Legal Pot in the US Is Crippling Mexican Cartels

[Lebowski]

It'll probably still take some years before solid statistics can be calculated. It's not even been a full year yet that Colorado has had it legalized, I believe their first 'open to the public, pot shop' opened in New Years Day of 2014, correct? I don't think enough time has passed to get good accurate measurements or results of changes yet.

Regardless, do Mexican cartels 100% depend on US buyers of their products to survive? I'd guess not. While we're geographically convenient as far as a marketplace goes, they've got all of south America and islands of the Caribbean sea relatively accessible to them. They've got markets to expand to outside of the US. Not to mention, the cartels supply a lot more to the US than just pot I would imagine. If you think legalizing pot in the USA will kill the Mexican drug cartels, I'd have to say you're probably wrong. It'd probably impact them negatively but not enough that they just go away.

On the topic of pot in the USA goes, we'll probably see more states supporting this once more data is available from Colorado and Washington, assuming the numbers favor the state. It's not a 'one stop shop' fix to local economic problems as some claim it will be, but it certainly would be beneficial I'd imagine.

 

[croy]

Hopefully the DEA can back away from the pot and worry more about more serious drugs such as meth, heroine, and cocaine.

 

[hoosierdoc]

It's not a 'one stop shop' fix to local economic problems as some claim it will be, but it certainly would be beneficial I'd imagine.

So the problem with local economies is they don't tax their citizens enough? Again, I'm not going to advocate for legalization, I really don't care, but if you wanted it legal, why on EARTH would you vote for a 30% tax on it?

 

[Lebowski]

So the problem with local economies is they don't tax their citizens enough? Again, I'm not going to advocate for legalization, I really don't care, but if you wanted it legal, why on EARTH would you vote for a 30% tax on it?

Well, one major "plus" a lot of people spout off is how much revenue it could create for their state from taxes. I didn't actually say I support the taxation or say I was against it.


If it ever becomes legalized, whether in an individual state or nationally I'd prefer the reasoning to be based around personal freedoms than be based around revenue creation, but most movements pushing it's legalization seem to be showcasing it's business potential since most politicians understand dollar signs and money more than they understand freedoms.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I was doing a bit of devil's advocate there for you.

It's really sorta funny that due to MJ being illegally federally, businesses cannot deduct their expenses for selling it. Meaning employee wages, rent, office supplies, etc. It means they basically are paying a huge portion of their revenues in taxes. The geniuses who opened shops didn't think about that. BUT... it's a hugely cash business since the banks aren't allowed to handle the finances. Can you imagine how much is done off the books? That's why the tax revenue won't ever be what they think it is. People have been buying illegally for decades, now that more people can grow it, street prices are cheaper than store prices thanks to the lack of tax. It's insane. When you're violating federal law in selling MJ, is it that big of a stretch to violate the tax code?

Government needs to realize if they want to open up the economy and generate revenue on all wealth transfer they need to do a sales tax, not income taxes.

 

[rhino]

Government needs to realize if they want to open up the economy and generate revenue on all wealth transfer they need to do a sales tax, not income taxes.

That's just crazy talk, sir! CRAZY.

 

[Leadeye]

You have to wonder if illegal mj will simply become untaxed mj and be policed by an ever expanding bureau of tax enforcers taking over for the DEA. Revenuers as Snuffy Smith calls them.

 

[printcraft]

I wonder how long it will be before the cartels get pissed off and go after the larger growers and try make them a front?
Might be a dangerous time to get in the weed growing business.

 

[RockofStrength]

I'm still trying to figure out why you wouldn't just grow your own if it were now legal to do so instead of paying exorbitant fees for it from a store. Is there some degree of plant processing involved that makes it a pain for the average home grower?

 

[rambone]

I'm not going to advocate for legalization, I really don't care

Why? Your avatar says "capitalist."

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

Why? Your avatar says "capitalist."

To steal an argument from another thread, must one actively advocate and lobby for EVERY law that supports capitalism , to be considered a capitalist?

 

[lucky4034]

Legalization in two states is "crippling" Mexican drug cartels? Just how much dope do the hipsters in WA and CO smoke?

Hmmm, I don't know about this.

Its exported from those states just as it would have been from mexico.... medical states generate huge bootleg operations.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Why? Your avatar says "capitalist."

To steal an argument from another thread, must one actively advocate and lobby for EVERY law that supports capitalism , to be considered a capitalist?

to those who are rabid legalization folks, yes. I am openly against the sale of human cadavers, as well as human meat.crqp, time to change my avatar.

 

[HoughMade]

Its exported from those states just as it would have been from mexico.... medical states generate huge bootleg operations.

So it's not legal​ pot that crippling Mexican drug cartels?

 

[T.Lex]

Why do you hate Mexican drug cartels?


(Wait. I didn't do that right, did I?)

 

[rambone]

To steal an argument from another thread, must one actively advocate and lobby for EVERY law that supports capitalism , to be considered a capitalist?

I don't think you have to be a lobbyist. But the word has a meaning, and we already have enough distortion coming from the communists about what capitalism is. Capitalism is incompatible with controlled markets; controlled means of production; controlled prices; controlled wages; controlled interest rates; controlled consumer choices. Prohibition is the exact opposite of all of that. Marijuana prohibition has to be the biggest, most prolific, most expensive, most detrimental prohibition the USA has ever known.

I will have to insist that the Mitt Romneys of the world stop trying to make capitalism equivalent to epic bureaucracy and mass imprisonment. There are estimated to be 1,000,000 words in the English language.... prohibitionists can chose another one.