Cannabis taxation: a win-win all round, Richard Branson tells MPs
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[img]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2012/1/24/1327410286235/Richard-Branson-007.jpg[/img]
[quote]The market for cannabis in Britain should be regulated and taxed, and responsibility for drug policy moved from the Home Office to the health department, Sir Richard Branson has told MPs.
The Virgin Group head said the 20% of police time and £200m spent on giving criminal sentences to 70,000 young people for possession of illegal drugs in Britain each year would be better spent going after the criminal gangs at the centre of the drugs trade. "It's win-win all round,'' he told the Commons home affairs select committee.
Asked about his personal history of drug use, Branson replied: "I would say 50% of my generation has smoked cannabis. I would say 75% of my children's generation has smoked cannabis … If I was smoking cigarettes, I would be very worried."
He said that in his own Virgin companies he did not think staff who were found to be taking drugs should be dismissed but instead treated as having a problem, and helped. "There are many people in companies with drink problems or smoking problems," he said.
Branson was part of a global commission on drug policy, which includes five ex-presidents and Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general. The body concluded last year that the war on drugs had failed and called for experiments in decriminalisation.
He was the first witness at the Commons home affairs inquiry into drug policy.
Branson argued that the policy of switching responsibilty for drug policy from the Home Office to the health department had worked in Portugal, where nobody had been jailed for using or possessing drugs in the last 10 years.
Portugal was the only country that had decriminalised all drugs. As a result of treating drug users rather than imprisoning them, he said, heroin use and heroin-related deaths had fallen by more than 50%.
In Britain, 100,000 young people a year were arrested for drug offences, and 75,000 of them were given criminal records, which meant they had problems in later life in travelling to some countries, he said.
"If next year those 100,000 people are not prosecuted for taking drugs, but they are helped, I think the commission would welcome Britain doing that."
He said if the sale of cannabis and other drugs were regulated and taxed, then the quality of what was being taken could be controlled. He contrasted the lack of deaths in Portugal with the recent deaths of three teenagers in Britain from taking tablets they wrongly thought were ecstasy, citing the fatalities as an example of the consequences of failing to regulate the illegal market.
The Virgin chief admitted he had not read the UK Home Office drug policy statement, which emphasises diverting drug users from prison, but said the 100,000 arrests each year were evidence the policy was not working in practice.
Pressed by some Conservative MPs on the committee to come down on one side or the other in the debate over methadone maintenance versus abstinence, Branson said he was no expert, and it was for the MPs to establish what worked best.[/quote]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w275r0FzEdY[/media]
of course it should taxed and regulated, cartels small and big are taking 100% profit in the parallel economy, taxing will completely destroy cartels, at least with cannabis, they probably sell other stuff like heroin and coke, dunno how what their 'business model' is like in the UK
More money for the state, etc
It makes perfect sense though, if you make it legal not only do you lower the costs / free up the time of the police force / court system the government would end up making money on something people are buying anyway.
and consumers win, cannabis is great
[QUOTE=DrBreen;34386615]taxing will completely destroy cartels[/QUOTE]
no it wont
Respect for branson +1
I totally agree with this.
While there's gonna be a lot more done than just taxing weed to fix the economy its a start
[QUOTE=Spycrabz;34386640]no it wont[/QUOTE]
if you have read the rest of my post..
Wont happen though, they are too bigoted.
[QUOTE=DrBreen;34386624]and consumers win, cannabis is great[/QUOTE]
I dunno.
Maybe I'm dumb but at least here in Ontario as a comparison practically 50% of alcohols cost is taxes.
Do I really want the price of my weed to double? No not really.
Same idea with tobacco
[QUOTE=Spycrabz;34386640]no it wont[/QUOTE]
That's why you do what Portugal did, and legalize all recreational drug use. That way, when an addict goes to the hospital to get help, they won't meet a jail cell, they'll meet what they need, medical help.
Then the cartels will have to fall back on racketeering and human trafficking, arguably easier crimes to stop.
This thread needs a "smarked" rating.
[QUOTE=Itachi_Crow;34386655]While there's gonna be a lot more done than just taxing weed to fix the economy its a start[/QUOTE]
Yeah there is so much potential money to be made from this
But this taxation could end up like cigarettes did and be ridiculously overpriced etc.
[QUOTE=Dusty666;34386696]Yeah there is so much potential money to be made from this
But this taxation could end up like cigarettes did and be ridiculously overpriced etc.[/QUOTE]
And yet, plenty of people still buy cigarettes and alcohol. Why would marijuana be any different?
[QUOTE=Aman VII;34386676]I dunno.
Maybe I'm dumb but at least here in Ontario as a comparison practically 50% of alcohols cost is taxes.
Do I really want the price of my weed to double? No not really.[/QUOTE]
20$ for a dimebag
heh
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34386703]And yet, plenty of people still buy cigarettes and alcohol. Why would marijuana be any different?[/QUOTE]
I'm not saying people wouldn't buy it I'm just saying I'd rather not pay double; hell possibly more than double if you consider how much tobacco is taxed
I've had this idea since i started smoking, could create a huge amount of revenue for the government and it makes everyone happy. Atleast someone with a bit of power has started pushing the idea. The only thing i'm worried about is that the weed will most likely be really shit and overpriced, but i suppose by doing that they'll encourage drug dealers again
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34386703]And yet, plenty of people still buy cigarettes and alcohol. Why would marijuana be any different?[/QUOTE]
It wouldn't. It would just be another drug for society to thrive off of I guess.
Well, it's hard to tell if demand would rise or fall if Cannabis was legalized.
[QUOTE=Aman VII;34386722]I'm not saying people wouldn't buy it I'm just saying I'd rather not pay double; hell possibly more than double if you consider how much tobacco is taxed[/QUOTE]
weed in england is already expensive as hell, people round here have started selling grams for £20 and i highly doubt the government will put the price that steep
If we end up being one of the last first world countries to legalize weed I'll hate my country even more.
[QUOTE=Gareth;34386748]weed in england is already expensive as hell, people round here have started selling grams for £20 and i highly doubt the government will put the price that steep[/QUOTE]
What the hell? That's like $30 a gram, jesus.
Generally its like £6 per gram here.
At that rate I'd probably rather buy estacy. But I guess that'd be even more expensive.
[QUOTE=Gareth;34386748]weed in england is already expensive as hell, people round here have started selling grams for £20 and i highly doubt the government will put the price that steep[/QUOTE]
lmfao grammes for £20 who the fuck are you buying off
waiting for america to threaten UK with economic sanctions etc. if they try to implement a more sensible drug policy, then demand that drug dealers be extradited to the US for prosecution
[QUOTE=Aman VII;34386778]What the hell? That's like $30 a gram, jesus.
Generally its like £6 per gram here.
At that rate I'd probably rather buy estacy. But I guess that'd be even more expensive.[/QUOTE]
yup, $100 for an eighth and i really really hope the government won't be doing stuff at that price
God damnit, USA needs people like this. Best of luck to Britain.
[QUOTE=Gareth;34387661]yup, $100 for an eighth and i really really hope the government won't be doing stuff at that price[/QUOTE]
Jesus Christ get a better dealer man, my dealer is a bit of a dong and he's not even that bad
[QUOTE=Aman VII;34386676]I dunno.
Maybe I'm dumb but at least here in Ontario as a comparison practically 50% of alcohols cost is taxes.
Do I really want the price of my weed to double? No not really.
Same idea with tobacco[/QUOTE]
If it's legal, the price will drop substantially.
[QUOTE=Mr. Smartass;34387946]If it's legal, the price will drop substantially.[/QUOTE]
I doubt that.
[QUOTE=Megafanx13;34386685]That's why you do what Portugal did, and legalize all recreational drug use. That way, when an addict goes to the hospital to get help, they won't meet a jail cell, they'll meet what they need, medical help.
Then the cartels will have to fall back on racketeering and human trafficking, arguably easier crimes to stop.[/QUOTE]
Portugal didnt legalise drugs, they decriminalised them. Drugs are still illegal, but if youre "caught" with them, you get warnings and then forced to get help. You arent labelled a criminal like in every other country. This is the best drugs policy to follow, and its been proven to work.
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