Last Call For Rocky Mountain Lows

Earlier today I talked about Chris Hayes, privilege, and the massive disparity between the arrest rate of white and black marijuana smokers.  The awesome Goldie Taylor made the very compelling argument Friday on Twitter that Colorado's legalization setup is only going to make this worse:

... Colorado's new regulations further tip the scales in favor of a privileged class already largely safe from criminalization...
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) January 3, 2014

... those people-- largely black, brown and poor-- due to exorbitant pricing and heavy taxation, are priced out of the legal market...
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) January 3, 2014

Do read the entire Storify by Kashann Kilson, who captured all of Goldie's tweets on the subject.

Bottom line:  the state of Colorado now has not only every legal incentive to go after non-licensed pot dealers and the people who buy their product, but every financial incentive too.  Black market pot from your neighborhood dealer costs the state tax revenue dollars.  Expect prosecutions and raids to be up big time...and there's absolutely nothing to make me think these pot-based arrests won't be as wildly skewed towards minorities as they were before Colorado put this into place.  Look for the state to bring its full power down upon "your usual connection".

If anything, I agree wholeheartedly with Goldie Taylor that it will be far more race and class based.  The people who can afford pot at Colorado's licensed prices will buy.  Those who can't, well, things are going to get ugly.