Castoffs

Because I’m following Marijuana news so as to be informed for articles I write for Humboldt Grow, I find, or people send me,  interesting pieces all the time.  Here is a list and short excerpts from recent articles that  interested people might want to investigate more thoroughly.

Today on MSN-Money Central Online: “In a 2007 study, Jon Gettman, a senior fellow at George Mason University’s School of Public Policy, valued the American marijuana trade at $113 billion annually. Between drug enforcement and potential taxes, the federal government and the states were losing almost $42 billion a year by keeping marijuana illegal, the study indicated.” (Hat tip to a friend of mine for sending me the link.  He lives in Mexico and his two latest posts -here and here—are wonderful insights into living there with the swine flu outbreak.)

Oakland Council Backs a Tax on Medical Marijuana: “Oakland’s City Council last week approved a 1.8% tax on medicinal marijuana sold in the city. If voters pass the proposal in a July election, Oakland would become the nation’s first city to directly tax the drug, medical-marijuana advocates say.

Such an outcome would further legitimize medical marijuana in California and represent the latest victory for advocates.”…”The owners and managers of Oakland’s four medical-marijuana dispensaries said they approached the city with the idea. “We wanted to further legitimize the medical-marijuana paradigm to show that we are truly willing to assist [Oakland], and to show other cities that there are social benefits to this,” said Keith Stephenson, executive director of Purple Heart Patient Center.”