| Photo: J-Lingo.com |
| ‘Manhattan Madam’ Kristin Davis: “Marijuana is a $10 billion a year industry in New York state. Its legalization and taxation would help New York’s current financial crises.” |
Potential New York gubernatorial candidate Kristin Davis, the self-styled “Manhattan Madam,” has endorsed California’s proposal to legalize and tax marijuana, and says New York state should be next.
“Californians have figured out what New Yorkers need to figure out,” Davis said, reports James Nani at LegislativeGazette.com. “Marijuana is a $10 billion a year industry in New York state. Its legalization and taxation would help New York’s current financial crises.”
David, who says she booked prostitutes for former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, is former vice president of a California-based hedge fund. She established a high-priced call girl service before pleading guilty to promoting prostitution and serving four months in Rikers Island jail.
Davis is considering running for governor as a Libertarian and plans to attend that party’s political convention in Albany on April 24. According to her spokesman, Andrew Miller, her campaign has been in talks with members of the Libertarian Party.
| Photo: Holy Taco |
”As our budget deficit rises to $9 billion, it’s time we look for ways of bringing in new revenue rather than increase taxes on struggling New Yorkers,” Davis said. “None of the career politicians offer any solutions to our troubled economy; they only offer more of the same — tax increases and service cuts.”
Davis said she would “strongly support” an opt-out clause in New York, where localities by local vote could choose to not allow the sale of marijuana in that locality.
“I believe in home rule and local option,” Davis said.
Miller said that rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) has “expressed an interest” in Davis’s campaign and offered use of his G-Unit posse to help in campaign efforts.
“Legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana will generate $1 billion in new revenues, save millions in wasted law enforcement, cut court costs and help balance the budget,” Davis said.
The New York state Senate recently included legalizing medical marijuana in its budget proposal. Additionally, there is a bill this year (S. 4041-B/A. 9016) sponsored by Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) and Senate Health Committee Chairman Thomas Duane (D-Manhattan) that would allow medical use and possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana.
