Marijuana Dealers Offer Schwarzenegger One Billion Dollars

[Fanible]

August 6 -- A coalition of California marijuana growers and dealers has offered Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger one billion dollars to solve the current state budget crisis. The group, calling itself Let Us Pay Taxes makes the offer through its web site LetUsPayTaxes.com. The offer comes at a time when the California legislature is deadlocked on a new budget and California has stopped issuing checks for vitally needed social services. Legislators are currently arguing over which programs will be cut in order to balance the budget.

“It is ridiculous that California can’t pay its bills,” said spokesman Clifford Schaffer. “It is a tragedy that they will cut badly needed services and programs such as medical care for the elderly and prison drug treatment when the money to fund all these programs and more is there and available. Everyone who is currently waiting for a check from the state should be enraged at this foolishness.”

Regulation and taxation of marijuana could produce six billion dollars in additional tax revenue, according to economic studies linked from their web site LetUsPayTaxes.com. In addition, it could save up to ten billion dollars in enforcement costs. “That is a conservative estimate,” said Schaffer. “By other estimates, the revenues could be five times that. The economists are with us all the way on this one. Marijuana prohibition is an economic disaster.”

“Let’s face reality,” Schaffer says. “Marijuana legalization is inevitable. The situation is already beyond control in California. The state and local authorities have offered safe harbor for medical marijuana use and the Federal Government simply doesn’t have the resources for effective control.” More importantly, says Schaffer, the operators of the medical marijuana clubs are no longer afraid of the Federal Government. “If you talk to them, you will find that they know they are going to win this battle. They know that the DEA is vastly outnumbered and can’t begin to prosecute all of them. The few that are prosecuted are accepting their fate as martyrs because they know that what they are doing is right. They are willing to sacrifice themselves to make the point that the Federal Government has just gone too far in interfering with very personal and private decisions. There is no way the DEA is going to win this battle. At this point, it is all over but the counting of the money – and the victims of the DEA.”

Schaffer went on to say that the national market for marijuana has been estimated from a low of ten billion dollars per year to more than fifty billion dollars per year. “The first states to regulate and tax marijuana will receive an economic bonanza bigger than the original California Gold Rush,” says Schaffer. “Some states will get rich like the Saudis.” Schaffer predicts that it will not take long for some local areas to wake up to the economic possibilities. “We are talking potentially big bucks here,” he said. “The Canadians are already starting to take note of a cannabis-fueled economic boom in some areas. Politicians can’t resist fresh cash, especially when it is coming to their local community. There will be big winners and losers here. The winners will be the ones who recognize the foregone conclusion first.”

The group also cites foreign terrorism as a reason to regulate and tax marijuana. “Drug Czar John Walters is being dishonest when he says that marijuana money goes to criminals and terrorists. The only reason any of that money goes to criminals or terrorists is because of the prohibition that Walters supports,” said Schaffer. “Marijuana prohibition makes criminals rich just like alcohol prohibition did. The criminals are now so rich and powerful that they can challenge the legitimate governments of their own countries. There is no reason to send billions of dollars per year to foreign criminal gangs when patriotic Americans make the best products in the world. There is no reason to suffer such a huge foreign trade deficit when that money could be providing jobs and funding badly needed services right here in the USA.”

Let Us Pay Taxes calls upon all US citizens to sign their petition at their web site http://LetUsPayTaxes.com and press the issue with their lawmakers. “Take the money, please,” said Schaffer. “These people want to contribute. Now it is up to our politicians to tell us why they want to send those billions to foreign criminal gangs rather than to their own voters.”

http://stopthedrugwar.org/in_the_tre...ana_dealers_#1

When you consider news like this and then also the reports that China just recently threatened to crash the American dollar, and of course the new elections just around the corner... some big changes in America may not be that far off.

[JBond]

You'd think with the hippes reaching political age, it would happen in no time.

[Steve Savage]

Wasn't there some study that said that Marijuana was California's number one cash crop? But yes, the prohibition against marijuana is doomed to die, if anything the fact that we don't have the room to worry about pot dealers is going to cause that. Legalize it, regulate it and tax it, and this is coming from a non-smoker.

[Tolkien]

As much as I am against the use of Marijuana, and never plan to use it until my dying day, I actually support this option and would hope that Schwarzenegger supports it too. Money is money in this day and age, and if this money can help the people of California, then I say take the money and do what's needed to help his people. Times are changing fast, and if we can't catch up, we'll never be able to move forward and accept it.

[André]

Some people would call this "blood money". But really, the fact that, for example, Norway does so well has much to do with the war in Iraq. Thats blood money too.

I say take it.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Steve Savage

Wasn't there some study that said that Marijuana was California's number one cash crop? But yes, the prohibition against marijuana is doomed to die, if anything the fact that we don't have the room to worry about pot dealers is going to cause that. Legalize it, regulate it and tax it, and this is coming from a non-smoker.

Smoking is being pushed out with more and more countries taking up a smoking ban, so why should we welcome another forum of smoking that does more short term harm?

Smoking weed is equal to going out for a few drinks, that's what a lot of people say anyway, but drunk driving is a big problem. At least we can tell if someone's been drinking with only a simple breathalyzer, it's not so easy to tell if someone has been smoking.

Also in the long term it has been shown smoking weed is linked to schizophrenia later on in life.

[Nilade]

I doubt MJ will ever really be considered "blood money". Maybe revenue obtained from crack or meth would be. Marijuana related violent crimes from dealings or usage just aren't happening. And I haven't heard of any marijuana related deaths. I could be wrong though. But I doubt it.

[André]

Originally Posted by Nilade

I doubt MJ will ever really be considered "blood money". Maybe revenue obtained from crack or meth would be. Marijuana related violent crimes from dealings or usage just aren't happening. And I haven't heard of any marijuana related deaths. I could be wrong though. But I doubt it.

I never said anything about how marijuana works. Ive been smoking that for ages so i would know.

What I said is how it would be perceived.

[Steve Savage]

Originally Posted by Alien

Smoking is being pushed out with more and more countries taking up a smoking ban, so why should we welcome another forum of smoking that does more short term harm?

Smoking weed is equal to going out for a few drinks, that's what a lot of people say anyway, but drunk driving is a big problem. At least we can tell if someone's been drinking with only a simple breathalyzer, it's not so easy to tell if someone has been smoking.

Also in the long term it has been shown smoking weed is linked to schizophrenia later on in life.

Marijuana can be detected, hell a cop can just smell it on a person, and you can detect it within someone's body for several weeks after they've used it.

Marijuana doesn't affect one the same as alcohol does. Besides, the statistics of people dying from driving while high on marijuana aren't anywhere as high as people who are drunk drivers. Potheads just don't act the same.

Schizophrenia is hereditary, there's no drug that causes it.

Even if the government isn't interested in making a profit from taxing marijuana legalizing it would create more room in prison for real criminals. The Netherlands hasn't fallen apart since it decriminalized weed.

[Tony Montana]

Do it!

[equipe]

Fanible, I think the thread title is a little mis-leading...
It should be "Marijuana Activists Offer Budget Crunch Solution"

[Tolkien]

Originally Posted by equipe

Fanible, I think the thread title is a little mis-leading...
It should be "Marijuana Activists Offer Budget Crunch Solution"

But who would bother clicking on a link that said that? Compared to a thread that said; Marijuana Dealers Offer Schwarzenegger One Billion Dollars! lmmfao.

[FranklinTard]

schwarzenegger better have a sweet line if he gets this billion dollars. and im all for it, thats untaxed income, basically invisible cash. accept it and say something clever about pot smokers.

[Necross]

I agree with Tony Montana. With as much enthusiasm!!

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Steve Savage

Marijuana can be detected, hell a cop can just smell it on a person, and you can detect it within someone's body for several weeks after they've used it.

Marijuana doesn't affect one the same as alcohol does. Besides, the statistics of people dying from driving while high on marijuana aren't anywhere as high as people who are drunk drivers. Potheads just don't act the same.

Schizophrenia is hereditary, there's no drug that causes it.

Even if the government isn't interested in making a profit from taxing marijuana legalizing it would create more room in prison for real criminals. The Netherlands hasn't fallen apart since it decriminalized weed.

Smell doesn't work coz I often smell of it and I'd never touch the stuff. My flatmate smokes the stuff in the flat and the whole place stinks. To detect it in the body they need urine (2 or 3 day), blood (weeks) or hair (months). It's not as easy to detect as blowing down a tube on the side of the road.

It's a mind altering drug and Schizophrenia is all about having an altered mind so I can see where the experts are coming from, also they experts that do long studies on the subjects. It was a while ago that this was in the news and what I remember was that it was a leading Australian University that did the research and the News channel had a British professor on talking about how the university excelled in subjects like this and that the findings were matching similar UK results.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/streetdrugs.html - It's in the name, probablly a good scorce.
or
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s777336.htm
(I haven't read those pages so I don't know if they match 100% with what I read before)

[Tolkien]

You really know your weed, don't you?

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Tolkien

You really know your weed, don't you?

It seems to be the main talking point for most students...

[Tolkien]

Students... Our great next generation, people... lmao.

[stonefaced_1]

I'll smoke to that.

[Tolkien]

Smoke to what? The students or this thread in general?

Oh... And if you're going to smoke that, you need to step back about 20 feet.

[stonefaced_1]

your mom