NSFW Marijuana

Amy SF

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I'm liek, in Cali, dude.
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As a resident of the United States, I'm mainly concerned about marijuana use and laws in my own country, but I don't want to restrict any debate about pot to the US. If you live elsewhere, feel free to discuss the status of marijuana use and laws where you live, and your opinions thereof.

1. Is medical marijuana legal where you live? Do you think it should be? What about elsewhere?

2. Is recreational pot legal where you live? Should it be? What about elsewhere?

3. Is the war against marijuana a failure that harshly penalizes the wrong people?

4. Will legalizing and regulating recreational pot do any damage to the drug cartels?

5. How do you feel about pot-enhanced food products?

6. Have you ever used pot? Do you currently use pot? (feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable to be open about it)

7. Anyone else you know ever use or currently use pot? (feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable to be open about it)

8. Do you think that the legalization of recreational pot in Washington State and Colorado is a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think that it's only the beginning, and further legalization in other US states is inevitable? Do you think there's a chance that legalization of pot in Washington and Colorado could ultimately be deemed a failure and be reversed?

9. What do you think about the pot laws where you live?

10. How do you feel about coverage of marijuana in the mainstream media and the MSM's depiction of those who use it, often as thugs and criminals (e.g. Michael Brown)?
 
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Marijuana should be legal, but it should also be affordable. In Colorado, the legal weed is so expensive, after taxes and such, low-income folks still depend on the black market for their weed, which is illegal.
 
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1. Is medical marijuana legal where you live? Do you think it should be? What about elsewhere?
I don't even know what the laws in Canada are. Not something I have any interest in personally. I do think it should be legal though. I'm pretty sure Vermont allows medical marijuana, though I'm not sure how easy it is to get.

2. Is recreational pot legal where you live? Should it be? What about elsewhere?
Same as #1, minus the Vermont part. It's illegal. I'm undecided on how the military should treat it. I don't care what people do on their days off, but I don't want to be working with someone who is stoned.

3. Is the war against marijuana a failure that harshly penalizes the wrong people?
Given that society has deemed it to be illegal, the laws should be enforced. That's part of how democracy works. I'm sure if you all decided guns should be illegal and got enough people on board to get the laws changed accordingly, you'd expect gun nuts like myself to follow those laws rather than say they don't apply to me because I disagree. Same principle. The people need to change their minds, though, if they're tired of housing and supporting people in jail that simply aren't a threat.

4. Will legalizing and regulating recreational pot do any damage to the drug cartels?
At this point, no. It would have when those cartels were in their infancy. Now they're powerful enough that they have branched out into other businesses, ranging from petro to levying taxes as a shadow government. It would affect the small time criminals, but not the cartels.

5. How do you feel about pot-enhanced food products?
Same as above. No interest personally, but should be legal.

6. Have you ever used pot? Do you currently use pot?
Never even tried it. Never tried smoking. Never been drunk. Call me boring :p

7. Anyone else you know ever use or currently use pot?
I think I'm the only person I know who hasn't, and I know more than a few who currently do. Some work as correctional officers in facilities in which the inmates are there because of pot use, which I find highly hypocritical.

8. Do you think that the legalization of recreational pot in Washington State and Colorado is a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think that it's only the beginning, and further legalization in other US states is inevitable? Do you think there's a chance that legalization of pot in Washington and Colorado could ultimately be deemed a failure and be reversed?
Anything could be reversed. I'd go so far as to say that, given the fact that no government lasts forever, every legal right you fight for will at some point be reset when society gets ****** off and decides to start from scratch again. But that's probably a wider range and/or more long term answer than you were looking for :p Yes, it's possible for the voters to suddenly change their minds. It is unlikely for several reasons, though. First, the mere fact that it is legal in a country where it generally is not tends to attract people who support it. Thus, the number of people who would vote against such a change has increased since it was legalized. Second, once something becomes an important revenue engine, local governments adapt to depend on that revenue and become very touchy about changes which could compromise it.

9. What do you think about the pot laws where you live?
Don't know what they are.

10. How do you feel about coverage of marijuana in the mainstream media and the MSM's depiction of those who use it, often as thugs and criminals
Mainstream media tends to follow public trends. I've noticed an increasing number of instances in movies where the good guys use it too. That's because the producers/directors have realized they can get away with it without being demonized by their prospective viewers.
 
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I don't even know what the laws in Canada are. Not something I have any interest in personally. I do think it should be legal though. I'm pretty sure Vermont allows medical marijuana, though I'm not sure how easy it is to get.


Same as #1, minus the Vermont part. It's illegal. I'm undecided on how the military should treat it. I don't care what people do on their days off, but I don't want to be working with someone who is stoned.


Given that society has deemed it to be illegal, the laws should be enforced. That's part of how democracy works. I'm sure if you all decided guns should be illegal and got enough people on board to get the laws changed accordingly, you'd expect gun nuts like myself to follow those laws rather than say they don't apply to me because I disagree. Same principle. The people need to change their minds, though, if they're tired of housing and supporting people in jail that simply aren't a threat.


At this point, no. It would have when those cartels were in their infancy. Now they're powerful enough that they have branched out into other businesses, ranging from petro to levying taxes as a shadow government. It would affect the small time criminals, but not the cartels.


Same as above. No interest personally, but should be legal.


Never even tried it. Never tried smoking. Never been drunk. Call me boring
:p


I think I'm the only person I know who hasn't, and I know more than a few who currently do. Some work as correctional officers in facilities in which the inmates are there because of pot use, which I find highly hypocritical.


Anything could be reversed. I'd go so far as to say that, given the fact that no government lasts forever, every legal right you fight for will at some point be reset when society gets ****** off and decides to start from scratch again. But that's probably a wider range and/or more long term answer than you were looking for :p Yes, it's possible for the voters to suddenly change their minds. It is unlikely for several reasons, though. First, the mere fact that it is legal in a country where it general is not tends to attract people who support it. Thus, the number of people who would vote against such a change has increased since it was legalized. Second, once something becomes an important revenue engine, local governments adapt to depend on that revenue and become very touchy about changes which could compromise it.


Don't know what they are.



Mainstream media tends to follow public trends. I've noticed an increasing number of instances in movies where the good guys use it too. That's because the producers/directors have realized they can get away with it without being demonized by their prospective viewers.

That would appeal to me.
 
Sorry to answer in quotes, but tapatalk makes partial quoting a pain.

As a resident of the United States, I'm mainly concerned about marijuana use and laws in my own country, but I don't want to restrict any debate about pot to the US. If you live elsewhere, feel free to discuss the status of marijuana use and laws where you live, and your opinions thereof.

1. Is medical marijuana legal where you live? Do you think it should be? What about elsewhere?
Florida has a constitutional amendment for medical cannabis up for vote this November. Yes! Should be allowed medically everywhere imo. 88% of registered voters here approve, so hopefully it will pass.
2. Is recreational pot legal where you live? Should it be? What about elsewhere?
No, it isn't here. I think it should be in the US. Tax it like tobacco.
3. Is the war against marijuana a failure that harshly penalizes the wrong people?
Yes.
4. Will legalizing and regulating recreational pot do any damage to the drug cartels?
Hopefully but I'm doubtful.
5. How do you feel about pot-enhanced food products?
I had a brownie once ;). Seriously, I think they're great for sick people.
6. Have you ever used pot? Do you currently use pot? (feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable to be open about it)
Yes and not currently. Was in high school and college in the 1970s lol.
7. Anyone else you know ever use or currently use pot? (feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable to be open about it)
Lots of people I know have used it, some still do. I have gotten weed for people on chemo myself.
8. Do you think that the legalization of recreational pot in Washington State and Colorado is a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think that it's only the beginning, and further legalization in other US states is inevitable? Do you think there's a chance that legalization of pot in Washington and Colorado could ultimately be deemed a failure and be reversed?
Good thing and hopefully it will spread.

9. What do you think about the pot laws where you live?
Hoping for medical this November, that's the important thing to me. And must nurses and MDs I know.
10. How do you feel about coverage of marijuana in the mainstream media and the MSM's depiction of those who use it, often as thugs and criminals (e.g. Michael Brown)?
Stupid. And in medicine, if a patient says he used to smoke years ago, it stays in his record as if he's some current junkie criminal.
 
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2. Is recreational pot legal where you live? Should it be? What about elsewhere?
No, it's not. And no, I don't think it should. Not where I live, and not elsewhere. At least not until there is convincing scientific evidence that it's not causing serious and irreversible damage to the users' health.
Harvard Scientists Studied the Brains of Pot Smokers, and the Results Don't Look Good - Mic

I suppose you have to compare the health effects of pot use to the health effects of legalized drugs. Legalization could be considered if it's not significantly worse, though the effects of alcohol on society as a whole are pretty bad as well. I'm not sure legalizing another drug like that is a good thing.

6. Have you ever used pot? Do you currently use pot? (feel free to skip this if it makes you uncomfortable to be open about it)
No and no!
 
Medical marijuana is legal where I live (California ) . I don't push my views on my peers who do it, but I do think that it's wrong to break the law. It is still illegal here without a medical card.
 
I don't think the prescribed patients should smoke it. Smoke is still smoke. Smoke bad.

If someone MUST take marijuana for medicinal purposes, I think they should ingest it.
 
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I don't think the prescribed patients should smoke it. Smoke is still smoke. Smoke bad.

If someone MUST take marijuana for medicinal purposes, I think they should ingest it.
I think the MUST is a bit over the top. I've taken care of chemo patients who cannot stop vomiting, and I mean for hours, and for many, the traditional meds (with many side effects) did not work. It would have been nice to have an alternative like cannabis for the doctor to prescribe. Especially for the children with cancer.
 
No, it's not. And no, I don't think it should. Not where I live, and not elsewhere. At least not until there is convincing scientific evidence that it's not causing serious and irreversible damage to the users' health.
Harvard Scientists Studied the Brains of Pot Smokers, and the Results Don't Look Good - Mic
I think the evidence clearly points chronic marijuana being a health issue, but you can say that about a lot of things that are currently legal. Not just alcohol, all most of the top causes of death are primarily lifestyle induced. If we are going to ban marijuana because chronic use has negative health impacts, shouldn't we also ban refined sugar, high saturated fat foods, high sodium foods, etc?

I think legalization while encouraging positive lifestyle factors is a better option. Medical marijuana, at least in California, is a complete joke.....just about every pot-head I know has managed to get one of the cards.

That aside, I've always been annoyed by the common idea that marijuana is harmless.
 
I think the evidence clearly points chronic marijuana being a health issue, but you can say that about a lot of things that are currently legal. Not just alcohol, all most of the top causes of death are primarily lifestyle induced. If we are going to ban marijuana because chronic use has negative health impacts, shouldn't we also ban refined sugar, high saturated fat foods, high sodium foods, etc?
We don't need to ban marijuana because it's already banned. (Except in some hippie states over on the other side of the Atlantic.) The result of your logic seems to be that we should also legalize other harmful substances. I think this would be detrimental to society.
 
We don't need to ban marijuana because it's already banned. (Except in some hippie states over on the other side of the Atlantic.) The result of your logic seems to be that we should also legalize other harmful substances. I think this would be detrimental to society.
You seem to have a pretty hostile disposition over this topic, do you have similar views about alcohol? Do you view the UK as a drunkard nation? But marijuana is legal in some European nations as well. In any case, yes, that is the result of my logic...though I wouldn't suggest you legalize every harmful substance but instead just those that can be used "in moderation" without overt harm. But the result of your logic, and you seemed to ignore the issue, is that we should also ban refined sugar, high saturate fat foods, high sodium foods and other substances that promote disease in western society when consumed beyond recommended levels. Do you accept the consequences of your position? By what criteria, other than societal tradition, would you suggest that marijuana be banned but alcohol, refined sugar, etc not?

I've always found the inconsistency in society's position to "harmful substances" to be interesting, at the end of the day I think it comes down to what is most profitable. Marijuana will be legalized once the business interest becomes large enough to overcome the special interests from law enforcement, etc. At least in the US.
 
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Today I got the following email from the Marijuana Policy Project, an activist group working to get marijuana decriminalized everywhere in the US.

The results of yesterday’s election are in, and it appears marijuana prohibition is on its way out. Here’s a quick recap of what turned out to be yet another truly historic Election Day:

* Oregon and Alaska became the third and fourth states to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older and establish systems in which it will be regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. Measure 91 was approved by more than 54% of Oregon voters (as of last night’s count), and Ballot Measure 2 in Alaska was ultimately approved 52-48. MPP was the largest contributor to the Alaska campaign — financially and in terms of donating staff support — and I’d like to thank everyone who helped us score this huge victory.

* Voters in Washington, D.C. approved Initiative 71 by a margin of 65-28, removing all penalties for possession and home cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana by adults 21 years of age and older. This was the largest approval rate of any marijuana policy reform initiative in history!

* South Portland, Maine voters approved a measure 52-48 making it the second city on the East Coast — and the second major city in Maine — to make marijuana legal for adults at the local level. A similar initiative received 45% of the vote in Lewiston, and although it didn’t win, it helped generate substantial news coverage and public dialogue. MPP ran both of the campaigns — as well as the successful campaign in Portland last year — to build support for a statewide legalization initiative we will be supporting in 2016.

* About 58% of Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which would have allowed seriously ill people to access medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. Unfortunately, it failed because 60% approval was required for adoption. Backers of the initiative have pledged to continue working to pass a medical marijuana law next year in the legislature and, if necessary, a ballot initiative in 2016.

* In Massachusetts, 14 districts approved Public Policy Questions directing their state representatives to support making marijuana legal for adults. While non-binding, they set the stage for a 2016 statewide ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol that MPP will be supporting.

* Voters in the Michigan cities of Saginaw, Port Huron, Mt. Pleasant, Berkley, Huntington Woods, and Pleasant Ridge approved measures to decrease or remove penalties for simple marijuana possession.

* Guam became the first U.S. territory to approve an initiative that would allow seriously ill residents to use medical marijuana in the treatment of debilitating medical conditions.

These victories put to rest our opponents' claims that voters are second-guessing their support for making marijuana legal, and they bode well for the initiatives we plan to support in 2016.
 
You seem to have a pretty hostile disposition over this topic, do you have similar views about alcohol?
Alcohol is harmful too, but it's different. I think alcohol sales should be regulated more. Less availability would be a good thing.

Do you view the UK as a drunkard nation?
Honestly, yes.

But marijuana is legal in some European nations as well.
Only one or two hippie places.

In any case, yes, that is the result of my logic...though I wouldn't suggest you legalize every harmful substance but instead just those that can be used "in moderation" without overt harm.
Hard to define, I think, but fair enough.

But the result of your logic, and you seemed to ignore the issue, is that we should also ban refined sugar, high saturate fat foods, high sodium foods and other substances that promote disease in western society when consumed beyond recommended levels. Do you accept the consequences of your position? By what criteria, other than societal tradition, would you suggest that marijuana be banned but alcohol, refined sugar, etc not?

Tradition will be one criterion. Extent of harm to the individual, to others and to society would be other criteria.

One of the factors that is the most important to me is the harm to innocent others. MJ is typically smoked and therefore funks up the air in the same manner cigarettes do. Such use needs to be banned to protect the innocent. I guess I'm less troubled by MJ cookies, to be fair.
 
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I won't change my view on the subject of legalising weed but I'm interested in why you think alcohol is different?
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Half those cannabis facts are unproven, but the point, as a whole, remains nonetheless.

Alcohol is much worse yet legal, and most of the problems with cannabis stem from the fact that it is illegal. To that end, though I support legalization, I maintain my stance that anyone who chooses to buy illegally traded cannabis is an accessory to murder, rape, and torture.

Of course, I could make the same statement on legally traded plastics, petroleum, and most mineral resources.
 
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I used to work just around the corner from this shop in 2001, I remember hearing that it was raided by police.Shop openly sells cannabis for medicinal use | UK news | The Guardian
Police raid Tony's Hemp Corner | UK news | The Guardian

ETA - It is hard to describe how awful Kings Cross was in those days as I worked there for over two years. The area was notorious for street sex workers, their pimps (sometimes carrying weapons like stun guns to subdue the prostitutes) and open heavy drug use on the streets. This was during the day as I would see it when I was going out to cafes on my lunch hour. I wouldn't have thought a man selling cannabis for medicinal use would be a big deal for the police!:rolleyes:
 
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