The thing is. . . anybody who wants it gets it. It is everywhere! I really doubt that if it was legalized tomorrow the # of people who smoke would really increase all that much. So why waste all these resources to stop it. If anything GDP would go up and tax revenue along with it. Look at prohibition, how stupid was that?
Legalizing it would make the prices plummet since everybody and their mothers will be allowed to grow it for themselves, thereby taking away any tax benefit.
why would anybody grow it when you can get it for 10 bucks? i mean, we buy bottled water when there is a free tap.
I’d like to know whose the jerk who took that picture and then presumably sold it?
Right, beer is legal but we are not brewing it in our backyards. We could grow tobacco but we don’t, etc.
Big Pharama is probably the main reason pot isn’t legal. Who keeps buying expensive perscription pain killers / anit-depressants etc when they can just grow pot. i’m sure there are lobbyists that spend their lives making sure pot is never legalized.
JustPass Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Right, beer is legal but we are not brewing it in > our backyards. We could grow tobacco but we > don’t, etc. Speak for yourself. I’ve been brewing my own beer for sometime now.
I believe it is a lot harder to brew beer than grow a plant. And down here in SC it is possible to get moonshine. As for tobacco, I guess people could grow it…hmm I live in SC maybe I will start my own cigarette company.
Why do people always try to compare pot with alcohol? The issue isn’t the effect that it has on you - it’s potency. You can have a drink or two, and you’ll be fine. But, if you have just one joint, then you’re high. It’s not an apples to apples comparison.
But if pot was legalized, people also assume that it would mean that more local growers would make more money. That just isn’t right. It would just be another commodity. It would work like any other farmed good. MO and ADM would get into it with a bunch of other scale producers. Wouldn’t it initially just add thousands of growers to the workforce, and then make them unemployed when scale producers re-allocated resources? And with more scale-producers in the game, food prices would go up as fields switch from corn and wheat to pot. The only difference would be that people who used to work for the DEA would move to the Department of Agriculture. So legalizing pot would just increase inflation and unemployment (yes, I know that people only really care about non-farm payrolls, but still). The increased tax revenue would just go to pay unemployment benefits for people who used to be small-scale farmers, so it would be a wash.
supersharpshooter Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I know a guy who went from 6 figures out of > undergrad to assembling BBQ’s for $8.25/hr with > the help of crack. Cautionary tale. I know a few people thats happened to. drugs are bad mmkay
Maybe you don’t smoke a whole joint. As you increase your alcohol intake you get more and more wasted and could even die. With pot that doesn’t happen. Also drinking is worse on your ability to use good judgement and destroys your motor skills. I would argue that alcohol is more potent. Have you ever seen somebody passed out or puking from smkoing weed or getting weed poisoning?
ditchdigger2CFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > First a DWI and now pot. > > This guy is not the hero he is painted to be. Just because he’s an incredible athlete doesnt mean people should be looking up to him as a role model. besides, blazing a joint is infinitely less harmfull then downing shots.
Yeah people who read this article and think “oh my god how could he…” need to stop reading 1980’s “say no to drugs” posters. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the green stuff. I am also a believer that alcohol is a much more dangerous substance in the publics hands. Also a huge alcohol fan.
trek7000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Legalizing it would make the prices plummet since > everybody and their mothers will be allowed to > grow it for themselves, thereby taking away any > tax benefit. growing decent quality weed takes alot more work then most people would be willing to put in, especially lazy ass potheads. Plus if you wanted a constant supply of fresh weed youd need to plan your cycles, harvesting, curing drying and alot f people dont have the space or desire for tthat. Plus even a small set up will be atleast 1-1.5k in intial capital cost if you want it done right so you dont burn down your house. Ive seen far more people destroy their lives with alcohol then anything else and while there certainly are ethical dilemas to legalizing drugs I think its foolish to bury your head in the sand and pretend that prohibition is ever going to work.
UndergradCFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But if pot was legalized, people also assume that > it would mean that more local growers would make > more money. > > That just isn’t right. > > It would just be another commodity. It would work > like any other farmed good. MO and ADM would get > into it with a bunch of other scale producers. > > Wouldn’t it initially just add thousands of > growers to the workforce, and then make them > unemployed when scale producers re-allocated > resources? And with more scale-producers in the > game, food prices would go up as fields switch > from corn and wheat to pot. The only difference > would be that people who used to work for the DEA > would move to the Department of Agriculture. > > So legalizing pot would just increase inflation > and unemployment (yes, I know that people only > really care about non-farm payrolls, but still). > The increased tax revenue would just go to pay > unemployment benefits for people who used to be > small-scale farmers, so it would be a wash. I don’t think that in a legalized framework that weed would compete for farmland. Weed is already a #1 or #2 cash crop in many states and there is no shortage of food or weed. Plus you just don’t have big land requirements for growing weed. Think of the ancillary effects as well: police can allocate time and money to focus on solving real problems, prisons and jails will be less crowded and the profit will be placed in the hands of legitimate tax paying entities rather than sometimes violent drug dealers. No increase in inflation, no increase in unemployment only less crime and increased tax revenue. Cali should just 100% legalize and erase that deficit right now.
UndergradCFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But if pot was legalized, people also assume that > it would mean that more local growers would make > more money. > > That just isn’t right. > > It would just be another commodity. It would work > like any other farmed good. MO and ADM would get > into it with a bunch of other scale producers. > > Wouldn’t it initially just add thousands of > growers to the workforce, and then make them > unemployed when scale producers re-allocated > resources? And with more scale-producers in the > game, food prices would go up as fields switch > from corn and wheat to pot. The only difference > would be that people who used to work for the DEA > would move to the Department of Agriculture. > > So legalizing pot would just increase inflation > and unemployment (yes, I know that people only > really care about non-farm payrolls, but still). > The increased tax revenue would just go to pay > unemployment benefits for people who used to be > small-scale farmers, so it would be a wash. The best weed is grown indoors, you can control your growing environment and increase your productivity 3-4 times over stuff thats grown in dirt. Plus theres probably enough product out there already to satisfy demand without cannibalizing farmland. As for corporate interests, weed isn’t exactly grown by small timers anymore.
trek7000 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > kinda risky in this environment, who knows when > you are going to have to look for a new job. As > far as I know all job do a pre-employment drug > test, I worked for one company that made us take > random drug tests throughout the year too. Who the hell do you work for, the CIA??
I’m not saying that small growers couldn’t supply the product, but just like small corn and wheat and cattle farmers get pushed out when big industry takes over production, they would, too. Scale producers would more easily be able to re-allocate existing farmlands than acquire more land. They would figure out how to make it work within a few years. But farmland isn’t the only reason this would be inflationary. Think of the distribution costs. Transportation, warehousing, etc. Demand would go up across the board. People often argue that pot is so widely available that demand wouldn’t increase if it were to be legalized, but I disagree. Availability isn’t the point. Advertising by scale producers or even smaller companies following a monopolistic competition strategy could significantly increase demand. You think potheads wouldn’t respond favorably to counter displays for pot brownies in gas stations? I would strongly disagree. And yes, if pot was legalized, the government would have to pardon anyone who was jailed for possession, growing, distributing, etc. That would just mean that overnight, a million people would be added to the workforce, and unemployment would jump a few points overnight. That’s the case against legalization - stagflation! And people still compare pot to alcohol and tobacco, but they just aren’t the same thing. Tobacco and alcohol stimulate the economy - especially the healthcare sector. They kill you. But by the time that you die of cirrhosis or lung cancer, the number of years that you will likely remain in the workforce is small. Yet what argument do potheads make in favor of legalization? That is doesn’t make you sick! So legalization would artificially increase GDP (because we’d start counting an existing source of commerce) in the short run, but would have no long-term positive effect.
UndergradCFA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’m not saying that small growers couldn’t supply > the product, but just like small corn and wheat > and cattle farmers get pushed out when big > industry takes over production, they would, too. > > Scale producers would more easily be able to > re-allocate existing farmlands than acquire more > land. They would figure out how to make it work > within a few years. > > But farmland isn’t the only reason this would be > inflationary. Think of the distribution costs. > Transportation, warehousing, etc. Demand would go > up across the board. People often argue that pot > is so widely available that demand wouldn’t > increase if it were to be legalized, but I > disagree. Availability isn’t the point. > Advertising by scale producers or even smaller > companies following a monopolistic competition > strategy could significantly increase demand. You > think potheads wouldn’t respond favorably to > counter displays for pot brownies in gas stations? > I would strongly disagree. > > And yes, if pot was legalized, the government > would have to pardon anyone who was jailed for > possession, growing, distributing, etc. That > would just mean that overnight, a million people > would be added to the workforce, and unemployment > would jump a few points overnight. > > That’s the case against legalization - > stagflation! > > And people still compare pot to alcohol and > tobacco, but they just aren’t the same thing. > > Tobacco and alcohol stimulate the economy - > especially the healthcare sector. They kill you. > But by the time that you die of cirrhosis or lung > cancer, the number of years that you will likely > remain in the workforce is small. > > Yet what argument do potheads make in favor of > legalization? That is doesn’t make you sick! So > legalization would artificially increase GDP > (because we’d start counting an existing source of > commerce) in the short run, but would have no > long-term positive effect. I guess you dont know much about the drug trade, its already monopolistic competition. Farmland? like I said its more likely that you’ll see an impact on industrial real estate rent or energy prices if youre going to see any impact, most of the stuff is grown with hydro/aeroponics like in a greenhouse.