ExRx.net

So if drugs are legal, what happens with drug tests? Would people in sensative positions still get fired for failing a drug test? If not, this could be problematic to say the least.

Not really. You just say what is and is not allowed.

We don't have to get into the drug business. I just make don't haveit be illegal.

As for companies, they could still say a condition of working there is you can't use certain drugs. It will still be illegal to do various activities while high. Society will still look down on people for drug use. They just won't throw you in jail, which is pointless anyway.

So you’re basically suggesting that instead of a black market, we set up shops and a sort of “free zone” to score, and let society police itself as far as drug use? So all the street gangs and other organizations would just go legit, and have to file tax returns and register with the state, but otherwise no real change in acquisition and distribution operations… That in turn would turn them into white collar criminals because they will fleece stockholders and the general population just like every other big business out there.


I don’t think use would rise too much. There would be marginal increases in use, and younger generations would have to monitored, but it could work on the surface. I know the IRS would have wet dreams thinking about all the new audits, because the unclaimed revenue would be HUGE.


It would work out for my profession; add 3 to 5 clients to the list. I think aside form the prison population drastically shrinking and the perceived drop in street violence, it would also drop college enrollment, which leads to lower costs in the long term.


We would still have to prosecute people driving under the influence and other such activities.

I’m still hung up on the global perception that America would be funding foreign militant groups that supply these drugs for the most part.

Please explain why you think college enrollment would drop if you thing usage wouldn't increase. I'm not questioning it...yet... I just want clarification.

Here is what I was thinking, and I might be stretching too. It was kind of a spur of the moment thought process. And my "usage wouldn't increase" was a very bad explainion of what i was thinking.

1) There would be roughly a 2-4% increase in new users, not a lot at all, but I would say 90% of these new users would be between 16-22 years old. This would contribute to about .5-1% fewer college admissions I figure, maybe less. As most of these kids wouldn’t have gone to college anyway.
2) But keep in mind I think use among those who already use, repeat customers, is going to go up anywhere from 10-40%
3) These new business are going to make a ton of money, and everyone and there brother under 25 years old is going to start up a pop/snort/shoot stand. I’m thinking McDonalds, BK & Taco Hell, but also the corner mom-and-pop diner, and even on a “sausage guy at the football game” size operational scale. Outside of the offices of the big conglomerates, there isn’t going to be much education needed to run these operations. Your payroll is going to consist of more “street” peddlers and “security” rather than accountants and logistic specialists. Don’t forget about packagers, runners, and processing lines…
4) The influx of available “unskilled” (by this I mean not needing a college education to complete) positions will contribute to about a 5-10% drop in enrollment.

Through all my time in College I saw many people there for the piece of paper, not actually learning anything. I think a lot of those people would gravitate towards the new pool of available unskilled labor. But even a 5% drop in admissions would make a difference.

I might be completely wrong here… But that is what I was thinking.

OK, My quick take on the Legalization of Drugs bit...

Legalize the Non-Hardcore drugs which can be grown/produced here in the US. (Pot comes to mind)

Then Regulate and Tax the crap out of them. Ear Mark ALL collected taxes for the following purposes.
1: Education
2: Enforcement
3: Regulation

This does the following....
Creates additional Tax money for Schools and Universities, which should lower tuition. Additionally, the money should be used to make sure students get a decent High School education, before they reach a college and university.

Enforcement and regulation, both create even more Tax revenue to be used elsewhere. They both create jobs, and utilize a workforce which should PAY TAXES.

All in All a WIN for the economy.

BTW: We have already legalized Alcohol and Tobacco and Tax the crap out of them. The only problem is that money is not ear marked, therefore it just gets wasted like so most of our Tax Dollars.


Cliff

Thanks ny. I agree. I will add that I think too many folks in college who have no business being there in the first place so I am not sure it would be a loss. High schools are doing a piss poor job preparing people for the real world. At least in Texas (where all libraries are required to have at least one book), every high school is preparing kids for college. We get kids applying for jobs all the time who don't know how to read a tape measure. They sure as hell know how to take a standardized test, though. And yes, we can thank our former Governor Bush for that one.