BEYOND LEGALIZATION …
|| By FITSNEWS || For years this website has argued in favor of a radical reorientation of America’s drug policy. Specifically, we’ve pushed for the immediate cessation of government’s failed “War on Drugs,” as well as the decriminalization of marijuana and other substances for medical and recreational use.
Why? Because we believe in freedom and free markets. Simple as that.
We’ve also argued against excessive taxation of legal marijuana – arguing that pot and other drugs should be taxed no differently than other consumer products.
But there’s a story coming out of Washington State (one of the handful of state governments which have legalized marijuana for recreational use) that truly baffles us …
Appearing in Monday’s editions of The Washington Post, the story focuses on a marijuana store run by the North Bonneville Public Development Authority – a government entity. The store – “Cannabis Corner” – was launched with $260,000 in high-interest government loans. Additionally, taxpayers subsidize its workforce (wages and benefits) and every other aspect of its operation.
Oh, and spoiler alert … it’s not making anywhere near the amount of money government planners expected it would make.
Shocker, right?
Look: We know government is a bit slow on the uptake, but in pushing for the decriminalization and fair taxation of marijuana and other drugs … it should go without saying that government entities themselves should never get in the drug-selling business.
Not only is government a terrible economic actor … but the retail sale of anything (pot or lottery tickets) simply isn’t a core function of government. Worse still, government’s insistence on entering the speculative retail market comes at the expense of other private sector providers – and taxpayers.
17 comments
“The store – “Cannabis Corner” – was launched with $260,000 in high-interest government loans. Additionally, taxpayers subsidize its workforce (wages and benefits) and every other aspect of its operation.”
Wonder what those legislators were smoking?
probably OG Kush
You know government grown cannabis sucks anyways.
oh so its you who stole from my garden down in Oxford, Ms?
Taxation is what comes with legalization “geniuses”, it helps grows the welfare state….
Tell that too the taxpayers of Colorado. Those moochers will get a meager surplus payment thanks to recreational marijuana.
I’m wondering but have not heard yet, do pot smokers get full welfare or just partial? (I asked the same question about Occupiers and Ferguson rioters and just got blank stares from “officials”.)
White people get the majority of the welfare and disability dollars. So, you most likely get gov’t assistance, Eddy. I guess you spend it on high speed internet?
“White people get the majority of the welfare and disability dollars. ”
Not per capita.
Also, white people contribute the most to said programs.
Yeap. That’s because there used to be more of ’em.
Now, the messiness will be getting the biggest portions … and the corner boys will be cut out (again). … Oh Bummer.
People on welfare have a hard time affording pot. Most smokers have degrees and good jobs. The ones on welfare are the dealers…
Something tells me that if it were to be legalized here in SC, they’d try something like that. Use the profits to pay for their pet road projects, and to subsidize the eminent domain forced buyouts of people’s property for pennies on the dollar of what they are worth. The kind of thing that certain state governments are doing to make the pipeline from Canada a reality — but using Big Oil money instead.
That last being something that Will Folks, oddly, supports.
“… arguing that pot and other drugs should be taxed no differently than other consumer products. …”
Like tobacco? Like booze? Like gasoline? Like political parties or food?
This is really funny to me, only because my own strong beliefs and the fact I sent a letter to POTUS, in addition to supporting MPP (NO, I don’t smoke it, wouldn’t if legal) on the topic.
Now, he may have been bombarded by letters requesting the same? No real idea, but he did come out and publicly say within 2-3 weeks of my sending the letter, that NO (laughter) regulating and taxation was not the answer.
Interesting, how thing play out. I think the people have a far louder voice than they realize.
All one needs to do to be heard is send a letter to your legislators, and at the federal level, same thing….BOOM….they DO listen.
Let’s not fool ourselves by thinking they really give a shit about more than re-election, but the people have far more power than they realize – votes. If the majority ever does?
Wow!
“I sent a letter to POTUS”
Total. Waste. Of. Time.
The whole of the situation is this:
Gov’t claims rights(supposedly authorized by “we” the people) to do things that we ourselves cannot do. How you can transfer or authorize a “right” to do something that you yourself don’t have is a separate, special logical conundrum. But, for example:
1. You can’t legally run a gambling outfit in most of SC(Indians aside) but the SC gov’t can. (because it’s special, and you’re not)
2. Marijuana is “ok” if the state is in charge of it’s dispensation, but if you do it own your own without their permission, it is not.
3. The government can slowly, over time, steal everyone’s wealthy by printing money to meet their deficit spending demands without raising taxes. (and they’ll claim it’s a “pro-growth policy, for your own good)
You are not allowed to print/create money to meet your personal deficit, and if you use the argument that you are helping the economy because it’s “pro growth” will will be laughed out of a Federal courtroom and immediately escorted to your jail cell.
People that I know in Colorado don’t buy legal pot. They say it’s too expensive (same price as it is in SC illegally) so locals still go the illegal route. The people I know just grow their own. The only ones buying the legal recreational pot are tourists.