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Saturday, May 12th, 2012

Legalising Cannabis Would Solve Spain’s Deficit Problem, Says Branson

Author:    
Source:     Think Spain (Spain)
Publication Date:     Thursday, May 10, 2012
Link: Legalising Cannabis Would Solve Spain’s Deficit Problem, Says Branson
Stephan:   Sir Richard Branson is a very smart and insight man as his extraordinary accomplishments make clear. This idea is not as inconceivable in Spain as it would be in the U.S. -- yet. In bordering Portugal decriminalization of all drugs has caused almost no increase in social damage, in fact giving considerable social benefit. As a result drugs have become a non-issue in that country. The Spanish know this of their neighbor. I would give this a small probability of occurring, but not zero, given Spain's financial situation. It is interesting that the media in the U.S. hardly discusses this. On a fact basis Portugal shows that all the hysteria over legalization is just that -- hysteria. Profitable to cartels, corporations, and government agencies, but destructive of millions of lives, and of little positive social utility.

The official opening of Barcelona’s Cannabis Museum yesterday proved to be the perfect opportunity for experts to renew calls for the legalisation of the drug, with Richard Branson saying that Spain could solve its deficit problem by legalising cannabis alone.

The multi-millionaire founder of the Virgin emporium is also a member of a global commission on drugs policy which includes five ex-presidents and Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general, and which concluded last year that the war on drugs had failed and called for experiments in decriminalisation.

Branson said that if Spain were to legalise cannabis use and collect taxes on its consumption, marijuana could go a long way towards solving its current economic problems: ‘it would help get the country back on its feet’, he said.

Branson was in Barcelona to receive an award from the promotors of the new Cannabis Museum – the biggest in the world at 900 square metres – in recognition of the work the commission has done since 2004 to promote the acceptance of the plant in all its forms and the reintroduction of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

The British multimillionaire took the opportunity to praise the initiative taken by the village of Rasquera (Tarragona), whose […]

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