NuRayZ said:
You’re the free market man right? Why not legalize it, privatize it, slap a tax and regulate it like tobacco and alcohol, and make some money?
So let me get this straight. You honestly think people will buy it from the official store and not only pay the higher price but also pay taxes on it? The government can’t win a price war with drug cartels. It’s like buying computer parts, you can do it at a local shop and pay higher prices and taxes or you can get them online. Sure there’s some who pay more but most don’t. Just like shipping costs are often cheaper than the taxes, driving to the rough side of town will be cheaper than paying the taxes.
Also, alcohol is NOT a privatized substance. If it was, anyone could make and sell it. The ATF has placed extremely limitations on how much beer and wine you can make and you’ll land serious time, often 20+ years, for making your own hard liquor. Even with beer and wine, you aren’t allowed to sell what you make. To legally sell your own brews you have to fill out a TON of forms and likely hire a dedicated business CPA to keep up with all the taxes, something that is typically very expensive.
Duendes said:
I dunno if you realized, but california doesn’t exactly have the funds to build more prisons. Just because you commit a crime, it doesn’t make you a criminal. Ask any person who’s studied criminal justice this. Robbing a bank is different for obvious reasons. One may try and rob a bank with threats of violence and another may just try & sneak in after hours. You can’t just say it doesn’t make sense at all. You’re grossly over simplifying it. I’m going to try and not pull a rant now.
California most certainly does have the funds to build prisons, they just choose to spend it on pork barrel and special interest projects instead. Rather than cut spending on things the state doesn’t need, government officials often just claim that they don’t have enough money to avoid making decisions or to justify tax increases. This is why many small businesses pay 50% or more in income taxes right now.
How are some crimes not crimes? Just because it’s not a “violent crime” doesn’t mean it’s not a “crime”. It doesn’t hurt anyone, sure, and neither does alcohol, right up to the point where it does.