Marijuana

[RainDog]

[JVS]

1. It would be cool if they had Marlboro "Greens"

and I don't mean menthol

[Elidor]

11. I live for the day when I can go to the store and ask for

A pack of AK-47, or maybe some Northern Lights.

[RainDog]

20. is there a good source online that talks about the diff. properties

of different named strains?

[Elidor]

23. I'm sure there is, but I don't know of any right off

Sorry.

[Deep13]

2. #2 and #3.

Small amounts should not be a crime and it should be explicitly allowed with a RX.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Treat it like a traffic ticket/civil infraction

Which I guess means decriminalize it (but not legalizing it).

That means on the books it still is not given the color of the law, but it frees up the criminal court system for much more worthy offenses.

Face it, I'm a man of compromise.

Oh, and I have no problem with legalizing it for medicial purposes only. So long as said purposes are legit.

[RainDog]

4. why not legalize?

just wondering.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. I'd rather not see it officially sanctioned by law.

But on the other hand, I don't want to see our criminal courts clogged up because of it.

Besides, if you treat it like a traffic ticket, it means if users do get caught, they just have to pay a simple fine without worries to their criminal record. And that fine money could be a nice little revenue generator for the government. So it's a win-win: users don't have to worry about jail time, and governments get a little more in their coffers and less court expenses to boot.

[RainDog]

7. why not treat it and alcohol in the same way, tho?

how is it different than alcohol, in terms of use and prohibition, etc?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Two words: Social norms

Alcohol has long been universally accepted in mainstream society as long as civilization has existed. Hell, even Jesus drank. Whether it is beer, wine, vodka, saki, or whatever the alcohol may be, society is typically permissive of alcohol within limitation.

Marijuana, on the other hand, has always been outside the social norm (except in some isolated indiginious cultures). So it has always been associated (rightfully or wrongly) with all the other substances outside those norms--cocaine, crack, heroin, meth, acid, etc. (Not to say it is anywhere near as dangerous as those substances). And by legalizing it, I think there runs the risk of people thinking that action being too close to comfort as to the hard drugs. (Not that I'm saying it's an automatic slippery slope, but a lot of people are going to think that nonetheless.) And I don't think a lot of people are in favor of legalizing cocaine or heroin, nor do I think that is anywhere in the least bit of a responsible thing to do, so with society long considering marijuana to be at least nominally part of that bunch, it's not going to happen.

So I just say decriminalize but keep it off the books. It's the easiest thing to do, and probably the least disruptive thing to do via our social norms, which love it or hate it simply do not change over night just because you want it to.

[RainDog]

12. Marijuana=hemp plant

at least in everything beyond cultivation for specific traits... i.e. woody stalks vs female fruit. Hemp was legal in the U.S. and across the world for far longer than it has been illegal.

the constitution is printed on paper made out of hemp fibers. Ford made a hemp car to replace plastics (there's a great little video clip of that on youtube.) In Colonial times, it was mandatory to grow hemp. In World War II hemp was grown all over, esp. in KY and IN for the war effort.. ropes and other items that need strong fibers.

maybe the propaganda has been really successful.

some think Jesus was anointed with hemp oil. it was a prevalent oil b/c it comes from something that goes like a weed.

Soma, in India, was part of some religious practices. Some indigenous cultures have used it as part of religious practice.

I really don't know that it's always had a stigma. I know that the impression has meant to be that it has always had a stigma, however, in the "war on drugs." -- but even if so, there are lots of good reasons to argue that a status quo isn't necessarily a good thing too, esp. in social issues.

but yours is an interesting take that I don't think I've heard of very often.

is there a hemp and/or cannabis historian around here?

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. I think we should treat it the way the Dutch treat it

I don't think it is exactly legal in the Netherlands but the cops just don't enforce the law if people are using responsibly such as smoking in coffee houses or in their own homes. I think you would only get busted if you were walking along the street puffing away, with that said, I think their system is more than fair.

With marijuana use allowed in legitimate public establishments, people know exactly what they are getting and how potent the drug is and it keeps "soft" drug users away from drug dealers and other criminals. I heard those exact sentiments said on a TV program by none other than a Dutch police officer...and quite frankly it makes a lot of damn sense.

But then again, when does our government make any sense?

[Oeditpus Rex]

8. Legalize, regulate, tax

Same as alcohol.

Governments would profit from the taxes, from fewer people incarcerated, from cops at all levels allowed to concentrate on more important issues. The citizenry would profit from the latter two.

It just makes sense.



For the record, I don't smoke dope, nor would I if it were legal. It doesn't agree with me.

[Bennyboy]

9. If Pot were legal, I think it would become like the wine

industry. Certain regions would be known for their crop like places are known for their wine. Tasting rooms! pot is not pot. It is all every differenet if gronw by someone that cares for the plant. every strain is different and grwing method produces different results. Some pot is good for the head, others good for the body. So0me makes you laugh, others make you introsepctive.

And another thing marijuana related crimes would go down. I was almost killed over an illegal marijuana deal gone bad.

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. I totally agree

First off, it is the biggest cash crop in the US. Bigger than wheat, bigger than cotton, bigger than soybeans, bigger than corn. So obviously the "war on crime" is not really affecting our use, it's just driving up the price. If growing and using marijuana was legal, we could also grow industrial hemp, just like everyone else! Legalize it, control it, tax it.

While smoking pot can cause the health problems associated with smoking anything, healthwise, pot isn't a problem. It's far less toxic than alcohol or tobacco, and it's certainly not the gateway drug that some say it is. The gateway drug is alcohol and always has been.

DUI laws would not be affected. You shouldn't drive if you've smoked too much pot, drank too much alcohol, or taken drugs (legal or illegal) that would affect your judgement and reaction time.

[grannylib]

21. Exactly the point I made in another thread...industrial hemp is

such a nifty, multi-use crop...the stigma against THAT is just about the most ridiculous thing I've heard (barring anything to do with the current Idiot Boy in the WH; he and everything associated with him are, of course, the most ridiculous things EVER)

[RainDog]

22. exactly

it's a perfect cash crop for farmers b/c it doesn't require all the chemical crap to grow, and b/c it has so many uses, it could create an entirely new sector of the economy.

mj production should stay indoors and let hemp grow freely outdoors.

[grannylib]

31. I agree. Wonder if hemp seed oil could be used for biofuel...anyone

know??

[RainDog]

14. I think so too

I think it's already gone in that direction. I am an expert on every aspect of this, btw, because I have seen 3 seasons of Weeds. :eyes:

but I asked b/c of the Frank Legislation yesterday. Would be nice if something sensible happened in this nation.

[jmowreader]

15. Develop a method to determine actual intoxication, then legalize

And don't just tax the shit out of it because you can. There's got to be tax on pot, but setting the rate so 20 grams of pot, or 20 prerolled joints, is taxed the same as a pack of cigarettes would be fine. (And don't give me the old "but everyone would just grow their own!" line...last I checked you can grow your own lettuce but it's sold at every supermarket in America. People will buy a LOT of pot, and with sensible taxation it will help the government out considerably.)

But the "intoxication" test is important for reasons I've discussed previously: if all we have is the current test, which can detect cannabis use long after you're not stoned anymore, "bee in car" plus "remnants of last Friday's pot party" equal "DUI."

[DarkTirade]

16. I've never smoked it before myself... but I've seen what it does to people.

It needs to be legalized. All it does is make people laid back and easygoing. And a bit lazy and forgetful sometimes too, but I live every day like that. Other people should have to experience it too. :P

[RainDog]

17. joint effort - Frank and Paul

I just saw that Barney Frank and Ron Paul both intro'd decrim. and medical mj bills. a good example of sensible bipartisanship.

KY farmers also want hemp to be legal. could replace wood pulp for paper, so wouldn't need to cut down trees for pulp... they take longer to grow than hemp, so it wouldn't just be carbon neutral to switch, it would be carbon positive and therefore better for the entire ecosystem.

[Richard Steele]

18. Kick.

[KG]

19. decriminalize it. no laws whatever reqarding cannibis, like any other plant

[jonnyblitz]

24. I don't know, Raindog, I just watched "Reefer Madness" on

google video. :scared: Perhaps it should remain illegal if this movie is true!!!11! (:rofl:)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6696582420128930236&q=reefer+madness&ei=MzgJSNa9FoS4rgLk7Pj1Dg&hl=en

[terrya]

32. Ah, but which version?

I recently saw the musical remake...with that cute kid from "trick" and Alan Cumming (ok, he's cute too). They were...*gasp* singing and dancing about the horrors of that marijuana! Shocking!

:-)

[Fox Mulder]

25. Legalize it.

Should be treated the same way as alcohol.

[bigwillq]

26. It should be at least decriminalized

but I am all for full legalization.

[RainDog]

27. kick for at least a hundred votes, peeps

[Lethe]

28. it needs to be legalized for everybody

cannabis is the most useful plant on the planet, period.

You can treat all kinds of medical issues with it with minimal side effects. (usually good side effects :))
You can make ultra nutritious food from it. (complete protein and lots of fatty acids)
You can make clothes, paper, and rope from it.
You can make cars from it. (Henry Ford made a car out of hemp that ran on ethanol) (or was it methanol?)
You can make fuel from it. (you can make both ethanol and methanol from hemp, at a much lower cost than corn)

There is so much information out there, you just have to look for it.

[LSdemocrat]

29. I have no idea if this is possible, but: Legalize and regulate to certain potency/purity levels

Legalize, but regulate it in such a way that marijuana could be sold, but only at what would be considered today to be a medium potency level and meeting purity levels to insure that the weed would be safe as possible.

Any significant punishments for violating the above system would only go to producers and distributors and that mere possession of nonconforming pot would, at most, result in a non-moving traffic violation type fine, if anything.

[RainDog]

33. huh?

as bennyboy noted above - ppl are already growing hybrids that are like varietals of grapes... pinto noir kush or chardonnay bc bud...

you cannot overdose on mj. you can fall asleep. I have never seen ppl do stupid stuff while smoking pot that I have seen them do while drinking.

not only that, it is an aphrodesiac... your senses are heightened.... anyway... I think all the yeah, buts aren't dealing with the plant as it exists.

if you go to the Netherlands, you can pick and choose among a variety of blends. most ppl these days smoke a bit of a bud that's about the size of a caper... couldn't think of anything that would explain well... SMALL amts. because the strains have been bred for smoking/eating, not making paper.

smooches.

[Jamastiene]

30. I have two words for this thread:

Mary Jane! :loveya:

[RainDog]

34. and some music

for Frank and Paul -

stir it up, little darlins' :rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6U-TGahwvs