California’s business climate has enough challenges: high taxes, regulatory zealotry, and any possibility Jerry Brown could make it back into the Governor’s office. Now, the state has to contend with the possibility California will be known as the place that may legalize – and massively expand – pot use.
As though we want to make it any easier for Governor Rick Perry to lure even more businesses to Texas.
“We support effective anti-drug education programs, stiff punishment for alcohol and drug-impaired drivers, and stiff penalties for drug dealers and drug users,” reads the California Republican Party’s platform. It’s a sound policy that puts the best interests of Californians first and foremost.
The number one factor preventing young people from trying illicit drugs is cost, and legalization would without question lower cost and expand access to dope. As a result, hundreds of thousands of more Californians would no doubt become the users of illicit drugs. The proponents of legalization certainly don’t want to wage a campaign on the fact that their effort will produce more dope users in everyone’s community, workplace, and public places.
Even the proponents of dope smoking know the idea of massively expanding drug use in California is a loser. Instead, the dope caucus wants to fight a campaign on the idea that legalizing the drug would mean it could be taxed, something that does not occur presently. At a time of massive state budget deficits due to overspending, they hope to sell pot as a new revenue source for the state.
Of course, this argument is just as phony as the last scheme they used to expand pot use: “medical” marijuana. Hundreds of thousands of new dope users in California carries massive societal costs that no tax rate would ever recover. Besides, high taxes on any product creates another black market (just look at cigarette smuggling in high tax states), so there’s a limit on how high a “dope tax” could go. Meanwhile, all taxpayers would ultimately foot the bill for the accidents, lost productivity, and other societal costs associated more drug use, not to mention the impact of those who move on to harder drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, using pot as the gateway drug it is.
California’s budget crisis is not the result of an insufficient number of citizens smoking pot. Rather, state government runs deficits because of perpetual overspending combined with a punishing tax and regulatory structure making it easy for other states to lure away our businesses, employers, and taxpayers. Creating a pro-growth, pro-employment environment in our state should be the number one issue in the upcoming campaign.
Studies show that if a person can make it to age 21 without using drugs, they are 90% certain to never start. Lowering the cost of drugs like pot will ultimately lead to millions of additional drug users over our lifetime. That does not make our society any stronger, safer, or more desirable. And it certainly will not help alleviate any state budget crisis, but instead will lead to new ones.