Top 10 Reason to Legalize Weed

[yeahwho]

10. Prohibition has failed to control the production and use of cannabis.

9. Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately arrested for possession.

8. Regulation would reduce use by children.

7. Legalization would divert money away from organized crime (or terrorists).

6. Industrial hemp could be a bio-fuels source and a profitable crop for farmers.

5. Prohibition is based on lies and disinformation.

4. Marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco.

3. Prohibition overloads the justice system.

2. Cannabis has valuable medical properties.

1. And the number one reason to legalize pot is because Prohibition is unjust, and marijuana users will fight for their rights until they finally succeed.

The above consolidated list is from High Times magazines 420 campaign (http://www.hightimes.com/ht/legal/content.php?bid=1446&aid=22%22). Here is the full list (http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/60959/) in it's unconsolidated version.

I do not know if I fully agree with this, but the weirdest thing about this list to me is the fact that millions of people don't even give a shit. Especially those who partake in the herb. I do not smoke marijuana yet I'm fascinated at how criminalized it has become. Cannabis laws seem to be disproportionate on society as a whole IMHO. I guess pot smokers are universally not very political.

[Drederick Tatum]

yeah, I always think the govt decriminalizing it, controlling its distribution and taxing the shit out of it would be a good idea. here in NZ it'd be a huge boost to GDP and govt revenue. a lot of that money could go back into drug education and health-related programs .

but I don't really care. I'm a pretty sporadic smoker, but if I want weed, I can buy it with very little chance of getting caught.

[Planetary]

who cares if it's legal or not. there are good things about it, bad things about it. smoke it if you want to. i do, i've never been caught.

[yeahwho]

I am becoming completely convinced that marijuana users are not politically active. I do not smoke marijuana (anymore nor do I plan to), yet I see a very open-ended arbitrary set of laws with marijuana use that are unacceptable.

It is the governments business, not ours. I say we make it legal and take away the current police state surrounding marijuana. Either that or de-criminalize weed to the point that other more pressing societal problems can be addressed.

The current status quo is ridiculous, it is expensive and actually causing more harm to society than helping.

But like I say I'm going to have to become convinced that pot users are politically active enough to give a shit.

[yeahwho]

Lets just legalize weed so hemp can prosper as it did a Century ago. It would be interesting to see the cotton industry get all bent out of shape. Of course then the profits for what is now the #1 cash crop in America could be taxed properly and I'm sure that will make some sort of dent in this fucked up "War Debt" Mr. Bush has rolling.

Alcohol is legal even though Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a diagnosable disease by CDC and US govt. standards.

Marijuana is less damaging to the human body, categorically and societally.

Masturbation is legal, yet I still manage to make it out of the house.

C'mon let's smoke the rope bros sisters.

[Bob]

Lets just legalize weed so hemp can prosper as it did a Century ago. It would be interesting to see the cotton industry get all bent out of shape. Of course then the profits for what is now the #1 cash crop in America could be taxed properly and I'm sure that will make some sort of dent in this fucked up "War Debt" Mr. Bush has rolling.

but of course the only reason it's still illegal is that pot smokers aren't politically active

[yeahwho]

but of course the only reason it's still illegal is that pot smokers aren't politically active

I knew i should of posted this topic in the "Cooking (Recipes)" section of the forum.

[silence7]

Download Link
Suco De Tangerina -vs- Jello Biafra (Grow More Pot) Mashup (http://beastiemixes.com/download.php?id=1229&chk=105k)

War against a plant.....

[fucktopgirl]

pot smokers don't really want weed to be legalize because the government would take , once again, all the control of it and the pot growers wouldn't do as much profit as they can do now. The only good thing about legalization it is not to be jail if you smoke some but if it is just this reason, be fucking careful.

And about the money the government they could make with weed, i really doubt it would come back to citizen but maybe i am just really disappoint with the current state of our society.

[yeahwho]

pot smokers don't really want weed to be legalize because the government would take , once again, all the control of it and the pot growers wouldn't do as much profit as they can do now. The only good thing about legalization it is not to be jail if you smoke some but if it is just this reason, be fucking careful.

And about the money the government they could make with weed, i really doubt it would come back to citizen but maybe i am just really disappoint with the current state of our society.

Just be careful? Maybe in Canada, but here in the USofA things have sorta gotten out of hand in the past fucking 5 years. It's a police state with a huge organization developing databases of information on phone calls and letter writing. All legal. I don't think being careful will work in the future. Now is the time. Nobody in their right mind would want to go back to prohibition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition).

I don't understand how lame this generation is. In Holland the voter turnout is 90% +. In Holland people are smoking hash in the streets. Fuck.

[fucktopgirl]

Yeah, Canada and USA don't have the same rigidity and approach toward weed. Here, well, legalize or not, people manage and are alright. You can smoke on the street or on the mountain,in a park..they are pretty smooth. Just don't flash the weed in their face but otherwise, you are ok, they are more after the coke dealer . USA is another story so i can comprehend why some people want it to be legal.

[checkyourprez]

pot smokers don't really want weed to be legalize because the government would take , once again, all the control of it and the pot growers wouldn't do as much profit as they can do now. The only good thing about legalization it is not to be jail if you smoke some but if it is just this reason, be fucking careful.

And about the money the government they could make with weed, i really doubt it would come back to citizen but maybe i am just really disappoint with the current state of our society.


thats not true. the government would drop the price. pot smokers would welcome that. you are correct in saying pot growers would not care for the government to take over their business.

[Schmeltz]

I find it tough to believe that any government, having legalized a controlled substance with a view to controlled distribution, would actually drop prices from (fluctuating) street levels. What I think you'd actually find is a big boom in private growing as people sought to bypass both heavily taxed government distribution and already established criminal grow-ops. The hydroponics/gardening industries would get a big boost from people like me who would love to invest a little cash in growing their own herb, not to sell, just to smoke without having to go through a middleman.

[Monsieur Decuts]

When the lobby consists of the Hells Angels and other organized underworld characters, I'm not sure there's any incentive to legalize shit. I'm sure the government gets their hands on their dope taxes in their own way, a way which does not encourage a change in the status quo*



* i'm not actually sure of anything.

[checkyourprez]

I find it tough to believe that any government, having legalized a controlled substance with a view to controlled distribution, would actually drop prices from (fluctuating) street levels. What I think you'd actually find is a big boom in private growing as people sought to bypass both heavily taxed government distribution and already established criminal grow-ops. The hydroponics/gardening industries would get a big boost from people like me who would love to invest a little cash in growing their own herb, not to sell, just to smoke without having to go through a middleman.

weed in reality is very cheep. waaay cheaper than what people pay for it. the governement can still make plenty of money with a lower price. the only reason the price is that high is because criminals feel its worth their risk to charge so much. thats why coke is more too. harder to get in, higher penalty when caught, ect.

[TimDoolan]

Weed is also unpatentable, which makes it difficult for companies to sell it.
No one ever overdosed on weed: alchohol kills people daily.

[checkyourprez]

anybody see a peice on 60 minutes last night (sunday) about medical marijuana in california?

i found it pretty interesting. i had just always assumed it was only for things like glacoma, aids, cancer, ect. but the wording of the law says that marijuana can be prescribed for anything that it relieves pain as said by a doctor. they were saying people get it for headaches, back aches, a person whos feet hurt because they were wearing heals, along with the many others such as aids and what not. i do agree that is an abuse of the system, but a pretty sweet one at that.

[Schmeltz]

the governement can still make plenty of money with a lower price.

Man, show me a government that has ever adopted that line about its revenues. It's much more likely that governments would have to rely on established grow operations for distribution (at least initially) and that would create an official interest group with an agenda biased against lowering prices.

The government can still make plenty of money on a barrel of oil even if they act to lower prices. They're never going to do it though. That's just not how this system operates.

[yeahwho]

anybody see a peice on 60 minutes last night (sunday) about medical marijuana in california?

i found it pretty interesting. i had just always assumed it was only for things like glacoma, aids, cancer, ect. but the wording of the law says that marijuana can be prescribed for anything that it relieves pain as said by a doctor. they were saying people get it for headaches, back aches, a person whos feet hurt because they were wearing heals, along with the many others such as aids and what not. i do agree that is an abuse of the system, but a pretty sweet one at that.

Hey thanks for the heads up, I went to CBS' web site (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/20/60minutes/main3281715.shtml) and watched a snippet of the piece. These shops have put a ray of hope into many lives that otherwise would be bombarded with heavy sedatives. Like the one guy says, "It's the only drug other than opiates that relieves his back pain".

I think too many people are focused on "Government Control" of legal weed and missing the overall point, it is currently being controlled by a very large criminal element that the government spends millions of dollars on clogging courts, prisons and putting citizens in unnecessary harm from their repressive laws. It's weed, not poison. The shit is relatively harmless.

Looks like whatever government oversight these legal pot clubs have now is pretty mild stuff compared to the daily bullshit going on with it in the streets.

[checkyourprez]

Man, show me a government that has ever adopted that line about its revenues. It's much more likely that governments would have to rely on established grow operations for distribution (at least initially) and that would create an official interest group with an agenda biased against lowering prices.

The government can still make plenty of money on a barrel of oil even if they act to lower prices. They're never going to do it though. That's just not how this system operates.

Your missing the economics of it.

First of all the world does not run on marijuana. The world (at this point in time) needs oil. It can charge whatever it wants because cars, planes, buses, people, products, and everything else that makes the world go round does it because of oil for the most part. Next there are only so many places and countries that have oil, and there is ultimatly a limited supply. With OPEC there is almost a monopoly on it and prices are more or less controlled.

The government could not do that with marijuana. They may at first reley on already excisting growing operations but I would doubt it. Its a weed first of all, and these arent redwoods here, it doesnt take long to grow. Next, as im sure you are aware the governement pays a lot of farmers in this country to NOT grow their particular plants for whatever reasons. Im sure there would be no shortage of farmers willing to get into the business.

Lastly, the government could not charge more than what current prices are or else is defeats the purpose. There would still be a market out there for cheaper marijuana if the government has high prices. Illegal growers would fill that viod and we would go back to square one. Put it this way, if there were people out there willing to sell you gasoline for $1.50 a gallon how many people in this country do you think would do it? If the governement just started charging $80 an 8th, how many people do you think would go back to Smokey down the street?

[yeahwho]

I don't believe that

Does that mean you believe the opposite? Legal marijuana would increase childhood usage of weed? Or would it stay the same? I know one thing, it would not be considered a felony if your under 18 years old to possess marijuana.

Based on whatever point your making, do you feel marijuana is better illegal? Teen alcoholism is real, I know from personal experience. As far as being all strung out and sick from smoking weed as a teen, in my life it never happened. And I know that from massive experience.

. A regulated, legal market in marijuana would reduce marijuana sales and use among teenagers, as well as reduce their exposure to other drugs in the illegal market. The illegality of marijuana makes it more valuable than if it were legal, providing opportunities for teenagers to make easy money selling it to their friends. If the excessive profits for marijuana sales were ended through legalization there would be less incentive for teens to sell it to one another. Teenage use of alcohol and tobacco remain serious public health problems even though those drugs are legal for adults, however, the availability of alcohol and tobacco is not made even more widespread by providing kids with economic incentives to sell either one to their friends and peers.


I don't think I'm sure at all about the above particular line of thinking, I am sure marijuana use by children is much safer than alcohol use.

Does this mean we should keep marijuana illegal?

[fucktopgirl]

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-677988057951491676&q=Noam+Chomsky&total=1055&start=20&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4

Chomsky on weed

[yeahwho]

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-677988057951491676&q=Noam+Chomsky&total=1055&start=20&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4

Chomsky on weed

Didn't once mention weed, just an old guy talkin' bout bombs.

[fucktopgirl]

oups!!:D

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-5878208388115270442&q=Noam+Chomsky+and+marijuana&total=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[yeahwho]

oups!!:D

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-5878208388115270442&q=Noam+Chomsky+and+marijuana&total=2&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Now we're back on bongs, not bombs, thanks.

[checkyourprez]

this.. http://www.cpashield.com/bud2.html?CD4936 ..apparently is legal weed. anyone ever mess with this or know what its about?

[Monsieur Decuts]

this article made me think of this thread.

Apparently doubling the coffers of organized crime is a victory.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7025308.stm

[checkyourprez]

thats why the war on drugs is soooo stupid. it simply can never be won. there will always be a demand, and hence a supply. like it says in that article, if the supply is low, the demand is still there so the price just goes up. the war on drugs in terms of wasted resourses is way worse than an iraq or vietnam.

[sam i am]

BTW...hemp is legal in the US in many states.

Products are still manufactured and marketed with hemp labeling.

Marijuana, in the smokable or edible form, IS addictive and causes hundreds of thousands of addicts, some daily, to not be able to live productive lives.

Look at the productivity of a nation like Holland, where marijuana use is prevalent, versus a nation like the US, where marijuana use is illegal.

Nough said (for now:rolleyes:)

[Schmeltz]

Marijuana, in the smokable or edible form, IS addictive and causes hundreds of thousands of addicts, some daily, to not be able to live productive lives.

Look at the productivity of a nation like Holland, where marijuana use is prevalent, versus a nation like the US, where marijuana use is illegal.

Do you honestly need somebody to point out to you what an embarrassingly poor comparison that is? The United States has twenty times the population of the Netherlands and is two hundred and thirty-six times their size. Do you not think that these factors might have more to do with a productivity gap than the use of marijuana in either country?

One might also point out that in spite of the apparent enslavement of the Dutch to the hellish depths of marijuana addiction, the Dutch economy performs on a par with that of any other industrialized nation, leaving the country in a respectable 10th place in terms of purchasing power, GDP per capita, and the Human Development Index.

Reefer madness died a long time ago, sam. You're way behind the times - not that's unexpected - and this type of totally spurious comparison just goes to show it.

[yeahwho]

Reefer madness died a long time ago, sam. You're way behind the times - not that's unexpected - and this type of totally spurious comparison just goes to show it.


Or else the fact that your "legal alcohol" intake is affecting your judgment.

[Schmeltz]

Strangely, alcohol remains legal in spite of the fact that it conforms to all of the stridently moral charges levelled at weed by sam. Alcohol is a potent depressant proven to cause dependency in its users and directly affects many thousands of people in its impact on their ability to lead productive lives - as any examination of the drunk driving fatality stats (to choose just one measurable alcohol-derived phenomenon) will reveal.

And yet alcohol remains legal. I guess the moralistic do-gooders of America just aren't trying hard enough. Bring back the Eighteenth!

[EN[i]GMA]

We were morally consistent until we figured out what a bitch it is.

Damn you consequences.

[Schmeltz]

GMA;1519594']We were morally consistent until we figured out what a bitch it is.

Being consistent is one thing, but being mule-headed and ignorant is quite another. It's like how people say George W. Bush is consistent in his values - actually he isn't consistent in anything but his inability to react to complex and changing situations. You know?

[de-nice]

First of all, to use correct grammar: the title should read "Top 10 Reasons to Legalize Weed"

1) I get very tired of waiting on "hippie time" at the juice bar.
2) I want my man to have something interesting to say rather than. "Ya..."
3) I couldn't possibly stand for some of my friends to get stupider than they already are!!!

d

'nuff said

[ericlee]

yeah, the damn stupid pot heads. Durrrr.

[EN[i]GMA]

Being consistent is one thing, but being mule-headed and ignorant is quite another. It's like how people say George W. Bush is consistent in his values - actually he isn't consistent in anything but his inability to react to complex and changing situations. You know?

That's quite right.

Also, proper application of an idiotic principal is worse than haphazard application of an idiotic principal.

See again, Bush.

If he ACTUALLY followed the 'Bush Doctrine' as he laid it down, we'd be at war with 15 nations right now.

[yeahwho]

GMA;1519741']That's quite right.

Also, proper application of an idiotic principal is worse than haphazard application of an idiotic principal.

See again, Bush.

If he ACTUALLY followed the 'Bush Doctrine' as he laid it down, we'd be at war with 15 nations right now.

Starting with GHB and going right through until today I am beginning to wonder, have we begun living kinder and gentler enough yet?

Back to Weed. (my apologies to de-nice on bad grammar)

We have shown that we can reasonably control the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Legalize marijuana and eliminate the corrupting profit. Retail it and tax it at a price that will discourage smugglers and back street vendors. Until we do, we are smug in our self-deception, while in fact condoning the illegal use of drugs.

[Waus]

Hmm. How do you measure how stoned someone is?

I'm just wondering, if marijuana were made legal (even sanctioned) would it be safe for people to drive stoned? If they were stoned, how do you measure what the acceptable level is for driver's safety...or is it an all or none?

I guess the "all or none" concept is what gets me. It seems like people might drink alcohol without getting drunk, but do people smoke weed without getting stoned? Maybe "drunk" and "stoned" aren't really comparable at all.

[sam i am]

Nice comparison.

As for the Holland/US comparison, Schmeltz, I was solely comparing productivity, which was a sarcastic way of making my point (not that sarcasm is anywhere near your forte nor comprehension level, as usual).

The fact that marijuana is an impairing substance to mental/cognitive cognition and implementation is indisputable. Measurement of impairment, as stated above, is another worthy area of discussion/exploration.

On a macro level, like alcohol, marijuana seems to make sense, but on the micro, individual level, marijuana is a main inhibitor of social acceptance, income, and the ability to live life without having a "crutch" to fall back on.

Just my opinion in the last paragraph.:)

[Schmeltz]

Look at the productivity of a nation like Holland, where marijuana use is prevalent, versus a nation like the US, where marijuana use is illegal.

Nough said

I don't understand. If your point was that marijuana use impairs productivity, then how is this being sarcastic? This doesn't look like sarcasm, it looks like a poorly-informed attempt to characterize marijuana users (entire nations of them!) as unproductive. As I pointed out, the Dutch economy is both productive and competitive, especially given the relatively small size of the country. So what the hell are you talking about? :confused:


Just my opinion in the last paragraph


Your opinion is worthless; it is directly countered by my own experience. My regular marijuana use has not impaired my "social acceptance" or my income, or caused me to develop a crutch or dependence on cannabis. What experience do you have with weed, I wonder? Besides your exposure to rabid Republican prohibitionist propaganda, I mean.

You're out of your depth here, sam. Good effort though.

[checkyourprez]

Hmm. How do you measure how stoned someone is?

I'm just wondering, if marijuana were made legal (even sanctioned) would it be safe for people to drive stoned? If they were stoned, how do you measure what the acceptable level is for driver's safety...or is it an all or none?

I guess the "all or none" concept is what gets me. It seems like people might drink alcohol without getting drunk, but do people smoke weed without getting stoned? Maybe "drunk" and "stoned" aren't really comparable at all.


thats a good question. i dont know how they would be able to test for it if someone was pulled over. whip out a piss test and make someone take it right there? but then again the weed stays in your system for around a month so you could be nailing people who smoked 2 weeks ago.

ive driven really stoned and i dont think that should really be done. its not as bad as being completely hammerd drunk, not even close, in my opinion. but still your mind isnt always on the road. however, everyone does handle their substances differently. but i think driving with a mild stone is nothing. if anything its making things safer, people driving under the speed limit (joke).

but this is an interesting can of worms.

[Schmeltz]

I seem to recall that cops can test for stoned drivers through a simple mouth swab that will reveal whether a driver has recently smoked weed. Won't work if you've been eating brownies though.

Driving stoned is a bad idea for the same reasons driving drunk is a bad idea. But drunk driving and all its attendant devastating consequences hasn't resulted in a renewal of alcohol prohibition.

PS - You can measure how stoned someone is through observation of their reaction to such stimuli as Cheech and Chong movies and the music of Led Zeppelin.

[ericg]

www.hempfarm.com
www.jackherer.com
www.thehia.com
www.votehemp.com

[Bob]

www.hempfarm.com
www.jackherer.com
www.thehia.com
www.votehemp.com

#8 reason for keeping it illegal...