I’m not a big fan of legalizing weed. That puts me at odds with a bunch of my more libertarian-minded friends and certainly outs me as a dinosaur.
But one of the biggest arguments in favor of legalization was that it would put the illegal dealers and criminals out of business and generate loads of tax dollars.
I really hate it when reality bites optimism in the butt. But it happens all the time.
And especially with weed…
INVESTIGATION: Killings, robberies, extortion. California can’t stop its booming illegal cannabis stores. @MatthewOrmseth takes us into the dispensaries that are up and running days after police raids. https://t.co/m1GA5Ne28K
— Jack Leonard (@jackfleonard) September 13, 2022
While this Tweet talks about California, I’m hearing this story from all over. Legalization didn’t take the criminals out of the business. And isn’t generating the tax money promised.