohol is bad enough.

Banning it was worse.

Do we need to compound the chemical abuse problem by adding yet another substance to be abused?

"Adding" is a red herring - marijuana is already being used and abused. What we should do is subtract criminal profits by legalizing it.

And we can eliminate crime in the country entirely if we just make everything legal.

Or we can take a deep bite out of criminal profits by legalizing the consensual acts of adults - such as marijuana growing, sale, purchase, and use - while retaining the laws against violations of rights.

[Osage Orange]

Wait until the legalize robbery...from the "rich".

Oh wait....they've already done that!!

[jmacusa]

Taxing alcohol achieves the same end.

[jmacusa]

Thank you.

[poobear]

Great, we’re turning into a drug cartel government. Oh, wait. War on drugs... No place left to go. So screwed!!!!

[GeronL]

Yep.

Giving it away to the poor.

Drugs and sex for all. Ignore the tyrannical police state.

Libertarian Brave New World.