An ounce of high grade pot can have a street value higher than an ounce of gold. Why not legalize and tax?
95932
I could not possibly agree more with you. People are so reluctant to legalize marijuana because it has such a bad reputation. Of course, it gets that reputation because it is illegal and people pass judgment on it based solely on that fact. If you stop looking at the actual legality of it and just think about it morally it is a vice no worse than many others that americans find perfectly acceptable. Anything can be abused. People abuse alcohol, cigarettes, fast food, gambling and countless things which are perfectly legal and socially acceptable, but somehow so many people think smoking weed is just wrong.\nI can hardly see how continuing to make it illegal will benefit anyone. It only allows drug dealers to set the standards of production/regulation etc. all the while evading taxes. Making it illegal probably does not really curtail the use of the drug either. Did prohibition curtail the use of alcohol? nope. did it increase crime? yes.\nLegalize it and regulate it. Everyone wins. The potheads won't have to worry about getting locked up. The government can make some more cash. And we won't continue to whaste our time prosecuting potheads and enforcing rediculous laws that combat marijuana use at the expense of taxpayer's dollars.\n\naside from these reasons, weed just isn't that bad. It is not physically addictive (as is alcohol/tobacco), it does not have the reputation of making people violent/abusive (as does alcohol), it is not as closely associated with recklessness (as is alcohol) and when was the last time you threw up or had a hangover from smoking some weed? never.\n\nLegalize it!!
1084926
I have theories, but they're just theories. Cigarettes and alcohol are legal because they bring big dollars to the government. And they are entirely too common. Marijuana legalized would bring big bucks too, but they would rather use it for keeping the prisons full. The towns that have prisons, typically the prison is their primary source of income. More prisoners equals more free labor, and more jobs within the prison for town residents.  There's also the race thing. Minorities are the ones caught with marijuana charges. After being imprisoned, they're lives are over. Possession of marijuana is grounds for denial of financial aid for college and for employment. Therefore usually after being released they are found doing the exact same thing all over again, or worse. And the cycle continues. There are deeper reasons why marijuana is kept illegal, your proof lies in the fact that cigarettes remain legal no matter what. Several cities are banning the indoor smoking in all public places because of the hazards of secondhand smoking but the thought of making it criminal to smoke at all never came up.
255195
I don't think it should be legal, we got enough potheads in America, although I think the punishment for possession should be less serious.
665554
The contributions that the alcohol and tobacco lobby give to government representatives could tell you one thing.  If the Hemp industry was controlled by a single multi-billion dollar conglomerate, there'd be more of a chance of it being legal.
401831
Well, that depends on what substances you are talking about.  Personally, I think that an adult should be allowed to engage in activities that are not harmful to anyone else and do not infringe on the rights of others.  Having said that, I do not necessarily believe that full legalization is the way to go.  In the case of marijuana, for instance, it is theorized that the price might actually increase if the government started regulating and taxing the sale of marijuana.  I think a more logical solution, at least in the case of marijuana, would be decriminalization.  The government would not regulate the industry; instead, they could monitor the sale of the plant to minors, insuring that everyone who chooses to buy marijuana is an adult(just like cigarettes).
827089
When it can be properly taxed. Right now there is no good way of taxing something you can grow rather easily.\n\nThis is honestly the 1 reason why it is illegal. Currently more $ is made with arrests & fines. If it was taxed properly as all sold goods are, more would be made that way.\n\nWhile some replies will look at this as insane, they would treat the question "When will they legalize alcohol" during prohibition.
1186988
No, not entirely.  However, a gold standard would eliminate a lot of the incentive to create the types of inflation we've seen in recent history.\n\nInflation comes when the money supply is expanded while the supply of goods and services holds constant.  You end up with more money chasing the same amount of goods, so prices expand upward.  That's the side of inflation we see.\n\nIn a fiat money economy like we have now, the government or the central bank can expand the money supply at will, and inflation can develop.  Since the government benefits from effectively printing up more money, there's a lot of incentive to inflate and disrupt people's lives.\n\nOn the other hand, a gold-standard economy leaves far less room for government or central bank manipulation, and therefore inflation would seem less likely.  On the other hand, there were cases of inflation during times like the California Gold Rush, when lots of new gold came onto the market.  On balance, however, I'm still inclined to think that the gold standard would be more dependable than putting my faith in government bureaucrats to stabilize my money.
280947
Its not cheap but gold is very bullish right now. Im guessing it will hit $1600 an ounce by the end of the decade
1148721
to tax on it of course. The government should just make drugs legal (not all but some). Cuz we all know that when something is made illegal it's wanted more!!! If the government makes it legal that would put drug dealers out of business and they can tax on it. Also if it is available maybe it wont be wanted as much!!
211835
Mostly, this is a bit of poetic license by the author of the song.\n\nHowever, it is founded in how you go about refining gold ore.\n\nWhen you're refining or working gold, the more pure the gold, the more desirable.  This is expressed in the karet figure - 10k, 18k, 24k, for instance.  \n\nSo, presumably, if it is God refining the gold, it will be as pure as it possibly can be, and therefore of the highest value.
897290
Because it is relatively rare and costly to extract.\nIt is also an attractive color, so people would crave it as it appears unalterable (gold resist most acids and oxidation).
500750
It's not legal because it can't be regulated by the government, because it's generally regarded as a gateway drug (one that leads to other, more dangerous drug use), and because, since it hasn't always been legal like in some European countries, legalizing it would not only lead to a massive initial interest in it-- which would lead to increased health care costs (don't front; it damages respiratory systems and impairs judgment) and decrease labor quality-- and all those drug dealers who sold weed would need to find something else to do, and my guess is it wouldn't be a legit job-- so it'd also cause a spike in crime; probably gun sale, or increased trafficking in worse narcotics.\n\nIt's a dumb f--king idea.
324204
None and you are better of for it. can you imagine what it would cost if the government had their greedy little hands into the reefer jar.
1132225
At one time a lot of years ago, the federal government attempted to put a cap on price increases and such.  It was a disaster.  So the law was left to be ignored.  So the end of the story is that there really is not federal regulation regarding marking up prices or on the profit that anyone can make.  These items are not part of the constitution either.  In various states, however, there are laws against price gouging.  That means when there is a catastrophy, like the hurricane, someone cannot deliberately mark up an item that people need, just to make a ridiculous profit.
220652
The only thing I can imagine you're talking about is pot, and no you can't take that to another state. In fact, you can't really have it in the state you're in, because it is against federal law.
1172319
I have never, never seen a marijuana overdose come into an ER I have worked. Alcohol and tobacco are a major reason I have a job........................But they are taxed aren't they? Either stop all alcohol and tobacco or legalize marijuana. Tax marijuana sales and put the money towards medicare and ethanol production. That may take a chunk out of oil profits and we can have that?
880018
Well, stores can charge what they like--if people pay it, then it isn't exorbitant or anything.  Prices are usually based on what the market will bear.\n\nBut often, communities have "sin taxes" levied on items like alcohol and tobacco products.  Usually, a community will need some money for something or other, and rather than raise sales tax in general, they might raise taxes on a certain item like alcohol and tobacco because they know people are addicted to them and they'll pay quite a bit for them.  \n\nIn my area, several counties and towns are "dry", meaning they don't sell alcohol at all, or they only sell beer (no liquor) or they only sell beer in stores (but not by-the-glass at bars or restaurants.)  Three or four of them are voting on whether or not to stay dry or change their alcohol-selling rules.  Your town might have enacted some kind of sin tax--it's often legislature that rules the price of vice items.