re: Legalize marijuana use the taxes for the budget

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How much tax money did Colorado make for their school system in the first year? 100 million?

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Googling, it looked like year 1 was 44M.

Year 2 looks like it was trending toward 100-120M (didn't see any official figures).

I think part of the issue is the fiscal year in Colorado ends in June.

Needless to say it wasn't 1 Billion...but it is significant. I can't really make a good argument for not decriminalizing it.

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There are private businesses and universities that will terminate someone, of legal age, for drinking on their own time.

Those places obviously suck a big fat choad, but that is their right.

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That's crazy..It must be Colorado Constitution only thing. Because in the Coates v Colorado court case, that was their rationale for suing the state. A guy got fired using medical marijuana, and (apparently in Colorado) You can't fire someone for lawful activities while not working. But since medical marijuana is still illegal federally, they lost to the state.

It was sickening how little consideration was given to Honores Bill. If I recall, the bill wouldn't have legalized it. It would've done the crazy thing of letting voters decide. The conservative leaders couldn't have the people govern themselves, no way. Gotta have that big daddy government.

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moneyg

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They did have a billion dollars in sales. The marijuana tax revenue was over $100 million (it's a 20+% tax). There's been several links posted about this indisputable fact.

Of course, the hundred million in marijuana tax is out the marijuana tax. . That didn't include income taxes from industry employees (which were paying zero taxes before) or businesses.

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It was sickening how little consideration was given to Honores Bill. If I recall, the bill wouldn't have legalized it. It would've done the crazy thing of letting voters decide. The conservative leaders couldn't have the people govern themselves, no way. Gotta have that big daddy government.

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That is correct - it would have put a proposal on the November ballot for each parish to vote on. Since we have no ballot petition by signature collection in LA, that's the only way it's ever going to have a shot.

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Yes - that is the reason. I believe the only way random screening goes away is if a marijuana intoxication spot test is created, or if federal legalization becomes a reality.

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The marijuana breathalyzer has been the works for a while now. This company claims there's is ready for law enforcement use.

LINK

No clue as to the effectiveness. But I know the state gave a 250k Grant to a Wheat Ridge lab to develop a breathalyzer.

Federal legalization will happen. But by then, Louisiana will have missed a huge revenue opportunity to beige the first legal southern state. Beyond the sales themselves, the increased tourism revenues would be tremendous.

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Large personal amounts is still cheaper on the street.

I get my ounces from a friend and mix in some state recreational bud.

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Probably so, but that's the most I've spent. I usually pay $100-125 for an ounce. I've heard many hippies in Boulder tell stories about how "back when weed was worth something, I used to...". I have met a couple illegal growers, and white the quality was superb, the price was higher than medical, but cheaper than REC.

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There are two kinds of people who oppose legalizing marijuana: (1) those who are opposed to it on moral/religious grounds and (2) those who profit from keeping it illegal.

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This. California would've been the first to legalize it, but the growers and sellers killed that legislation.

Although you did leave out a group in favor of prohibition. People over 70. They are the Reefer Madness generation, and believe that it will cause a major decline in society, similar to the Chinese opium epidemic. And that group votes. Once they are replaced entirely by the baby boomers, it'll be legal.

Here's a video I found on YouTube showing what it's like to buy weed in Colorado. The employees are a little weirded out by the camera, but it's a pretty good representation of the way it works.

Buying some legal weed

To me, it's much better than meeting someone in a parking lot, it other sketchy situations I've been around to try to buy a bag. Not to forget, hurting the black market makes it tougher for kids to buy weed.

My first connections came from taco bell employees near my house at 15. They didn't card or care about my age. And Notre that I'm older, I wish I didn't have that kind of access as a kid. High school, it got even easier to find drugs. Where I grew up, Florida, it was much easier to get drugs than alcohol in high school. Regulating it correctly will make it harder for children to have access.

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Private businesses should still have the right to dictate what their employees can do, within labor laws of course.

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It's kind of crazy when you think about it. Your employer can make a set of rules of what you can and can not do in your own free time. I get it, you're just as free to quite or not work there in the first place. It's still hard thing to rationalize.

What's crazier is you can go out on Friday night and do all the booze and coke you want until the sun comes up and still pass a drug test, but if you smoke a J you will piss hot come Monday morning.

Sad reality we live in.