Will Nevada be the American Netherlands?
In Nevada this election year there is a very important measure (Question 7) about the legalization of marijuana for possession, use and sale. Even the Nevada churches are backing Question 7, which asks state voters to allow adults age 21 or older to possess, use and transfer up to one ounce of marijuana; the measure also calls for the state to set up a system for regulating growth and sales of the drug and raises penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Maybe the Nevadan voters will finally realize the futility and utter stupidity of marijuana prohibition and pass this measure, but I don't really see it happening. The last legalization measure in Nevada failed with a 37 percent (to legalize) to 63 percent (to NOT legalize) vote and the electorate hasn't changed much since then. So if religious leaders are supporting it, and the liberal left is supporting it, how can it fail?
First of all, the law enforcement agencies are still so misinformed that they will come out against it no matter what. Never mind the fact that legalizing marijuana will free up a lot of time, resources and money for the police to combat actual crime. They just care about maintaining the status quo of marijuana laws...which of course was set up by the US government in the 1930s to keep Mexicans from crossing the border in Texas. From the people who are against the measure ( http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20061015/OPINION/110150109 ), they claim that marijuana use would increase if legalized, but if they looked at facts they would understand that it is not true. The Netherlands has only seen minimal increases in the use of marijuana, and the flip side would be a decrease in the use of Alcohol. I know a whole lot of people who stopped drinking alcohol once they discovered the much safer and less damaging effects of marijuana. They also claim that pot is addictive...judging from the 3 former dealers I know from San Diego who were studying for the Bar exam, quitting marijuana is easier than quitting a job. Any user can stop for days, weeks or months and not suffer any withdrawal or physical cravings. The only addiction one can have to marijuana is psychological, which is about the same as my addiction to sugar, and they ain't making that illegal anytime soon.
What makes these people so blindly against legalization? Are they just too dumb to understand that legalizing something that is already easier to get than many legal treats (try to find me some authentic Belgian chocolate or a decent Falafel place, or even a Tamale cart in downtown San Diego) would only serve to get it off of the streets? If they made cigarettes illegal, they'd be easier for kids to buy because they'd be on the black market, sold by people who are thumbing their nose at the law. Well, the same goes for pot, if they made it legal it would end up behind the counter at 7-11 where only legal adults could buy it. Even with age restrictions, it's very easy to get alcohol as a teenager, but at least they have to work for it. Wouldn't putting pot in the hands of large corporations be beneficial to everyone? They'd pay taxes, they'd obey US law and would (likely) be required to have public service announcements to disclose the harms of marijuana.
Think about it from a fiscal point of view. Say that in Vegas they legalize the sale and use of weed, and say that it is taxed at a rate of 10% of the sale price (way lower than I'd put it, I'd have it more near 25%), meaning that for every $350 ounce the state would take in $35. Now imagine that of the 40,000,000 people who are likely to visit Vegas next year 5% of them purchase an ounce. That means that the state would take in $70,000,000, a VERY conservative number. That's not to include the 50,000 residents (again, very conservative estimate) who would purchase an ounce a month for about $1,750,000 of monthly tax revenue. Now I cannot imagine that the costs outweigh the benefits of legalization. But then again, rationality obviously does not rule, or else we wouldn't have legalized alcohol and illegal pot.
What will happen if it does actually pass? Will this finally bring about that change to US drug laws to separate marijuana from the much more dangerous Heroin, Cocaine, Crack and Meth? Or will the US government continue to fight the people and deny them the right to choose their own laws? We've already seen the choice of California voters attacked by overly-conservative legislators, even shutting down all medical marijuana clinics in San Diego and suing the state to repeal the law that the voters overwhelmingly passed. Considering all of the debauchery that already goes on in Nevada, wouldn't allowing a drug that calms people down be a good thing? Honestly walk around the Temple Bar district of Dublin or Bourbon Street in New Orleans if you want to see the effects of alcohol and all the fighting, sexual assault and disgusting acts (bodily functions mostly) that take place. Then take a trip to Amsterdam and see how many fights you come across...surprise surprise, none will happen outside of a coffeeshop. Potheads are too mellow to fight. So if this law passes, I can assure you that Vegas will remain the same party destination...except for the fact that it may replace Amsterdam as a pot tourist destination, and that can only help the economy. And in the end, isn't that what most voters care about?
First of all, the law enforcement agencies are still so misinformed that they will come out against it no matter what. Never mind the fact that legalizing marijuana will free up a lot of time, resources and money for the police to combat actual crime. They just care about maintaining the status quo of marijuana laws...which of course was set up by the US government in the 1930s to keep Mexicans from crossing the border in Texas. From the people who are against the measure ( http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20061015/OPINION/110150109 ), they claim that marijuana use would increase if legalized, but if they looked at facts they would understand that it is not true. The Netherlands has only seen minimal increases in the use of marijuana, and the flip side would be a decrease in the use of Alcohol. I know a whole lot of people who stopped drinking alcohol once they discovered the much safer and less damaging effects of marijuana. They also claim that pot is addictive...judging from the 3 former dealers I know from San Diego who were studying for the Bar exam, quitting marijuana is easier than quitting a job. Any user can stop for days, weeks or months and not suffer any withdrawal or physical cravings. The only addiction one can have to marijuana is psychological, which is about the same as my addiction to sugar, and they ain't making that illegal anytime soon.
What makes these people so blindly against legalization? Are they just too dumb to understand that legalizing something that is already easier to get than many legal treats (try to find me some authentic Belgian chocolate or a decent Falafel place, or even a Tamale cart in downtown San Diego) would only serve to get it off of the streets? If they made cigarettes illegal, they'd be easier for kids to buy because they'd be on the black market, sold by people who are thumbing their nose at the law. Well, the same goes for pot, if they made it legal it would end up behind the counter at 7-11 where only legal adults could buy it. Even with age restrictions, it's very easy to get alcohol as a teenager, but at least they have to work for it. Wouldn't putting pot in the hands of large corporations be beneficial to everyone? They'd pay taxes, they'd obey US law and would (likely) be required to have public service announcements to disclose the harms of marijuana.
Think about it from a fiscal point of view. Say that in Vegas they legalize the sale and use of weed, and say that it is taxed at a rate of 10% of the sale price (way lower than I'd put it, I'd have it more near 25%), meaning that for every $350 ounce the state would take in $35. Now imagine that of the 40,000,000 people who are likely to visit Vegas next year 5% of them purchase an ounce. That means that the state would take in $70,000,000, a VERY conservative number. That's not to include the 50,000 residents (again, very conservative estimate) who would purchase an ounce a month for about $1,750,000 of monthly tax revenue. Now I cannot imagine that the costs outweigh the benefits of legalization. But then again, rationality obviously does not rule, or else we wouldn't have legalized alcohol and illegal pot.
What will happen if it does actually pass? Will this finally bring about that change to US drug laws to separate marijuana from the much more dangerous Heroin, Cocaine, Crack and Meth? Or will the US government continue to fight the people and deny them the right to choose their own laws? We've already seen the choice of California voters attacked by overly-conservative legislators, even shutting down all medical marijuana clinics in San Diego and suing the state to repeal the law that the voters overwhelmingly passed. Considering all of the debauchery that already goes on in Nevada, wouldn't allowing a drug that calms people down be a good thing? Honestly walk around the Temple Bar district of Dublin or Bourbon Street in New Orleans if you want to see the effects of alcohol and all the fighting, sexual assault and disgusting acts (bodily functions mostly) that take place. Then take a trip to Amsterdam and see how many fights you come across...surprise surprise, none will happen outside of a coffeeshop. Potheads are too mellow to fight. So if this law passes, I can assure you that Vegas will remain the same party destination...except for the fact that it may replace Amsterdam as a pot tourist destination, and that can only help the economy. And in the end, isn't that what most voters care about?
posted by Dan Pasternack at 5:01 PM
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