Colorado and Washington Legalize pot.

[Poindexter]

While I wish common sense would win over politics, there is no way Obama will in anyway want to be associated with the legalization of pot. History will not be kind if wide spread marajuana use is the legacy of the first black President.

[Ken7]

I still have no idea how people think legalizing MJ will help.

If it is sold as alcohol in a store there will be a price and of course a percentage of THC. In saying that you won't be buying 100% pure BC bud in the liquor store in Washington it will be Government certified with of course fillers.

Now, if it were to cost $25.00 a quarter ounce just for argument sake. What if the local bike gang was producing BC bud and selling it for $20.00 a quarter, or for that matter $35.00 but it was the BC's best?

Is the daily user going to pay or be able to afford purchasing their drugs at the store? Is this going to stop organized gangs from growing it and exporting it in trade for other commodities? Will all sale on the streets in Canada going to stop?

Help me out, put some thought into this processes.

Currently what happens when you are search legally and the police find two joints in your cigarette package? You're not ran in finger printed and charged, if not what is the big issue about having it legalized?

[WhatThe]

I still have no idea how people think legalizing MJ will help.

If it is sold as alcohol in a store there will be a price and of course a percentage of THC. In saying that you won't be buying 100% pure BC bud in the liquor store in Washington it will be Government certified with of course fillers.

Now, if it were to cost $25.00 a quarter ounce just for argument sake. What if the local bike gang was producing BC bud and selling it for $20.00 a quarter, or for that matter $35.00 but it was the BC's best?

Is the daily user going to pay or be able to afford purchasing their drugs at the store? Is this going to stop organized gangs from growing it and exporting it in trade for other commodities? Will all sale on the streets in Canada going to stop?

Help me out, put some thought into this processes.

Currently what happens when you are search legally and the police find two joints in your cigarette package? You're not ran in finger printed and charged, if not what is the big issue about having it legalized?

Well for starters, I think anyone who actually has a real grasp of situtaion is not thinking at this point there is going to be packs of joints on the shelves with "duty paid" seals on them just yet. There is going to be a long appeals process. Furthermore this will not really do anything to OC at this point, 2 states only have done this. What our hope is (mine anyway) that a very loud message has been sent that stubborn adhesion to failed strategy and ideology is no longer acceptable and that new measures must be discussed and tried.

But to more answer your question, which I don't really have a lot of time to do basically falls into the why don't people grow their own veggies or brew their own beer? I think there are many smart and well educated people, in fact I know there are, that have already planned this stuff and know what's going to "work" and what won't. For example your assertion that govt produced will be full of "fillers" won't fly because of what you outlined. Would you buy beer at 2% ? Same reason that cigarettes are highly taxed but not so high that it encourages smuggling.

[theyeti]

lots of tobacco smuggling going on ! tons and tons and tons of it .. huge market huge profits

[Glacier]

Same reason that cigarettes are highly taxed but not so high that it encourages smuggling.

This is not entirely true because any amount of tax encourages smuggling to one degree or another. Taxes are set to maximize revenue. Lowering them would reduce smuggling, but would decrease government revenues at the same time. Raising them would increase smuggling to the point that revenues would take a hit.

[Woodenhead]

you won't be buying 100% pure BC bud in the liquor store in Washington it will be Government certified with of course fillers.

Ummm, it doesn't work like that. Think of it like this: "you won't be buying 100% carrots because they'll have fillers" They would sell by variety, and the THC content is directly linked to variety. That said, I don't think they'd be selling it quite like that anyways, at least not at first. And if/when they did, I can guarantee you that if "the guv" is indeed selling a watered-down product, those who want better will grow their own, or someone else will start up their own shop. (you know, like all those small beer microbrews) It won't be a problem at all. Growing your own is much easier than brewing your own, trust me. ;)

Decriminalization/legalization is the way forward. Portugal got it right. "In the five years after decriminalisation, Portugal's drug problems had improved in every measured way. Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success." Any policy reformers should take a close look at how they did it. *the quote is from Time magazine, IIRC

[ole smelly]

Some fart in Rip Bum won 25 million and now wants to use it to help legaliize pot?? I call that Schiffer for brains.