Statewide Colorado Marijuana Initiative Turns in Signatures
[inline:breckenridge.jpg align=left caption="the ski town Breckenridge, Colorado (which voted for legalization in 2009)"]Proponents of a Colorado marijuana legalization initiative turned in more than 159,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office Wednesday, nearly twice as many as the 86,500 required for the measure to be approved for the November ballot. The state has 30 days to verify the signatures and approve the measure for the ballot.
The Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 would legalize the possession of up to an ounce or six plants (three mature plants) by people 21 or over. It would also compel the state of Colorado to come up with regulations for commercial marijuana cultivation and sales by July 1, 2013.
The campaign for the initiative is being spearheaded by two well-known, Colorado-based activist organizations, SAFER Colorado, led by Mason Tvert, and Sensible Colorado, led by Brian Vicente. The campaign estimates that legalizing and regulating marijuana would save the state $80 million a year in law enforcement costs and generate $40 billion a year in tax revenues.
[image:2 align:right caption:true]"This is a job well done and a crucial first step to ensure Coloradans have a chance to make history," said Art Way, Colorado Manager of the Drug Policy Alliance, which supports the measure. "There's simply no denying the intense groundswell for change. This initiative is another indication that Colorado is moving away from non-sustainable drug policies that don't benefit society at large," said Way. "The selective enforcement of marijuana prohibition and the often undue collateral consequences associated with prohibition should impel all who believe in individual liberty to support this initiative."
Initiative organizers will have their work cut out for them. A Public Policy Polling survey of Colorado residents in December asked "in general, do you think marijuana usage should be legal or illegal," and legal won by a margin of 49% to 40%. Earlier polls had slightly higher levels of support, but the conventional wisdom among initiative experts is that initiatives should be polling at 60% or above before the campaign begins.
Still, it now appears that voters in at least two states -- Colorado and Washington -- will have the opportunity to legalize marijuana this year.
Comments
Slaves demanding more slavery. I love big brother.
You guys got it all wrong with your begging to be taxed BS.
Do you pay a tax on other home grown herbs? Are you aware that other legal natural herbs are medicinal many are superior to marijuana for treating pain, cancer, insomnia etc.. Your probably too high to even consider that other herbs are medicinal if they don't get you high.
You people are slaves. "Oh please Government who has locked us up for decades, please grant us a tax.
Marijuana at the federal level is illegal, This means you should not be filing tax documents that prove your selling marijuana.
Dumbass Steve and his dumbass accountant on that show Weed Wars. See where doing it by the book gets you? In case you did not know, Steve DeAngelo who runs a Medical Dispensary in Oakland California owes millions of dollars in taxes. Because he admits to selling Marijuana, the IRS call its drug trafficking and the dispensary is not allowed to have any tax write offs.
Now you Colorado slaves are begging for the same treatment. Unless you can get a majority of the states to change the federal tax law, your headed for the same trap.
Dear government give us a tax on coffee. This nation was born using violent force to end a tax on tea, and now we are so pathetic we beg for a tax on THC. Ending the war on drugs should free up enough resources so we do not need another tax on Marijuana, or any other organic matter such as carbon.
Slaves demanding more slavery. I love big brother.
You guys got it all wrong with your begging to be taxed BS.
Do you pay a tax on other home grown herbs? Are you aware that other legal natural herbs are medicinal many are superior to marijuana for treating pain, cancer, insomnia etc.. Your probably too high to even consider that other herbs are medicinal if they don't get you high.
You people are slaves. "Oh please Government who has locked us up for decades, please grant us a tax.
Marijuana at the federal level is illegal, This means you should not be filing tax documents that prove your selling marijuana.
Dumbass Steve and his dumbass accountant on that show Weed Wars. See where doing it by the book gets you? In case you did not know, Steve DeAngelo who runs a Medical Dispensary in Oakland California owes millions of dollars in taxes. Because he admits to selling Marijuana, the IRS call its drug trafficking and the dispensary is not allowed to have any tax write offs.
Now you Colorado slaves are begging for the same treatment. Unless you can get a majority of the states to change the federal tax law, your headed for the same trap.
Dear government give us a tax on coffee. This nation was born using violent force to end a tax on tea, and now we are so pathetic we beg for a tax on THC. Ending the war on drugs should free up enough resources so we do not need another tax on Marijuana, or any other organic matter such as carbon.
In reply to Slaves demanding more slavery. I love big brother. by Dave Howe (not verified)
what's your problem?yes
what's your problem?
yes people pay taxes on other herbs - homegrown or not.
you're probably too high strung to think this all through because you seem to be saying it's better to keep it illegal and that somehow is less Orwellian.
Even if this does cause a federal/state confrontation - that's a good thing.
In reply to Slaves demanding more slavery. I love big brother. by Dave Howe (not verified)
Wakeup and smell the.....
Dave
Wakeup guy! This is the US of A! Everything that we want is done by using money! Every politician knows this simple rule. If you want to change the laws or make new laws.... it takes MONEY! Whether we're wage slaves or incarcerated slaves, in the end will it really matter?
We can do this legalize weed thing bloodlessly by convincing the (PTB) to see the errors of their ways. By showing them they can make even more money legalizing something v.s. keeping it illegal.
TAX REVENUE... is a plus, income to the treasury is a much preferred event. v.s. No income and a massive expenditure for prisons, police, courts, not to mention that everyone in jail is one less tax payer who's paying taxes.
I would much more prefer to help keep my children and grand children out of harm's way. Money is the lubricant that keeps everything running smoothly.
Now some would call this a "bribe". Well call it what you want. For you folks that always thought we lived in a Democracy, well we've never lived in a democracy.... we use to live in a Republic and as such a republic is run by money, sorry to say. I personally would love to live in a Utopian where taxes are evil and everyone get everything they want with plenty and peace for all!
Maybe someday that will happen, but don't hold your breath on that anytime too soon.
Happy New Years to everyone.
40 billion?
How did they come up with 40 billion in tax revenues when people were saying as low as 1 to 2 billion for California?
No Government Permission Required
If every American citizen learned of their own power to nullify any government action through the power of a jury, all of this Federal manipulations would come to an end...including the War on Some Drugs and the despicable War on Terror (9/11 was an inside job folks).
Like the citizens in Montana who refuse to convict MJ users, we should copy their example until the Federal Monster can be weakened to pre-1900 levels.
The Federal government is AT WAR WITH YOU. For the love of your country, stop giving the criminals any authority over your lives.
It's ironic that we send our young men and women over sees to supposedly "fight for freedom", but our own citizens are too fucking scared to take their own government back into their own power.
Fear reaps its own disasters, and COURAGE alone will save this country.
Check out www.losthorizons for a mighty understanding of these American principles.
I am no longer a slave...I know there are more of you out there. Let's take our country back...no loser excuses!
Patrick Michael Mooney
The former state of Virginia
Wakeup and smell the.....
Dave
Wakeup guy! This is the US of A! Everything that we want is done by using money! Every politician knows this simple rule. If you want to change the laws or make new laws.... it takes MONEY! Whether we're wage slaves or incarcerated slaves, in the end will it really matter?
We can do this legalize weed thing bloodlessly by convincing the (PTB) to see the errors of their ways. By showing them they can make even more money legalizing something v.s. keeping it illegal.
TAX REVENUE... is a plus, income to the treasury is a much preferred event. v.s. No income and a massive expenditure for prisons, police, courts, not to mention that everyone in jail is one less tax payer who's paying taxes.
I would much more prefer to help keep my children and grand children out of harm's way. Money is the lubricant that keeps everything running smoothly.
Now some would call this a "bribe". Well call it what you want. For you folks that always thought we lived in a Democracy, well we've never lived in a democracy.... we use to live in a Republic and as such a republic is run by money, sorry to say. I personally would love to live in a Utopian where taxes are evil and everyone get everything they want with plenty and peace for all!
Maybe someday that will happen, but don't hold your breath on that anytime too soon.
Happy New Years to everyone.
Genocide
War on Drugs is genocide search you tube and google for "man or other animals" and see for yourself. The government thinks we are a herd of animals.
Dear government overlords,
Dear government overlords, please tax and regulate marijuana so that it is an old boys club much like the alcohol market.
Remember only buy your marijuana from government certified suppliers. All others are terrorists and must be droned.
Judge says
She was smoking unlicensed Marijuana, 2 years for Tax Evasion!!!!
Damn right lock her up for that no good pothead trying to get high without paying the government.
I only buy tax stamped phatties from my local On The Run. Buying untaxed marijuana is funding TERRORISM. NDAA says we can drone domestic terrorists without a trial.
the POTUS has the right to drone U.S. Citizens.
an untaxed cannabis field has been detected. No problem well send the roundup spray drone over that field and it will be forever polluted with nutrient bonding glyphosate.
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