Going to Pot

I am pleased that the voters in Colorado and Washington approved adults to use marijuana for any purpose. In the future people will be shocked that we arrested millions for marijuana use in the same way that we are shocked that doctors used to perform surgeries without a patient’s informed consent.

Canadian-American economist Alex Tabarrok has a post looking at a paper that argues for the “right to use pharmaceuticals without getting the consent of an official.” According to The Republic the difference between Colorado voters rejecting legalizing marijuana in 2006, and last night’s vote, is how the issue was framed — “the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol” was the measure’s name in 2012. Also helpful was this tagline: “Jobs for our people, money for schools. Who could ask for more?” Lawmakers in Colorado can tax marijuana up to 15 percent, and the first $40 million will go toward constructing new schools. If anything, it’ll be a test to see how successful we can regulate legalized marijuana. I’m for that.

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