The legalisation of marijuana

Re: A bit of a Taboo

I'm glad someone made this into a new CT thread, the old ones are ancient.

Though I do smoke Marijuana from time to time, I believe full-legalization could be a bad thing for smokers, who are really the only people aside from doctors in support of medical marijuana. For starters, legalization will lead to taxation. Though the new prices will be cheaper than street prices, you can bet the plant will be lower grade. What's even worse is there have already been cases in Amsterdam of cafés cutting their marijuana with an unknown green substance that has no chemical or physical relation with any form of cannabis. While searching or the link to this claim, i came across another disturbing story, only this time from a dealer's perspective rather than a buisness oriented one. This only further proves a media should be reached before it impacts peoples health. (http://www.drugs-forum.co.uk/forum/s...d.php?p=360544)

Warning, the link may contain inappropriate language, drug references, and generally nasty forum stuff. (no pornography)
I personaly don't care, but I know some are offended by the subject matters discussed. Click at your own risk.

Medical Marijuana seems to be the best option for smokers and patients. High grade plants bred specifically for their healing properties don't cost that much more than the ridiculous street prices some people are forced to pay to get low grade in smaller amounts. Drug deals are also avoided, leaving out hard drugs entirely.

The best median between full blown legalization and strictly medical use would be partial legalization forbidding the sale of marijuana by anyone but a licensed practician, but allowing the consumption and possession of marijuana. Those who don't need it for medical reasons will see no change for the worse, and avoid legal penalties for a ludicrous "crime".

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Your post really intrigued me. I myself have never thought of a median in between the two choices of completely legal, and totally illegal. The idea of a licensed seller is also a very good one. In my studies I had summarized it to come down to the quality being regulated then taxed by the FDA. Which would not only help the economy, but it would help with regulation and cut down on things randomly being laced or cut with various fillers.

What I liked most about you post was the fact that it basically becomes Amsterdam. In the way that the laws work. In an ideal world this would improve quite a few things. Including the fact that jail trafficking would be severely reduced in both adults and teens as well.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

With legalization, the currently "illegal" sellers would probably lose much of their business, leaving them with less profit, therefore driving many away from selling. Then, the higher quality, "legal" weed would become more prevalent. Net result: medicinal users get high quality weed, druggies get cut off from a destructive habit, and part-time users can fit into the middle.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

I don't understand your post. You don't really seem to go with anything that anyone has already posted.

However, what I can gather is that you say people won't sell weed or smoke it. If Marijuana becomes legal no one will smoke it besides people that need to?

Re: A bit of a Taboo

I think he's saying that by legalizing cannabis, dealers will be put out of business, which prevents users of hard drugs (or otherwise) from buying cannabis illegally. It's all but difficult to obtain medical marijuana via prescription given the area.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Personally, I think that having legal or licensed dealers would make the situation worse. As such is the situation with doctors.. there would still be illegal dealers. Marijuana should be fully legalized; if it was then you wouldn't have to worry about quality because you could grow your own.

Or maybe there'd be more of these:

(http://www.thrillist.com/archives/20...dwilshire.html)

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Interestingly enough, there is a thread on the front page about these machines. I don't think the situation can get much worse with jailtime for possessing prescription marijuana occuring all the time.
Take it from someone who has seen the drug culture in a small town take down many a friend. It's the deals, the hustles, and the burns that lead to ruined lives. ANYTHING that cuts down the business these guys run is a step towards defeating organized crime, wasted police activity, and running the people who want to hurt others for their own personal gain out of town. Maybe then the cops can focus on real crimes like theft, rape, and murder instead of arresting a couple teens who are getting baked in their own homes.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

I've got to say that a lot of your posts really intrigue me, I might consider widening the fields in which medical marijuana is used, for example, it is currently used for chronic pain relief as far as i know. I think that other fields should use other positive "side effects" of the drug, such as it relaxes, could also be used by chiropractors and (pardon possible incorrect spelling)-> massueses to relax muscles and improve results, also another "side effect" that could be used is it's ability to enhance sexual pleasure, could be sold over the counter in small amounts for that as well. are there any other properties of the drug that might help in other medical fields?

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Marijuana has often been described as a gateway drug, because people have marijuana, and then want to try harder drugs like cocaine or ecstasy. Do you think that legalizing marijuana might reduce this effect?

For example, someone might not want to try cocaine because they have heard it is bad for you and it is illegal (and feels good). But they have heard marijuana is not really bad, and is pretty fun, although it is illegal. So they try marijuana, and like it, and there is no real problem.

But then they look at cocaine at cocaine and say that it may be bad for you, but they have already had marijuana, which is illegal, so cocaine being illegal is not as big a thing as it seemed like before. Do you think this would be enough to reduce the amount of cocaine users?

<- long time lurker, first time poster (in CT)

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Alcohol is legal because the process involved in making -good- alcohol is quite involved, time consuming and expensive. You can't make quality brandy in your basement, or quality vodka etc etc.

So the government can legalise it, knowing only specialised businesses will be producing it, allowing it to be easily regulated, taxed and controlled.

Marijuana can be turned from plants into joints basically with no actual infrastructure in between. If it were made legal, anyone with an interest in using it could easily and simply grow their own, with not that much time, effort or money.

It would be incredibly hard to regulate and control, and thus tax, which would generate very little revenue for the government.

This, completely apart from any reasoning on moral grounds, will prevent the legalisation of marijuana any time in the near future.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

By far the most valid argument made here, but the government has found ways to tax plants and farmers before...

Yes, because legalizing marijuana would keep people away from dealers who sell illegal drugs. There was already no solid evidence to show marijuana as a gateway drug (I can provide the link if needed) and legalizing makes hard drugs even more difficult to switch to, saying marijuana is the most common psychoactive being sold by drug dealers, who sell hard drugs.

By far the most valid argument posted, but the government has found ways to tax plants before...

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Sadly enough devonin is very right. I have never myself thought of this point, but it is very true. I have myself actually made my own liquor and it does lack in quality from the professionally made substances. I think that if they really wanted to they could legalize marijuana and there would be quite a few good things that would happen. However, devonin has made a very good point, so I'll revise and summarize.

Making marijuana partially legal. With licensed sellers. Much like Amsterdam only being able to buy in certain places and/or markets and stores. There could also be an age restriction on it just like alcohol or cigarettes. Which wouldn't change anything for teens, but would change quite a bit for adults. There would be laws against personal growing. Which would instate professional growing situations. Which would also create job opportunities. And if it becomes a state/federally run business there most certainly would be enough tax revenue to make it worth the morality of legalizing marijuana.

Re: A bit of a Taboo

Bingo. Oh, and the partial legalization, is that where the government can grow and sell it only, or am I completely wrong and something else is happening in that scenario? Now, based on what i've heard recently with the houses used in grow-ops put back on the market, wouldn't legalization reduce that or possibly eliminate it?

Re: The legalisation of marijuana

Generally, partial legalization movements are based around the idea that the government could authorize and tightly control the growing and selling of marijuana, but that growing your own would remain illegal.

There are plenty of things like this already at work in the world. A prime example is the control of alcohol in, I want to say Holland maybe? (Probably wrong country) where the government maintains a number of liquor and beer stores which are the -only- places to legally obtain alcohol of over 3.5% abv. Anything under that can be sold anywhere people want to do so, but the government has direct control over everything else.