The cost of marijuana would drop as much as 80% and consumption would rise if
Californians vote for Proposition 19, the legalization measure on the November
ballot, researchers at Rand's Drug Policy Research Center have concluded in a
detailed analysis of the issue. The Santa Monica-based, nonprofit research
institute predicted the cost of marijuana, which runs between $300 and $450 per
ounce, could plunge to about $38 by eliminating the expense of compensating
suppliers for the challenges of operating in the black market. The researchers
were not certain how much that decline in price might spur use, but noted that
one typical estimate is that a 10% drop in price increases use by about 3%.
Other factors, such as the elimination of legal risks, could also increase usage
between 5% and 50%. The report noted that it was impossible to predict tax
revenues from the initiative, which leaves that decision up to individual cities
and counties. Based on a statewide $50 per ounce tax proposed in a legalization
bill introduced by Sen
Pack Of Cigarettes.
Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), the report said state tax revenues could range
from $650 million to $1.49 billion. "California voters and legislators face
considerable uncertainty because it is very difficult to estimate how much more
marijuana will be consumed in the state or how the change will affect tax
revenues
Buy Tobacco Online,
criminal-justice costs and healthcare costs," the study concludes. The 54-page
report, with 14 pages of footnotes, is called "Altered State?" and was paid for
by Rand. The researchers noted that projections for marijuana use and tax
revenues hinge on estimates of use, prices, how use changes with price, taxes
imposed and evaded, and numerous other factors. The report is peppered with
caveats about the assumptions researchers had to make. To calculate the price
drop, researchers looked at the cost of growing marijuana in a 1,500-square-foot
house. The researchers concluded that the wages paid to employees who tend the
crop would slip from as much as $25 per hour to no more than $10
Marlboro Black Menthol, just a little
above what nursery laborers earn. They also suggested growers would have easier
access to labor-saving automation, savings from growing on a larger scale and
minimal risk of arrest and forfeiture. If the per-ounce cost dropped to $38 and
the Ammiano bill's $50 per ounce excise tax passed, taxes would account for more
than half the cost of the state's marijuana, an observation likely to inflame
marijuana idealists who see it as a natural weed that ought to be treated like
an herb. The report notes that Ammiano's proposed tax is about 10 times the rate
of state tobacco taxes. That high tax creates an incentive for tax evasion that
is more financially rewarding than smuggling marijuana from Mexico to California
and it could also encourage smokers to turn to the highest-potency marijuana to
get more bang for their buck
Price Of
Cigarettes, the researchers concluded. Researchers also looked at the
estimates of the cost of enforcing marijuana laws in California, which ranged
from $200 million to $1
Best Menthol
Cigarettes.9 billion, and put it at "probably less than $300 million." They
also conclude that it is not possible to determine whether increased use would
lead to more drugged driving accidents and to more use of harder drugs, such as
cocaine
Cigarettes Brands, saying the
research is inconclusive.
Related articles:
Buy
Tobacco Online Europe
Selling
Tobacco Online
Pinnwand