[Vision2020] Some Thoughts on Legalizing Marijuana . . .

[Joe Campbell]

This is a good suggestion because it is simple. There are a variety of
issues related to legalization of marijuana that are complex and the
move complex the suggested method of legalization, the more drawn out
the process will be. The advantage of legalization is that it takes a
social "problem" and provides the means (or income) for a solution.
That is a good tradeoff. For similar reasons "sin taxes" are a good
idea, as well. Let people make choices -- and if you can't make bad
choices, then you can't make choices. But put the burden of those
choices back on the folks making them. These kinds of endeavors --
ways of using government to solve problems while decreasing the
individual tax burden -- should be favored by Democrats and
Republicans alike.

My suggestion would be to package these things a little differently.
We think of Idahoans as being libertarian but they are more complex.

On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 11:22 AM, Ralph Nielsen <nielsen at uidaho.edu> wrote:
>
> Our current War on Drugs is very much like the old War on Alcohol which finally resulted in the constitutional Prohibition of it from 1920-1933. Countless lives were ruined and enormous millions (in those days) of taxpayers' money were wasted on it. Lucrative new businesses were created in both the illegal alcohol and the legal prosecution and imprisonment of the transgressors. The current War on Drugs is like history repeating itself. And many taxpayers still love to pay for it.
>
> The idea of selling MJ only in licensed establishments is not too practical. (And the voters in Washington state have abolished the most obvious outlets to handle it.) So why not treat MJ like tobacco and regulate and sell it accordingly. Sure, you can grow your own MJ, just as you can grow your own tobacco and distill or brew your own alcohol. But most people will prefer to buy it already packaged, like cigarettes, beer, wine and booze.
>
> Further thoughts?
>
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