Virg Bernero And Pot For Potholes

[t-pain]

http://wdet.org/posts/2015/06/02/80641-pot-for-potholes/

 

Stephen Henderson talks with Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero about legalizing and regulating marijuana in the state of Michigan.

 

They discuss regulation, possible tax revenue, and the practical side of legalizing marijuana. Some of the major points of their conversation are:

 

Pot for potholes. “Pot for Potholes” is a grassroots movement to legalize marijuana and tax it to fund road repair. Bernero says that we should take marijuana from the governmental expenditure column to the revenue column. He quotes an estimate that Michigan could make $200-300 million per year in tax revenue from legal marijuana.

 

Legalization vs. regulation. Bernero says that one of the problems with Michigan’s medical marijuana law and with local laws legalizing marijuana is they do not have the ability to effectively regulate sale, production, and distribution. He thinks that a regulatory framework is key, and will take people “out of the shadow” and into open, legal markets. He points out that because Michigan will not be the first state to legalize marijuana, we can learn from other states’ mistakes.

 

Public initiative. Bernero claims the public is ahead of legislators on marijuana. He believes there will have to be a public initiative to legalize marijuana in Michigan, and that this could happen in the next year.

The cost of enforcement. Bernero points out that because marijuana is considered a class 1 drug, possession is a serious charge. He says that because it is illegal, people are arrested and given criminal records for possession. He points out that while usage rates are the same between black and white people, black people are arrested for marijuana possession at a higher rate.

 

Prohibition has failed. Bernero compares the current illegal status of marijuana to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. He says that keeping a widely available substance illegal creates disrespect for the law and leads to increased violence and criminal activity, while legalization would not.

 

Click the audio link above to hear the full conversation.

[bobandtorey]

I think he may be a great Governor for Michigan i have worked for him befor i hope he runs again i will help

[beourbud]

Is there any question Cannabis is a Smokin Political Issue?  I get a kick out of these flower childs thinking its all cumbaya.

 

We need to be Proactive and getting everyone registered and to the polls.

 

The only reason he lost was timing.  Midterm turnouts suc.   

 

Going to  be a Sensi Tsunami come 2016.  

 

Long Live Home Grows

[imiubu]

I like my Mayor but I am not down with this scheme, nope not one bit.

 

How is it that our politicians can misappropriate funds ect... then expect

the ever hated cannabis community to bail them out?  This is worse than

a sin tax, this is targeting a specific group of people.

 

Oh... and what about it still being federally illegal?  I mean they love to

use that excuse when it comes to raiding, arresting and incarcerating us.

Humm, doesn't matter when we can get the stoners to fix the roads?

fux em, hypocrites.

[cristinew]

Hey  everyone in Lansing   wants the poor and the stoners to pay  for everything and let the rich pay nothing,

[imiubu]

Yeah, lets get those dirty pot smoking hippies to pay for our road repair!

 

Who do you think would vote for this? 

[trichcycler]

fukx that!

 

why not use the lotto, or casino's, or Viagra even for potholes?  supposed cannabis supporters  offer this crap up in hopes to sweep it through maybe?\

 

where the money that was supposed to be fixing the pot holes?  how long is the warranty coverage with these road crews? 

 

(pot for potholes future)  we could  draw conclusions between road conditions and numbers of  people locked up for cannabis crimes.

[Wild Bill]

If we took all the politicians and ground them up we could probably fill quite a few potholes.

[Sledge]

If we took all the politicians and ground them up we could probably fill quite a few potholes.

 

with a reserve!

[Restorium2]

Would it make you angry if you knew that state road projects that were funded in the past couple years were put on hold to put pressure on us to give up our loot?

 

I know of one that was funded, has had all the engineering work done and it still sits there, funded, but construction has been held up to create the public 'fear' of bad roads and failing infrastructure. 

[imiubu]

Angry? Sure.  Surprised? No.

[Wild Bill]

Just the fact that the government exists and presumes to tell me how to live my life makes me extremely angry. All the other anger against them just follows naturally.

[Restorium2]

Made me proud to be part of the 80% who voted no. Just went to the polls to vote no. Took time away from fun to do it. 

 

They spent $10,000,000 to run that vote just to say they were doing something. Shame on them because we know it.

 

For example; Ken Horn said he knew it would fail. Then why did you waste our money? Anyone who would just waste our tax money like that ON PURPOSE is a bad politician, no matter how you slice it. 

[bobandtorey]

It is my own opinion that the State of Michigan had a plan long ago to not fix any roads and let them get worst just to try and raise Tax's on its people 

[Restorium2]

It is my own opinion that the State of Michigan had a plan long ago to not fix any roads and let them get worst just to try and raise Tax's on its people 

Yah, and I have proof of it. If there's one road like that there are many. 

[t-pain]

i agree, remember 3 summers in a row with zero road construction ?

 

those gentlemen.

[Restorium2]

i agree, remember 3 summers in a row with zero road construction ?

 

those gentlemen.

Of course there were plenty of roads that were under construction. What I'm referring to is a specific state road project that has been funded for years and all that has been done is the engineering work. The locals still fill the pot holes and they even put new lines on it, all wasted time and money because it was funded for repavement two years ago.