114 karma · joined September 2, 2011
The Amsterdam team 100% played a critical role in solving the issue (at least until apple bumped the limit). No way we would have stayed under it without you all.
Late reply, but still.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5im2jwahdq...
Re: cigarettes, they're actually smoked much less than in Europe, despite being cheaper and having less graphic warnings. Alcohol is certainly consumed differently as well, but most people grow up and stop binge drinking past a certain age.
I don't really know about the cigarette smuggling you're talking about, so I won't comment on that. If you can point me to an article about it, I'd be interested to read more. I do find it hard to believe that it's had the same effect on communities as drug trafficking in Northern Mexico.
I also think people would be much more willing to tax drugs than food. The reason food is not taxed more heavily is because of industrial heavyweights lobbying congress extensively. There is relatively little money spent in pro-legalization lobbying.
Furthermore, drug legalization in Portugal has made it easier to treat users of particularly dangerous drugs (such as heroin) and has in fact reduced use. Portugal might not have the same drug culture as the US, but it's still a promising result.
Here's an idea, maybe someone could tell me if it's feasible. One of the annoying things about electric cars is the relatively long charge time, which, for day trips, is solved by charging at home overnight. However, a mistake such as forgetting to plug in one night could have dire results the next day. What about having a charging pad for people with garages? When they get home they park the car where the pad is and it starts charging automatically over the air. What are the disadvantages? Efficiency? Price?