Steve Breen for February 19, 2023

Just another example of what happens when you fail to enforce laws on the books and treat criminals as victims of society.

At least in this case no one gets shot.

How about some nice fentanyl instead?

Its all about money, not weed. The legal growers are going broke in Northern California.

“The opportunity to create a robust legal market has been squandered as a result of excessive taxation,” they continued. “75% of cannabis in California is consumed in the illicit market."

Decriminalize possession and offer free treatment? Now there’s a thought.

Same situation in Oregon, excessive oversight and the continued attempt to regulate through taxation have stalled development of what should be a viable small business.

On the whole, the initial economic effects of Prohibition were largely negative. The closing of breweries, distilleries, saloons , truckers, waiters, and other related trades led to the elimination of thousands of jobs. Prohibition cost the federal government a total of $11 billion in lost tax revenue, while costing over $300 million to enforce.The growth of the illegal liquor trade under Prohibition made criminals of millions of Americans who were tempted by the inflated profits of illegal activity. As the trade in illegal alcohol became more lucrative, the quality of alcohol on the black market declined, killing on average 1000 Americans each year. The effects of Prohibition on law enforcement were also negative. Police officers and Prohibition agents were tempted by bribes or the lucrative opportunity to go into bootlegging themselves. Many stayed honest, but enough succumbed to the temptation that the stereotype of the corrupt Prohibition agent or local cop undermined public trust in law enforcement. The jails and courts were overflowing demanding time that could have been devoted to other crimes.We need to learn the lesson of prohibition. Cops are spending too much time fighting the drug war. Instead, legalize everything. Let the drug companies produce it. Sell it at cost plus taxes. If the drug lords come up with something something popular on the street, legalize and produce that too. History shows that taking the “naughty” factor out of it actually decreases use. Drug lords will have no reason to “hook” young customers, since they won’t remain customers. Allow sales in bars, pharmacies. People gonna do what people gonna do. Give up the “drug war”, reap the tax rewards, cut down on the number of people we are feeding in jails and put a whole lot of drug dealers out of business, while their profits go to better causes.

Legalizing drugs would also have some benefit in border control. The countries of south and central America are crime ridden due to the fact that the drugs sold to Americans are a large part of their economies. And, the profits are sufficient to make entire country essentially owned by the criminals who market the drugs. There wouldn’t even be any reason for the farmers and manufacturers to lose that income, if they sold it legally to legal suppliers in America. The only losers would be the criminals, who would find themselves in competition with the USA.

Illegal growers are not the big problem Mr. Breen is implying. In California we tax pot at 70%. We also allow people to grow up to 6 plants. Six plants is more than enough for several people for a year, so if you have a backyard that gets good sun and access to water, why would you buy pot at jacked up prices? It’s not like growing marijuana is difficult.

California set itself up by making legal pot expensive and free pot easy to grow.

is this not what happened to alcohol during prohibition and the subsequent repeal, or is it something different? Have moonshine stills disappeared over the years of cheap, regulated alcohol, and how would that differ from growing your own weed in the backyard for friends, family, and a little extra seed money? It is a mystery.

I often think it’s beyond absurd that the death penalty is legal in one state and not used in another; marijuana can be legal in one state and illegal in another; one can have a legal, safe, private termination in one state and viciously publicly banned in another state. Makes me think more laws should be federal… and then I think, Wait, what if magas get majorities in Congress + the presidency. I guess I just have to look at FL. Already have a maga majority in SCOTUS! And then I am thankful many laws are only state-wide.

I grew up in California and now live in a state where cannabis sale is legal. I don’t use it myself, but a grower recently shared that it is very hard for legal distributors to compete since (a) it is very simple for people to grow their own stash and some to sell and (b) enforcement has dropped off dramatically since licensed sales have begun.

High taxes and high prices send buyers to the black market. Also living in a states with right wing extremist like Texas. We have no other choice.