California Want to Legalize, Regulate and Tax Marijuana

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

Well I guess you feign offended pretty well, then.



I think when I said "because they're not endangering their children or pets to prolonged exposure" I covered that pretty well. It's a choice that's their right to make, and bully for them for sacrificing themselves so that their kids don't have to deal with many of the the longterm effects of their addiction.

ETA: Whether or not I smoke pot is none of your business, but since I've already posted it, no I do not. Haven't you already been flamed for point blank asking people questions that are none of your business before?

And now a word from Mr. Mackey:

[Zephyrus]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

ETA: looks like more of this kind of thing.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Qixm8uuUE

I almost used that same video as my sig. Good group.

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Why even make it legal? I guess if you're a pot smoker then you would be all for it.

I personally could give a sht if they make it legal or not, I'm still going to get it and smoke it.

Originally Posted by Kevin

1) It costs a crapton of money to enforce the law.

2) It costs another crapton of money to warehouse nonviolent (drugs only) offenders.

3) Keeping marijuana illegal allows organized crime to have a major source of revenue which leads to violence and in Mexico's case, government instability which leads to a lot of deaths and bad stuff which wouldn't happen if the drug was being sold legitimately.

4) It's a low cost way for many people with serious ailments to deal with those ailments without the use of expensive drugs which may have undesirable side-effects (as far as I know, and I've never used the stuff, so I don't have much frame of reference, marijuana doesn't have any undesirable side effects, bad interactions or anything which might give rise to concern).

5) Constant marijuana use isn't nearly as bad for you as continuous alcohol use.

ETA: 6) In the Netherlands, where the stuff is quasi-legal, there is just about no problem with meth and other drug use is drastically lower.

7) An extension of #6: Many terrorist groups and other international bad guys make a lot of money producing or transporting other drugs for use in the United States. Legalization of marijuana would be a huge financial blow.

Agreed. Making it legal isn't going to change a thing, at least nothing that's a major change. Sure, you'll have your accidents, but I've seen some idiots getting into accidents just because they don't know how to drive.

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Yeah, I'm sure there will be some designated areas, but what about just walking around outside smoking it like a cigarette. I jog every morning so what if I pass someone smoking it and I smell it. That's unfair to me.

No offense, but your post on this issue suck. Here's why. You're pissed because you don't want to smell it and you think it effects your health, because of that you want to keep it illegal. If that's the case, then make transportation illegal too. Cars and buses effect your health too, because you breathe in the pollution daily.

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

You can't get a contact high from simply smelling pot as you run by.

You can't get lung cancer from simply smelling pot OR cigarettes as you run by.

If someone is completely wasted and reeks of booze, you can't get drunk from smelling it, and as long as that person doesn't touch you or harm you in any way, they are fully within their rights. "Harm" does not include "that person is smelly."

You don't *have* to do anything. But are you proposing an outlaw on passing gas because the smell is obnoxious? What about Indian Food, you wanna outlaw that too?

Coffee isn't "good" for you and some people can't stand the smell. I say we should ban drinking coffee in public places. After all, it seems like I'm using the same logic as you.

Any health risk to you as a non smoker and someone who doesn't smoke pot as you run by someone who is doing either of those things is negligible.

Come up with better reasons for the continued outlaw of marijuana. "Oh well I guess if they just do it in their homes that would be OK" is not a good reason. There are better reasons than that.

I agree with some of this, but most of your comparisons are pretty shitty. Do you bust your ass in pubilc or while you're at work? Why or why not? Trying to make a point by comparing a natural bodily function to smoking really didn't get your point across. I agree with some of it though and that's because I smoke it.

[Zephyrus]

Anyone else who smokes it should get four going at the same time.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Zephyrus

I agree with some of this, but most of your comparisons are pretty shitty.

Yes I would say a reference to farting would be a shitty comparison, LOL.

[agzg]

Here are a couple of questions running through my mind about potential problems with legalization in only California:

1. Would it cause problems with enforcing the ban in neighboring states?
2. What is the likelihood that someone would go to a "coffeehouse" in CA then get behind the wheel and drive home to neighboring states?
a). What would be the effect on the traffic accident rates for interstate traffic?
b). How would it affect interstate commerce?

Obviously as someone who doesn't use and probably won't even if it were legal, I don't have a huge invested interest in whether or not it's legalized. However, I don't like when legal controlled substances have different rules between states.

There's nothing stopping me from driving to a Casino in Michigan, a concert in Wisconsin, or a gas station in Indiana. If I can live my life based in one state but visiting several states fairly regularly, how can we expect pot smokers to all live in California?

[DrPhil]

All tobacco products should be smoked in a basement in the middle of nowhere.

[TexasWSP]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Those who say that marijuana is not harmful to your body though are fooling themselves. There is plenty of research that shows that it's harmful to the lungs, brain and liver. My next door neighbor died of liver failure related to his marijuana use. The liver has to filter those toxins, just like it does with alcohol. He wasn't a drinker, but his liver was overtaxed because he smoked a lot of marijuana. We're talking a few joints every day.

There's also plenty of research out there showing that it's not all that harmful. Obviously breathing in smoke into your lungs isn't the healthiest thing....I understand that. I researched this topic extensively in college and pretty much every major analysis that I drew from stated that, while pot can pose some health risks....the risks are nowhere near those associated with cigarette smoking and drinking alcohol.

As far as liver problems.....my research indicated that even in subjects that had Hep C or cirrhosis of the liver....marijuana was not found to facilitate the liver's deterioration. I'm not calling you a liar by any means....but that is honestly the first instances I have read/seen/heard of where a death was solely blamed on marijuana use.....and as far as I know, there are still zero documented cases of an overdose. You'd basically have to smoke 1000+ joints at once, and even that is a debatable number. Some say it's higher.


.......This is why vaporizers are good to own, especially high quality ones like a Volcano. No smoke, no carcinogens...only THC filled air vapor.

[Elephant Walk]

I don't know if this was ever mentioned, but another reason to legalize it (which is actually decriminalizing it, I don't think it can be completely legalized...you can still get a ticket in the Netherlands, I believe), is that it eliminates that connection to drug dealers. Now kids can buy pot from drug dealers and then say....so what else do you got? Buying hard drugs from a guy you don't know much about pushes people away.

I myself don't smoke pot but I use to like other drugs.

[PhiGam]

People on both sides need to realize that there are benefits to both legalization and prohibition.

Economically: I feel that in a time of economic downturn it would beneficial to begin to regulate, tax, and commercially grow marijuana here. It is the number one cash crop in America and our government is receiving zero revenue as well as spending a lot of money to imprison marijuana drug offenders (I believe that this makes up 40% of all prisoners in jail for drug-related offenses.)

Crime rates: As previously mentioned, the number of prisoners would be drastically reduced and there would be a decrease in gang activity because they would not receive funding from marijuana sales.

Effect on youth: As the law stands today, it is just as easy for a 16 year old to purchase marijuana as it is for a 21 year old or a 40 year old- and sometimes easier due to the networking opportunities provided by high schools. Many young people die in dealing with drug dealers and street gangs, I personally knew two people who were viciously murdered over a drug deal. http://drugreport.wordpress.com/2006/08/02/98/ If Marijuana were legalized, high school students and other underage groups would most likely go through an older sibling or use a fake id to purchase it- much like alcohol today.

Effect on public health: Assuming that marijuana usage would drastically fall with legalization, (a disputed topic) there would be public health risks associated with smoking such as increases in lung cancer and DUI deaths. I feel that the tax revenue received from taxation would cover the public health care burden and that revenue would also be used to train police officers to identify when people are under the influence of marijuana while driving. I feel that most public places would ban the smoking of marijuana because of the health risk (especially to children.)

[AKA_Monet]

[hijack]

So my folks visited Maui and all we got were these lousy T-shirts, one with a marijuana leaf on it. My brother and I asked my dad if he knew what that was, and he didn't... Then, my brother said it was marijuana!!! Shocked, my dad said he liked the leaf and they were kind of put off by the fact they didn't know what the "kids" know these days...

[/end hijack]

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

Economically: I feel that in a time of economic downturn it would beneficial to begin to regulate, tax, and commercially grow marijuana here. It is the number one cash crop in America and our government is receiving zero revenue as well as spending a lot of money to imprison marijuana drug offenders (I believe that this makes up 40% of all prisoners in jail for drug-related offenses.)

It's easier to jail them and use them for cheap labor than it is to send them to school. Jail is big business.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

Effect on public health: Assuming that marijuana usage would drastically fall with legalization, (a disputed topic) there would be public health risks associated with smoking such as increases in lung cancer and DUI deaths. I feel that the tax revenue received from taxation would cover the public health care burden and that revenue would also be used to train police officers to identify when people are under the influence of marijuana while driving. I feel that most public places would ban the smoking of marijuana because of the health risk (especially to children.)

I am just worried that I get splashed by the nasty bong water...

Really, it will wreck havoc on our public health system because we are on the brink... You think that peanut issue was bad... Let a bunch of pot growers grow their crops and not manage it public health wise properly... It won't just be a some bug issue, but a fungal or insecticide issue...

That doesn't mean that we cannot do it, because weed tends to grow anywhere in a greenhouse with UVB lighting and monitored by hydroponics. There is some new plastic recycled netting product that helps these plants grow.

People who smoke the weed still have to be monitored because THC narcotic is just a different beast. The pleasure centers in the brain are initially heightened, then wane over increase "smokage". People with chronic diseases, have a differing effect that is not understood other than it alleviates pain. That still does not mean you can be like "Uncle Joe" smoking it while on oxygen!

[PeppyGPhiB]

Has anyone else here seen the British movie Saving Grace, with Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson?

[moe.ron]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Has anyone else here seen the British movie Saving Grace, with Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson?

Great movie

[agzg]

Plus if it were legal to commercially grow it here it could cut down on some of the trafficking behaviors over borders, although it wouldn't stop it completely, considering they still have other drugs AND trafficking people is big business.