Meanwhile, California’s largest cash crop is being largely ignored in the frenzied search for politically-viable revenue. The state’s marijuana yield is conservatively valued at $14 billion annually ”“ nearly double the combined value of our vegetable and grape crops. The state Board of Equalization estimates that taxing adult marijuana consumption like alcohol would generate $1.4 billion in new revenue for the state. While that’s only a modest contribution toward our fiscal woes, it’s one more incentive to end decades of failed marijuana prohibition. In fact, the financial and human price that we currently pay for criminalizing pot is far too high.
California, which decriminalized low-level marijuana possession in 1975, arrested more than 78,000 people for marijuana offenses last year alone, a nearly 30 percent increase since 2005. Of those arrested, four out of five were for simple possession, and one in five was a child under the age of 18. Police disproportionately arrest young people of color, many of whom permanently enter the criminal justice system and suffer severe limitations to their educational and employment opportunities.
California spends hundreds of millions of dollars to enforce marijuana prohibition. While law enforcement focuses ever-increasing resources on arresting marijuana users, there were 185,173 reported violent crimes in California in 2008, but only 125,235 violent crime arrests. Where are our priorities?
TEC’s utilitarian ethics shows up here. Her Bottom Line: it’s all about making something easy to manage with better cash flow.
What makes anyone believe that they can rein in the drug trade for taxation purposes? Next we will read that OJ found his ex-wife’s killer after an relentless search.
I would have thought that Conservatives would, in a back handed way, like the idea of combining government regulation with taxation to drive a stake once and for all into the heart of the devil’s weed. :>)
The essay was co-authored by two people: Steven Gutwillig, the California state director of the Drug Policy Alliance and Ms Richardson, the “coordinator for Hispanic Ministries at San Diego’s St. Paul’s (Episcopal) Cathedral and the creator of the Guadalupe Art Program, devoted to stopping violence against women and children.” I don’t have any problems with Mr. Gutwillig putting forth libertarian arguments for marijuana legalization. (Actually I doubt they are actually libertarian. The essay states that California should legalize marijuana and a libertarian would stop there. In contrast, a liberal pushes for legalization so that the flood of money into government coffers can be used for all these wonderful government social causes.)
But…
When the gospel becomes the social gospel, Christian witness becomes social commentary. How many times was the good news of Jesus Christ proclaimed in the essay? When you read Ms Schori’s sermons, the Christian message is used as a segue to talk about cow flatulence or carbon footprint or whatever. When the pulpit is used for politics, half the people in the pews will invariably disagree with the message regardless of whether it is conservative or liberal.
Typical. Sad. Pathetic.
Holy smoke!
There will be a waiting list to serve as thurifer, ya think?
Way fewer objections to incense, Dude!
for a little historical perspective: less than a hundred years ago, it was legal for the grandmother of one of my long since retired co-workers to go down to the local pharmacy and buy herself a pack of marijuana cigarettes, which she apparently did, curious as to what all the fuss was about.
I can just see the wildcat growers of marijuana in the California boonies switching from running their operations secretly and in defiance of the law to letting the government force them into being legal corporations so that the substance can be taxed. There will still be a large black market which will compete effectively with the so-called legal operators. But, of course, the proponents of legalization are not behind it because of possible more tax revenues for the state but because they want it to be legal because it is in their minds “subversive”.
Why do Episcopal clergypersons think they have to be in the “forefront” of all such causes. She is another airhead
#10 Are you sure that the black market in marajuana would flourish? Did bathtub gin continue to flourish after prohibition ended? NW Bob spent 13 years in the Middle East. He spent a lot of his spare time running his still and racking his home made wine. I can guarantee you it is a big nuisance. Returned to store bought booze as soon as the opportunity presented.
Could it be that many if not most users would be too lazy to get out and grow the stuff? Isn’t that one of the drawbacks to frequent weed smoking? That is what I read. Legalizing and taxing what you can’t control anyway makes sense to my limited intellect. Let employers control risk by random drug testing. Mine does. Otherwise, just fire employees who are zonked, not matter what the substance. Same for traffic police. People are driving stoned now. Will it be any different under legalization?
There are many reasons to be disgusted with TEC clergy. Is this really one of them? Are you sure that the Reverend Canon is an airhead? The article seemed fairly well reasoned to me.
Hmm! Think I’ll listen to a little Jimmy Buffet! 🙂
In the Faith,
NW Bob
NWB – I should modify my comment about Canon Richardson to say that she is an airhead on this issue, and, that, in general, there may well be other causes that could use her support. Yes, you made your own booze, but for yourself, not for sale. the wildcat growers I refer to have quite sophisticated methods of growing and selling. I can’t see these guys willing to live under a regulated system where they are also taxed. Besides, there is no extablished industrial and commercial base as there was for alcohol (Louis Martini, Christian Bros. Hiram Walker, etc.)
There are compensatory advantages to growing legally, if it were to be legalized, even beyond the obvious “not getting busted.” For instance, if someone tries to steal your crop, or tries strong-arm tactics to get you to deal favorably, or anything like that, you can call the cops on them.