Obama addresses the LEGALIZE question today!!

rbljr

Active Member
Here is a proposal for solving two problems that America is currently faced with. Those two problems are the economic crisis and the criminalization of Marijuana cultivation, possession, and sale. Earlier this year, Congress approved a $700 Billion economic stimulus package. Some argue this number is closer to $810 Billion, but honestly I stopped counting after the first billion because it is complete and utter bullshit. Currently in the news, there is talk about more tax payer money being earmarked for a stimulus plan (second) to create jobs and improve the economic conditions in America. I came up with a simple solution to not only recoup the wasted taxpayer money from the bailout bill, but steer America into a more progressive nation with laws that are more up to date.
The United States of America has roughly 300,000,000 people (300 Million). Of that 300 Million people, Wikipedia states that The United States has the 11th highest percentage (12.6%) of Marijuana smokers per year. To put that number into perspective, Colombia (major drug producing country) has an annual marijuana user percentage of only 1.9%, which is roughly 6 times lower than The United States. Drug enforcement, production location and climate have little to do with decreasing the usage of Marijuana as these numbers clearly show. Marijuana users being criminalized does not lower usage numbers either, we can use a comparison again of The United States and Colombia and see that strict enforcement of Marijuana does not lower the percentage of Marijuana users.
If we take the above numbers and do a little math, we can start to see the positive benefits of Marijuana for The United States.
Population of The United States (P) = 300,000,000 times Percentage of Annual Marijuana Smokers (U) equals 37.8M
(P)*(U)=37,800,000
37,800,000 Marijuana Users in The United States annually.
If we take that 37.8 Million annual marijuana annual user number and times it by a really liberal number like 50%, then we can guess that maybe 14M Americans use a decent amount (1 ounce) of Marijuana per month in The United States. Put a number lower than estimated street value of Marijuana, but high enough to be reasonable, we can estimate an ounce after legalization in The United States would cost around $200. Take that $200 and multiply it by the 14M Americans using marijuana every month and you have $2.8 Billion in revenue from Marijuana sales in The United States. Remember, that number is solely a guesstimate as legalization would most likely increase demand because non-marijuana smokers may become users when they are not fearful of being punished for using it in post-decriminalization. At $2.8 Billion dollars of revenue from Marijuana sales, we see an annual revenue from Marijuana legalization at $33 Billion.This figure will become far greater at legalization, as Marijuana being legal will open up new markets and revenue streams. To clarify that later statement, no one knew what great things computers would bring about when more people had access to them and more people could contribute to its development, now we have computers in the palm of our hands like PDAS. New frontiers in medical studies and recreational experiences will be opened and explored, the possibilities are literally endless.
Even the use of Marijuana for medicinal purposes is strictly blocked on the international level by The United States. The United States is one of the largest opponents of Marijuana on all levels of government and in all locations. The question to ask is, “Why is The United States so concerned with the eradication of Marijuana?” Facts clearly show that prohibition and drug enforcement doesn’t stop the usage of the drug, as Saudi Arabia has tried this with alcohol and failed miserably. The other question to ask is “Why would corporate America be so helpful in aiding the US Government’s policies via drug testing and drug questionnaires?”
There are too many things influencing the destruction of Marijuana with United States Policy, yet nearly all the countries that have total legalization of Marijuana seem to have no civil disobeidience or general turmoil. I am convinced that both corporate America and The US Government is benefitting from the destruction of Marijuana. Public saftey has nothing to do with the reasoning behind the criminalization of Marijuana in all circumstances as Federal Policy suggests. Legalizing Marijuana does not increase crime or murder rates as no signifigant studies can show a nominal difference in countries that decriminalize Marijuana, and countries that criminalize Marijuana.
 

wontime

New Member
hrm yea i apologize, didn't take that into account.

they could actually get people out of jail for something that was made legal while in jail?
well they let bootleggers out when they ended prohibition, besides how would you feel being caged for selling or growing pot if it became legal, you would have to condsider releasing people that are locked up an pot charges, thats one of the main reasons it wont be legal,the prison machine WATCH the documentary AKA tommy chong!!!
 

DmnSpawn

Well-Known Member
My take on the situation as to why he's had a sudden change of heart is that.

1.) It's his first term! No pres is going to touch a "HOT" subject first term, we see Obama in office again then keep your fingers crossed. NO PRES WILL EVER CHANGE MJ LAWS FIRST TERM! The HAYDAY of activists and people against it, media frenzy just after being in office a short term?

2.) Hes the first African American Pres, That is already going to make any and all Pro white groups already hate him. And there going to be looking for a good enough excuse to try to get at him.

3.) MJ is being implemented SLOWLY throughout the usa if you haven't noticed, There will be NO overnight movement on ANYTHING! They have to try it out little by little make rules, try those out, revise said rules etc. etc. Just going to take time, The fact that I can smoke it legally in my county for medical purposes is enough for me at this moment. You can see change if you look around, It's just not AS advertised when something is changed for the better, we only hear about it on the news when they BUST drugs. Although I did see a report on mendocino county and it's apparently legal there and you can take a college class on it, so even that has seen change.

And PLEASE if you don't agree with what I've said tell me why....CONSTRUCTIVELY, If anyone whines or flames this post I will just ignore it. Opinions are Opinions and these are at best MY guesses, not FACT!
:leaf::leaf::leaf::leaf:
 

CrackerJax

New Member
1.) I agree with you.

2.) I think since Obama could not have possibly gotten elected without "white" support, the "pro" white groups are a minority (ironic? :lol:), so no. Obama kind of proves MOST white people are past that stage.

3.) I agree. MJ is the way to crack open the door. How far it is opened is still unknown, but weed definitely has medical benefits.


out. :blsmoke:
 

fifer

Active Member
Let's face reality. It's not going to be legalized for one simple reason. If they find even the smallest amount on you, they can rip you and your shit apart. This is how a lot of serious criminals are caught. Yes, it is 100% bullshit and I too hate it, however, that is reality. Just my $0.02.
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
There's no frickin' way he can stick his neck out for that right now. The Republicans would absolutely hang him with it, and what traction he has on everything else would go right down the tubes. Don't know the age of the original poster here, but Pres. Clinton put his neck out on gays in the military and it completely derailed his administration for two years. It's politics... yes, it's bullshit, but that's where it is..

I agree legalization would be very healthy for our economy, but it would be a small boost relative to the huge problems we have right now. And as another poster rightly pointed out, corporatized MJ is not necessarily what we want. And, there's still enough corporatism alive and well that I am sure that's what we'd up with (so, we'd all still be "black market" yet again, and in violation of some stupid seed patent or whatever and still subject to recrimination).

Let's get back to work, and just grow them all into submission...

I am not pissed that he said no. What I am pissed about is that he didn't even take the time to explain why he thought it wouldn't be good for the economy. Like he went in detail about all the other subjects.
 

w1ckedchowda

Well-Known Member
well they let bootleggers out when they ended prohibition, besides how would you feel being caged for selling or growing pot if it became legal, you would have to condsider releasing people that are locked up an pot charges, thats one of the main reasons it wont be legal,the prison machine WATCH the documentary AKA tommy chong!!!
I have but that's different, he was in jail for selling bongs and they just decided to hunt him down for doing it in a state that said otherwise.

Mostly because it was chong though that they said, "HEY YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"
 

w1ckedchowda

Well-Known Member
I am not pissed that he said no. What I am pissed about is that he didn't even take the time to explain why he thought it wouldn't be good for the economy. Like he went in detail about all the other subjects.
Exactly that's how I feel. Just simply stated half a friggin sentence, then moved on.

It was really weird too, cause Obama ALWAYS backs up what he's saying with a reason or some type of explanation.
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
how many border patrol agents and other innocent people do you think would have been killed today if the president had said he was gonna legalize weed, during a drug war on the mexican border???

Does it matter if there was a rise in murders and kidnappings?? Yes of course it does. But is that how you think. Oh if he legalizes it the murders will skyrocket. NO!! That is not the way we as Americans should think. We should believe that it will quell the violence which it would. Hell those drug dealers. The ones who import marijuana. Maybe they would change their minds and try doing it legally. Through the right means.
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
:wall:
There isnt a drug war over chiba, its over smuggling narcs. Thats the point of legalizing mj. There shouldn't be a "Scarface" mentality associated with handling mj, as there is when you are dealing with coke or heroin. It should become an average joe hobby rather than an illegitimate business.

Thank you Joe. That's what I am talking about.
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
Honestly, I just think it is because of the problems it proposes upon the economy (negative possibilites). Think of it this way. A VERY large population of the United States smokes marijuana (obviously behind closed doors). These people pay a large amount of money for marijuana because it is "scarce" so to speak; not in the sense that it is hard to find (even though in a lot of places it is) but in the sense that not everyone is growing it because they are scared of consequences. You take away those consequences and marijuana becomes as cheap as cigarettes due to the fact that every mom and pop are growing it. Aside from the fact that no money would be put into the economy in the long run due to home-growers, the economy goes through a change due to this.

This change is: Marijuana becomes legalized and every home-grower begins to sell at their normal rate to everyone they can. The economy is now stable due to this new cash flow. Now that there is new cash flow and a better economy, there is more money to be put into the pockets of each american. These americans, even grocery store baggers, have an increased wage. Lets say minimum wage goes up from $5 to $6 or even $7. These americans now have more money to spend on, amongst other things, marijuana (which is now taking part in fueling the economy). Again, stability. However, as everyone tries growing their own weed, and previous home-growers are able to better fund their setups and can grow in whole rooms as opposed to stealth boxes: more marijuana is being provided to the community. Therefore, due to supply and legalization, we have more smokers arise, realizing they can put their "oh my gosh MJ is bad" ideals to bed. Still, the economy is stable. Everyone is happy, the economy is doing great, and quite possibly the minimum wage, amongst other forms of payment to the american population, are increased.

You're probably saying, "This guy is nuts. He's just contradicting himself!" However, time changes all things. Production soon outweighs consumption and/or the readily available MJ is now lowered in value due to "Well, I can get the same amount for half the price at Bob's house. Why would I buy from Jim?" "Well, Jim is now selling at 1/2 price also, but if you buy 10% more, he'll sell it for a little less, still."

And now begins the problems of legalizing marijuana. Like I previously said, marijuana becomes near the price of cigarettes (of course it could still be twice as much, but that's a lot less than what we pay.) Market giants begin creating marijuana factories and hell, even Wally world sells an abundance of it. So, you now have the entire nation getting this minimum wage of $8 or $9 an hour, along with the other forms of payments, but marijuana is drastically cheaper. Now the government expenditures slowly begin to outweigh their gains due to the loss of marijuana funding. The US economy begins borrowing more than ever before and our population in all aspects (medical, military, housing, etc.) begins to dwindle as we drop from a "world power" to a "world power supporter."

Just a thought of a stoner.

Wow that is one hell of a way to look at it. I am glad everyone is really putting their heads into this thread.
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
he was asked the wrong questions, he was never for legalization.
but he did state that the "war on drugs" is not working and needs to be addressed.

a better question to ask would be something like "You stated that the Governments war on drugs is NOT working, Will you end the Federal invention of State marijuana laws, and make this life saving plant FEDERALLY legal for medical use ?"

That is just it man. It wasn't asked like that if you go to the site to read some of the questions you will see how many ways it was voiced.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/26/Wrapping-Up-Open-for-Questions/:weed:
 

Inkslinger118

Well-Known Member
Actually, Pres. Obama is following thru on just about everything he promised -- focus on economy, tax cuts for lower and middle income folks, health care reform, green energy, stem cell research, suspension of torture and sabre-rattling with other countries. He may fail 'cause of the Congress and all the other corrupt assholes he has to smooth over, but his record of addressing his promises is impeccable so far. What he needs is for the citizens of the country to realize he really IS trying to implement the agenda of the common folks.

And largely.. we're still mostly sitting back and letting the corporatists and lobbyist pull the levers and control the news cycle.

I agree with you. But I am not knocking the guy. He has done quite a bit in the short amount of time he has been in office. I just wish he would have addressed the issue better.
 

greenfirekilla420

Well-Known Member
1). I think everyone is right about the first term stuff. Every pres. wants to get relected the second time and there are to many government funded orginizations against mj. He would be shooting himself in the foot if he did that.

2). Mr Obama has not kept true to EVERYTHING he has said for instance our troops are still in Iraq during the campaign it was "I will be ending all need for military in the middle east when I take office". The first couple weeks of office it changed from NOW to 16 months. Now its just suddenly 23 months. Mr. Obama is a puppet for the people who REALLY run the United States. Ever heard of the Bilderburg group?

3). As for the dirty mexicans coming into our country everyday and making things worse by not paying taxes on the money they make. FUCK EM. We don't need or want your fucking brown ass brick weed. And as for killings, if the American government would take their head out of their ass and realize we are just wasting time,money, and american lives in the middle east, and move the troops to the US/Mexico border I don't think the wetback will fuck with us. You are more than likely right about them having access to all sorts of weapons but when the NUKE is pointing in their face I think they will shut the fuck up and realize that the American people are not going to stand for this shit ANYMORE.

4). Most of the MJ friendly states are up north. When oh when is atleast one state in the south going to open their eyes up. I love the south and just wish they would realize. Great thread and great read right here.
 

nczeroballer187

Well-Known Member
The drug market is a black market, one of the few markets that the people still have some say/control in. I say for now we keep it that way. Don't get me wrong I would love to see legalization/decriminalization of MJ but it just doesn't seem to be the right time.

Let's get back to work, and just grow them all into submission...
Sig'ing that.
 
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