quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wasn't legalizing weed supposed to do away with this smuggling stuff?

Yes. Roughly the same way gun control prevents criminals from having guns.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wasn't legalizing weed supposed to do away with this smuggling stuff?

Yes. And crime, too.

Oh...and from the OP link, I wanna know what vegetable to NEVER eat so I don’t get intestinal worms...

Not sure about all that but I can tell you the 1 food to eat before bed to melt belly fat. And the internet is losing it's mind!

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wasn't legalizing weed supposed to do away with this smuggling stuff?

Yes. And crime, too.

Oh...and from the OP link, I wanna know what vegetable to NEVER eat so I don’t get intestinal worms...

Guys, you can buy guns but people still do it illegally. Come on now. Legalizing MJ wasn't going to eliminate its illegal trade.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wasn't legalizing weed supposed to do away with this smuggling stuff?

Yes. And crime, too.

Oh...and from the OP link, I wanna know what vegetable to NEVER eat so I don’t get intestinal worms...

Guys, you can buy guns but people still do it illegally. Come on now. Legalizing MJ wasn't going to eliminate its illegal trade.

Yet that was clearly one of the many false promises made here when the change in laws was being discussed. "Eliminate the illegal MJ trade by taking away the profit motive." The other lie was all the tax money it would generate which would improve livability in the state. What the heck happened to that false promise? Where's the money?

If you look back at the promises vs what it is, clearly we were misled.

quote:

If you look back at the promises vs what it is, clearly we were misled.

There is a lot of heads in the sand over legalization. It seriously makes me scratch my head to hear intelligent people make arguments supporting it. Very few of the arguments seem to pan out in the end. One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

Not that I disagree perhaps you have some actual facts to back that up?

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

I changed decrease to disappear in a previous edit, but it didn’t take evidently. But I think we will see the “boons” also decrease over time; the experiment is in its infancy, as it were. I have been to California, Oregon, and Washington in recent years and have personally seen a larger number of transient lifestylers. Perhaps the fact that these same areas are leftist enclaves has as much to do with it should carry equal significance, but the age group I see engaging in worthlessness is the one that we need the most to keep us from sliding further into the abyss. The next generation. I truly hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see revenue generation as a good trade off for an increasing segment of the population that sees inebriation as a viable future.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

I am against the use of MJ but see that freedom must trump if I am to maintain my own freedom. Let those who use it be fully responsible for the consequences if there be any and I'll be satisfied.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

Yet that was clearly one of the many false promises made here when the change in laws was being discussed. "Eliminate the illegal MJ trade by taking away the profit motive." The other lie was all the tax money it would generate which would improve livability in the state. What the heck happened to that false promise? Where's the money?

If you look back at the promises vs what it is, clearly we were misled.

Sucks right? Gotta lie to some old fuddy duddy NIMBY Mother-May-I types to steal back a smidge of freedom.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Wasn't legalizing weed supposed to do away with this smuggling stuff?

Yes. And crime, too.

Yeah... I don't think there's been a big reduction in crime.

quote:

Legalizing MJ wasn't going to eliminate its illegal trade.
Arc.

Of course not. There was already a thriving underground market/supply. People aren't going to start paying taxes on something if they don't have to. Legal pot is more expensive than illegal pot.

Still, I agree with darthfuster:
I am against the use of MJ but see that freedom must trump if I am to maintain my own freedom. Let those who use it be fully responsible for the consequences if there be any and I'll be satisfied.

It's a lot like alcohol. It can be used responsibly, but it can also be abused. Making it illegal didn't help... just as prohibition in the 1930's didn't help.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

I am against the use of MJ but see that freedom must trump if I am to maintain my own freedom. Let those who use it be fully responsible for the consequences if there be any and I'll be satisfied.

I can't say I enjoy the taste or smell of mj, or the people who do it too much. Your stance is a lot like mine.

Particularly with mj though, unlike any other controlled substance, I know an increasing number of people who are using it to manage pain and treat illnesses. From the side effects of chemo, to seizures, arthritis, and more.

As far as the call for evidence that it should be legal, such evidence mounts every day. Is it still a matter of dispute that the "war on drugs" is a failure?

I recall that we have some folks who are firmly on the side of mj being illegal, I forget who still believes alcohol should be.

People still smuggle tobacco, guys, no law or system is perfect. As far as it being a boon for cities and towns, I'm sure articles are out there, or I can wait and see because recreational shops are now open near me. The only problem so far? Parking and traffic around those shops.

I think mj will end up a lot like alcohol once the excitement dies down. There will always be abusers, but regulating it and taxing it are better in the long run.

I can't say I ever thought crime or illegal MJ production would disappear with legalization but I don't think it's gotten particular worse just due to that. Here in CO we have 75-100k people per year adding to our population and an infrastructure and resources built around a smaller population with less density. I personally think the added people have caused a lot more harm than the added liberties.

As for the tax revenue. There is zero argument that it's been a boon for CO. It's a fact, period. We have not only collected almost a billion dollars in TAX revenue since 2014, we have created a variety of jobs in this new and growing industry. Here's some actual data from CO: https://www.colorado.gov/pacif...o-marijuana-tax-data

quote:

As for the tax revenue. There is zero argument that it's been a boon for CO. It's a fact, period. We have not only collected almost a billion dollars in TAX revenue since 2014, we have created a variety of jobs in this new and growing industry. Here's some actual data from CO

Thanks, for the link.
So yes, it has brought in a lot of taxes:

* sorry, the chart is too large to post. Go to the link to see the tax receipts.

Where has that gone?
It looks like mostly to public schools:

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18*, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund (PSCCAF) administered by the Colorado Department of Education's Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $27.8M for FY 2017-18, were transferred to the Public School Fund.
For FY 2016-17, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the administered by the PSCCAF. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $31.6M for FY 2016-17, were transferred to the Public School Fund.
For FY 2015-16, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the PSCCAF. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $2.5M for FY 2015-16, were transferred to the Public School Fund.

*Starting FY2018-2019, pursuant to HB18-1070, the greater of $40M or 90 percent of excise tax revenue will be credited to the PSCCAF. Any excess will be transferred to the Public School Fund.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacif...arijuana-tax-revenue

Is that a good thing?
Has it improved education or the quality of life in Colorado?
Has it created a drain on other services?
I don't know the answers to these questions.

I do know this: Increased money going into public schools does tend to decrease opportunities for private schools. In my area, every tax increase brings about the closure of many private and parochial schools.
Parents often can't afford both the tax increases and the tuition, so they send their kids to the public school because they can't avoid the taxes. At least Marijuana Excise Taxes are voluntary.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
One of the biggest, that criminal activity will decrease, is laughable in the extreme.

You can look at places where mj is legal and see a decrease in crime. The idea that it would go away is silly, not that it would decrease.

Pot should be legal everywhere, it is a waste of resources policing it as well as imprisoning people for it.

As far as generated tax revenue from its legal sale, we'll call that a boon.

I am against the use of MJ but see that freedom must trump if I am to maintain my own freedom. Let those who use it be fully responsible for the consequences if there be any and I'll be satisfied.

I can't say I enjoy the taste or smell of mj, or the people who do it too much. Your stance is a lot like mine.

Particularly with mj though, unlike any other controlled substance, I know an increasing number of people who are using it to manage pain and treat illnesses. From the side effects of chemo, to seizures, arthritis, and more.

As far as the call for evidence that it should be legal, such evidence mounts every day. Is it still a matter of dispute that the "war on drugs" is a failure?

I recall that we have some folks who are firmly on the side of mj being illegal, I forget who still believes alcohol should be.

People still smuggle tobacco, guys, no law or system is perfect. As far as it being a boon for cities and towns, I'm sure articles are out there, or I can wait and see because recreational shops are now open near me. The only problem so far? Parking and traffic around those shops.

I think mj will end up a lot like alcohol once the excitement dies down. There will always be abusers, but regulating it and taxing it are better in the long run.

One of the side effects of legalization has been innovation. It's no longer ziplock bags of buds crammed into coffee cans.

Now that people are not running scared from the law they can concentrate on better , cleaner methods of ingestion.

This is especially evident on the medical side. My better half uses it to treat symptoms of her lupus as she will not use the opiates they want to giver her.

We originally started out with buds ground up and put into a water bong or pipe or joint. She usually had to go outside (sometimes in freezing weather) to avoid stinking up the house.

Later she began to use ground flower in a vaporizer which allowed her to use indoors and was easier on her lungs.

Lately she has been using these pen sized vaporizers that use concentrate and are either disposable or just require a cartridge change. No cleaning, little to no smell, discreet.

It's not cheap, bet neither is opiates/addiction.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

As for the tax revenue. There is zero argument that it's been a boon for CO. It's a fact, period. We have not only collected almost a billion dollars in TAX revenue since 2014, we have created a variety of jobs in this new and growing industry. Here's some actual data from CO

Thanks, for the link.
So yes, it has brought in a lot of taxes:

* sorry, the chart is too large to post. Go to the link to see the tax receipts.

Where has that gone?
It looks like mostly to public schools:

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18*, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Fund (PSCCAF) administered by the Colorado Department of Education's Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $27.8M for FY 2017-18, were transferred to the Public School Fund.
For FY 2016-17, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the administered by the PSCCAF. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $31.6M for FY 2016-17, were transferred to the Public School Fund.
For FY 2015-16, the first $40M of the Retail Marijuana Excise Tax revenue was distributed to the PSCCAF. Excise tax collections in excess of $40M, $2.5M for FY 2015-16, were transferred to the Public School Fund.

*Starting FY2018-2019, pursuant to HB18-1070, the greater of $40M or 90 percent of excise tax revenue will be credited to the PSCCAF. Any excess will be transferred to the Public School Fund.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacif...arijuana-tax-revenue

Is that a good thing?
Has it improved education or the quality of life in Colorado?
Has it created a drain on other services?
I don't know the answers to these questions.

I do know this: Increased money going into public schools does tend to decrease opportunities for private schools. In my area, every tax increase brings about the closure of many private and parochial schools.
Parents often can't afford both the tax increases and the tuition, so they send their kids to the public school because they can't avoid the taxes. At least Marijuana Excise Taxes are voluntary.

That's definitely one of the things still a work in progress on actually getting the funds to be utilized in an effective fashion. I don't doubt there's a balancing of things going on and need for improvement. Yes, we have tax revenue which was zero before, yet we have all these things that money "could" be working to improve but isn't. I don't have those answers but my gut feel it's a net positive, as far as legalizing things and the jobs and tax revenue it has created. I heard on the news a while back you could make $20/hr working at a shop and restaurants have a tough time getting folks. We have more jobs than people it seems here in the metro and they keep coming. The industry is in growth mode. We just legalized home delivery starting in 2020/21 I believe. New industries are forming. CO has long accepted responsible, recreational MU use, well before my time here so I think it's not a shocker for many folks. I think the culture here is one that's generally accepting and live and let live. But sadly that is changing fast.

Fortunately the laws here give local communities say in things too. So you can choose to still restrict sales in your community. You cannot buy recreational MJ in my community for example. I also live within 10 miles of three schools, including Columbine, that have had shootings. No MJ involved as far as I recall. Supposed to be one of the best districts in the state... We definitely have more challenges with the homeless and those stuck in perpetual addiction. They just had to clear out an encampment on the Platte river on the south side of Denver not that many miles away from me (less than 10) But then I have nutty neighbors who think that's being an asshole and we should all just host a family in our yard. But is that any worse than out of town investors buying up houses and airBnBing the neighbors to death. I don't really know. I wish I had more answers.

Did they each have a dime bag in their pockets or was the plane loaded with bags of weed?

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy:

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

Yet that was clearly one of the many false promises made here when the change in laws was being discussed. "Eliminate the illegal MJ trade by taking away the profit motive." The other lie was all the tax money it would generate which would improve livability in the state. What the heck happened to that false promise? Where's the money?

If you look back at the promises vs what it is, clearly we were misled.

Sucks right? Gotta lie to some old fuddy duddy NIMBY Mother-May-I types to steal back a smidge of freedom.

Problem is, what about my right to not have to breath the stuff every time I go downtown? It was supposed to be on private property out of public sight and therefore public smell. Problem is, it's everywhere and the cops do nothing to enforce the "not in public" part of the law.

There are apartment complexes where those who don't want to partake don't have a choice, the guy on the balcony below them lights up and suddenly their entire apartment smells like the shit.

The Sheriff's office told my Mormon co-worker who has no interest in the stuff that they would not enforce the smoke crossing into his yard. He and his family just have to live with it. That's not right either.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy:

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

Yet that was clearly one of the many false promises made here when the change in laws was being discussed. "Eliminate the illegal MJ trade by taking away the profit motive." The other lie was all the tax money it would generate which would improve livability in the state. What the heck happened to that false promise? Where's the money?

If you look back at the promises vs what it is, clearly we were misled.

Sucks right? Gotta lie to some old fuddy duddy NIMBY Mother-May-I types to steal back a smidge of freedom.

Problem is, what about my right to not have to breath the stuff every time I go downtown? It was supposed to be on private property out of public sight and therefore public smell. Problem is, it's everywhere and the cops do nothing to enforce the "not in public" part of the law.

There are apartment complexes where those who don't want to partake don't have a choice, the guy on the balcony below them lights up and suddenly their entire apartment smells like the shit.

The Sheriff's office told my Mormon co-worker who has no interest in the stuff that they would not enforce the smoke crossing into his yard. He and his family just have to live with it. That's not right either.

Hush up now; that’s freedom you’re being forced to smell doncha’ know...

You're the weenises that drop a dime on the dudes with the backyard firepit, aren't you?

Heavens to Betsy! Someone's having fun in a way that offends me! Better call the cops, hopefully they'll shoot first and ask questions never!

Face it, pot won the war on pot. Time to pack it in and deal with it. Y'all had your chance to have a hand in crafting laws, but all you wanted was NO! VERBOTEN!, and that nonsense got rejected, and nobody gives a shit about it anymore. It's great, and I don't even touch the shit.