Will pot become legal like alcohol became legal so the gov. could get more $$?
488866
No, and ill tell you why. Long ago when drugs were actually legal and many of our forefathers used them everyone started using them. This was the time when slavery had just been abolished. They started outlawing drugs using the excuse that black men were using drugs and raping all the white women. I think that they still use stupid excuses these days, like it supports terrorism, etc. Give me a break. sorry, sometimes the things in politics really confuse me.
617349
First off, shoomph, it was legal until 1937 -- when the Federal Marijuana Tax Act was passed, and actually it was still legal then -- if you bought a tax stamp. However, the Feds worded the law so that in order to buy the tax stamp, you had to bring the pot -- pot that was illegal if you didn't have a stamp.  Therefore, no one would ever get a stamp since they would have to bring illegal pot, and no one would do that since they would be arrested, and therefore no one ever bought a stamp and pot was illegal.  That's one hell of a legislative Catch-22.\n\nSecond, Fisha, it wasn't alcoholics who turned prohibition.\n\nIt was a nation of drinkers -- many more drinkers than are pot smokers now, relatively speaking.  A nation of drinkers and a nation tired of the war on alcohol (sound familiar?)\n\nIt was really the Roosevelt administration who ended prohibition.  It was one of the very first things his administration did after coming into power, first legalizing beer and wine, and then legalizing liquor again with the passage of the 21st amendment in 1933, ending 13 years of very unsuccessful prohibition.\n\nIn perspective, consider there were tens of thousands of drinkers in a population of between 900,000 and 132,000,000 during prohibition's years 1920 to 1933.  Conservative estimates are that between thirty and forty percent of the US population drank, and it was in all likelihood far more.\n\nThere were approximately 1,500 alcohol agents (Treasury) -- very tired agents -- tired of trying to enforce the unpopular law, tired of battling all the criminals who flourished through illegal alcohol sales and distribution.\n\nThere was little opposition to the end of prohibition.  The nation was tired of prohibition, and all that it caused.\n\nHere's where the paths of alcohol and marijuana prohibition diverge.  \n\nIn patterns of use -- alcohol had been socially and traditionally acceptable and fairly widespread in use.  Marijuana has been around as long as booze, but wasn't as widely used in the US and so it never became part of the mainstream culture.  \n\nIn sheer numbers -- alcohol was and still is used by a larger group of the populace than marijuana ever was.\n\nHigh estimates (no pun intended) of marijuana use at the turn of this century still only amount to perhaps ten percent of the populace, nothing near the thirty to forty percent or more who drink.  Assuming a figure as high as up to 25 million people are sparking one up at least every now and again, that's still less than ten percent of the overall population (around 265 million in 1999).\n\nThe issue of marijuana decriminalization is far more problematic than the repeal of alcohol prohibition for many reasons.\n\nIt's difficult to sort these reasons which are entwined in many ways, so I'll just trot them out together.\n\nThere's marijuana's placement in a special drug category (unlike alcohol).\n\nThere's a deeply entrenched federal antidrug police force, the DEA, which in numbers and budget is far beyond the mere 1,500 strong Treasury department of the 1920's and 1930's.\n\nThe DEA, along with State, county and municipal police forces are deeply entrenched in a multibillion dollar "war on drugs." Not to forget, the US Coast Guard, The Army and other armed services play substantial, costly roles in the war on drugs.  \n\nNext time you see a helicopter fly over, especially in the summer and fall -- in the country -- odds are it's a National Guard chopper flying a surveillance mission looking for pot.  I've even had one overfly my tomato garden, then do a quick return and hover-over until they either got their pictures or were satisfied that my tomato plants were just that, and not a couple of dozen pot plants.  I'd estimate in fuel and maintenance time, that made my tomatoes worth at least a few hundred bucks.  \n\nThe propaganda and rhetoric of seventy years of marijuana prohibition has skewed p
998855
i can answer that in one simple word....MONEY...the government makes way too much money off of marijuana busts to make it legal...i know its fucked up but thats just the way it is.. marijuana is the only harmless drug on "Schedule I" (others include: LSD, opiads, methanphetamines...etc. (look it up). \n\nschedule I means....supposedly: "it has no medicinal purpose at all"... so therefore there can not be any government funded research on the subject to advocate its' legalization...\n\ni could go on forever on this debate but its tiresome to type that much, i really wish it was legal as i'm a "fan" of it...lol....\n\ncontact me if you care to hear anymore of my opinion...
317261
If the government can figure a way to tax marijuana, they will legalize it, charge about $10 bucks a joint, so High School students can use their lunch money to get high and stop shootings in their schools, beating up fags, and raping girls; cause then it would be a "don't worry, be happy attitude", and nobody would feel hate, just love and peace.\nI vote YES, what the heck, give it a try, see if things don't improve in our country. Dealers would be out of a job, so they wouldn't be to happy. I say we legalize all illegal drugs, put all the DRUG LORDS out of business, cut down on crime; People only want what they can't have, if it were not illegal, the urgency would dissipate.
15803
Yes...legalized for both. Marijuana is actually less dangerous for recreational use than alcohol--which is legal. Plus...the government could make a lot of money from legalization.
774756
Well it depends on what drugs you are talking about, I always hear people say they can't legalize marijuana because the gov can't tax it. but what they don't know is that, there use to be a tax on "pot". If you look for the marijuana tax act , you can find out alot about it. you will find out that it is illegal mostly because of race. . In Virginia, they had to grow it. people used it as money.
125648
thats a dumb answer, a thoughtless mindset at least.\nno, it shouldnt be legalizrd. people blame it for their personal mistakes too much already. our policies prove we are not mature enough to accept a disagreeable belief. also, its far more profitable illegal than the tax as legal. lucrative for the hands it goes through in commerce. on the legal side, it pays the lawyer (at least $500), the court & the county. the state gets more money from the fed to 'fight''crime' with more cops who need to justify their cost by finding more busts. do you feel relieved when you see a cop in your mirror or are you a bit scared? theres a reason (see aboce).\nthe benefits of cannabis sativa have been proven, it's by corrupt authority that it remains illegal. some good points are made by the other answers.
255195
I don't think it should be legal, we got enough potheads in America, although I think the punishment for possession should be less serious.
310667
Alcohol is more harmful to the human body. Marijuana is illegal because it is a drug and the government can't make any money off of it. If it were legalized, the revenue from it would be the releif that this country has been in need of for too many years. We have many legal drugs that are way more harmful and yet they are used every day. Pot makes you mello. I think it should be legalized, and sold like cigarettes. This would eliminate the drug dealers and make things safer. The gov must be in with the drug dealers... we go to jail and they are at fault for allowing this to happen.  Any body think this is true?
396656
Let me guess.... You are one of the people who want to legalize pot.
93458
The government could make a fortune if they legalized it and taxed it.
1094192
Yeah.  They should legalize it, tax the hell out of it, and try to pay back some of the money wasted on the war on drugs...... help us get out of debt a little.  But the government would have to admit they were wrong in some instances, and they'd actually be held responsible for tax dollars gone askew.  Not going to happen.\n\n**Oh, I totally agree with how much safer pot is than alcohol and especially cigarrettes.  Alcohol, the only drug whose withdrawls can kill you- and cigarettes, which contain nicotine, the most addictive drug on the planet, are both available 24-7. \n\nLook at social issues.  You don't hear about a man coming home stoned and beating his wife.\n\nI don't see how legalizing pot would make people more apt to leaving it out in the open for small children to get a hold of.  It would hold the same accessibility as cigarettes and alcohol.  If I had no other choice, I'd rather my kid be smoking pot than cigarettes, especially after learning what chemicals they have been putting in them- sharing some components with crack.
963829
I don't think it will ever be legalized in all 50 states because the government can't figure out a way to get every tax they feel inclined to impose.\nIf pot is legal to smoke then everyone will be growing their own.Can't tax what you don't know about.Only monies collected on homegrown will be thru fines imposed on the smoker after the consumption and that's only if the smoker is dumb enough to go out while stoned and get caught doing something stupid.\n\nIn a way I can't help but feel like they may as well legalize it and save us all alot of tax dollars wasted on the war on drugs.\nBut then on the other hand I really would be uncomfortable going into surgery wondering what my surgeon had to smoke a few minutes before.Or the judge that was trying my lawsuit.Or my kids teachers.And lets not forget the guys building the skyscrapers or the bridges we drive on or the ones working in the nuclear powerhouses.Especially not those guys!Do you really want Homer Simpson sitting in front of the destruct button with a big doobie in his mouth nodding off?\nWe all want a little escape from reality.We just don't think about everyone wanting to escape at the same time or the consequences when they do so.
1157369
They can't tax pot, so they will not legalize it. Our "great" country is much more interested in turning a tidy profit than in listening to the wishes of it's people.
40836
Simple answer. Cigarettes and alcohol are a huge part of the U.S. economy. If you made them illegal there would be a lot of pissed off companies and people. \n\nThere aren't very many companies in the US that depend on marijuana sales. No impact on economy... no reason to legalize it. It'll make the US no money.\n\nIn short... it's all politics.
242235
people, read the whole question before you answer & make yourselves look like idiots. see what is, not what you want things to be.\nmass producing alcohol descreatly is nearly impossibly so its easy to tax. pot grows anywhere & the yield is so high that the only way to cash in on it is legality. look at who gets paid; growers, transporters, wholesalers & retailers. thats alot of jobs created & the money made is good for the economy. but wait, theres more! who also gets paid; lawyers, courts, county, federal subsidies(taxes)(goes to cops, survailance, cop cars, ect.), all the court ordered programs, jails & prisons. its the greatest cash crop ever (besides war). along with the revenue it generates, being illegal forces the crime stats up. cops get more tax money. there wouldnt be ANY pot related crimes if it were legal. the violence is over territory or robbery, gone if legalized. the sales, gone if legalized.\ncourt ordered programs: all government offices are alotted money for the year. if they use it all, they get more next year & so on. as long as they can stuff warm bodies into these programs, theyll get more money. taxes will never dry up as long as they can steal it outa your check before you get it.\nprisons: the unit i was in is an agriculture unit. we grew okra, cabbage, peas, & corn. orange unit down the way was a packaging unit. styles unit is steel fabrication that makes the buildings we (inmates) are stored in. fregison was a textile unit. we are a self preservation society. get it. look up TCI on the stock market. stands for 'texas correctional industries. we are a workforce that houses, feeds, clothes & maintains ourselves while producing free world goods. NEVER believe that bullsht that it costs tens of thousands per inmate per year. prisons are money makers.\nfor the story on the industries threatened by hemp http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0SO7Ch.jC1EA.IAgidXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2b2gzdDdtBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZAM-/SIG=11q02c7lp/EXP=1143922174/**http%3a//www.parascope.com/mx/hemp01.htm
841363
The government could care less. It's the corporations. And it's not the pot, it's the hemp that they have to keep illegal. It would replace too many poisonous things that they sell. Companies like Monsanto. Those are the kinds of companies that lobbied to make it illegal, many decades ago. Example. The first American battle ship was made of 85% hemp. Do a search and see how it use to be the main stay for the entire planet.