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David Hubbard

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What changes do you think will result from the legalisation of Marijuana.

Cash strapped governments are looking at a new revenue stream; taxation on the legal sale of Marijuana. Washington and Colorado have lead the way. More are sure to follow. How do you think this will affect society?

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    Krisztián Pintér 200+

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    TED Translator
    Mar 8 2013: police will have harder time locking up young black people with no good reason
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      David Hubbard

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      Mar 8 2013: Is that still happening?
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        Gail . 50+

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        Mar 9 2013: Absolutely yes - in the USA. Though marijuana use is about equal among the races, our prison population for non-violent drug-related offenses is mostly black. (Hispanics are the next highest proportion). With the privatization of prisons, these prisoners become tacit slaves of the states- with their labor being sold for profit to big corporations who also profit from. Private prisons are a mega business unto themselves. They spend millions lobbing in each state for harsher laws and sentencing laws.

        "The American prison and jail system is defined by an entrenched racial
        disparity in the population of incarcerated people. The national
        incarceration rate for whites is 412 per 100,000 residents, compared to 2,290
        for African Americans, and 742 for Hispanics.9 These figures mean that 2.3%
        of all African Americans are incarcerated, compared to 0.4% of whites and
        0.7% of Hispanics." (The Sentencing Project)

        Arrests for drugs is highest among blacks. Traffic stops are equal, but searches after a traffic stop are exceedingly high for blacks and exceeding low for whites.

        Most of America's prison population (60%) is for non-violent drug offenses where no guns were used.

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