While I won't go that far, under the right management, it could be big money.

I wouldn't call it the next great American Industry either. But I understand if its massed produced like cigarettes are millions/billions can be generated in the form of taxes.

(03-03-2013 11:44 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  I wouldn't call it the next great American Industry either. But I understand if its massed produced like cigarettes are millions/billions can be generated in the form of taxes.

I think that hemp could be a really big deal too. Lot's of uses that lots of people can take proprietary advantage of.

As far as marijuana, I would hope that your Marlboro's and such won't go to the government to regulate the market so much that only they can succeed.

Unfortunately companies like Marlboro and Newport etc, will end up being the companies that sell marijuana in packs. I think we all can see that a mile away.

(03-03-2013 11:54 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Unfortunately companies like Marlboro and Newport etc, will end up being the companies that sell marijuana in packs. I think we all can see that a mile away.

I can see that but maybe the industry could be like the beer industry and microbreweries. That is, if the big companies don't start to lobby.

Czar O can handle this.

It could help save the post office too if they want to let companies sell online. Although many of the packages would arrive half-used.

No chit.

What does it say about a country that wont even allow a farmer to grow the non THC variety of cannabis(Hemp) that has literally hundreds of profitable uses and grows in areas that are not now suited for regular agriculture.
Cannabis is a threat to big Pharma, timber and other interests.

There's a lot of money involved in keeping it illegal as well. The government is allowed to take all of a person's possessions and income when they're involved in drug crimes, including marijuana, the drug of choice for most drug users, and many have a vested interest in seeing that things stay that way...

Pot micro-breweries is actually a pretty neat idea. But in most places in the USA, you couldn't "imbibe" on premises because of anti-smoking laws. Maybe they have a smoking deck outside?

Here and there in the Cities, a couple cigar places received special exemptions to smoke indoors, but I think they were grandfathered in when new anti-smoking laws went into effect.

As if it matters, I no longer care if pot is legalized. It won't fight for it, and I won't fight against it. If some entrepreneur can make a living selling pot to the public and paying some sales tax to local government, well I don't really have an issue with that like I had when I was younger.

(03-03-2013 11:36 PM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  While I won't go that far, under the right management, it could be big money.

Rand Paul will love to hear that!

(03-04-2013 06:56 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  It could help save the post office too if they want to let companies sell online. Although many of the packages would arrive half-used.

Could just leave money in your mailbox and the postal carrier could just leave some like stamps.

(03-04-2013 11:03 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  There's a lot of money involved in keeping it illegal as well. The government is allowed to take all of a person's possessions and income when they're involved in drug crimes, including marijuana, the drug of choice for most drug users, and many have a vested interest in seeing that things stay that way...

I can't deny that. Part of my paycheck is probably paid by that. The DEA and local enforcement get a lot of their fancy equipment for it as well. Hell, think about the companies that are contracted to manufacture this gear. There is a bunch of money in the War on Drugs, I just hope there's more in the legalization.

(03-04-2013 02:59 PM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  

(03-04-2013 11:03 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  There's a lot of money involved in keeping it illegal as well. The government is allowed to take all of a person's possessions and income when they're involved in drug crimes, including marijuana, the drug of choice for most drug users, and many have a vested interest in seeing that things stay that way...

I can't deny that. Part of my paycheck is probably paid by that. The DEA and local enforcement get a lot of their fancy equipment for it as well. Hell, think about the companies that are contracted to manufacture this gear. There is a bunch of money in the War on Drugs, I just hope there's more in the legalization.

There is a lot of money in legalization. But it won't end up in the same hands. That's a big part of the problem in the legalization effort...

The title is right, and not for the reasons you suggest. Sure, legalizing and taxing marijuana would be lucrative to both government and the economy.

However, in this country we're so full blown reefer madness paranoid industrial hemp is illegal. And you can make damn near anything out of hemp industrially. Rope, fabric, houses, car bodies. It is just as versatile as wood. That would be your real boom. We have to import all our hemp rope, which is used extensively in industrial and particularly shipping areas due to durability, flexibility, strength vs weight, and cost.

Legalizing marijuana, and giving retroactive amnesty to all those currently in prison on marijuana charges would empty a good percentage of the nation's prisons, giving us another big savings annually...

(03-04-2013 07:31 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  The title is right, and not for the reasons you suggest. Sure, legalizing and taxing marijuana would be lucrative to both government and the economy.

However, in this country we're so full blown reefer madness paranoid industrial hemp is illegal. And you can make damn near anything out of hemp industrially. Rope, fabric, houses, car bodies. It is just as versatile as wood. That would be your real boom. We have to import all our hemp rope, which is used extensively in industrial and particularly shipping areas due to durability, flexibility, strength vs weight, and cost.

Historically...Cannabis was legal until WR Hearst pushed to have it banned. Never mind that he used his power and money to get this done and that he was the major player timber and paper..(of which Cannabis was a direct competitive threat). The idea that industrial Hemp is not legal to grow in America is nonsense today simply because it could competed with timber as a fast renewable resource. You would think the environmentalists would be all over this issue. I expect the Timber interests in America are still behind keeping it banned.

(03-04-2013 07:39 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Legalizing marijuana, and giving retroactive amnesty to all those currently in prison on marijuana charges would empty a good percentage of the nation's prisons, giving us another big savings annually...

This issue is really one that a national referendum should decide. I expect that is the only way Cannabis would become legal again. There are too many powerful forces in play that are keeping it illegal even though majority of Americans believe Cannabis should not be banned.

(03-05-2013 06:52 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(03-04-2013 07:39 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Legalizing marijuana, and giving retroactive amnesty to all those currently in prison on marijuana charges would empty a good percentage of the nation's prisons, giving us another big savings annually...

This issue is really one that a national referendum should decide. I expect that is the only way Cannabis would become legal again. There are too many powerful forces in play that are keeping it illegal even though majority of Americans believe Cannabis should not be banned.

Those are the ones who would be losing all that income to legitimate sources, should it ever become legal...

(03-05-2013 09:49 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(03-05-2013 06:52 AM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(03-04-2013 07:39 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Legalizing marijuana, and giving retroactive amnesty to all those currently in prison on marijuana charges would empty a good percentage of the nation's prisons, giving us another big savings annually...

This issue is really one that a national referendum should decide. I expect that is the only way Cannabis would become legal again. There are too many powerful forces in play that are keeping it illegal even though majority of Americans believe Cannabis should not be banned.

Those are the ones who would be losing all that income to legitimate sources, should it ever become legal...

Yep it started with Hearst and is now Columbia Forest Products..Georgia Pacific..Temple Eastland...Uniboard..and a host of paper and drug companies. All with lobbyist working feverishly for them.