Colorado Oregon and Washington will vote on mary jane legalization

Aye, aye, aaaa-aye…

Oregon, Colorado, Washington Vote On Mary Jane Legalization Next Month

According to Huffington Post

On a Monday teleconference call, former Drug Enforcement Agency administrators and directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy voiced a strong reminder to the U.S. Department of Justice that even if voters in Colorado, Oregon and Washington pass ballot measures to legalize Mary Jane use for adults and tax its sale, the legalization of Mary Jane still violates federal law and the passage of these measures could trigger a “Constitutional showdown.”

The goal of the call was clearly to put more pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to make a public statement in opposition to these measures. With less than 30 days before Election Day, the DOJ has yet to announce its enforcement intentions regarding the ballot measures that, if passed, could end Mary Jane prohibition in each state.

“Next month in Colorado, Oregon and Washington states, voters will vote on legalizing Mary Jane,” Peter Bensinger, the moderater of the call and former administrator of the DEA during President Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administrations, began the call. “Federal law, the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court decisions say that this cannot be done because federal law preempts state law.”

Bensinger added: “And there is a bigger danger that touches every one of us — legalizing Mary Jane threatens public health and safety. In states that have legalized medical Mary Jane, drug driving arrests, accidents, and drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed. Drug treatment admissions are up and the number of teens using this gateway drug is up dramatically.”

Really?? So everyone starts smoking the gan-jay and gets violent and reckless?? Sounds like the opposite of what we see most folks doing while lifted, but ok…

Here’s how the sticky-icky would be taxed of these legalization measures are voted to life.

In Colorado, if Mary Jane is legalized it would be taxed and regulated similar to alcohol and tobacco. It would give state and local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of Mary Jane to adults age 21 and older. According to the Associated Press, analysts project that that tax revenue could generate somewhere between $5 million and $22 million a year in the state. An economist whose study was funded by a pro-pot group projects as much as a $60 million boost by 2017.

In Washington, a 25 percent excise tax would be in place if the state passes Initiative 502, which state revenue experts say could generate as much as $1.9 billion over the next five years, The Seattle Times reported. If passed, the initiative would allow adults 21 and older to buy up limited amounts of Mary Jane or Mary Jane-infused food products and would create state-licensed growers and retailers.

The Associated Press reports that if Washington’s I-502 passes:

Public use or display of Mray Jane would be barred.

No Mary Jane facilities could be located near schools, day cares, parks or libraries.

Employers would still be able to fire workers who test positive for pot.

It would remain illegal to privately grow Mary Jane for recreational use, though medical patients could still grow their own or designate someone to grow it for them.

It would be illegal to drive with more than 5 nanograms of THC, the active ingredient of cannabis, per milliliter of blood, if the driver is over 21; for those under 21, there would be a zero tolerance policy.

That’s a LOT of money that states could earn for allowing a lil’ dojia smoke. Considering how tight some state budgets are for schools, roads, and other public needs, an few extra million bucks could go a long way.

Would you vote for legalization? Why?

Hit the comments section and let your voice be heard.