08 May 2009

Taipan Publishing Group

Written by Justice Litle, Editorial Director, Taipan Publishing Group

California is close to legalizing pot – for economic reasons strikingly similar to those that ended Prohibition in 1933. Is this a step in the right direction, or more evidence of America’s road to ruin? You decide...

Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason, in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes.
– Abraham Lincoln

Wacky Tobacky, Mary Jane, Grass, Herb, Bud, Evil Weed... whatever you call it, the Governator (a.k.a. Arnold Schwarzenegger) wants to legalize it – so he can tax the daylights out of it. He’s only tiptoeing around the question, for now, in case moral outrage blows up in his face.

Of what do I speak, you ask? Earlier this week,California’s governor addressed the hot-button “legalization” issue at a fire safety event in Davis, California.

On being reminded of the results of a recent Field Poll – one that showed 56% voter support for legalizing and taxing marijuana in the Golden State – Arnie had this to say:

Well, I think it’s not time for (legalization), but I think it’s time for a debate... I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues, I’m always for a open debate on it. And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what effect did it have on those countries?

For better or worse, Governor Schwarzenegger has shown himself to be an extremely pragmatic guy. In your humble editor’s point of view, his statement in Davis was thinly veiled code for, “Heck yeah we should legalize it! Pot is California’s biggest cash crop – every stoner knows that – and we sure could use the extra billions right about now. But we have to do this carefully, so as not to ‘tweak’ the more upsettable folks...”

Read the complete article at http://www.taipanpublishinggroup.com/taipan-daily-050809.html