Aldous Huxley would be doing the "told-you-so-dance" as control of the population (particularly the non-elites) has reached levels only he could have dreamed of. In the latest government plan, hot on the heels of "cash-for-clunkers" and minimum wage hikes, Berkeley - that bastion of California liberalism - has unveiled what can only be described as a "Pot-for-the-poor" scheme. As LA Times reports [3], under a new ordinance, at least 2% of the marijuana each dispensary doles out needs to be given free to members who have “very low” incomes (under $32,000). So not only is work punished in America [4], but not working now has 'benefits'... it's only fair.
Medical marijuana dispensaries in Berkeley must give some of their pot free of charge to low-income patients under an ordinance approved by the City Council.
At least 2% of the marijuana each dispensary doles out needs to be given free to dispensary members who have “very low” incomes and are Berkeley residents, the ordinance, approved Tuesday, says.
The ordinance also stipulates that free pot must be the same quality, on average, as the pot that other members buy.
According to NBC Bay Area, the City Council has defined very low income as $32,000 a year for one person and $46,000 a year for a family of four.
Berkeley had three permitted dispensaries as of early 2012, according to the ordinance.
The reason for this...
“It’s sort of a cruel thing that when you are really ill and you do have a serious illness... it can be hard to work, it can be hard to maintain a job and when that happens, your finances suffer and then you can’t buy the medicine you need,” said Sean Luce with the Berkeley Patients Group.
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It appears, having realized that cracking the nut of inequality is impossible given the vested corporate interests, that the government will resort to numbing the poor comfortably into not caring... and on the bright side, late-night sales of snack food may surge... so it's positive for GDP too...
