Poll: Marijuana Law Reform

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A few stats for Legal Marijuana ...

Regardless of your feelings about legalizing marijuana, it's hard to deny that legal weed would be a bonanza for cash-strapped states, just as tobacco and alcohol already are.

With Colorado and Washington starting to tax and regulate recreational weed sales, and medical marijuana legal in 18 other states, we can finally start to put some hard numbers on the industry's value.

Numbers like:

$1.53 billion: The amount the national legal marijuana market is worth, according to a Nov. 2013 report from ArcView Market Research, a San Francisco-based investor group focused on the marijuana industry.

$10.2 billion: The estimated amount the national legal marijuana market will be worth in five years, according to that same ArcView report.

$6.17 million: The amount of tax revenue collected in Colorado on legal marijuana sales in just the first two months of 2014.

$98 million: The total tax revenue that Colorado could reap in the fiscal year that begins in July, according to a recent budget proposal from Gov. John Hickenlooper.

colorado marijuana

$40 million: The amount of marijuana tax revenue Colorado is devoting to public school construction.

7,500-10,000: The estimated number of marijuana industry jobs that currently exist in Colorado, according to Michael Elliott, the Executive Director of the Marijuana Industry Group, a trade association that advocates for responsible marijuana regulation.

$190 million: The amount in taxes and fees legal marijuana is projected to raise for the state of Washington over four years starting in mid-2015, according to the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, an independent agency that advises the state government on the budget and tax revenue.
colorado marijuana

Employee David Marlow, right, helps a customer at Medicine Man marijuana retail store in Denver. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

$105 million: The estimated annual sales tax revenue generated by medical marijuana dispensaries in California, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports legalization.

$142.19 million: The estimated size of the medical marijuana market in Arizona in 2014, according to the ArcView Market Research report, up from $35.37 million last year. Arizona has a record 80 medical pot dispensaries currently open, with more expected to open this year, according to AZMarijuana.com.

$36 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Maine would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to a 2013 estimate from the Marijuana Policy Project. Portland, Maine's largest city, voted to legalize weed in November, and a grassroots campaign to get state legalization on the ballot in 2016 is underway.
colorado marijuana


$21.5 to $82 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Rhode Island would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to an April 9 report from the non-profit organization Open Doors. Rhode Island legislators are considering a bill this session that would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol.

$134.6 million: The amount of estimated tax revenue Maryland would earn every year if it legalized and regulated marijuana, according to a 2014 estimate from the Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a law legalizing medical marijuana on April 14, and state lawmakers are considering a bill this session to legalize weed for recreational purposes, too.

$17.4 billion: The estimated total amount that marijuana prohibition costs state and federal governments every year, according to a 2010 study by Harvard University economist Jeffrey Miron.

 

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I dont know, we sure seem to celebrate a bunch of people who OD on Heroin.

In all honesty I think the right route to take would be to legalize medicinal marijuana in pill form first. Then slowly move to other forms for medical use. Once we see how some other states do after a longer term of legalized recreational use then work on legalization here. One of the big problems I see is we do not have enough data to say legalization is good or bad. We have plenty of anecdotal evidence on both sides. One side wants to show you how it is the greatest thing ever to happen to the states that legalize it, the other wants to show you all the pot heads in the streets. Both side are wrong the good and bad are somewhere in the middle. Both sides need to accept that there are positives and negative to legalization.

where in the world are you coming up with that bull manure?
since when has anyone glamorized overdosing on heroin?
why are you even comparing pot to heroin? they are NO where near the same!

NO one has ever overdosed on pot ... never in hundreds of years of use of pot.
vs it's common to overdose on heroin ... again .. they are nothing alike!

my point was the lies about pot told to kids for decades .. specifically that pot was equally bad as heroin. perhaps to justify classifying pot as schedule one same as heroin. to justify sizing HUGE amounts of assets of folks busted for pot .. followed by sending folks to prison for pot.

have always maintained danger of telling lies to kids that pot is same as heroin. they may do stupid things, but most kids are NOT stupid ... what happens when kids find out pot is next to harmless and it's all a big lie. how can kids avoid thinking that warnings for heroin, cocaine, etc. are also not lies too?

again .. the biggest danger for using pot is the dangers of being arrested, your assets sized and being sent to prison.
pot should have never been made illegal to begin with! countless lives have been destroyed .. $billions wasted ... all based on a huge LIE!!

 

[Old Fart]

Uruguay to allow pot users to buy up to 20 joints a week

MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) - Uruguayans will be able buy up to 10 grams of pot a week, enough to roll 20 joints, under new rules governing the recently legalized marijuana trade in the country, a government source said on Thursday.





The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because President Jose Mujica has not yet decreed the new regulations, said the government will auction up to six licenses to produce cannabis legally.

Mujica is expected to sign off on the rules in coming days. He proposed the landmark legalization law to undermine drug trafficking.

Uruguay, the first country to legalize the growing and sale of marijuana, is being closely watched by other countries debating drug liberalization.

Cannabis consumers will have to register with the government on a confidential list before making purchases from authorized pharmacies, according to the law passed by Congress in December.

The pharmacies can only be supplied by private growers authorized by the government, which will oversee quality and choose varieties. Individuals will also be able to grow up to six plants for personal use.

Uruguay has said it is also considering having marijuana grown on a plot of land controlled by the military to avoid illegal trafficking of the crop.

Ten to 20 hectares (25 to 49 acres) of marijuana would likely be enough to meet domestic demand, according to preliminary estimates.

Authorities have suggested setting the price for marijuana at $1 per ounce to compete with Paraguayan cannabis that has flooded the black market.

About 20,000 of the 3.3 million people who live in Uruguay are estimated to use marijuana every day.

The majority of Uruguayans oppose the new law, but do not want it repealed until its impacts can be assessed, according to a poll by the consulting firm Cifra published on Thursday.

http://news.yahoo.com/uruguay-allow-pot-users-buy-20-joints-week-174629533--finance.html

 

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Mitch McGary likely lost millions by staying at Michigan last year

Michigan center Mitch McGary declared for the NBA Draft, in part because he was suspended for the next year from playing college basketball for failing a drug test in March.

That the NCAA would suspend a player for a year for initially testing positive for smoking marijuana is a debate for another day (suffice to say, for many fans, it re-affirms that the NCAA’s control over athletes is somewhere between draconian and hysterical).

 

[Old Fart]

Retired Supreme Court Justice Stevens favors legalized marijuana


John Paul Stevens is making a lot of news these days at the age of 94, and his latest comments will have people talking again. In part of interview released on Thursday by NPR, the retired Supreme Court Justice said he’s in favor of legalized marijuana.

For entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/retired-supre...-legalized-marijuana-003606427--politics.html

 

[loudshirt]

where in the world are you coming up with that bull manure?
since when has anyone glamorized overdosing on heroin?
why are you even comparing pot to heroin? they are NO where near the same!

NO one has ever overdosed on pot ... never in hundreds of years of use of pot.
vs it's common to overdose on heroin ... again .. they are nothing alike!

my point was the lies about pot told to kids for decades .. specifically that pot was equally bad as heroin. perhaps to justify classifying pot as schedule one same as heroin. to justify sizing HUGE amounts of assets of folks busted for pot .. followed by sending folks to prison for pot.

have always maintained danger of telling lies to kids that pot is same as heroin. they may do stupid things, but most kids are NOT stupid ... what happens when kids find out pot is next to harmless and it's all a big lie. how can kids avoid thinking that warnings for heroin, cocaine, etc. are also not lies too?

again .. the biggest danger for using pot is the dangers of being arrested, your assets sized and being sent to prison.
pot should have never been made illegal to begin with! countless lives have been destroyed .. $billions wasted ... all based on a huge LIE!!

The most recent person to be glorified was Philip Seymour Hoffman. When he died all the news was about how great of an actor he was and hardly anything about him dying with a needle in his arm.

As for the people who had their lives ruined by pot, they knew it was illegal and continued to use, transport, and or sell it. They ruined their own lives. We dont have to agree on legalization, however you can not deny that people who had their lives ruined by pot knew what they were doing was illegal.

 

[otis147]

As for the people who had their lives ruined by pot... They ruined their own lives.

the state made sure of that, huh? the most (only) dangerous thing about marijuana use is getting caught.

 

[_CY_]

The most recent person to be glorified was Philip Seymour Hoffman. When he died all the news was about how great of an actor he was and hardly anything about him dying with a needle in his arm.

As for the people who had their lives ruined by pot, they knew it was illegal and continued to use, transport, and or sell it. They ruined their own lives. We dont have to agree on legalization, however you can not deny that people who had their lives ruined by pot knew what they were doing was illegal.

what a crock of bull! why is heroin even in the same discussion as pot?

the only folks I'm aware of that's got their lives destroyed by pot .. resulted from getting arrested for pot. NOT from consuming pot ... freaking unbelievable that folks actually believe the lies about pot.

pot should be compared to alcohol NOT heroin ... actually pot is substantially less harmful than alcohol.
the fact that pot is illegal is due to politics .. NOT factual basis .. it's all a big LIE!
sorry no matter how many time a lie is told .. it's still a lie.

evidently the big lie has succeeded in making folks like you believe that pot should be compared to heroin. (both schedule 1)
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a major star .. anything to do with him makes the news .. so what?

 

[RickN]

what a crock of bull! why is heroin even in the same discussion as pot?

the only folks I'm aware of that's got their lives destroyed by pot .. resulted from getting arrested for pot. NOT from consuming pot ... freaking unbelievable that folks actually believe the lies about pot.

pot should be compared to alcohol NOT heroin ... actually pot is substantially less harmful than alcohol.
the fact that pot is illegal is due to politics .. NOT factual basis .. it's all a big LIE!
sorry no matter how many time a lie is told .. it's still a lie.

evidently the big lie has succeeded in making folks like you believe that pot should be compared to heroin. (both schedule 1)
Philip Seymour Hoffman was a major star .. anything to do with him makes the news .. so what?

Now this is the lie! Doctors and medical studies have been saying for years that pot is harmful. Yet another one from France says it can cause heart conditions and has been linked to heart attacks in people as young as their 30s. Many have linked brain damage or low IQ to pot as evidenced by some of the pro-pot post.

Funny that studies saying pot is harmful are blown off as lies, but some yahoo can post on the web a misquote that pot cures cancer and you folks fall for it hook, line and sinker. News flash, the studies say no such thing. They say pot may help in the treatment of some forms of cancer, but then studies have said the same about aspirin since it can help ease some pain. The people that spread these lies should be shot in my opinion. I have two sisters that are or have dealt with breast cancer. Imagine how the first felt when told that she was pinning her hope on a lie.

 

[SilencerX7]

Now this is the lie! Doctors and medical studies have been saying for years that pot is harmful. Yet another one from France says it can cause heart conditions and has been linked to heart attacks in people as young as their 30s. Many have linked brain damage or low IQ to pot as evidenced by some of the pro-pot post.

Funny that studies saying pot is harmful are blown off as lies, but some yahoo can post on the web a misquote that pot cures cancer and you folks fall for it hook, line and sinker. News flash, the studies say no such thing. They say pot may help in the treatment of some forms of cancer, but then studies have said the same about aspirin since it can help ease some pain. The people that spread these lies should be shot in my opinion. I have two sisters that are or have dealt with breast cancer. Imagine how the first felt when told that she was pinning her hope on a lie.

I don't see how pot is any more worse for wear than any form of tobacco product. At least good ol' Mary Jane has some medicinal purposes like preventing chronic seizures.