Marijauna and Chicago (Mark: buying, legality, gangs)

[IAmEverywhere]

Originally Posted by urza216

Were you never a teenager yourself? This is already the case with alcohol. But it's still easier to get weed.

People who smoke marijuana are willing to pay whatever the current street price of marijuana is.

If it were freely available to anyone over 21 at a lower price than the current street price, then anyone over 21 could just turn around and sell legalized marijuana to people under 21 at the current street price.

I doubt anyone would pay enough for alcohol for this kind of resale activity to be worth anyone's time.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere

People who smoke marijuana are willing to pay whatever the current street price of marijuana is.

If it were freely available to anyone over 21 at a lower price than the current street price, then anyone over 21 could just turn around and sell legalized marijuana to people under 21 at the current street price.

I doubt anyone would pay enough for alcohol for this kind of resale activity to be worth anyone's time.

Let me guess: Not an econ major?

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Peer79

I tend to agree that those who smoke weed on occasion can do fine, even be successful. I do however, make a distinction between success, and just getting by, without much desire to advance one's station.

The problem is, how do you define occasionally? For me, the most I could see someone toking up and still being productive is once every three-four weeks. Anyone who has smoked weed is well aware of the lethargy and sheer laziness the next day brings. From my experience, weed is addicting and starts out at that infrequent pace of smoking up, but eventually becomes more and more frequent and prominent in one's life.

You are projecting your own laziness and problems with addiction on others.

Lethargy? Laziness?

Talk to a working jazz or blues musician who smokes a little bit and then goes and busts their hump from 8 pm to 2 am in front of a crowd scrutinizing their every move.

Or guys who use it to ease muscle fatigue for brutally taxing manual labor jobs.

Your life isn't applicable to everyone else.

[IAmEverywhere]

@ChiNaan: To clarify the problem:

The market price for marijuana as an illegal substance is inherently higher than the market price as a legal substance. This is because the price of illegal marijuana has to take into account the risk of getting caught.

So basically people who are over 21 could buy marijuana from legal vendors for less money than the street price. People who are under 21 would still have to pay the street price.

The difference between the legal price and the illegal price would be instant profit for anyone willing to take that risk.

Lower prices for legal marijuana are a problem in and of themselves, because people can afford to buy more of that which costs less.

You could try to tax marijuana heavily so that the legal price is artificially increased to what the price of illegal marijuana would be. However, it's difficult to get this exactly right. If you tax it too much, then people would just cultivate and sell illegal marijuana for less than the legal, taxed price.

I'm not going to pretend there's an easy answer.

[Peer79]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

You are projecting your own laziness and problems with addiction on others.

Lethargy? Laziness?

Talk to a working jazz or blues musician who smokes a little bit and then goes and busts their hump from 8 pm to 2 am in front of a crowd scrutinizing their every move.

Or guys who use it to ease muscle fatigue for brutally taxing manual labor jobs.

Your life isn't applicable to everyone else.

I don't have any problems with addiction or laziness. When I use to smoke weed I did have such problems. I work with a lot of contractors and they have never indicated that they smoke weed to ease muscle fatigue. If anything, these guys like to drink on the weekends.

Common sense is common sense. The examples you cite, which may or may not be accurate, are the exception and not the rule. When you stop smoking weed you will see how it is detriment to your life.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Peer79

I don't have any problems with addiction or laziness. When I use to smoke weed I did have such problems. I work with a lot of contractors and they have never indicated that they smoke weed to ease muscle fatigue. If anything, these guys like to drink on the weekends.

Common sense is common sense. The examples you cite, which may or may not be accurate, are the exception and not the rule. When you stop smoking weed you will see how it is detriment to your life.

No, when *you* stopped smoking weed you found it had been detrimental to *your* life.

Some people smoke weed, drink, etc. to escape from their problems. Others do so but are unable to use restraint and overdo it.

The vast majority of people I know may drink or smoke socially, but have no problems also being high achievers.

Common sense to me means you don't do anything that negatively impacts your work or your family.

[Peer79]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

No, when *you* stopped smoking weed you found it had been detrimental to *your* life.

Some people smoke weed, drink, etc. to escape from their problems. Others do so but are unable to use restraint and overdo it.

The vast majority of people I know may drink or smoke socially, but have no problems also being high achievers.

Common sense to me means you don't do anything that negatively impacts your work or your family.

That is what I stated earlier. Occasional use, IMO, will not negatively impact one's life. The problem is, most of the weed smokers I have seen do not just use it on occasion. They use it at least 3-4 times a week. They are not high achievers. At best, they 'function' in a low-level job and do not get very far. This does not adhere to my definition of success. These same people do not realize that weed is a hindrance to maximizing their potential. I stated the experience of my youth as I felt it could shed light on the topic at hand. However, this is not just about me. This is about many individuals I have been friends with, worked with and dealt with professionally. In my line of work, I deal with many different types of people, and the weed smokers struggle the most.

Weed does not induce or assist in the achievement of one's goals. Those who are successful and potheads succeed despite the weed use, not because of it. And those successful individuals are a small subset of the overall weed smoking universe.

It appears that your definition of 'high achievers' differs from my own. How many people do you know, if the vast majority of them are high achievers? Are you hanging around with millionaires, celebrities, decorated public servants, pro=athletes, and prominent political figures all day?

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Peer79

That is what I stated earlier. Occasional use, IMO, will not negatively impact one's life. The problem is, most of the weed smokers I have seen do not just use it on occasion. They use it at least 3-4 times a week. They are not high achievers. At best, they 'function' in a low-level job and do not get very far. This does not adhere to my definition of success. These same people do not realize that weed is a hindrance to maximizing their potential. I stated the experience of my youth as I felt it could shed light on the topic at hand. However, this is not just about me. This is about many individuals I have been friends with, worked with and dealt with professionally. In my line of work, I deal with many different types of people, and the weed smokers struggle the most.

Weed does not induce or assist in the achievement of one's goals. Those who are successful and potheads succeed despite the weed use, not because of it. And those successful individuals are a small subset of the overall weed smoking universe.

It appears that your definition of 'high achievers' differs from my own. How many people do you know, if the vast majority of them are high achievers? Are you hanging around with millionaires, celebrities, decorated public servants, pro=athletes, and prominent political figures all day?

You're telling me the regulars here aren't celebrities?!

Ha... but actually, yes, assuming educational status meets your lofty criteria for achievement, I would say working in an academic/international environment full of PhDs qualifies.

What you don't realize is how pedestrian and pitifully American your viewpoint is. The rest of the world laughs at us for our ridiculous & vain attempts to continue fighting a "war" that can't be won. People have altered their consciousness since the first caveman started sampling different plants on a mountainside.

[NorCal Dude]

All I can say is I always found it to be more expensive and less potent than out west.

I had friends who would ship the stuff in from Colorado, Oregon, or some place. Not sure how much that has changed.


I know the city is giving tickets now, but I can tell ya if you get caught in some burbs you will still get thrown in the can, and have to post bail. Happened to a childhood friend of mine in Dupage county, for a roach. LoL.

[Peer79]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

You're telling me the regulars here aren't celebrities?!

Ha... but actually, yes, assuming educational status meets your lofty criteria for achievement, I would say working in an academic/international environment full of PhDs qualifies.

What you don't realize is how pedestrian and pitifully American your viewpoint is. The rest of the world laughs at us for our ridiculous & vain attempts to continue fighting a "war" that can't be won. People have altered their consciousness since the first caveman started sampling different plants on a mountainside.

"You are projecting your own laziness and problems with addiction on others."

"Your life isn't applicable to everyone else."

Pedestrian? Pitifully American? Ok, now I get it. You're supposed to be the intellectual guy who is smarter than the typical rube American. You favor the 'European socialist model', and look down on us pitiful Americans. You are likely also an academic, who fancies himself as a part of the intelligentsia. You are probably also thoroughly Americanized, with only a superficial connection to Europe. My wife's cousin was sent to prison in a European nation for possession of about 1/2 pound of marijuana. He is also a native European, not some American tourist. European nations are not the enlightened 'weed loving' utopia you imagine them to be. My parents are from Europe. I have been there many times. I understand the mentality and contrary to your beliefs, Europeans are not hostile or condescending towards Americans. I think that is more your mindset, and that of your peers. I think that is something you cling to in an effort to enhance your sense of self.

What you don't realize is how your efforts to characterize me as small-minded, provincial, and bereft of 'worldly' experience can be just as easily applied to you. Break out of your clique. Go to an apartment complex in Maywood, Summit, or some of the 'less educated' neighborhoods in Chicago. See how well the weed smokers fare as opposed to those who actually get out and work. Is weed really a benefit to these people?

It is important for you to come to a realization that your life isn't applicable to everyone else.