We all know prohibition never works in this country. People who always say "think of the children" aren't really "thinking of the children." The current drug regulations and policies made one thing clear; we are failing miserably. We already consume more illegal narcotics than any other country in the world. I'm not saying legalizing mar1juana is the right step but something needs to be done to reform our drug policies.
mar1juana is technically still illegal in the Netherlands, so I doubt any public company or any type of company will grow the stuff.
This is the truth. mar1juana, while technically illegal in Holland, is tolerated in the "coffee shops" that are spread throughout the country. One of the biggest problems with their system is that they do not have a regulated structure for cultivation, so the supply still comes from the black market.
Nancy wouldn't be able to support her family by slangin' weed anymore. Which begins her move into the crack game. Or she could move out of Cali, lets say to somewhere like, Houston. Where weed is not legal and she could still make a living. Kind of like what real Cali dealers are doing right now. Just medical mar1juana alone is already forcing dealers to move out and start their "business" in places like Houston.
The mar1juana from coffee shops come from the shop owners themselves. So if mar1juana is tolerated in those coffee shops, is the suppy still coming from the black market?
From what I understand, the coffee shops purchase their wares from growers. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that there would have to be a massive cultivation going on to supply even a single coffee shop with their inventory. Do all of the coffee shops have the space to have such a large grow-op going?
lol, this is an illegal trade, there are not going to be links or studies on this happening. I have a few friends that own hydroponic stores and they have told me about some of their customers that moved down here from Cali to restart their business over here. Pretty much for the same reasons I mentioned in the earlier post. From a business perspective, its a smart move. There is no goverment controller mar1juana here and the lower cost of living compared to California is also a plus. Not to mention that the market for mar1juana is obviously big. In fact, mar1juana is actually cheaper in California than it is in Houston right now. The quality of product isn't even comparable. You can get cheaper and better weed in California (excluding the medical stuff). But for the folks coming over from Cali, they'll have a chance to make more money in Houston.
IOW, the regulated market in Cali has forced drug dealers out of business. Exactly the intended effect! I can't wait until it happens nationwide. It is long past time to take this funding source out of the hands of criminal organizations.
The majority of the coffee shops grow themselves. Compare it to any normal bakery. Each store will sell their own products like different pasteries, bread, drinks, ect. Well, with mar1juana, its the same thing. There are so many different strains of mar1juana you can grow. You also throw in the variety of mar1juana baked goods like brownies, choclate bars, and cakes that the shops also sell. So you may go to Shop A because their the only ones with the OG Blueberry Yum Yum Kush and you go to Store B for their Space Cakes. Like I said, its just like a bakery, but with weed.
If it were made legal, I'd probably do it from time to time. But what makes me stay from the stuff is the seediness of having to buy it from some loser on a street corner or in some barrio. I did that in high school, and to me pot is essentially a high school drug.
You're a short sighted bleeding heart liberal to the very end; you're akin to the corporate worlds "company man" as to the government. The "intended effect" has put the illegal/underground economy of business entrepreneurs out of business. Do you really think, Mikey, your local pot dealer up the street, is part of some major drug cartel? The only difference between him and the guy selling hotdogs out of a stand next to his corner is he's selling an illegal product and not paying taxes. I'll reassure you that none of the criminal organizations have gone away. The ONLY reason why mar1juana should be legal is because its a personal right. Quit throwing your hands up in victory at every lame excuse to legalize pot. If it ever does become legal, it will be because the politicians will be taking campaign donations from the legal thugs who stand to profit. To be honest, i'd rather it go to the criminal organizations ... at least they are not the ones who own our government.
The same place where all black market organizations make their money from; their distributors/dealers. As stated, those in cali are moving to other states. The black market economy exists for the same reason any other marketable good exists ... supply and demand. Just as the vast majority of CEO's and board members don't give a crap about their product as long as its giving the highest rate of return for that product.
Ah, but the liberal/socialists do not care about personal rights or liberty. The "control and tax" aspect of it is much, much more appealing to them. They are on the right track.
The best arguments to end the drug war have been made by conservatives, IMO. Look up William F. Buckley's 1996 article in The National Review. That is a fantastic essay written by one of the most eminent conservative writers of my time. Ultimately, yes. One way or another, the pot dealer has to get his wares and unless you are talking about very high quality, locally grown hydro, the profits get back to criminal organizations. Especially if you are talking about Texas, the majority of the low-end pot is from Mexico and those profits go to some of the most notorious cartels in existence today. And the criminal organizations will not "go away" even if all drugs, gambling, and prostitution are regulated. However, they will find themselves far less important and relevant as their revenue streams dry up, as they did after alcohol prohibition ended. I disagree. There are a lot of reasons that pot should be regulated. Personal rights are the biggest, but tax revenues, product quality, reduction of sales to minors, and removal of profits from criminal organizations shore up the legitimacy of the argument. Add to these reasons things like industrial hemp, urban communities' relationships with the police, racial disparities in drug war enforcement, and the cost of enforcing prohibition and you have a policy (the drug war) that cannot be reasonably defended as effective or necessary. I have not yet thrown my hands up in victory as there has not been a victory in this country yet. I throw up my hands in exasperation that there are still people in America who support one of the worst policy positions in our country's history. This may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that ending prohibition is the right thing to do. I would rather entrust the distribution of potentially dangerous, addictive mind changing chemicals to legitimate businesspeople who, through strong regulation, will provide a product of known strength and purity only to adults who meet the purchasing criteria that we decide on. Criminals will provide drugs to kids. Legitimate businesspeople will, by and large, not.
