First medical marijuana dispensary licenses awarded in Massachusetts

[Synchromesh]

Originally Posted by cwaggy

Proponents and opponents of Freedom would do well to research mankind's experience with it.

Why not just legalize all drugs then? I mean let the people who want to use meth, coke and H have their way. The problem then should just take care of itself.

[BitofEndearment]

It's legal in Colorado and Washington and things there seem so far so good.

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

CVS seems to be running the other way, the right way, as they will no longer sell cigarettes in their stores.

CVS is doing a public service, at great expense to them, in order to remove tobacco products from it's stores. This makes sense given what we know about tobacco today. Tobacco clearly has no medical benefit and is actually harmful on so many levels that, except for the big profit it brings in, you'd have to wonder why any company proporting to care about your health would sell it.

However, cannabis absolutely without a doubt has medical uses. Even the feds know that, but chose to ignore the evidence. When cannabis, and derivitives of it, become legal federally, you can bet the big box pharma dispensories, which is what CVS and Walgreens are, will jump on the band wagon and sell it.

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

Proponents and opponents of med weed would do well to research LA's experiences with it.

LA's experiance is an example of how not to do it right. First, put your head in the sand and ignore it until it becomes unbearable. Then create legislation that results in endless expensive and fruitless lawsuits. Then try and rein in the cows after you left the barn door open for so many years, creating resentment, defiance, and more lawsuits.

Instead, look at Oakland's experiance. Respect the law. Take the bull by the horns and pass cooperative and meaningful legislation to tax and regulate the industry. They did it the right way.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by Synchromesh

Why not just legalize all drugs then? I mean let the people who want to use meth, coke and H have their way. The problem then should just take care of itself.

Bit of news for you - they already do have their way. Somehow the problem hasn't taken care of itself.

[Beaconowner]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

Bit of news for you - they already do have their way. Somehow the problem hasn't taken care of itself.

"They" if you are meaning the users don't have their way. If they did, all drugs would be legal, REGULATED, purity would be known, and "they" could ask for and receive help if addicted.

"THEY" can't do that today without the fear of prosecution, or the loss of their children to Child Services, their property under seizeure laws, or their income while incarcerated.

Instead, the problems of drug use, mostly caused by the illegality of drugs not made by big pharma, continue. If you want to fix problems of drug abuse, not just use, you need to use the alcohol model, and treat addiction as a medical problem, not a law enforcement problem.

Sending alcohol addicts to a medical rehab and meth users to jail, doesn't make sense.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by Beaconowner

"They" if you are meaning the users don't have their way. If they did, all drugs would be legal, REGULATED, purity would be known, and "they" could ask for and receive help if addicted.

"THEY" can't do that today without the fear of prosecution, or the loss of their children to Child Services, their property under seizeure laws, or their income while incarcerated.

Instead, the problems of drug use, mostly caused by the illegality of drugs not made by big pharma, continue. If you want to fix problems of drug abuse, not just use, you need to use the alcohol model, and treat addiction as a medical problem, not a law enforcement problem.

Sending alcohol addicts to a medical rehab and meth users to jail, doesn't make sense.

Well, I for one am glad at least some of the loser junkies are not driving on the road with the rest of us.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

So is Colorado the template for this? Looks very lucrative, both medical/recreational is expected to rake in more than $134 million in tax revenue for the state.
Hickenlooper expects marijuana tax money to exceed prior expectations - The Denver Post

[johngolf]

Talked to my son in MA today. He said same old BS:

The state public health commissioner held two fund-raisers in 2005 and 2006 for then-US Representative William Delahunt, a fact she failed to disclose until her agency was in the final weeks of reviewing applications from the former congressman and dozens of others to operate medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cheryl Bartlett said on the conflict-of-interest disclosure form filed Dec. 31 that she would be selecting the license winners. But two weeks later, her deputy, the new director of the state medical marijuana program, was granted the authority to make the final decision. At the end of January, Delahunt’s group was awarded three of the coveted 20 licenses that were issued.

Delahunt also spent 20 years as Norfolk County DA, prosecuting drug related cases. I expect we could go back and find him rambling against marijuana usage.

[BitofEndearment]

Originally Posted by johngolf

Talked to my son in MA today. He said same old BS:

The state public health commissioner held two fund-raisers in 2005 and 2006 for then-US Representative William Delahunt, a fact she failed to disclose until her agency was in the final weeks of reviewing applications from the former congressman and dozens of others to operate medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cheryl Bartlett said on the conflict-of-interest disclosure form filed Dec. 31 that she would be selecting the license winners. But two weeks later, her deputy, the new director of the state medical marijuana program, was granted the authority to make the final decision. At the end of January, Delahunt’s group was awarded three of the coveted 20 licenses that were issued.

Delahunt also spent 20 years as Norfolk County DA, prosecuting drug related cases. I expect we could go back and find him rambling against marijuana usage.

It was job to enforce the law. He may have been against all along. And if not, why can't people change their minds and become educated?