The Black Market Is Not All Bad

[boulder]

MARIJUANA STATE

 

The Marijuana Market Is Currently Innovative, Competitive, Efficient And Free. Decriminalizing It Will Make It An Overregulated Government Oligopoly.

 

Decriminalizing marijuana will mean taking a currently unregulated -- if illegal -- activity that has developed a sophisticated supply chain and inexorably bringing it under the ambit of the post-modern administrative state. Government means, at minimum, taxation. Revenue Canada will scoop each economic gain, and then some, won by gradually erasing the risk premium associated with the criminal marijuana industry. Look at the tax rate on tobacco, alcohol or gasoline.

 

Once cannabis is just another state-regulated product, government will insist on being wholesaler, distributor and ( except in Alberta and maybe Quebec ) retailer. Manufacture will gravitate to big companies, those with the best government contacts and expertise at navigating federal regulation. These could well be the big tobacco companies themselves. Of course, they still won't be allowed to sponsor major events, like horseracing or snooker.

[Dr Doug]

One of the problems with keeping it illegal is it gives money to terrorists organisations,rebel armies and crimminals. A broke terrorist can be a danger but if he has a lot of money backing him it can mean him getting c4 instead of making a homemade bomb that will hopefuly blow him up while he is making it.

[Green Finned Demon]

Putting petrol in your car funds terrorists too. Cynics might also say that depending on the drug you may be funding the newly installed Afghanistan govt or even the CIA.

[Dr Doug]

It also gives power to crimminals who then get the opinion that are god almighty because they have a few dollars from selling drugs. One backlash I personaly am hoping comes out of 911 will be the introduction of alternative fuels. I saw a program soon after about Greenland that described how the hydrogen that naturaly ocurred there could be used to fuel the vehicles used there. In about 15 years petrol may not be used there at all. Could also result in the encouragement of the use of hemp to make ethanol. I would much rather fund the newly installed Afghanistan govt or the CIA over bin laden. They aint perfect (CIA with Vietnam for example) but they aint putting bombs in nightclubs in Bali.

[oldhippie]

Here in "Yankee Land"

 

I found an ad in the Free Press . But it's a parody on those fucked up drug/terrorist ads. It has a housewife sitting down looking at you, and the caption reads, "Today I filled my tank, took the kids to soccer, and blew up a falafel stand. If you use oil, you may be supporting terrorists." Now how's that for in your face advertising. Three cheers to the Free Press

[Tom]

I found an ad in the Free Press . But it's a parody on those fucked up drug/terrorist ads. It has a housewife sitting down looking at you, and the caption reads, "Today I filled my tank, took the kids to soccer, and blew up a falafel stand. If you use oil, you may be supporting terrorists." Now how's that for in your face advertising. Three cheers to the Free Press

 

Yeah, without it we would only know what the politicians want us to, the main paper for my area (The Advocate) is known to be one of the most biased in Australia, they didn't even print one word about the UK cannabis reforms and haven't mentioned what's going on in Canada either.

 

Another three cheers for the Free Press.

 

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