Legalize Pot Use

[Ren]

I am FOR this..I smoke if I can afford it..have for a long time in my adult life. It does help not only with my DDD but my depression...WHY can't it just be legal and let me be...It never harms anyone. What do you think??Keep in mind I am ANCIENT and probably smoked before you where born...ahahhaaaaa.  I never thought it to be a bad thing. Most smokers I know eat and laugh...how many crimes does a pot head commit..over eating munchies?? ahhahaa. Seriously.. I would like to know what everyone things. Its legal now in some states..NY is just so far behind. I hate it. 

[Rapture]

Triple D? 

I'm all for pot legalization. If governments where willing to legalize and spend the money to develop they'd make money hand over fist. That applies to a bunch of other drugs and even prostitution but that's an argument for another time.

[Phoenix]

Yeah, Illinois is far behind, too, despite also being a blue state. The "War On Drugs" anti-drug culture took deep roots here, so any illegal substance still gets demonized. I believe within Chicago city limits, marijuana possession (up to a certain amount) is just a ticket now, though.

I'm all for legalizing any substance that's less dangerous than alcohol, and marijuana isn't even close to being as dangerous.

[Ren]

19 minutes ago, Rapture said:

Triple D? 

I'm all for pot legalization. If governments where willing to legalize and spend the money to develop they'd make money hand over fist. That applies to a bunch of other drugs and even prostitution but that's an argument for another time.

Degenerative disk disease...DDD  Sorry Its late for me and should have let other know. 

[Rapture]

I'll be honest Ren we coulda had hours of discussion about it and I still mighra forgotten 

[Dulcet]

I'm all for it.

But i heard a lady on my bus say she has a son who works in Seattle and he hates it because there are people who just stare at green lights. And he being from Chicago, they look at him as less lazy. That being said, I never will smoke, but it seems my job prospects are higher in those areas. I'm not against pot. Whatever you put in your body is your choice. That goes for any substance.

I just think it's a little messed up that people are spending time in jail over marijuana when murderers get less time. I agree with @Phoenix that the War on Drugs is big here. I know a buddy that holds a medical marijuana license for Illinois which even though it's legal is still very taboo. 

I'm all for it being legal, but I'm not for people stopping staring at green lights. 

[Rapture]

You know they do it with or without the drugs right? And there's 1000 other things that can have those effects.

[Phoenix]

Yeah, like looking at a phone.

In any case, a typical Chicago driver behind you at a light will lay on their horn if you don't immediately go on green. I imagine "staring at a green light" means not entering the intersection within two seconds.

[SoulDragon]

Well i'm from the Netherlands, so i don't know any better than soft-drugs (and prostitution) being legal.
The government makes tons of money from taxes on it indeed, so they would never make it illegal.
Because it's legal it's a rare thing to find someone who didn't at least tasted a joint in their teens, amazingly my friend only recently tried for the 1st time, he's 35 now hahaha. Anyway, yes because it's legal more people try, but also makes it less interesting for (mainly) teens than it would be if it's illegal. Most of the people i know have tried it and didn't like it or only smoked during their teens at party's and vacations. Some smoke more and still...that's their choice and not bothering anyone. It's much more annoying if there are scary people selling illegal and dangerous stuff than if there is a store with funny colors and green leaves on the window at the end of the street.

I've smoked a bunch of times but didn't like it, the only thing it did for me was make me fall asleep within 10 minutes. I've fallen asleep halfway the stairs to the bedroom and halfway from the camper to the tent i was supposed to sleep in....troublesome and not funny to repeat  .

Staring at green lights sounds a bit odd....maybe when you've eaten a bunch of mushroom's...never tried that.

[Timberwolf]

On 9/28/2017 at 9:19 AM, Rapture said:

Triple D? 

I'm all for pot legalization. If governments where willing to legalize and spend the money to develop they'd make money hand over fist. That applies to a bunch of other drugs and even prostitution but that's an argument for another time.

Although I don’t smoke it, I think it should be legalized. If they tax it like the do alcohol and cigarettes, the government would make money hand over fist. Next, have laws like the do with alcohol about driving under the influence. I think that would be a good thing. 

[Mirbiggs]

Legalizing and taxing cannabis would make the government some extreme revenue.  Colorado had to issue a check back to its residence because the government took too much revenue from. The legal. Sales of cannabis.  Not to mention the health benefits of CBD oils, and tinctures and strains.  These cbds have been helping with cancer, seizure,  and many other symptoms of horrible maladies.  

 

The downside of legalizing cannabis is that people are flooding the market making it really difficult for farmers to make their fair share. My hometown in southern Oregon was thriving on sales of legal marijuana until outsiders started flooding into the area.  With these outsiders came illegal grows, crime and violence.  So there's that. 

[Timberwolf]

Can’t the government crack down on that like they did with tobacco? 

[Mirbiggs]

They can.  But there's a whole lot of Wilderness in southern Oregon and gorilla grows are hard to find.  Plus the regulations are still very new and always changing.  So it's difficult to stay legal.  Government regulation is handled by Oregon liquor control commission.  They are basicly handling their own competition.  They should form a new commission to handle cannabis to keep everything fair

[Timberwolf]

Ah yeah @Mirbiggsyeah, that makes it hard. And you’re right, they should make their own commission for it, it shouldn’t be part of the liquor control commission. 

[Mirbiggs]

I was working for a medical marijuana dispensary and every year they make the regulations harder to keep up with.  Every year they make it all so much more difficult than it needs to be.  It was a great job, had a lot of nice perks.  But it became almost unbearable to keep up with the constant changes in regulations.  

 

That being said.  If they created a different commission for just the sales of medical and recreational cannabis, I feel that everyone would win.  As it sits now,  states that have legalized the use of recreational cannabis,  opioid overdose has gone down,  veterans are using cannabis to fight ptsd. And suicide rates for veterans are falling.  Cancer is being treated differently.  Seizure patients are suffering less.  Cannabis,  (especially CBD dominant strains and products)  is making life better for those who otherwise rely on big pharmacy products that have horrible adverse effects.  It should be legalized and decriminalized all across the country 

[Timberwolf]

4 hours ago, Mirbiggs said:

is making life better for those who otherwise rely on big pharmacy products that have horrible adverse effects.

Ah, now see, that's where the problem comes in.  Big Pharmacy.  They are the ones who try to oppose it, and government gets huge amounts of money from them, and they want to keep getting that money from them, so they do as they demand.

[Moonhawk]

I’m all for legalization and taxation. Get us out of debt and let people be free to smoke a natural plant that helps more than it hurts. That has so many uses it is insane, but lobbyists and big Pharma will never let it happen

[Mirbiggs]

When big companies like energy, pharma, gas/oil, tobacco and alcohol can buy your politicians...  It should be time to get new politicians. The fact that pharmaceutical companies have paid for votes against the legalization of cannabis should  show how much of a threat it is to their chemicals that they push on us.  They have a drug for every little problem. And if you have adverse effects they have a drug for that.  If you become dependant on that drug they have a substitute. And then when they kick you off that drug...  Well now you're an addict.  

[Timberwolf]

Speaking the truth @Mirbiggs  Big company does that though. Oil does it when a new form of energy/motorized vehicle comes out on the market, they force law changes to force the little guy out of the market until they are ready to change. 

[Kethlia]

Do you see this country going down the road of full on united boycott to show big companies and politicians that without the people they no longer have their wealth, status or consumer base? If a true full boycott did happen would they change their tune?

[Timberwolf]

I don't know @Kethlia.  That's a difficult question.  I'd love to see it happen.  The only way it can happen is to get people involved.  Get them caring about issues.  Let them know the facts.  Talk to people about it.  To make big changes like this, it's hard work.

[Kethlia]

Actually we would have to be willing to suffer and abstain in order break them down sufficiently enough to be heard.  However, that is at least a current on going process.

[Phoenix]

On 10/3/2017 at 8:35 PM, Timberwolf said:

Ah, now see, that's where the problem comes in.  Big Pharmacy.  They are the ones who try to oppose it, and government gets huge amounts of money from them, and they want to keep getting that money from them, so they do as they demand.

Textile manufacturers, too. Make marijuana easier to grow and hemp production goes up. They don't get as much attention, but they are also in the lobby.

On 10/4/2017 at 3:39 AM, Kethlia said:

Do you see this country going down the road of full on united boycott to show big companies and politicians that without the people they no longer have their wealth, status or consumer base? If a true full boycott did happen would they change their tune?

There's been talk amongst progressive circles about a nationwide work stoppage but I'd honestly be surprised to see it happen.

[Mirbiggs]

There's an exciting prospect.  hemp.  that stuff is insanely versatile in the way that you can produce so many things from it using a relatively small area.  and that crop grows in just a few months,  Vs a large forest that takes years to regrow. Anyone hear of hempcrete?  That's some amazing and long lasting stuff right there.  

[Timberwolf]

I really found it interesting what the professional wrestler Rob Van Dam said in his YouShoot video about weed.