Taxing And Regulating Cannabis Could Yield $14 Billion In.............

Annual Savings And Revenue, Study Says


Boston, MA: Enforcing state and federal marijuana laws costs
taxpayers an estimated $7.7 billion annually, according to a report
released this week by visiting Harvard University economics professor,
Jeffrey Miron, and endorsed by more than 500 economists.
The report, entitled "Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition
in the United States," estimates that legalizing marijuana would save
state and local governments $5.3 billion annually, while saving the
federal government $2.4 billion. A previous analysis of marijuana arrest
expenditures published by the NORML Foundation in March estimated that
enforcing marijuana prohibition, primarily at the state level, costs
approximately $7.6 billion per year.
Miron's report also estimates that legalizing cannabis would yield
$6.2 billion in annual revenue if it were taxed at rates comparable to
those imposed upon alcohol and tobacco.
"We ... urge the country to commence an open and honest debate about
marijuana prohibition," states an open letter accompanying the report,
signed by over 500 economists, including Stanford University's Milton
Friedman. "We believe such a debate will favor a regime in which
marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods. At a
minimum, this debate will force advocates of current policy to show that
prohibition has benefits sufficient to justify the cost to taxpayers,
foregone tax revenues, and numerous ancillary consequences that result
from marijuana prohibition." A previous survey published in the April 2004
issue of the journal Econ Journal Watch found that most US economists
believe that current drug prohibition strategies are ineffective and favor
liberalizing American drug policies.

 

Damn right...it will save our government so much money that can go to uses are actually important. I hope to god this shit is finally legalized in my lifetime, it only takes the country to realize marijuana's current state as illegal only hurts the countries economy, and pot smokers are not crack whores, maby only then a push for legalization by the masses will occur.

 

Back in the early 80's, the GAO issued a report recomending the repeal of weed laws because they were economic disasters.

The Regan adminastration chose to diregard the report.

Don't think Bush will do less.

 

14 billion is nothing.

 

Either way its 14billion being wasted.

 

Well, shit, if you don't want it, I'll take it! haha

Seriously though, does that include the fact that they spend about 10 billion (combined from each state, plus federal) on marijuana prohibition alone? Because legalizing would delete that, so we'd really be making 24 billion, in that sense.

 

i think he was taking that into account with his calculations

 

I was reading about this in my economic class. Alcohol, ciggerettes, and gambling are coined demerit good, and it means they are taxed heavily. If marijuana was legalized and regulated by the government, it would be taxed so badly, but in turn would indeed rake in, evidently 14 billion dollars. Even though the gov't wastes trillions per year on war, 14 bil a year is still nothing to be laughed at. Personally I still think it will never happen in my lifetime.

 

I've said this before, and I'll say it again-

The legalization, regulation, and taxation of weed will not eliminate the Marijuana Underground, and is therefore not a reasonable political priority.

It ain't happening.

NO ONE, ANYWHERE, has EVER expounded on a viable legalization scheme that is desirable, politically, socially, and "moraly" (whatever "morality" means). Nor has a tax system been suggested that would cause financial ruin for the Cannabis blackmarket.

Weed isn't alcohol or tobbacco. Guys like me can grow it better and cheaper than any goverment regulated, profit oriented industry ever could.

Anybody who thinks I'm wacked- well, just set up your suggestions and I'll play the devil's advocate and knock 'em down.

Don't get me wrong. I wish it was legal (and UN-taxed, with only the barest possible regulatory control). But if you can't convince me- what chance have you got with all the little bushies out there?

 

I bet that you could make a damn fine beer too. Nonetheless, Budweiser has replaced local breweries. Its not the quality of your product, its what the consumer will buy. (That's not the same as "what the consumer wants".)

 

What the consumers will by, is better, cheaper weed.

1st Fallacy-
Brewing beer, (or growing and processing tobbacco), are far, far more time consuming and expensive then growing weed. If you want to provide a regular supply of beer for three or four drinkers, you'd better prepare to spent many thousands of dollars on brewing equipment and many long hours working at it.

On the other hand, the sun shines for free, fertilizer is cheap (or for the picking up), and I could supply everyone at Hipplanet out of my back yard. And the cost? Literally, a few dollars a pound.

So it would still be nessacary for some type of marijuana police.

 

1) tobbacco is no harder to grow then weed. Don't forget rollin papers and pipes are intended for tobbacco anyway, so there isn't really a diffence in "processing"...

2) ever heard of moonshine, ya know the stuff hillbillies are famous for making. It cant be too expensive to do since it is charectorized as being done by some fairly impovrished people.

niether thing is too expensive or time consuming to do, but people are too lazy or dont have time to do it themselves

 

I think the packaging and distributing costs will be more than you think. I hope that you get the opportunity to find out if you can compete in an open marijuana market.

 

tobacco isnt grown...it's genetically engineered.

the united states tobacco industry probably puts over 1 billion a fucking month [maybe even a day] towards the us goverment, so why the hell even bother with weed?

they need somthing to fight in their "war on drugs" and legallizing weed would be like a shotgun blast to the gut for that war.

 

How about they start a war on drugs that are actually somewhat dangerious? Or better yet, stop all this nonsence and let people do what they want. Its such bullshit how we call this country "the land of the free" yet the government controls what we consume. Its our business if we want to hurt ourselves, not the government's.

 

hippin life:
1) tobbacco is no harder to grow then weed. Don't forget rollin papers and pipes are intended for tobbacco anyway, so there isn't really a diffence in "processing"...

WRONG. I've grown them both. I challenge you to do the same. From what knowledge do you speak?

And cureing tobbacco isn't as simple as throwing it in a jar. Can you build a flue?

2) ever heard of moonshine, ya know the stuff hillbillies are famous for making. It cant be too expensive to do since it is charectorized as being done by some fairly impovrished people.

Drank it many times.
Brewed beer, too.

They are time consumong and require suitable equipment and skill- least you blind you costomers with methanol.

You are talking through your hat, child- mistaking your opinion for reality.

Now at least do a little research. You can bet I've done mine.

 

Who said anything about an "open market"?

"Taxing and Regulating..."

The only way to take the crime out of weed IS an open market.

But that's not what's being promoted here.

"Taxing and Regulating..." is NOT a synonom for "Open Market"!

 

Moonshine might be a good example of what 'taxing and regulating' could lead to. It's not like one can wander to the local liquor store with the latest batch and ask them to sell it for you. Cops will be there ten minutes later even though it is alcohol and alcohol is legal, it's reserved for the big corps to sell, not you and me. So, legalizing it(pot), turning it into a luxury commodity could go that way. As with just about everything that's legislated, they'd lean towards big buisiness interests.

... and no moonshine isn't as simple as it sounds. I know some long time moonshiners that make some badasssss moonshine but it's not easy. geckopelli is absolutely right in that you could seriously mess somebody up by doing it wrong.

I admit, I'm on the fence on legalize vs decrim depending on how the legislation would be framed. If it's leaned towards stomping down small buisiness,giving big buis all the chips, then hell no, if it can ever pass where small buis can compete just as fairly then sure.

.... but hey a boy can dream right?

 

My mistake.