Guest justagirl Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 High, Your imput is greatly needed, if you have the time. Now this might be an easy question to answer or it might take a while to mull over. If you worked in the Government how would you try to make money out of cannabis, in the unlikley case it was legalised? Now I know many of you would hate to think of paying the government for cannabis, and in an ideal world it wouldnt happen, but in the UK, you pay 17.5% on almost everything you buy, from clothing to food to C.D's and Cars! Its a fact that every packet of skins, every weed grinder, every bong and pipe has 17.5% Vat on it, every growlight, NFT Tank, bottle of nutrient and Bud Boost has 17.5% vat paid on it. people even pay VAT on cannabis seeds. So in the real world the government who allows these goods to be sold is ensuring you pay money to them for everything you buy. TV Licences cost money, so do fishing licences, driving licences, and passports, when ID cards come in, yes thats right, you will pay for the privilage of identifying yourself, like it or not! So in the real world its pretty realistic to say that the ONLY reason the government CAN'T legalise Cannabis, is because they CAN'T work out how to charge us for it! In amsterdam cannabis ISN'T LEGAL, its decriminalised Coffeeshops are LICENCED, but the coffeeshops could not possibly run with the small ammount of cannabis they can legally keep without expecting a bust, so they ILLEGALLY keep more, you can grow about three plants, and you cannot smoke cannabis in public. Not long ago Dutch Government started selling cannabis from chemists for prescription patients, but they wanted double the money for the cannabis they produced compared to what could be bought in a coffeeshop, suprisingly the project has been a noted faliure, our government must now be looking at this thinking: how can we do it, and still make money? As i ask you this hundreds of MS Sufferers and other people in pain are STILL commiting an illegal offence by using cannabis in the UK, we still have medical cases going to court, whilst the government dilly-dallies over what to do, and how to make money. So in an ideal world, if you had the resting choice, how would you do it? This could help us win seats at election, we need to know how to keep the big wigs sweet, so the rest of us can relax without fear of arrest. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveweed Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Surely the same as anything. Businessess sell a product. Pay VAT on each sale of that product. In addition they pay tax accordingly annually as a business. If actual illegal status were removed they would make zillions taxing up the ass like everything else. It still comes down to wether or not Joe Blow could digest it being a normal commodity. But boy they would rake in the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad (the impala) Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I doubt it would ever happen, but I'd like to see a revolutionary approach - home growing legal, you can possess it, grow it, give it, but not sell it! - no big business, no tax - just a herb returning to being the folk remedy that it is! If there really must be some regulation - you pay £100 to the local fire brigade, who check your growroom for safety, and grant you a year's licence to grow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Sensible way . License growers and rooms. Employ inspectors, who come when you crop, weigh your yield and grower would pay according tax. Grower sells product ,pays tax on his income, buyer could even pay VaT. This would bring in a large income from 3 different taxes, Grower could have a skilled profession, Which could be study'd at govt run education places ( colleges ) Thats 3 'new' Job positions already, Grower,inspector, Teacher. and 3 taxes. Quality of mariuana,would increase, Criminals and money growers,would eventually get washed out,as quality weed would be legally available at reasonable prices and police could concentrate on real crimes. MaryJ coud be properlly studied and researched,meaning weed will get better and new uses would be found from new strains and varieties. Everyones a winner. Alternativey they could sell the rights to produce to 1 or 2 big companies, whoever pays the most, Tax them on there yields, Then on there income, And then a 'special ' tax for the buyer , who can only buy in licensed shops,( Again who ever pays the most), putting whatever price they see fit ( obviousy way to much ) and then having to pay tax on there income,Thus keeping the criminals involved (supplying cheaper product)which obviousy wil keep the police busy (looking for home growers), while all this is happening we have to smoke whatever shit the 1 or 2 big firms decide to give us from there mass producing Yield orientated grow factorys.Meaning same small scale research like now, continues at the snail paceit is. Sorry ranting a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hir Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 (edited) licence to grow? Not a daft amount. Determine what average grower needs £25 quid for this licence. Another level (we're not all statistcal averages) 2x £40 ... per year, yes no ... get coat? sorry deecee, i'm a bugger for not reading whole thread Edited February 10, 2005 by hirsuite10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I dont think you would have to pay for the licence, The licence should be given if your room meets safety standards and govt set criteria.Grower would pay tax not a licence fee. would interest govt much more than a one of payment of a lience fee, and i for one wouldnt complain about paying a reasonable tax on my produce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generalb Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Some say that it would not sell because it's so easy to grow at home / in the garden. However, the same could be said of much of the fresh veg that we buy. The consumer would be too lazy to plant a seed when they have the alternative of buying a packet from the offie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oli Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 How about this, its free to grow in your own home, and you can sell yo your mates whatever you want, same as if you sold them some apples from your tree or lettuce from your garden. Past a yield of X kilos a month, you have to pay for a commercial growing license, which allows you to supply head shops, cafes etc, and means you have to pay VAT. Your product would also be checked for potency, pesticides etc. There will always be people who will want to grow their own, and people who cant be bothered and just want to buy from a friend or cafe. Anyone else like that idea? oli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 i would say the best way is let everyone grow it , for free . But where talking about the govt here , and i think the only way to get through to them is 1,ways they can make the most long term profit. 2, Creation of new jobs 3, Benefit to science and education. 4, Reduction in crime i dont think theres much point in trying to deal with this govt in any other way, they wont listen to medical point of view or basic human rights, so give them what they want, but make it reasonable to us. In the long term once more people have been smoking good herb, theyll soon switch on and current govt would be outed. Then make it free to everyone!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hir Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 It is a free, natural herb. It should be free really. I hated the first time somebody tried to sell me mushrooms ... 1980 ... naive, stupid, idealistic but my head went "...PAY! The're like, free man...." Got so used to just buying it over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 I know what I'd want morally, no legislation, just education, and herb treated like any other plant. That's just not gonna happen, though, so some kinda compromise is needed. Personally I think the only workable way that the gov would even consider would be personal growing licenses for home growers, at an annual fee, commercial growing licenses for commercial growers, at a higher annual fee, normal VAT on sales, and licenses for headshops selling herb & coffe shops, like pubs & off licenses. Medi growers would be exempt, and medi users would get it on prescription. Hardly ideal, or even less than ideal, but I really think (as the thread suggests) that without a significant gain to the treasury, the government won't even consider it. As you say, a lot of it is about money, if we could demonstrate that the treasury would earn as much dosh as from, say, alcohol or fags, we may have a foundation to work on. Mention human rights and nobody takes a blind bit of notice, but cold, hard cash is guaranteed to get their attention... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Layne Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Bolocks to that. Licence? No Tax? No HMG Interference? No FFS peeps, get a grip! Do you have Fire Brigade check everything? No! The best way to change a bad law, as has been proved so many times in history, is to ignore it en masse. That is what we have all been doing some of us for damn near half a century now. And it is slowly starting to work. To give in now to all this Nanny state drivel about possible dangers to kids (where are the parents?), schizo-nonsense, Psycho-babble and what have you would be, IMHO, to yield to defeat whilst in the very entranceway to victory. Free Weed - Now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 I know what you're saying, Arnold, and I agree 100%, in principle. But since this government has no principles, I just don't think that's gonna work, at the end of the day everything in this country is about cash, and I think if we can demonstrate that it will bring in lots of cash, we may get a little closer to what we all want. I think the thing to bear in mind is, with enough cash, the government will forgive almost anything, but no amount of cash will stop us from toking, so either way we're the moral victors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Layne Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 (edited) I say: Fekk the Gov. I don't believe for one minute they will ever allow weed to be legal cash incentives or no, without controlling it to the point of its being worthless. I reckon we should all hugely increase our output and flood the country with Free Weed! And Mr.Plod, if you are reading, yes I would, but I am physically incapable of it so don't get all apoplectic and come visiting expecting a barn-full Edited February 11, 2005 by Arnold Layne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 I say:Fekk the Gov. Bollocks to it, I'm with you Arnold. Fekk em, fekk em all. I lost my rebellious streak at some point in the last decade, bout time I got it back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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