PUB DISCUSSION It is all going to pot... - Page 5 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Locobot · 04-08-2009, 08:28 PM

A lot of states are currently facing some tough decisions about making major cuts to state services--education, healthcare, state parks, roads, utilities, police and other emergency services. It think the tide is turning gradually towards a position where taxpayers would rather rather not be paying to house marijuana users and growers in state prisons. Yes, the prison system is enormously profitable, supporters of that system need to be reminded that it is in every way a socialist entity and they are paying for it.

It's also becoming very clear that the illegal drug industry is incredibly profitable for organized crime in South and Central America. Mexican drug cartels are now a seriously threatening the overthrow of that country's government. The funding for the cartels is payed for largely by U.S. citizens.

When it is decriminalized, states can issue licenses for growing and dispensing, and tax the sale of marijuana. California made 12-15 million dollars from taxing the sale of marijuana in 2007, that's a lot of teachers, cops, park facilities, or whatever. This was during a period of heavy prosecution from the federal government.

Since Obama has taken office there has been a continuation of arresting and persecuting state-licensed marijuana distributors in California. I believe this is a political move by people within the DEA to force the issue on the administration.

timalkin · 04-10-2009, 10:13 AM

Cynthetiq · 04-10-2009, 10:29 AM

my that's a big brush stroke you use.... many of the people I bought pot from were in fact drug dealers. They all had jobs. Why? Because the IRS thinks it rather funny that you aren't "gainfully employed" and yet still have all this cash to spend.

Many of them held regular blue or white collar jobs and had families and mortgages.

And seeking professional help? Please... they just prescribe meds that do the same things, just the money goes to the pharmaceutical company instead of some guy who grew pot in his house/backyard.

SecretMethod70 · 04-10-2009, 10:39 AM

timalkin: I'm kind of curious what in the world happened to you that this issue is so personal. I've known a lot of people who are staunchly against legalization, but no one who gets so angry and speaks with such vitriol. More than half of your posts since the beginning of this year (20/35) have been in this thread over the past few weeks. In fact, it's been almost a month since you've posted anywhere else, yet you post in this thread over and over again, using hateful language and refusing to engage in discussion or even consider that those people who disagree with you are possibly more than "pieces of shit."

There must be some highly personal story here, because it's the only reasonable explanation I can think of.

Locobot · 04-10-2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timalkin

Most drug dealers don't have real jobs that actually contribute to the economy, so we lose nothing by incarcerating them. Money is being spent on their incarceration, which supports the spending theories of economic recovery. Why let a drug dealer out of jail when he doesn't give anything back to the system and only leaches off of it?

What about the money we lose by paying for their incarceration? While it is true that the "corrections" field is still a growing source of jobs, those jobs will forever be entirely taxpayer funded. If marijuana growers and sellers become licensed, and their sales are taxed, they will in fact be giving back to the system.

Quote:

I don't believe that people will go through the licensing processes and pay taxes on legalized marijuana in any statistically significant amount to make a huge different in tax revenues. The police will still be busting tax evading drug dealers and growers.

And you would be wrong in that belief. As I pointed out in the post above yours California made a statistically significant amount of money from taxing the sale of marijuana in 2007.

Quote:

If people need to abuse drugs to relax, unwind, or function socially, they need to nut the fuck up and seek professional help. Relying on chemical substances to have fun is fucking pathetic. Get a life, get a job, and stop being a piece of shit.

Alcohol is by far the most abused drug in the U.S. Most people use alcohol to relax, unwind, and function socially without becoming alcoholics. We've tried prohibiting the sale of alcohol in the past and ended up creating a situation very similar what currently exists with marijuana.

The vast majority of marijuana users have a life, a job, and aren't actually pieces of shit. There have been federal judges who were daily users, top athletes, scholars, you name it.

SecretMethod70 · 04-10-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locobot

The vast majority of marijuana users have a life, a job, and aren't actually pieces of shit. There have been federal judges who were daily users, top athletes, scholars, you name it.

Record-setting Olympic gold medal winners

SSJTWIZTA · 04-21-2009, 07:33 PM

seen this on TV last night:

MSD · 04-22-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timalkin

Most drug dealers don't have real jobs that actually contribute to the economy, so we lose nothing by incarcerating them. Money is being spent on their incarceration, which supports the spending theories of economic recovery. Why let a drug dealer out of jail when he doesn't give anything back to the system and only leaches off of it?

Everyone I've known who sold drugs had a legitimate job, even if not a 9-5.

Quote:

I don't believe that people will go through the licensing processes and pay taxes on legalized marijuana in any statistically significant amount to make a huge different in tax revenues. The police will still be busting tax evading drug dealers and growers.

Tobacco companies will be the ones producing and selling it for tax revenue. Mass production makes it cheap, they make a profit, the government gets a cut from taxes, and I'd be willing to bet that after that it could still be sold to smokers for less than they're paying now.

Quote:

If people need to abuse drugs to relax, unwind, or function socially, they need to nut the fuck up and seek professional help. Relying on chemical substances to have fun is fucking pathetic. Get a life, get a job, and stop being a piece of shit.

So you never smoke or drink? How about coffee?

bluesasquatch · 05-02-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosstbyte

I'm for the legalization of all drugs. Decrease crime. Clear out prisons. Increase tax venue. I'm an extremist on it, and I'm ok with that. Punish people (and severely) who make bad choices when they use drugs. People can make their own choices about what they do to themselves. Legalizing it puts money back into the system, gives some level of quality control and allows people who have their drugs stolen to have legal recourse instead of going and shooting everyone.

People, writ large, don't agree with that, but whatever.

Pot, in particular, is less physically harmful than tobacco and alcohol and has a less severe psychological impact that being drunk. It's illegal because of simple racism. People seriously were worried that migrant workers would smoke it and wouldn't do work if they could and/or that native americans and blacks would smoke it and come assault nice white families. There are records on the books of numerous states to back that fact up. The ad campaigns against weed are just hilarious in their gross levels of misinformation.

Your arguments against legalizing marijuana, timalkin, are, frankly, dated and inconsistent. If you want to have an irrational fear of the drug, that's fine. Don't impose it on the rest of us.

I agree 100%

Everyone who has commented in this thread should watch The Union, The business behind getting high.

Link to Torrent: h/ttp://isohunt.com/download/77381109/the+union.torrent

For a balanced perspective, also check out Reefer Madness. Reefer Madness is a true reflection of the effects of cannabis.

SSJTWIZTA · 05-03-2009, 01:15 AM

i didnt think The Union was out yet. awesome.

+1 on the reefer madness. you know, ever sense i started smoking pot ive switched over to heroin and killed my family. not to mention all those crazy nights wailing away on the piano. ahh, those crazy teenage years.

04-10-2009, 10:13 AM	#162 (permalink)
timalkin Addict Location: watching from the treeline	.. __________________ Trinity: "What do you need?" Neo: "Guns. Lots of guns." -The Matrix Last edited by timalkin; 12-20-2010 at 07:23 PM..

04-10-2009, 10:29 AM	#163 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	my that's a big brush stroke you use.... many of the people I bought pot from were in fact drug dealers. They all had jobs. Why? Because the IRS thinks it rather funny that you aren't "gainfully employed" and yet still have all this cash to spend. Many of them held regular blue or white collar jobs and had families and mortgages. And seeking professional help? Please... they just prescribe meds that do the same things, just the money goes to the pharmaceutical company instead of some guy who grew pot in his house/backyard. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

04-10-2009, 10:39 AM	#164 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	timalkin: I'm kind of curious what in the world happened to you that this issue is so personal. I've known a lot of people who are staunchly against legalization, but no one who gets so angry and speaks with such vitriol. More than half of your posts since the beginning of this year (20/35) have been in this thread over the past few weeks. In fact, it's been almost a month since you've posted anywhere else, yet you post in this thread over and over again, using hateful language and refusing to engage in discussion or even consider that those people who disagree with you are possibly more than "pieces of shit." There must be some highly personal story here, because it's the only reasonable explanation I can think of. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

04-21-2009, 07:33 PM	#167 (permalink)
SSJTWIZTA Master Thief. Master Criminal. Masturbator. Location: Windiwana	seen this on TV last night: __________________ First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me. -Pastor Martin Niemoller

05-03-2009, 01:15 AM	#170 (permalink)
SSJTWIZTA Master Thief. Master Criminal. Masturbator. Location: Windiwana	i didnt think The Union was out yet. awesome. +1 on the reefer madness. you know, ever sense i started smoking pot ive switched over to heroin and killed my family. not to mention all those crazy nights wailing away on the piano. ahh, those crazy teenage years. __________________ First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for me And there was no one left to speak out for me. -Pastor Martin Niemoller

04-08-2009, 08:28 PM	#161 (permalink)
Locobot is awesome!	A lot of states are currently facing some tough decisions about making major cuts to state services--education, healthcare, state parks, roads, utilities, police and other emergency services. It think the tide is turning gradually towards a position where taxpayers would rather rather not be paying to house marijuana users and growers in state prisons. Yes, the prison system is enormously profitable, supporters of that system need to be reminded that it is in every way a socialist entity and they are paying for it. It's also becoming very clear that the illegal drug industry is incredibly profitable for organized crime in South and Central America. Mexican drug cartels are now a seriously threatening the overthrow of that country's government. The funding for the cartels is payed for largely by U.S. citizens. When it is decriminalized, states can issue licenses for growing and dispensing, and tax the sale of marijuana. California made 12-15 million dollars from taxing the sale of marijuana in 2007, that's a lot of teachers, cops, park facilities, or whatever. This was during a period of heavy prosecution from the federal government. Since Obama has taken office there has been a continuation of arresting and persecuting state-licensed marijuana distributors in California. I believe this is a political move by people within the DEA to force the issue on the administration.