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As California Goes?

Post on May 7, 2009 by 1 Comment »

CaliforniaCalifornia is looking at a massive budget hole over the next year, but Ahnuld has an innovation up his sleeve. The Times reports that the Governator wants to study legalizing and taxing marijuana growth and sales in a bid to raise revenues. If I were looking at a $20 billion shortfall, I’d be doing more smoking and a lot less studying. That’s one of the myriad reasons I’d make a crap governor. Nevertheless, Cali could raise as much as $1.34 billion a year in revenues from the controversial move.

I say, go for it. North Carolina should follow suit, double time, and at least look at the issue. We know we’ve got a bumper crop going in RTP, let’s extrapolate. More money for farmers and more money for the state. Perhaps we could dedicate a portion of the revenue to sensible drug treatment options. I know it’s lots of laughs to send them all to prison, but it might be cheaper to actually treat substance abusers than to incarcerate them. We might even reap the advantage of honesty about Mary Jane and her alleged attendant evils. What if we could prove that pot isn’t always a gateway drug? What if we stopped lying to kids about how they’re going to end up on heroin if they take so much as a bong hit? Wouldn’t that be better for everyone? I like the idea of telling my boys that they’ll be able to try it for themselves when they reach the legal age. Then I can also tell them quite honestly about other, more harmful drugs, and strongly urge them to stay away from those, knowing that they might be listening because I haven’t lied yet. How refreshing!

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Comments (Closed):1

  1. doug
    May 8, 2009 at 12:02 pm

    I agree wholeheartedly with outright legalization as well, but gee wiz… I would happy if NC would at least address and endorse medical marijuana. CA already takes in an enormous amount of tax revenue from medical marijuana(mmj), as does the fed’s BTW.

    Considering the overwhelming proof supporting the medicinal attributes of marijuana, as well as the proof supporting the non-toxic nature of this plant, I am amazed that North Carolina, a state that prides itself on it’s medical institution and education prowess has NOT passed medicinal marijuana laws. PhRMA and the pharmaceutical companies will, and are fighting medicinal marijuana legislation tooth and nail. Control of profit and proliferation of ignorance is dictating “patient quality of life”, that IS the stance of current NC law. This approach is “doing harm” to the sick and those suffering from chronic pain, both physically and financially, and it is doing harm to the economy. As a degenerative disk disease patient, I am very frustrated because idiological driven politicians are dictating the path of my health, and the health of others in a negative direction. These same folks are currently releasing murderers, rapists, child molesters, and a host of violent offenders to make room for a plant offender. This is NC’s current marijuana law and its wonderful success.

    Below is Irv Rosenfeld’s 2006 testimony to the State of Michigan re. his 24+yrs as a U.S.Gov mmj patient. His pot comes from the University of Mississippi.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvzX8aNwxgM

    Hopefully Mr. Rosenfeld’s testimony will encourage folks who use mj and only choose to see the recreational aspect of mj to realize that they are abusing someone’s medicine. 2. That this realization of responsibility will compel them to speak out to their NC representatives encouraging a positive vote for NC mmj in Nov. And 3. That the DEA’s hyperbole driven point of view is exposed for what it is….. lies.