General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Not Guilty" in Medical Marijuana Trial.. [View all]RainDog
(28,784 posts)I think it's really interesting to study the shifts in alliances and changes in opinion regarding the prohibition movement.
The current mj legalization movement is made up of libertarians who don't want to spend the money on a victimless crime, patients' advocates who lived through the HIV/AIDs crisis and beyond, those who prefer cannabis over alcohol, and local and state legislatures who would like to be able to capture some of the money that is passed around by illegal trade.
Even if the price dropped because it was easy to produce, the state could levy taxes for recreational use that could capture some of the money that now supports cartels, etc. The trick is to find the tax rate that is low enough to prevent illegal trafficking.
Beyond that, businesses that operate cannabis or hemp related services would be providing jobs and paying into the local economy via licenses, etc.