Given there has not been a lot of readily apparent change in the executive or legislative branches, the bigger news to me is the Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational use and possession of marijuana for people over 21. Let’s tax the pot smokers, lower organized crime and reduce the prison population! Dunno, makes sense to me.
In a groundbreaking move, Colorado and Washington voters have passed referendums legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The drug is still banned under federal law.
Colorado’s Proposition 64 to the state’s constitution makes it legal for anyone over the age of 21 to possess marijuana and for businesses to sell it.
“The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will,” Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.”
Well, the demand curve for drugs (including marijuana) is inelastic. Prohibition means higher prices and higher profits for drug dealers. So, prohibition causes negative unintended consequences.
There are of course tons of conspiracy theories that the prison industry is behind keeping marijuana illegal. I used to own a prison stock as it was/is very stable and defensive. They certainly have an economic incentive to maintain Mary Jane’s illegality, but no idea if they lobby to keep it illegal.
No, I don’t mean what is the case agains making marijuana legal. I mean, why do proponents of marijuana care so much, such that this becomes a big issue? Why not some other drug? I support taxing the shit out of people, but I just wonder why there is such significant demand for marijuana that this degree of taxation would be possible.
Why is there such a demand for alcohol? People enjoying using marijuana… in addition to the purported medical benefits, “it feels good”. For many people its based on the principles of libertarianism and laissez faire. On the same ground women should be able to prostitute themselves and no one should stop a junkie from killing themselves with “hard” narcotics, let people who want to smoke- smoke… No one is advocating the legalization meth/ heroin but why divert millions of dollars of tax revenues that could go to schools and health care to chase and lock up people that choose to use an intoxicant.
I think the answer is pretty simple: MJ, while it has some negative side effects (like alchohol or nicotine), is not nearly as addictive or as detrimental to health as hard drugs like heroin, cocaine or meth. Pretty simple. This is also why more people use (and are alive to use) marijuana creating an actual culture around it. Think about it: crackheads and methheads tend to not be that organized or hold down jobs…marijuana users, by comparison, are organized and are normal members of society.
If you’ve ever been around an environment or people that use substances, the answer to this is obvious (not saying this as any sort of a negative thing). It’s simlar to why people wanted alchohol brought back after prohibition so badly, but LSD is still illegal. The side effects of marijuana or lack there of make it by far the best of the substances, including alchohol recreationally. Far less damage caused, great benefits, and more than any other substance, most hippy pot heads view it as a lifestyle. Anyhow, the criminal benefits alone (helping break down the Mexican cartels) would be worth it.
To me this article as a whole (discusses votes that paved the way for same sex marriage and legalization of marijuana) gave me more hope than anything I’ve read in awhile. I was pondering what the next four years would actually be like last night (I’m neutral, don’t vote) so I was just wondering to myself. To me, these votes demonstrate a shift towards fair social laws and common sense.
^^ you can joke about it… but its very accepted and legal in many parts of the world. I dont think it would work in the United States, not culturally accepted. people wouldnt be able to control themselves. The real trend is that in 50 years there will be life like android Sex robots so prostitution as we know it might be extinct.
Will Boulder, CO, become the new Amsterdam if pot has been made legal in CO? Will there be coffee shops and stuff where you can buy and consume the stuff as well.
Amsterdam has a huge tourist industry just based on the fact pot/mushrooms (as well as prostitutes) can be bought in shops on the street, so would be curious to see how this affects the tourist industry (i.e. Boulder will be the new Mecca for pot smokers).
Isn’t this just going to shift the porn industry elsewhere (i.e. make the movies in Nevada, or Europe/Asia/etc). This is effectively just killing the California porn industry.
^^Nevada is an option… but the thing about LA is that there is an entire movie production industry where the skills are specialized and are applicable to porn… Camera crew, set design/construction, editing, marketing, “talent”… there is a reason Porn is near Hollywood including the fact that people want to live there.
400+ pot infused edible products have hit the market including pop, cookies, veggies, gum etc. have led to a dramatic rise in critical care visits for mostly toddlers. 7 deaths in the last 2 weeks including a college student who ate too many pot cookies and jumped off an11th floor balcony. I hope the Gov. is monitoring what’s going on in Colorado. Hopefully all you stupid fuck pot heads move to a “pot friendly” State and take your ignorance with you. Stop infecting our youth with your brain dead delusions of “safe” marijuana. Toddlers are dying cuz you’re too stoned and apathetic to keep it out of their reach. Lazy, worthless douchebags
That doesn’t sound accurate at all. The only known harmful effect of weed is that when it is consumed regularly before 21 it could disrupt the development of your brain. Apparently brain development takes place at a different rate and it gets ‘streamlined’ even after we physically stop growing. Weed blocks these pathways in some cases.
It is less harmful than alchohol and tobacco though. So is LSD. But you really are a strange lot, you have no problem popping shit like adderall over the counter and fking like monkeys but when someone does something we’ve been doing for 1000’s of years you get all angry.
I saw this thread come up and I was like, isn’t there a ski resort named Mary Jane in Colorado. Low and behold it was the last post until CFAvsMBA bumped it.
There’s always at least one of you morons that comes back with the inane argument that more people are hurt from alcohol than pot. So what? People choke to death on bubble gum too. None of that shit changes the fact that people die from marijuana. Crime is skyrocketing in Colorado from pot related robberies and now more than ever. Thousands more dumbass people, mostly kids, are reveling in the ability to damage their brains even further. Their brains haven’t even developed enough to tell the pot is unhealthy. It’s just a fun way to act as stupid and foolish as they want yet have an excuse for it. You pot head morons don’t even realize that the opinions you have formed about pot were made while you were under the influence of a drug that has adversely changed your perception ability. Meaning, you are delusional and your opinion is wrong and totally irrelevant in the real world. In other words, your befuddled mind keeps you from making an accurate assessment of anything. You’re too ignorant of sensibilities to even realize that you’re stupid. So you’re already a lost cause because you can never be convinced just because pot is safer than alcohol or heroin for that matter, doesn’t make it smart choice for a productive lifestyle. You’re on a downhill slide and you can’t even feel it. Don’t worry though, taxpayers will clean up after you and subsidize you for your whole life of immature choices.