Comments on: Sweetening the Pot: A Tax on Marijuana? http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/ Paying taxes is painful... but reading about them shouldn't be. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:55:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Just Say No: Pot Not Allowed as Medical Expense | taxgirl http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-18286 Just Say No: Pot Not Allowed as Medical Expense | taxgirl Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:27:41 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-18286 [...] raises all kinds of questions. State and local officials have been struggling for some time with whether to tax marijuana. In a tight economy, most states are inclined to take all of the revenue they can get though the [...] [...] raises all kinds of questions. State and local officials have been struggling for some time with whether to tax marijuana. In a tight economy, most states are inclined to take all of the revenue they can get though the [...]

]]> By: Top 5 Ways to Pay for Healthcare – According 2 Mark http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-16459 Top 5 Ways to Pay for Healthcare – According 2 Mark Tue, 18 May 2010 23:08:36 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-16459 [...] Tax the potheads:  Estimated to raise between $1B – $10B in California alone.  And up to $110B [...] [...] Tax the potheads:  Estimated to raise between $1B – $10B in California alone.  And up to $110B [...]

]]> By: Top 5 Ways to Pay for Healthcare | According 2 Mark http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-11061 Top 5 Ways to Pay for Healthcare | According 2 Mark Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:52:56 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-11061 [...] Tax the potheads:  Estimated to raise between $1B – $10B in California alone.  And up to $110B [...] [...] Tax the potheads:  Estimated to raise between $1B – $10B in California alone.  And up to $110B [...]

]]> By: P. Davis http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9280 P. Davis Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:46:28 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9280 ABSOLUTELY tax the weed here in California! LEGALIZE an ounce and TAX the stuff, for Heaven'sake! It's been around since the 40's and any one can grow the stuff - let the state earn MUCH NEEDED income and legalize ounce of it and tax it. Geez, we tax cigarettes, booze - ALL vices should be taxed for income purposes. I really thought this was a no-brainer. ABSOLUTELY tax the weed here in California! LEGALIZE an ounce and TAX the stuff, for Heaven’sake! It’s been around since the 40′s and any one can grow the stuff – let the state earn MUCH NEEDED income and legalize ounce of it and tax it. Geez, we tax cigarettes, booze – ALL vices should be taxed for income purposes.

I really thought this was a no-brainer.

]]> By: Jane http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9164 Jane Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:00:44 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9164 I could really care less about whether or not Uncle Sam can make a buck on it; it is just the right thing to do; but we all know money could be saved by eliminating marijuana prohibition and gains could be made by taxing and regulating the crop. It is a win win situation for a nation that is hurting. I could really care less about whether or not Uncle Sam can make a buck on it; it is just the right thing to do; but we all know money could be saved by eliminating marijuana prohibition and gains could be made by taxing and regulating the crop. It is a win win situation for a nation that is hurting.

]]> By: garagefather http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9139 garagefather Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:49:29 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9139 The war on drugs has been a fabulous waste of money and resources. After billions spent trying to stop drug use, they are no further along than when they started. The problem is that drug use is a victimless crime. The perpetrator and the victim are the same person. The act of using drugs, in itself, harms only the user. That is why drug use can never be controlled, let alone be stopped. Many arguments have been made about the related criminal activity associated with drugs but we have created most of the problems associated with drugs by creating laws to prohibit their sale and use. Hard drugs like crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and heroin are generally at the center of violent drug related crime, not pot. These hard drugs cannot even be put into the same universe as pot. The only comparison that can be made is their prohibition. It is easier to compare alcohol to hard drugs than it is to compare pot to hard drugs. Alcohol is addictive, users can overdose, and alcohol use tends to cause more violence between people than pot. All you have to do is to go to a bar a couple of weekends and you will see some sort of violence from drunk people behaving badly. Our society tolerates alcohol consumption and the ills associated with it because most citizens use alcohol responsibly. In a free society, we cannot prohibit activities just because some people cannot behave properly. If we punished everyone for the bad decisions or misbehavior of a few, we would have to make driving, procreation, buying houses, using credit cards, and many other things illegal. We all know that a certain percentage of citizens cannot behave properly for whatever reason. Does that mean that we have to make these things illegal for everyone? I think not. In psychology 101, I was taught that there was no known lethal dose of marijuana. Try that with alcohol. I was also taught that marijuana lacks the proper chemistry to be physically addictive. We all know that alcohol can be very physically addictive. I have learned through life experience that alcohol makes a certain segment of society violent. Have you ever heard a news story about a pot smoker getting high and beating his wife and kids in a fit of rage? You most likely have with alcohol. Given the ills we tolerate in order to allow responsible citizens their freedom to imbibe adult beverages, it seems inconsistent that we would make pot illegal. A plant that God put here on earth that requires no processing or special chemistry to make. It's manufacture is no more insidious than growing tomatoes. For those reasons alone, pot should be legalized. I could really care less about whether or not Uncle Sam can make a buck on it; it is just the right thing to do; but we all know money could be saved by eliminating marijuana prohibition and gains could be made by taxing and regulating the crop. It is a win win situation for a nation that is hurting. The war on drugs has been a fabulous waste of money and resources. After billions spent trying to stop drug use, they are no further along than when they started.
The problem is that drug use is a victimless crime. The perpetrator and the victim are the same person. The act of using drugs, in itself, harms only the user. That is why drug use can never be controlled, let alone be stopped.
Many arguments have been made about the related criminal activity associated with drugs but we have created most of the problems associated with drugs by creating laws to prohibit their sale and use. Hard drugs like crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and heroin are generally at the center of violent drug related crime, not pot. These hard drugs cannot even be put into the same universe as pot. The only comparison that can be made is their prohibition. It is easier to compare alcohol to hard drugs than it is to compare pot to hard drugs. Alcohol is addictive, users can overdose, and alcohol use tends to cause more violence between people than pot. All you have to do is to go to a bar a couple of weekends and you will see some sort of violence from drunk people behaving badly.
Our society tolerates alcohol consumption and the ills associated with it because most citizens use alcohol responsibly. In a free society, we cannot prohibit activities just because some people cannot behave properly. If we punished everyone for the bad decisions or misbehavior of a few, we would have to make driving, procreation, buying houses, using credit cards, and many other things illegal. We all know that a certain percentage of citizens cannot behave properly for whatever reason. Does that mean that we have to make these things illegal for everyone? I think not.
In psychology 101, I was taught that there was no known lethal dose of marijuana. Try that with alcohol. I was also taught that marijuana lacks the proper chemistry to be physically addictive. We all know that alcohol can be very physically addictive. I have learned through life experience that alcohol makes a certain segment of society violent. Have you ever heard a news story about a pot smoker getting high and beating his wife and kids in a fit of rage? You most likely have with alcohol.
Given the ills we tolerate in order to allow responsible citizens their freedom to imbibe adult beverages, it seems inconsistent that we would make pot illegal. A plant that God put here on earth that requires no processing or special chemistry to make. It’s manufacture is no more insidious than growing tomatoes. For those reasons alone, pot should be legalized.
I could really care less about whether or not Uncle Sam can make a buck on it; it is just the right thing to do; but we all know money could be saved by eliminating marijuana prohibition and gains could be made by taxing and regulating the crop. It is a win win situation for a nation that is hurting.

]]> By: Boyd Thomas EA http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9131 Boyd Thomas EA Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:07:06 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9131 I'm impressed with the posts, and happy to note that more and more people are becoming aware of the clinically proven fact that pot is virtually harmless -- much more so than alcohol. Let enlightenment shine, and let the insane, corrupt "war on drugs" quietly disintegrate. I’m impressed with the posts, and happy to note that more and more people are becoming aware of the clinically proven fact that pot is virtually harmless — much more so than alcohol. Let enlightenment shine, and let the insane, corrupt “war on drugs” quietly disintegrate.

]]> By: bek in indiana http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9129 bek in indiana Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:24:25 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9129 I vote for legalization. Beer is a gateway to hard liquor. Once legalized, growers could create their own niches in the market and may have enough variety within the marijuana industry that gateway drug would become obsolete. They could put a "proof" their leaves, to show how much marijuana is in the cig. I vote for legalization. Beer is a gateway to hard liquor. Once legalized, growers could create their own niches in the market and may have enough variety within the marijuana industry that gateway drug would become obsolete. They could put a “proof” their leaves, to show how much marijuana is in the cig.

]]> By: pat http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9127 pat Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:16:09 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9127 i think if they were to legalize marijuana across the united states it would help put a big bite in the deficit, as for the idiots that have to use harder drugs to get their high as it is put they would use the harder drugs any way regardless. i think if they were to legalize marijuana across the united states it would help put a big bite in the deficit, as for the idiots that have to use harder drugs to get their high as it is put they would use the harder drugs any way regardless.

]]> By: putnamgirl http://www.taxgirl.com/sweetening-the-pot-a-tax-on-marijuana/comment-page-1/#comment-9126 putnamgirl Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:52:42 +0000 http://www.taxgirl.com/?p=2729#comment-9126 I couldn't of said it better myself Collin. That is what they should do. I couldn’t of said it better myself Collin. That is what they should do.

]]>