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As someone coming from California (just moved to Alabama a couple years ago), I can tell you this:
Vote "yes" for a medpot prop if you want pot legal, period, and you don't care how that happens.
Vote "no" for a medpot prop if you think pot should only be legal for medical purposes, because a state proposition does practically nothing to regulate it the way other prescription drugs are regulated.
If you think pot should be legal across the board, but would prefer it to be regulated more similarly to alcohol or tobacco, i.e., regulations where and how pot is sold, taxed, and consumed, that is more of a gray area. I'm not familiar with the Arizona prop, you'd have to examine it and really try to discern any unintended consequences as to how and where pot is sold, by whom, and where, and then ask whether you are willing to live with those consequences while the details iron themselves out later, or whether you would rather see pot legalized in a manner you are more comfortable with.
The tricky thing is, pot is a federally classified substance. Federal laws really make it difficult for states to legalize pot in a well-regulated way. In theory, feds could actually intervene with pot consumption in California, but the federal government has thus far (as far as I know) chosen to take a hands-off policy to the California pot situation. And at the state level, it's difficult, because the state legislators are in a different position when it comes to legislation than a voter-sponsored proposition, so it can be difficult for them to further regulate something that is already at odds with federal law.
IMO, pot should be legalized but regulated to consider advertising, vicinity to minors, operation of vehicles while under the influence, taxation as a substance, smoking in public, etc etc. That is hard to do with a state proposition. To those that feel pot should be legalized at any cost, a proposition like this can be a piecemeal way to push that forward, but it *will* be messy - it will create problems that will have to be corrected in the future. (And, that may be OK with you.)
I personally do not feel any great urgency for pot to be legalized, and I'd rather see it legalized in a thoughtful, careful manner. In the meantime if a person truly does need medpot for medical purposes, it's not hard to get. There are times when it is not unethical to break the law.
"I personally do not feel any great urgency for pot to be legalized, and I'd rather see it legalized in a thoughtful, careful manner.
In the meantime if a person truly does need medpot for medical purposes, it's not hard to get. There are times when it is not unethical to break the law."
I appreciated your comment and do share much of your own opinion on the issue of prop.19. The quoted paragraph above points out the need for
a careful and thoughtful process in making that determination. The federal government has had over seventy (70) years to carefully and thoughtfully
consider decriminalization and the failure on their part to deal with the issue in a timely fashion over the long span of years, has created an even bigger
problem, the marijuanamonster that grew ever so big, there in the closet, where the government, so foolishly kept it.
In my opinion, if Marijuana will be legal, I think it should be sold by cigarette manufacturers, like they sell cigarettes. They could control the Quality, and bring the price down, and they could also mix it with tobacco.
We will vote NO until such a time as they create a law that will restrict it to medical use only and actually have some teeth in it to keep it to the designed uses.
We watched what has happened when the "medical" law was passed back home and it wasn't pretty. Just about the first month several teens beat a man to death with a hammer to get his "prescription" of pot because they were too young to get it themselves. SInce there has been many thefts from "caregiver" pot farms.
Unfortunately these laws have been billed as "medical" but in reality just start a free-for-all with no real restrictions on who can get the so-called pot card. How would people feel if this were done with oxycodone or oxycontin? so-called doctors handing out a script for oxy to people for no more than a hangnail?
It should be pharmacy dispensed only (if your true intent is for medical use) or admit that a drug free-for-all is the real intent.
We will vote NO until such a time as they create a law that will restrict it to medical use only and actually have some teeth in it to keep it to the designed uses.
We watched what has happened when the "medical" law was passed back home and it wasn't pretty. Just about the first month several teens beat a man to death with a hammer to get his "prescription" of pot because they were too young to get it themselves. SInce there has been many thefts from "caregiver" pot farms.
Unfortunately these laws have been billed as "medical" but in reality just start a free-for-all with no real restrictions on who can get the so-called pot card. How would people feel if this were done with oxycodone or oxycontin? so-called doctors handing out a script for oxy to people for no more than a hangnail?
It should be pharmacy dispensed only (if your true intent is for medical use) or admit that a drug free-for-all is the real intent.
The drug companies already making a drug from marijuana.
If marijuana will be dispensed only as medical, by pharmacies, that will be a mess, as you wrote in your post, and it will not bring the price down, and it will not stop the illegal drug dealers.
In my opinion it should be legal, as cigarettes, and alcohol, and manufactured and sold by cigarette companies, the same as cigarettes.
Where would they lock up a million California dope smokers? And since they would be unemployed while in jail, where would government get the revenue that the million former taxpayers would have paid in?
Not a problem....if my experiance with weed smokers is any indication, most of them are already unemployed, living at home with thier parents or sponging off of relatives....
We had a 420 "Legalize MM" parade in our town recently....I watched the video...the town is small enough that I knew a good percentage of the folks marching.....and strangely enough the majority of them were 18-40 year olds who basically contribute nothing to society and would prefer to spend their time getting high.
Now I expect that some of you will come back and tell me about all the productive citizens that have smoked MJ....but I really think that is the exception rather than the rule....from what I have seen most who smoke it spend more time in the seamy underbelly of society rather than climbing any ladders of success.
We will vote NO until such a time as they create a law that will restrict it to medical use only and actually have some teeth in it to keep it to the designed uses.
We watched what has happened when the "medical" law was passed back home and it wasn't pretty. Just about the first month several teens beat a man to death with a hammer to get his "prescription" of pot because they were too young to get it themselves. SInce there has been many thefts from "caregiver" pot farms.
Unfortunately these laws have been billed as "medical" but in reality just start a free-for-all with no real restrictions on who can get the so-called pot card. How would people feel if this were done with oxycodone or oxycontin? so-called doctors handing out a script for oxy to people for no more than a hangnail?
It should be pharmacy dispensed only (if your true intent is for medical use) or admit that a drug free-for-all is the real intent.
The problem really is that it's illegal for any reason.
If I smoking pot in the privacy of my home for any reason, medical or otherwise, why do you care. My life. My body. My choice. The risk of killing brain cells, lung cancer, bad breath...it's my choice to make.
Even though I am not a marijuana user, nor could I be even if I WANTED to (as I am subject to Federal drug testing due to my job), I feel that Government's efforts of prohibition of this substance that is quite popular among the vast majority of people is silly. As far as it's use, medical and/or recreational, it is apparently as common as people having an alcoholic drink!
Amazingly enough, better than 50% (I think around 53% or so) of all Americans feel that marijuana should be as legal as alcohol and treated the same. Politicians don't go with what the people want... they do whatever the hell they please assuming they are acting "in the public's best interest". Both political parties act in unison and are in agreement for different reasons! Republicans think that marijuana use is immoral and some sort of sin against Jesus or something... and Democrats feel that people are just too stupid to think for themselves so we have to do it FOR them!
Let's talk about the stigma and bottom lines of it all. Nancy Reagan "Just say no" (and saying this as her secret service agents and doctors are seeing to her various prescription drugs). Honestly, marijuana is less harmful than alcohol but was conveniently added into the "War on drugs". The really stupid thing (that has been pointed out) is how with marijuana NOT being illegal and on the black market, your teenage child would play holy hell in obtaining it and have it about impossible as it is for them to obtain a six-pack of beer... currently they can EASILY obtain marijuana much more easily than they can get their evil little mitts on a six-pack of beer. Why is this? Because alcohol is closely regulated, taxed to high heaven and the laws are stringent on sale to minors. It is just not feasible or profitable for alcohol to be on the black market to any extent.
If you were to legalize marijuana and treat it just the same as alcohol:
- You would ELIMINATE the black market and it would no longer be profitable or feasible for a criminal element to be making money on it.
- The taxes you would collect are OFF THE CHART! It would take a huge chunk out of that national debt instead of adding to it with "The war on drugs".
- You would certainly upset America's youth, since THEN the damn stuff is just as hard to get your hands on as that six-pack of beer if you are a minor!
- Prisons are big business in America, eating up taxpayer dollars but there are those that turn a nice buck out of our prison system. Simple marijuana possession gets you a stay in prison and will obviously be detracting from you being a normal productive working enterprising individual--- Go ask Tommy Chong! hahaha You would eliminate a percentage of our prison population that if not for being incarcerated for having the evil marijuana, would be working, tax-paying productive people.
Now let's look at this from a little DIFFERENT point of view:
- We, the government have spent HUGE money on this "War on drugs" and because we can't admit to making a mistake after this much time, hype, money and effort has gone into this (marijuana) portion of the project, there is NO WAY we can stop now! We won't let you down, Nancy!---"Just Say No"!
- We, the pharmaceutical companies HATE marijuana! We want it as illegal as it can get because marijuana use apparently eliminates a portion of our own legal dope that we are pushing on TV commercials each and every day and what REALLY pisses us off is that there are no side effects like when you take our product that induces nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, etc., etc.! What if this costs us money damnit!!!???? Oh well, it's a good thing we have the politicians in our back pockets with our lobbyists so legal marijuana will never happen if WE can help it!
Substance use and abuse is common in our society and I believe in allowing people to think for themselves and use common sense. Drug abuse seems to be OKAY in our society, as long as you are buying it from a government condoned drug dealer, such as Pfizer or Merck! Legalize it, tax it, and administer laws that treat marijuana just the same as alcohol and BE DONE WITH IT!
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I don't see that it makes much difference either way.
If they legalize it and tax it what is the difference between that and alcohol?
In many areas of this country moon shining still exists in large numbers to avoid the taxes.
So if they legalize pot what are they going to do about those who grow their own are they not going to allow that? You can legally make your own beer an wine I know for your own use.
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I appreciated your comment and do share much of your own opinion on the issue of prop.19. The quoted paragraph above points out the need for 
marijuana monster that grew ever so big, there in the closet, where the government, so foolishly kept it.
Democracy at work
