Always, Always, Always, follow the money.

That’s what we get for funding both sides – the equilibrium needed to be self-sustaining.

Thanks, Jane.

The volume of drugs coming through the Arizona border is also eye-popping. Federal agents seized 1.2 million pounds of marijuana last year in Arizona. That amounts to an average of 1.5 tons per day.

Hmm a $1 tax a pound on pot would give AZ 1.2 million dollars. A dollar tax an ounce would give AZ $16 million.
When you factor in lower costs of not having to smuggle the stuff illegally a $5 an ounce tax becomes doable. Plus lower law enforcement costs from not busting pot heads would mean lower taxes.
How much I have no numbers for.
But still Win/Win!

$5? you can put a tax much higher than $5 dollars on an ounce. tobacco is taxed at like 300% in some places.

Voted.
Will there be brownies?

Correct me if the math is wrong a $5 tax an ounce would give AZ hmm 16 ounces in a pound 16*5 = 80
1,200,000 * 80 = $ 96,000,000 dollars
I think AZ could pay for healthcare for everyone with that kind of money.

Jon you can do the math on that one:)

mmm, brownies.

Pot busts have become so common that until recently federal prosecutors in Arizona generally declined to press charges against marijuana smugglers caught with less than 500 pounds.

Jeebus, how big is his Bong ?!!

Jane ! Firedogs !

Yep, with a secret ingredient …

I like the $420 selection on the donation form

Next idea best Pot brownie/ other food recipes we could do an entire chapter in an FDL cookbook! This has always been an idea I thought we should do.

500 pounds!
Lucky us. Just enough for the floor-seats at Stones concerts.

where are the brownies?
did somebody say there were brownies?

Petrocelli!

Latest from our friends at Stopthedrugwars.com: Bong banning

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_blog/2010/apr/28/banning_pot_didnt_work_so_lets_t

Because throwing quadraplegics in jail for growing weed just isn’t enough.

Go Florida.

We just had a brownie cookie. Or more accurately, I ate it and the dogs watched, because it’s chocolate after all.

How would they tax weed I grew at my house?

‘ere…
OK, that was a big fat one over the plate, billy.

I bet the dogs are pissed at you now !

I suppose now is not the time to say I hate pot & never smoke it. Or otherwise ingest it.

Now BROWNIES on the other hand…

500 pounds of Pot is how big? Are they using semi trucks to haul this? Immigrants may be hard workers but nobody drags even 200 pounds 5 miles across a desert.

Yes. They are sleeping. And infuriated.

Interesting you say that because I have been working on a complex piece on a similar nature. The official California Department in charge of determining how much money a new tax would raise has determined legal and taxed cannabis would bring in 1.4 billion a year.

I might if I could keep it (and nobody was looking).

They won’t still think of all the plant killers like my sister who would buy. Think of all the different brands you have not tried yet but might want to grow at home.
You have to buy before you choose what to grow. Never mind longer lasting paper, clothes, ethanol, cattle feed etc.

Clearly the next step is banning the sale of topsoil because you can grow cannabis in topsoil.

What are the marijuana laws in your region of Canada, Petro?

That number seems low in light of Jane’s post today.

Don’t waste it on the Stones, save it for Santana … *g*

Dude you on Roids?

Remember that is only the revenue raised directly from the tax, not the money saved.

This is supposed to be a free country , a country of choices some choose to use alcohol ,others umm ,use other stuff.

The Legislators in Florida are taking some serious drugs … or ought to be.

A eccentric relative (aren’t they all?) freaked out the family as the beloved Dachshund kept being feed chocolate bits despite our reservations. No one knew how that little dog stayed alive but we celebrated it!

What about savings from police not having to enforce pot laws any numbers on that?

I recall Raven saying he saw the Stones in ’65. Safe bet tickets were under $5.

We’re talking ancient history.
1979 and 1981.
I think.

No, standing at the moment. :)

If pot was taxed like tobacco what are the numbers?

Me too … Meditation gives me all the high I need.

Now add a dollop of old fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream to warm Brownies, and I’ll be by in a flash ! *g*

Why use simple common sense when you can spend billions of dollars to militarize your boarders?

Answer: It might make rooming houses safer.

Impossible to know without knowing the price it would sell for. You can be certain it wouldn’t be as cheap as tobacco.

I’m under the impression that medical marijuana is still pretty expensive. Not legal here, can someone give me a rough idea?

Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em, baby ! *g*

Pot possession is not a criminal offence, but selling it as a pusher is still an offence. Lots of people are able to cultivate and sell Medical Marijuana in Canada.

Then again, most of our Laws are … you know … kinda 21st Century …

I have a gardening book from a series printed in 1910 or there about , that recommends the use of hemp as a backyard or garden screening plant.
Of course hemp contains little or no THC and a pound of the stuff wouldn’t do a thing for you.

All I know is it isn’t $10 for three fingers anymore.

Want to do it together? I was planning on writing a book called Rapture Ready Recipes. You know, for the Rapture.

ROFL … you have some great entries in the contest !

Yeah, yeah, rub it in. We’ve never claimed to have a modern society here in the U.S.. Oh, we did?

Never mind. :)

buncha damned socialists !!!

from a maximum revenue perspective you want the tax to bring the price of the product just below the level at which a significant percentage of people would decide to go through the work of growing their own.

There is the die hard group of green thumbs that would always grow their own even if it was basically free at the stores for the love of gardening so it is the people who would really not want to grow but would if the savings were big enough that create the tipping point.

It was $35 an oz from the age of 16 until my early 20s. Generally anything really exceptional was $40, although you could count on people complaining about the price.

OK who has brownies?

LOL … Billybugs !

I can make you a Chocolate Martini ?!!

I think Jane had some ,but she Bogarted them !

Yum! Love one, thanks Petro.

It would probably be like alcohol in that there would be brown paper bag variety, plus mid and high end products, but yeah, a lot of people will grow at least part of their supply.

Haven’t used it for a long, long time, and don’t intend to again. Frankly, hacking my lungs out wasn’t worth the effect.

Still, for people who partake and sell it, I see no reason to throw them in jail. It’s wasteful, and the exact opposite of what’s needed.

The numbers are off AZ is exporting some of this pot thats why their numbers are so high. However California should be able to sell their pot. The estimates I bet assumed no exports!

*Sends Margot a Ginormous Chocolate Martini*

1.4 billion?

Hunh. How come it’s okay for wall streeters to “develop innovative ‘products’ without any useful purpose” for the sole purpose of making buckets of money, but growing and using marijuana for many useful purposes AND making buckets of money (for entrepeneurs and the states) is somehow not okay?

And, full disclosure: haven’t touched thte stuff in nearly 30 years, but the last time I did, I was suffering from a recent cervical injury (yes, whiplash, it’s real) that was causing me great pain. The few tokes of mj took the pain away completely with only mild “impairment” (I didn’t drive that night, tho’), in coomplete contrast to every Rx I’d been given for it.
Just sayin’.

Many of which, no doubt, derive more product differentiation from clever advertising than from any actual distinctions in the product. A lot like alcohol, IOW. ;)

Interesting. We could only export to countries where it’s legal and for decades the U.S. has pressured every country in this hemisphere to keep it illegal. I’m guessing there wouldn’t be a huge export market since it grows well almost anywhere.

CTuttle will tell ya about the renowned BC Bud …

Cost to grow pot should be comparable to tobacco the price to sell should be higher if anything we could tax more than tobacco I would think. Still the numbers are hazy not something I am sure of.

Desert at Petrocelli’s house.

I did. The dogs are ripshit. They conceal it well with the snoring.

I had a similar experience with restaurants when I visited New Orleans. You dropped roughly the same amount of money at all of them but some had excellent food and in other places it was not fit to eat… or would not have been had I been remotely sober.

News flash, you can buy Budweiser here, Petro. “g”

And to think, now CT has to settle for that inferior Hawaiian, poor guy.

I’m not that great a cook still all the recipe threads we have had at the lake and recipes in the comments well it seems sometimes we are a baking, political blog.

But, I’m a little older than you. :)
I remember when it went up to $15 for an ounce. Then, later it was, like, you just got a dime bag and you got however much that was.
I’ll tell you what though, there’ve been a few camping trips where my son shared some and man, it knocked my socks off. Wasn’t at all what I remembered from when I was young.

Hmm have you seen the Palin Python Spirt video ET has I’m guessing snake will be on the menu.

Back when you were partying with Scott and Zelda I imagine everything was less expensive… (luv ya, hon). :)

Thank you

AZ the desert states I’m guessing won’t grow much pot. Hmm? Tariffs on foreign pot are needed we want our farmers to profit off this.

Kids, I’ve got some tea brewing, and no it’s Not That Kind. It’s Tazo – Calm.
So, see y’all some other time.
And, Jane, you crack me up sometimes. :)

LOL !!! CT tells me that there are homes made of grass, in paradise …

Love you too, Rat Rat the sometimes Brat.

Nite Demi!

I’m only interested in weed for it’s medicinal qualities . I have a degenerative disease in my lower spine and have had my cervical spine fused. I’ve used pretty much every narcotic pain med there is looking for relief ,most just made me sick to my stomach or so wasted I couldn’t function.
With out going into too much detail , I work out 3 times a week and run a mile and a half every day except during really bad spells. My Doc is amazed that I’m able to function at such a high level , I haven’t told him how I do it though.
Right now I’m a productive self employed individual , a few years ago I was headed for the disability roles.

g’nite shnookums :)

*mwaah* … niters !

Geez, hard enough to keep a roof over yer head as it is.

Nite Demi

No soup pot for Arizona!

Diary!

Big Good Night Hug to all dogs.

I expect McCain to cry if we legalize pot and ban foreign Pot all that cash AZ will lose plus his wife’s beer business will take a hit.

Good night ,sleep tight !

I expect the mavericky one to be out of a job a lot sooner than that.

Calling it a night, splendid evenings to all.

My dad’s beagle fell asleep on the dining room table after finishing off the fudge on Christmas night…

One can hope … G’nite RF ! G’nite all !

Nite Rat!

Pleasant dreams RF !

Night all sleepers.

It’s been a pleasure conversing with you all.

Good Night !

Voted but I didn’t see two of my favorite sayings “Free the Weed” and “Hemp for Victory”

Suzanne is here!

Good night, and as always, thanks for playing!

…. didn’t see my entry on any of the lists …. i’ll look again in the
am before morning meds ….. or maybe i imagined entering ….
puppy ….no ?

My favs so far:

Campaign for Sensible Cannabis Reform.
Decriminalize Cannabis.
End Tea-totalitarianism.
Enlightened Cannabis Regulation Initiative
Grass Roots America
It’s Time to Tell the Truth About Cannabis.
Legalize Responsible Cannabis.
Legalize Cannabis, Grow the Economy.
Proud To Be USA Grown.
TAX HEMP
Vote for Rational Cannabis Reform.
Yes We Cannabis!

My only concern is that, if we legalize pot, the capitalists will get their hands on it–and capitalists destroy everything they touch.

No, got a link?

I was already planning on doing this book, so I’m going to ask you to be a co-contributer. Put as much or as little energy into the project as you want to and we will see what happens.

I figured it can be done on line for free and if it really takes off we can have it printed and sell hard copies. I only have one recipe so far, ’jeremiad’.

It is a food sauce. I was inspired to invent it on Feb. 26 for the recipe book I am writing called ”Rapture Ready Recipes” by this post,

FDL Welcomes James Fallows, How America Can Rise Again
http://firedoglake.com/2010/02/24/fdl-welcomes-james-fallows-how-america-can-rise-again/

So I hope that doesn’t offend anybody. Here is the recipe, I haven’t worked out any of the amounts yet. Take a jar of tamarind or other sweet chutney and seriously dose it with green dragon. Green dragon recipe,

HOW TO: Make GREEN DRAGON the Quick Way using a Vapor Brothers Vaporizer and ONLY 1 Gram of Herb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4HLLgVN_xk

Hey, it is a start. I hope everyone will contribute their favorites.

I was certainly going to include a Flying Spaghetti Monster sauce recipe and I thought we could run competitions for things like spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, brownies, cookies, etc. and give credit where credit is due.

Sacramental wine, water to wine, and communion wafer recipes will all be included. The purpose of the cook book is to be Rapture Ready. We do have a deadline too, May 2011.

Plenty of time!

http://marijuanarecipe.com/marijuana-recipe.htm

http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/

http://smokingwithstyle.com/cookingetiquette.htm

http://alternatesmoke.com/cooking/index.html

http://www.concept420.com/marijuana_cannabis_recipes_cooking.htm

Concept 420 has a rough guide to consumption you don’t want to miss. People are dosed as ‘floating’, ‘flying’ and ‘in outer space’.

I think that is just per-r-r-fect for Rapture party planning. Maybe we can finally start having some fun.