California will vote to legalize marijuna (health care, economic, money, government)

[goldengrain]

I think the biggest impact is on the Latino Drug Gangs. This will knock down some of their profits. Will they make it up by sales to the rest of the U.S?

Pot is no more dangerous, even less so, than alcohol. If we ban one we should ban the other and vice-versa.

It is criminal that people are in prison over pot.

California is releasing (perhaps has) 6500 prisoners because the jails are overcrowded. That is, I have heard, the prison population of the entire country of Canada.

What is more moral: legalizing pot to help the economy or releasing convicts?

In some countries the government is also getting kickbacks from drug sales. Who's to say that is not happening here? We already caught the CIA smuggling drugs into the country, several times. There are tons of reports that the military actually cleared the way for drug sales to servicemen in Viet Nam - so many of them left this country clean and came back addicted.

Even a couple of U.S. presidents have been linked to the drug mess. What better way of laundering drug money and transporting the stuff than under the guise of a charity? That is not so far-fetched. Remember when McCain's wife, years back, started a charity of health services overseas. It was found that she was servicing her drug habit through the charity. Once found out, she checked into rehab and disbanded the charity. This was quite a while ago and I imagine there is a lot more sophistication behind this sort of thing now.

I used to worry about Bush wanting to, when he first became president, stop the searches of trucks going back and forth across the Mexican border. I worried when he claimed love for Vincente Fox saying 'he's one of us'. One of Who, precisely?

I think a lot of opposition to legalization comes from people making money off of the stuff under the table and they are just spouting 'bs' when they scream that it's immoral. What is immoral is them. Sometimes those who scream the loudest have the most to hide.

Good for the state of California, I say. Something so innocuous should not be illegal. I just worry about people driving under the influence. I don't think there are tests to detect that if the tests can be positive for stuff you had weeks ago.

I don't know, I don't touch the stuff, myself.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by Back to NE

It is difficult and expensive to grow good pot

As a gardener (of legal plants like tomatoes and chiles) I have to wonder how that is possible since every report I have read about clandestine outdoor marijuana gardens are off-site, meaning the gardeners are rarely there to cultivate, fertilize, and otherwise coddle their plants.

I'm pretty sure that with good genes, and a sunny location pot plants flourish. notice when there is a big bust of outdoor pot gardens the plants look lush and the growers are nowhere to be seen.

By contrast, I am in my garden pulling weeds, pinching suckers, examining the growing fruits and hand watering everyday for an hour or so.

Combine that with the fact that tomatoes don't cost hundreds of bucks and ounce yet somehow I manage to scrape up the will to grow my own food.

I think that marijuana enthusiasts will be able to grow their own dope.

Now, if you are talking about indoor pot growing (or growing anything indoors) I might agree about the expense and difficulty. Grow lights are expensive and high powered to mimic a tenth of what the readily available sun does for free.

[JustJulia]

Originally Posted by recycled

If it is legalized, expect to see the equivalent of Napa Valley wine tasting operations pop up in Mendocino and Humboldt. The big and famous pot growers will set up "toking rooms" (instead of tasting rooms) to sample the local yerba buena.

Hello, Travelocity? Just kidding.

[JustJulia]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

Here's the main point. If California legalizes pot, that just means state and local tax money isn't spent chasing after a pot smoker, trying him in court and giving him room and board for a few weeks.

I haven't read the bill, but my guess is that would still be prohibited by the state to sell it or grow it for commercial purposes. (Yes? No?) Personally, I'd like to see it governed just like watermelons -- sales tax if you sell it but not if you grow your own. But it would be fairly easy to have it distributed along with liquor and sold in liquor stores. That would help keep it available only to adults and would make it easier to tax and control.

I wish all the states would pass such a law. A former chief of police in my city told me 20 years ago that he'd like to see the law against pot smoking abolished -- said he'd rather spend department time enforcing other, more important laws. I agree.

I agree. I believe many current laws and practices can be easily adopted to include marijuana.

Illegal to sell or give to kids, like cigarettes.
Illegal to drive under the influence, like alcohol.
Legal to grow for yourself or give to friends, but illegal to sell, like brewing beer at home.
Various permits and insurance required to sell, like any business. Appropriate taxes paid.
Employers can set their own rules for hiring and employment.
Can be sold wholesale or retail, like other kinds of produce, subject to inspection by the appropriate health agencies.

[Back to NE]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

As a gardener (of legal plants like tomatoes and chiles) I have to wonder how that is possible since every report I have read about clandestine outdoor marijuana gardens are off-site, meaning the gardeners are rarely there to cultivate, fertilize, and otherwise coddle their plants.

I'm pretty sure that with good genes, and a sunny location pot plants flourish. notice when there is a big bust of outdoor pot gardens the plants look lush and the growers are nowhere to be seen.

By contrast, I am in my garden pulling weeds, pinching suckers, examining the growing fruits and hand watering everyday for an hour or so.

Combine that with the fact that tomatoes don't cost hundreds of bucks and ounce yet somehow I manage to scrape up the will to grow my own food.

I think that marijuana enthusiasts will be able to grow their own dope.

Now, if you are talking about indoor pot growing (or growing anything indoors) I might agree about the expense and difficulty. Grow lights are expensive and high powered to mimic a tenth of what the readily available sun does for free.

Yeah, the sun is the key, a ton of free light will solve alot of problems. But for most populous areas, few people have access to safe, private, strong sunlight. Instead they have to consider basements, large closets, installing expensive grow lights and paying high electricity bills.

It's not unlike home brewing. I could brew my own beer but it will be weak in alcohol content, poorly carbonated and might taste lousy.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by Back to NE

Yeah, the sun is the key, a ton of free light will solve alot of problems. But for most populous areas, few people have access to safe, private, strong sunlight. Instead they have to consider basements, large closets, installing expensive grow lights and paying high electricity bills.

It's not unlike home brewing. I could brew my own beer but it will be weak in alcohol content, poorly carbonated and might taste lousy.

Again, I don't see the validity of your argument. If you can grow garden vegetables, I'm sure you can grow marijuana. As far as I know, people grow garden vegetables in all 50 states. I am sure there are varieties of marijuana bred to thrive in conditions from tropical to sub-arctic.

I am a home brewer myself, and the beer I brew can be as alcoholic as the commonly available strains of yeast will let it become. Same with the carbonation and I tell you it does not taste lousy. It is also a relatively cheap hobby and I can easily brew more than I and my household could easily consume.

Now I agree that humans are a lazy lot and a lot of pot smokers would probably rather get some of their pot from friends who grow, but even if only one in ten pot smokers grew pot, they could probably grow enough to supply those without a green thumb. I mean, we are talking about a substance that even the heaviest smokers keep a supply in ounces and grams.

[RaveGal]

i'm not a marajuana smoker but.........weed doesn't have you out side selling you body like crack,meth,etc
and NO ONE has ever over dosed on weed
yea its a gate way drug..but only 2 SOME people
some do not act different...i know people who do smoke and some of them are professionals with degrees

[JustJulia]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

Again, I don't see the validity of your argument. If you can grow garden vegetables, I'm sure you can grow marijuana. As far as I know, people grow garden vegetables in all 50 states. I am sure there are varieties of marijuana bred to thrive in conditions from tropical to sub-arctic.

I am a home brewer myself, and the beer I brew can be as alcoholic as the commonly available strains of yeast will let it become. Same with the carbonation and I tell you it does not taste lousy. It is also a relatively cheap hobby and I can easily brew more than I and my household could easily consume.

Now I agree that humans are a lazy lot and a lot of pot smokers would probably rather get some of their pot from friends who grow, but even if only one in ten pot smokers grew pot, they could probably grow enough to supply those without a green thumb. I mean, we are talking about a substance that even the heaviest smokers keep a supply in ounces and grams.

It's legal to grow your own tobacco and smoke it, yet few people do. It's easier to just go buy cigarettes, or maybe the quality is better. I don't see why that wouldn't also be true for marijuana.

[Back to NE]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

Again, I don't see the validity of your argument. If you can grow garden vegetables, I'm sure you can grow marijuana. As far as I know, people grow garden vegetables in all 50 states. I am sure there are varieties of marijuana bred to thrive in conditions from tropical to sub-arctic.

I am a home brewer myself, and the beer I brew can be as alcoholic as the commonly available strains of yeast will let it become. Same with the carbonation and I tell you it does not taste lousy. It is also a relatively cheap hobby and I can easily brew more than I and my household could easily consume.

Now I agree that humans are a lazy lot and a lot of pot smokers would probably rather get some of their pot from friends who grow, but even if only one in ten pot smokers grew pot, they could probably grow enough to supply those without a green thumb. I mean, we are talking about a substance that even the heaviest smokers keep a supply in ounces and grams.

Well then you must be quite talented at brewing beer; I've drank alot of home brews and I wouldn't pay for any of them. And most vegetables are very easy to grow and will not likely be stolen.

Plus, look at how loyal to brand most people are with their vices. If you fill your head for years with the same substance, you get used to it and that becomes your thing. How else does Miller Lite stay on the market? I predict large, corporate growers eventually to grab a big portion of the pot market. Sonoma Green Buds! guaranteed quality, consistent THC content, a bud you can count on!! Some folks just won't want the neighbor's smelly, sticky icky.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by JustJulia

It's legal to grow your own tobacco and smoke it, yet few people do. It's easier to just go buy cigarettes, or maybe the quality is better. I don't see why that wouldn't also be true for marijuana.

The trick with tobacco is that it is difficult to cure (dry out in such a way as the final product does not taste like cardboard. Also tobacco is difficult to grow properly. Consider that Cannabis is one of the most widespread plants in the world. It grows in a variety of altitudes, latitudes and from jungles to deserts. The U.S. government paid midwestern American farmers to grow it (for industrial purposes) for just a few years during WWII. Yet to this day, authorities are unable to completely eradicate the feral 'ditch-weed' that continues to grow in ditches and marginal areas in America's heartland. Tobacco on the other hand requires conditions that despite it's value and continued agricultural cultivation in America for 300 years has not spread significantly from where it was originally gathered only as a wild plant.

I think a better analogy than tobacco would be gourmet food. Most Americans, if they have a craving for fine food, content themselves to go to a fancy restaurant yet there are no shortage of people who enjoy cooking such meals themselves es evidenced by myriad cooking shows and magazines that cater to such interests. Likewise, there are numerous magazines and websites, as I have discovered in researching for this debate, concerning the cultivation of connoisseur grade marijuana.

I would venture to guess that a huge amount of marijuana consumed in North America at this time is already produced by people who are domestic hobbyists as opposed to foreign drug cartels.