Topic: US citizens prefer drugs to bars
started by: Malcolm
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 11 2014,11:57
< Spend five times as much >.QUOTE
The report also details interesting changes in how much Americans are paying for drugs: Every year, Americans spent upwards of $100 billion on marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Most of that amount is spent by what the report identifies as the “minority of very heavy users,” who get high 21 or more days per month. By comparison, Americans spent a comparatively paltry $21 billion on bars in 2010.
Good thing all that revenue's going to the black market.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 11 2014,12:50
Flip side of that is that in Colorado they aren't getting nearly as much from the taxes on pot as they'd projected. Not sure if that's the usual incompetence of politicians or what,
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 11 2014,13:04
(Vince @ Mar. 11 2014,15:50)
QUOTE
Flip side of that is that in Colorado they aren't getting nearly as much from the taxes on pot as they'd projected. Not sure if that's the usual incompetence of politicians or what,
Do you have a source for that? Haven't seen that anywhere.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 11 2014,13:07
(Vince @ Mar. 11 2014,14:50)
QUOTE
Flip side of that is that in Colorado they aren't getting nearly as much from the taxes on pot as they'd projected. Not sure if that's the usual incompetence of politicians or what,
< Yep. > They're hurting. < $2M > just this January. They're planning for about $50M per year. Which isn't enough to say, bail Detroit out of debt, but it's fifty million they didn't have before.
QUOTE
Economic forecasters in Olympia predicted that the state's new legal recreational marijuana market will bring nearly $190 million to state coffers over four years starting in mid-2015. Washington state sets budgets biennially.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 11 2014,14:02
(Malcolm @ Mar. 11 2014,15:07)
QUOTE
< Yep. > They're hurting. < $2M > just this January. They're planning for about $50M per year. Which isn't enough to say, bail Detroit out of debt, but it's fifty million they didn't have before.
I'm sure in the usual political fashion, they spent twice that ($50 million) already in anticipation of the new possible revenue.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 11 2014,14:07
(Vince @ Mar. 11 2014,16:02)
QUOTE
(Malcolm @ Mar. 11 2014,15:07)
QUOTE
< Yep. > They're hurting. < $2M > just this January. They're planning for about $50M per year. Which isn't enough to say, bail Detroit out of debt, but it's fifty million they didn't have before.
I'm sure in the usual political fashion, they spent twice that ($50 million) already in anticipation of the new possible revenue.
Corruption and overspending is a separate issue from getting the income.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 11 2014,14:33
I agree. I just think the partial solution to government ills is to give them less to do damage with instead of more.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 11 2014,15:00
(Vince @ Mar. 11 2014,16:33)
QUOTE
I agree. I just think the partial solution to government ills is to give them less to do damage with instead of more.
I agree. The ~12% tax they have on bud in Colorado is too high. *rimshot*
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 14 2014,12:18
(Vince @ Mar. 11 2014,15:50)
QUOTE
Flip side of that is that in Colorado they aren't getting nearly as much from the taxes on pot as they'd projected. Not sure if that's the usual incompetence of politicians or what,
< Colorado pot revenues exceeding expectations. >
Apparently they have to refund taxes if they collect too much.
QUOTE
Colorado is authorized to collect about $70 million in recreational marijuana taxes. But estimates show how the state could easily collect far more in the fiscal year that begins in July.
If initial calculations end up being accurate, the state could owe taxpayers a $67 million. Another estimate puts the amount at $107 million. But it's also possible the state will collect less than $70 million, or that voters could allow the state to keep any extra money.
If initial calculations end up being accurate, the state could owe taxpayers a $67 million. Another estimate puts the amount at $107 million. But it's also possible the state will collect less than $70 million, or that voters could allow the state to keep any extra money.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 14 2014,12:20
Pretty sure most of that's going to get plowed right back into more bud.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 14 2014,12:23
Heh... I don't think anyone can agree on how much they're supposed to get from this. Egg heads on one side coming up with a number and the stoners saying, "Nooo dude! We're going to make WAY more than THAT! Wait... where's the decimal? Are you going to eat that?"
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 14 2014,12:25
(Vince @ Mar. 14 2014,14:23)
QUOTE
Heh... I don't think anyone can agree on how much they're supposed to get from this. Egg heads on one side coming up with a number and the stoners saying, "Nooo dude! We're going to make WAY more than THAT! Wait... where's the decimal? Are you going to eat that?"
Actually, they've collected so much revenue that it blows away the tax limit set by a previous law. It's not a matter of how much they've made, it's how much they're going to keep.
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 14 2014,12:27
I wish marijuana were legal everywhere. I have no desire to smoke it, but I'd be interested in the drinkable/eatable forms, like beer/alcohol is to me today.
Posted by Troy on Mar. 14 2014,12:43
I'm never going to post anything constructive in threads like these, but I have like, opinions, man.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 14 2014,13:03
More and more I care less and less one way or the other. I'm okay with states making their own choices on it. On the federal level, there's way more important stuff to deal with.
Posted by TPRJones on Mar. 14 2014,17:27
When will they legalize X? 
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 14 2014,17:37
Let pot get it's day first. I'm guessing between 2020 and 2024 for pot.X... I just don't see it.
Posted by TPRJones on Mar. 14 2014,17:49
*sigh*You know how hard it is to buy X at the age of 41? The only places I know are raves, and it's hard to fit in as the old guy at the rave.
Oh, well.
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 14 2014,17:57
Yeah, some days I wonder if I would try LSD again... but I'm guessing it's purely a theoretical question at this point. Even if I wanted to try it, I have no idea how to get it. Not like I can visit a Grateful Dead show.
Posted by TPRJones on Mar. 14 2014,18:14
Ironically, if X were legal I'd be in much better shape. It's the only thing that can get me to exercise regularly.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 14 2014,22:17
Too much goddamned cash in fighting bud, X, LSD, etc. for the fed to let it go. If Prohibition came along today, it'd never get repealed. They have just recently budged a single fucking goddamned inch on their batshit insane minimum sentencing laws. But that's purely because they don't have enough prisons and guards to handle all the people they're arresting. But hey, it's because the public thinks it's a good idea. < See >?
Posted by Vince on Mar. 15 2014,06:58
Okay, I really don't have a problem with legalized pot, but the fact that there are people that think it's better for you than sugar shows that drugs do in fact make you stupid.Kidding, I blame the media with all their obesity studies.
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 15 2014,07:32
Recent evidence on sugar is pretty damming. Pot, if you remove the smoking part, probably is less dangerous.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 15 2014,07:43
Except that your body requires sugar. Pot, not so much.It's the same stupid crap all the studies always do. Eggs are bad for you, no they're good for you. Coffee kills you, no wait... it prevents cancer.
Pour enough of anything down anyone's gullet and it'll have ill effects.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 15 2014,10:26
Let me know when THC or any other cannabinoid gives someone diabetes. Or a hangover comparable to booze.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 15 2014,10:49
Let me know when they find out you die without THC in your body.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 15 2014,10:55
(Vince @ Mar. 15 2014,12:49)
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Let me know when they find out you die without THC in your body.
I don't deny sugar is needed but people frequently get way too goddamned much. Doing that over time has the tendency to result in bad shit. If I remove the combustion from cannabis, the amount you'd need to consume/ingest to yield similar bad shit is astronomically high. This is the same country that < allows sale of liquid caffeine in lethal amounts >. Your body doesn't need that either. But you can sure as shit buy two fucking gallons of it.
Posted by Vince on Mar. 15 2014,15:50
I don't disagree. Like I said, I really don't care what people want to do as far as drugs as long as I don't have to pay for their welfare and food stamps. But the argument that it's not as bad for you as sugar is just a stupid argument. Hell, you can drink enough water to kill yourself.If you want to compare it to alcohol, then I have no issue with that. Or tobacco. But to compare it to food stuffs just makes the the arguer look like a pot head that can't make an appropriate comparative argument.
Posted by Paul on Mar. 15 2014,16:59
< Some places prefer bars to grocery stores. >
Posted by TheCatt on Mar. 15 2014,17:59
(Paul @ Mar. 15 2014,19:59)
QUOTE
< Some places prefer bars to grocery stores. >
That explains where Malcolm lives.
I think. I'm not that good at the geography of states I don't give a fuck about.
Posted by Malcolm on Mar. 16 2014,09:53
If you take a look at Wisconsin, the state just east, you'll notice a bit of red bleeding into the SE of Minnesota. That's approximately where I'm at, maybe a bit up. After hitting the Iowa state line, it's still about three hours to the north. But Wisconsin, Illinois, and North Dakota. Holy fuck.
Posted by TheCatt on Apr. 14 2014,07:51
Can't find the original pot thread, but Vince was right < taxes are lower. >QUOTE
Medical marijuana users need to get approval from a doctor to buy the drug, but the state taxes those sales at just 2.9%. Recreational marijuana is taxed another 25%.
For a 22% lower tax, I'd get a doctor's note too.
Posted by Malcolm on Apr. 14 2014,08:05
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Medical marijuana users need to get approval from a doctor to buy the drug, but the state taxes those sales at just 2.9%. Recreational marijuana is taxed another 25%.
If they dropped the tax by half, they'd more than double their sales.
QUOTE
Early numbers may not accurately reflect what will happen when the marijuana market is completely developed. Sales in the first couple of months could be inflated due to the initial hype. But on the other hand, sales could be getting off to a slow start because only 24 retail stores were open for the entire month of January. Now, that number has more than doubled.
Biz must really suck if 100% more stores are opening.
QUOTE
The tax revenue is slated for school construction, substance abuse treatment and programs aimed at keeping kids away from pot.
Hah.