Legality of cannabis

TylerH

Sin taxes, when used correctly, are reasonable, I believe. By "correctly," I mean that the tax is determined in an actuarial way to correspond to the exact cost of each unit of the "sin" and that the money is used to pay the exact expenditure created by the sin. For example, with tobacco, the tax should be exactly how much it costs to pay for the medical costs created by smoking whatever amount I buy and the money should go to public healthcare, but that's not generally what is done with tobacco taxes.

My argument against a sin tax on cannabis isn't a philosophical one; it's a practical one that is based in the reality of how the tax is actually going to be used. As a cannabis user, I shouldn't have to pay for all the random crap that the government wants to spend on but can't find another way to pay for. I'm totally okay with paying the extra healthcare bills I may cause, but that's not what I'll actually be paying.

Ryan_m_b

I'd argue it has to go beyond medical expenses because there are very real social expenses. The number escapes me right now but last year I read an article outlining how much money alcohol costs every week in the UK in terms of; vandalism (broken street furniture, shop windows etc), mess (litter, vomit, urine), extra policing etc.

Hobin

To be fair, vandalism isn't only caused by alcohol, per se. When I'm drunk, I don't start breaking things.

Ryan_m_b

I know it isn't directly caused but look out on the average town centre on a Friday night, somewhere you are bound to find people acting this way. If there wasn't such prolific drinking they wouldn't be doing that.

Hobin

I agree that there's a strong correlation, which could perhaps be lessened if people drunk just as much alcohol but were raised in different ways. I was just being pedantic.

zoobyshoe

Here's the tunnel story:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/02/2...n-tijuana.html

I live in San Diego, so this smuggling method is often in the local news.

There's also smuggling by boat from Mexico to various points on the California coast:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?se...les&id=8635362

Smaller amounts are probably also brought across traditionally, by hiding them in vehicles crossing the border, and I would assume they've tried every variation of flying it across in small planes.

Ivan Seeking

Ironically, alcohol is probably the biggest offender when it comes to these sorts of problems. There is no reason to believe legalized cannibis or even most other drugs would have the same consequences. If you want to make people aggressive, violent, and destuctive, give them booze. If you want them buying munchies at the 7-11, give them pot.

Ivan Seeking

Why? I suspect your opinion is based purely on a moral judgment. But from a practical point of view, is it really worth destroying the inner cities, making criminals out of children, and destroying people's lives as the price for human nature, in order to preserve some lofty, idealized version of how we should be?

turbo

If you want to make people aggressive, serve them rum and coke with real caffeinated cola, Irish coffee, etc. I spent a lot of time playing in bars, and the barmaids/barmen kept a close eye on people drinking those concoctions. Their philosophy was "The only thing more dangerous than a drunk is a wide-awake drunk."

nitsuj

Well said,

And it's not just people,
Deer are a particular "pest" for some outdoor gardeners. Particularly when the flowers are just right, deer seem to become a problem. That tells me it is not just because they enjoy the "food" in their stomach.

Maybe it helps them relax, they're so "jumpy".

lol just joking they do eat it, but I think it is unlikely the thc is metabolized.

nitsuj

Wow that actually sounds dangerous from a health perspective. Bet there aren't too many over 40yr doing that.

TylerH

That's a good point, but I'd still argue that the tax should be determined based on the total cost (healthcare, police, vandalism, etc.) and that the tax collected should be distributed proportionally to the correct departments (healthcare, police, whoever fixes vandalism, etc.).

I know it would be hard to determine, but it is possible. The lack of statistical information and understanding should never be an excuse for a baseless tax rate.

TylerH

Exactly! The stimulus to the food industry alone will be enough to fix the economy if pot is legalized. Although, it will increase obesity significantly. I gained 4 pounds in one weekend once... (Not permanently, thought. I lost it the following 2 weeks.) What can I say? There was just too much junk food sitting around the house.

nitsuj

lol, it's hard to stretch out monthly annuities properly. just kidding

nitsuj

Oh no!!

Reefer Madness Flashbacks!!!

Apparently the generic term "tar" equates to cancer risk. 20 times the tar, is 20 times the cancer risk.

That and other fascinating derivations possible from this BBC article.

BBC ARTICLE HERE

Pythagorean

Oh wow, it's linear too? How convenient!

Some Slacker

Quantify the level of intoxication, in real time, problem solved!