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Delaying the inevitable
Just legalize it and tax it. For a state (and country for that matter) always crying poor mouth, they let an awful lot of money stay in the underground economy.
I'd much rather catch my kid with a joint than a pint of vodka.
It might actually happen
Agreed. And, shockingly, it's politically feasible, too. Medical marijuana made it through with 63% of the vote in 2012, and since then, I'd say the national tide has swung even further in favor of legalization. I never thought I'd see the day, but I think legalization would pass if they got it on the 2016 ballot.
Former drug opponent agrees, legalize and tax
I agree with relaxyapsycho. As a young cop I was strongly opposed to any drug legalization but witnessing the futility of enforcement/prosecution, now favor legalizing all recreational drugs with certain caveats, similar to those on alcohol, like minimum age of user, public consumption, warning labels etc. Legalize, tax and inspect. Use the drug tax revenue to reduce other taxes while redeploying local, state and federal drug investigators to other tasks.
Given how slow bureaucracy is
Given how slow bureaucracy is, pot will be legal in Massachusetts before any of the medical marijuana shops have a chance to open up under the current law.
Heh
I'd actually like to see this. Because the insanity that is medical marijuana setup has enabled only the most connected lackeys and ex-pols to get in on the ground floor.
A free market for marijuana sales would blow up all their hard-earned grafting.
"free market" my eye
You just know that in Mass. the process to license and open a legal marijuana shop will get 0wned by the same process that currently bedevils establishments licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.
Still an improvement
Look at the medical marijuana scene. It's a shitshow of stupidity trapped by all sorts of legislation and things because it's a halfway-house between outlaw and legal that didn't exist before.
Bars open all the time and don't have to grease palms to do it. We would be so lucky to have it under the same processes as bars/packies do for alcohol right now. Instead, we're stuck in this hellhole of medical marijuana "dispensaries" that can be regulated into the ground and never opened.
The CO. medical marijuana
The CO. medical marijuana industry opposed full legalization. There are some advantages to having a prescription for marijuana; when recreational pot is legalized the legal age is usually set at the same as the drinking age (21) whereas prescription pot is available to anyone 18 and even younger than 18 with a guardians permission. Plus a prescription provides some protections from arrest that may not be available to recreational users; and medical marijuana isn't taxed and maybe therefore be less expensive. And if the feds eventually get around to recognizing the medical benefits of pot it could even be argued that it should be covered by insurance plans when prescribed by a doctor.
Herring for sale
Adderall is extremely similar to methamphetamine. Age isn't an issue when it comes to pharmaceutical use of what would otherwise be illegal due to age.
If it's legal, what "protection" is a prescription providing?
Not paying tax on a medicine versus paying tax on a legal substance is meaningless in terms of cost to the user, but huge in terms of providing services for addiction, etc.
If it's a medicine because it's medical benefits are recognized, then you'll still be able to get it covered by insurance even if you can buy it legally. You can get a prescription for naproxen at the same strength as over-the-counter generic naproxen and have your insurance cover it with your co-pay.
Not with Blue Cross
Once a drug gets released to the general public as "nonprescription" -- BHlue Cross stops covering it. All that getting a prescription does is let you avoid paying tax (and possibly get a larger quantity at one time of restricted stuff like ephedrine).
Not entirely correct
There's a small list of OTC exceptions to BCBS's pharmacy plans listed here.
What I also found is that if you enter most of them in the medication look-up, it will suggest an equivalent alternative that is covered here. I'm betting a lot of those OTC exceptions are largely cheaper than the co-pay anyways.
Putting aside from the debate
Putting aside from the debate over whether marijuana should be legal, this seems to be the only way to deal with the situation we are in since the state has been so unwilling to follow the voters overwhelming passage of medical marijuana (which many other states have enacted so its not charting new territory) in 2012.
Or the state will fuck it up
If it passes, MA will find some way to fuck it up some how. Either limitations of shops and quantities or whatever. Trust me, they'll find some way to block it or regulate it to the point where you won't be able to get it.
Watch.. just look how medipot is going. Have dispensaries open yet? nope, and besides, doesn't Delahunt own most of them anyways?
Its going to take something on a national level for the state to stop with their bullshittery.
Nope! Even then the AG will
Nope! Even then the AG will abuse consumer protection powers to regulate it somehow.
It's already over.
The rest of it will just be funny.
When cops are given major signals that they can make it low priority, that's it.
Now it's just nepotist grift maneuvering and some legal positioning to ensure there will be ways for attorney value extraction.
But for many, it means that you'll be putting the pot starters in the garden around April with the lettuce and it will be like tomatoes.
Johnny Appleseed types will be strewing vacant lots with it until its up there with the wormwood and Japanese Knotweed.
And personal scale indoor is already a non issue.The days of a 400 dollar ounce are probably numbered.
It may not be the big tax revenue generator for that reason.
Sure, you may have a weed products industry and market tomatoes are a worthy part of agriculture output.
But it is a lot easier for people to just grow well than any other taxable vice.
Home brewing is charming and fun but kind of demanding.
Know anyone who distills their own vodka?
And tobacco is a handful to grow.
So we have what politicians love above all... Kabuki. .
Enjoy the posturing.
http://youtu.be/R83rWVIyJY4
That supposes alot
2016 is actually good timing because by then we will all be able to see how things are shaking out in CO with their legalization program. Although weed may be easier to grow than tobacco, it supposes alot that most people will want to take the time to do it as opposed to paying a little bit in tax to just be able to buy it at a dispensary or a bar of some sort. In the end, people are lazy and can be relied upon to buy what is well advertised to them. In addition, I think that once legalized, we will see the real stakholders come to the table - large agribusiness. They will not only be able to guarantee quality,consistency and potency where home growers cannot, but where there is a cash crop to be grown, I suspect we will see efforts to protect the authority to grow that crop by business. In the end, I could care less. As long as it is regulated pretty much like alchahol and taxed like any other vice bring it on. As for the legalization of chemically addictive drugs (cocain, opioids etc.), I think the picture is much more morally complicated despite the potential to elimenate a black market and implement regulatory control.
It'll probably be about the same as tomatoes.
Most of the complications of weed growing come from doing it in strange situations.
Sun, soil and a good strain make it easier. Burpees will have a line of Indica and Sativa varieties.
It'll be like George Washington all over again as with his letter to Jefferson on the subject.
It ran something like this... "I attempted to separate the males from the females today but , alas, I was too late."
The real money will be in the grower service and gear side. And in value added products like the new Little Debbie Space Cakes and what have you.
It was twenty bucks an ounce when I started in 1969 and I imagine it'll head that way again.That's your tax base number or something near it.
At that time it was mainly smuggled as the domestic high end industry didn't exist until the late 70s, early 80s,
Instead, you'd load up a Beechcraft with bales in heavy duty plastic somewhere near Negril and then kick it out of a cargo bay in a low pass over a circle of zodiac boats piloted by a bunch of bubbas along the Florida Gulf coast where it would be on a dock and enroute to Boston in a few hours.
Or you'd have mother ships hauling from Columbia met offshore near Gloucester in the dark of night.
My favorite was Kona Bud from Hawaii brought in in tubs of 'pool chemicals" sealed like a typical 5 gallon drywall tub.
I was always impressed at how these various third world people did a great job for a lot less money than precious Americans. Thai Sticks, anyone?
And Vietnam has strains that are like a hit of LSD.