Interesting , I guess I really haven't made my self clear here. To begin with I am a member of NORML and ASA. I have a fair idea of some of what is going on, I have heard Ethan Nedelmen in person and seen Howard Woolridge at a couple of locations. Common thought train are whether to get politicians to change law at the federal level or state level. And in another ten or twenty years that might happen.
If, you can raise 1/4 million, the amount needed to begin a successful petition drive in my state, you just bypass the politicians and put it on the ballot for the voters to decide. I do hope that California and Oregon are successful with the petition drives, unless a lot of folks get busy collecting signatures it ain't gonna happen, and the way I am reading it Jack and his group have just about shot their wad.
I read a press release today that said 57% of adults have tried Marijuana at some point in their lives, the majority know it is less dangerous than alcohol. AND if you can show them what is in it for them, they will sign your petition. You would just have to show the research that backs up what you say. Being the goal oriented type, you set a 5 year goal, "We expect the 'sintax revenue to be at least $xxx,xxx,xxx. If at the five year mark the goal has been met or exceeded the sintax gets cut in half. And at 10 years, if we have acheived our gaol of $x,xxx,xxx,xxx. then the sintax goes away. We would like to get the budgets back in balance, we know if you give the politicians a income source with no end, they will spend it like there is no end."
And, just to make sure we will have a clear majority, you also freeze the taxes on tobacco and alcohol at current levels, the folks that drink and smoke are tired of being the whipping boys for the budget woes, which are caused to at least some extent by our drug laws.
I have thought about this for longer than 10 minutes. I know what the numbers work out like, and they are way understated, still would wipe out the deficit for the state of Michigan, even if it is the high tax rate on corporations that caused the problem. Funny the co's say its the high wages. Believe me for Michigan it is the decline of American made car sales, which can be coorrelated to the increase in prison population, a million less cars sold, a million more people in prison. They aren't buying many cars.
Don't fugg with the 'government' go to the people. VV