quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx
Mercnbeth:
I think a larger lobby against the legalization of drugs would come from law enforcement and prison guard unions.  Approximately 70% of the people in prison in the U.S. are there for drug related offenses.  If we made drugs legal that would mean, essentially, that 70 %  of the judges, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, cops, prison guards, prison constructors ....etc would be out of a job.

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ORIGINAL: Mercnbeth

quote:

.......how come though Merc, the above argument isn't applied to beer or wine? Both alcoholic beverages can be made at home, often to a high quality. In the UK at least, the law allows this for personal consumption, but if sold the stuff attracts taxation. It is the act of commerce that is taxed, not the act of production.
Seems to me the main reason marijuana is illegal is because, if legalized, it would impact the profitability of producers of alcoholic beverages....and that's some strong lobbying money right there.......

philo,
You can brew beer and make wine in the US. I won't speak for every state, but personal production for consumption is permitted. In CA there are wineries that will take your home produced grapes, ferment, and bottle them for you too.

A six pack of beer can be had for less than $5.00. The best import is under $10. Table wine prices are similar. Would I consider doing better in my house? As a hobby maybe, but for normal consumption to replace the current source?  I don't believe so. I remember back in college days, the idea of having my own keg and cooler was a good idea. When I had to ability to do so, the shelf life, and space requirement were factors for never going through with it. That was just to have a keg. To brew the product and getting it 'right' would take even longer. Hell I remember spending a summer trying to get the formula right for the perfect "Long Island Iced Tea". I got it by the end of the summer but by then was too drunk to write it down.

I'll agree that the alcohol lobby would be at the forefront against legalization because it would have an impact on their sales. However, from a government standpoint, it wouldn't matter. If both were taxed, assuming that pot would be taxed more heavily, there would be an increase in revenue. IF you could control it's distribution. I don't believe they can, so I don't believe, Federally, it will ever be legalized. Decriminalized, perhaps, but never legal, packaged, distributed, and taxed similarly to alcohol or tobacco products.

Edited to add:
Level's comment regarding DUI type enforcement also comes into play. To my knowledge there is no quick, simple, roadside test for Marijuana as there is for alcohol. I also believe that marijuana is in the system for a long time. I seem to recall that you can text someone's hair and determine if the person used pot within the last 30 days. I don't know if the time/day of last use is as accurate as a road side Breathalyzer.

If I'm right, and I'm really not sure regarding a quick, cheap test; lack of easy enforcement for DUI is another factor.

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ORIGINAL: farglebargle

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ORIGINAL: Zensee

Pot will only remain a big cash crop as long as it is illegal, of course. I am sure there'd be some comercial market but when it grows like a weed, I doubt it'd be much. The fact of it's present financial weight is just an indication of how many north americans are being criminalised by present legislation and how much public money is wasted on enforcement and punishment.

When you press the seeds, I hear the resulting oil is pretty much a drop in replacement for diesel #2.

Now who doesn't want to really see an end to the tail of peak oil? Hmm.

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ORIGINAL: Amaros

quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx
Mercnbeth:
I think a larger lobby against the legalization of drugs would come from law enforcement and prison guard unions.  Approximately 70% of the people in prison in the U.S. are there for drug related offenses.  If we made drugs legal that would mean, essentially, that 70 %  of the judges, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, cops, prison guards, prison constructors ....etc would be out of a job.

Far as I know, the law enforcement community is mostly in favor of legalization - they'd probobly rather see fewer killers and rapists getting out early because the prisons are packed with non-violent offenders serving mandatory sentences.

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ORIGINAL: Amaros

I doubt if those opposed to legalization do so with job security in mind - there has always been enough crime to go around without inventing new ones. I think it's more a matter of job security with politicians than with law enforcement.

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ORIGINAL: thompsonx

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ORIGINAL: Amaros

I doubt if those opposed to legalization do so with job security in mind - there has always been enough crime to go around without inventing new ones. I think it's more a matter of job security with politicians than with law enforcement.

Amaros:
We have to be aware that about 70% of the people in the slammer are there on drug related charges. That would mean that if drugs were made legal tomorrow there would be a 70% surplus of cops, judges, prosecutors, trial lawyers, prison guards and prison consturctors and of course all of the related services.  I also notice in the paper that the FBI crime stats show a downward trend over the past 20 years in violent crime.  My research, which is hardly exhaustive in this area, shows that less than 10% of the police agencies in the U.S. are on record as being in favor of legalization of drugs in general or marijuana in particular.
thompson

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ORIGINAL: ModeratorEleven

To all:

Folks, please leave your illegal activities out of the discussion since they violate that pesky TOS.

Thank you.

XI