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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 7, 2012 18:29:54 GMT -5
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
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Post by chassroc on Dec 8, 2012 10:14:52 GMT -5
A step in the right direction, perhaps. This is a trend in the USA, some day we may lead the world in this industry. Way too many people jailed for minor drug offenses. A drag on the economy and a waste of time. We tried with prohibition once before and we see where that has gone.
There are many stoned and many not stoned people in favor of decriminalizing pot. Many States jumping on the bandwagon, smart business folk who want to be first to reap the riches that follow.
It is like gambling and drinking; you see that it cant be stopped; you see that most people want to allow it; you see your neighboring states making money from it; you make arcane laws that jail those who are unable to stop at just a taste of happiness.
If you are a true entrepreneur, you see it as easy money; your state sees it as a way to open a new revenue stream; you tout it as a way to hurt organized crime and street gangs; you ignore those who will be hurt; the ones with weak minds that are unable to stop at recreational usage; people say no one ever shot heroin if they didn't smoke pot, others proclaim the same thing with nobody who didn't drink alcohol or milk for that matter. you know you will hurt some, and you know you will help some; you weigh it and make a value decision as best you can.
I guess that many in my generation tried pot and most of us quit. Perhaps we try it on occasion still. Perhaps we do more than that. When you try it you might make the obvious comparisons to alcohol and pot fares pretty well; Is that really a justification. A more intense "stone" for sure. You drive much slower, everything goes slower. You get paranoid...perhaps not if it is decriminalized.
We live in interesting times. I doubt this is good for people health wise, but is it good for society as a whole. We know that more people will be hooked on something, but we also know that more people will not be jailed and have their lives ruined for dubious reasons.
It will be one less form of Government intrusion into our personal lives. Lord knows we don't want anyone authoritative, be it (some one Else's) Religion or Government especially telling us what we can and cant do in our lives, yet only Government can make uniform rules that people will obey.
Charlie
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 8, 2012 11:13:52 GMT -5
I can see it being used for cancer use,other than that,I say no!More traffic violations,robberies,stoners,cancer,etc,etc...!!!! Police will have their hands full now!
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 8, 2012 11:51:03 GMT -5
I find myself pretty much in agreement with ole Charlie on this issue. Lots of folks use it, and they aren't going to stop. Folks who are prone to substance abuse or lack of control are going to have problems, just as with booze or gambling. Folks aren't going to stop using it because it's illegal so to ban it invites organized crime and all the attendant problems with that. So, legalize it nationwide. prosecute those who drive under the influence just like with booze if this becomes a problem. Tax the heck out of it to create a great new revenue stream as, even with high taxes, it will still be cheaper, better and safer than pot produced by criminals. Use some of the tax money for education, rehab, crime, medical issues etc.. In a perfect world we'd not have to deal with issues of drugs, booze, gambling etc but the world ain't perfect so we need to do the best we can with vices that are not going to go away. I'm pretty libertarian and would even consider decriminalizing the use of some harder drugs ie heroin or some painkillers as this too would strike a blow against organized crime. Meth users and coke users are in a different category due to the erratic and violent behavior often incited with the use of those drugs. However both this and the pot issue are the bread and butter of the police and the DEA so I suspect they would object to having a lot of the reason for their job security and existence taken away.....Mel
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Dec 8, 2012 13:58:13 GMT -5
I like how the govt news always portrays marijuana users as dirty looking hippies that smoke out of bongs big pipes and say 'what dude' a lot. They try their hardest to make MJ look bad. Here is Illinois they were supose to vote this week on medical marijuana. BUT if passed the restrictions on medical conditions wont be the same as say California where you can get it prescribed to you for having a bad hair day. You wont be able to grow it on your own and you would have to get it from one of those stores. I cant see why anyone would want one of those cards if you cant grow it on your own. The prices in those stores arent any cheaper than street prices.
Im not going to let some old azz crusty politician determine what I can and cannot do. IMO, all those pharmaceuticals that they want you to buy that they have their greedy hands in are much more harmful than marijuana and less effective.
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Post by Toad on Dec 8, 2012 14:15:55 GMT -5
Legalize it. Less competition for jobs then...
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Dec 8, 2012 16:30:34 GMT -5
Marijuana is the #2 cash crop of Oregon. Guess they just found a semi-legal market. I grew out of it myself after leaving college, but I must say that I've seen many more drunks do stupid/dangerous things than stoners. I'd much rather the money go to legitimate businesses than organized crime. Might see some of the violence across the border, decrease too, if pot were broadly legalized.
I'm with Mel on decriminalizing most drugs. I'm not as concerned with coke users as I am meth and crack users, for the reasons Mel cited. I think most coke users would be satisfied with a couple of strong cups of coffee; a lot cheaper, lasts longer, and basically the same high.
Chuck
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Post by helens on Dec 8, 2012 20:06:01 GMT -5
I still can't figure out exactly WHO likes it to be completely illegal and criminalized. In Florida, 3 strikes for pot charges and it's LIFE in prison. Yet you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Florida who thinks it should even be illegal. What the hell?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 8, 2012 20:13:55 GMT -5
Again, can't remember where I read it *L* but an article I read said the pot industry and other drug industries are the major bread and butter for a lot of police departments, DEA of course, and jails ( which of course are big business in this country). Stands to reason the powers that be in law enforcement and jail management would fight tooth and nail to keep one of their major sources of high employment and cash flow. Drugs are essentially their cash cow and are sort of a trickle down form of criminal economics as lots of other crime is generated by folks wanting to get money to buy drugs thus creating a need for more law enforcement....Mel
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Post by parfive on Dec 8, 2012 21:27:45 GMT -5
Gotta be fun in those states that privatized prisons, and even guaranteed those corporations 100 percent occupancy. You smoked a bone? Go rot in jail, ya ______' hump!
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 10, 2012 1:55:28 GMT -5
So the day the law took effect... www.opb.org/news/article/two-die-in-shooting-at-marijuana-grow-operation/A real concern is keeping it out of the hands of teens. well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/early-marijuana-use-linked-to-to-i-q-loss/And as for the curing cancer thing, the most reputable studies to date seem to indicate... Many of the carcinogens and co-carcinogens present in tobacco smoke are also present in smoke from marijuana. Marijuana smoking does cause inflammation and cell damage, and it has been associated with pre-cancerous changes in lung tissue. Marijuana has been shown to cause immune system dysfunction, possibly predisposing individuals to cancer. Marijuana likely increases the risk of testicular cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, a type of brain tumor, and the risk of leukemia in the offspring of women who use it during pregnancy. Indisputably not good $#!+. As a libertarian I understand that the DEA, along with about 90% of the rest of the alphabet soup of government agencies, should be dismantled and the federal government should return to the limited government that reserves such decisions solely to the individual states. If a state wants to legalize it or if they choose to put a man in prison for life for a joint, that's the states right. Lee
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