Ventureless Posted January 23, 2014 #1 Posted January 23, 2014 At the risk of being shunned by some, I am intrigued by this whole legalization trend. I used to partake in my younger years and maybe once or twice a year now as an adult. I will say that honestly, I would rather be sitting around the bonfire on the weekend burning one than drinking. I don't feel bad the next day and when I was younger, I didn't do stupid things when I used pot like with alcohol (like rolling a dune buggy after some homemade blackberry shine). And I will be honest, I am not a stupid man. I know that as my kids get older, they are going to try things behind my back just as we all did in our teens. I can say that I would much rather catch my kids smoking a joint than drinking a buttload of alcohol. Will they be punished either way. Yes of course but once again I am not stupid and know that they will do it no matter what I do. And I would feel much safer with the pot use. And people will say that pot is a gateway drug. To me alcohol is as well and we all know kids drink. The other aspect of this trend I like is the money making part. No I will not grow or sell or anything like that. I do a little stock trading here and there so about 6 or 8 months ago, I invested in a company that sells grow equipment and has some other exciting ventures into the legal pot world. I bought about 100K shares at $.06. Well a few weeks ago I sold half of the shares for $.44 each. You do the math. I almost quadrupled my money and still have about 50K shares left for the long run. Will it make me rich. Probably not, but maybe I will have enough to pay cash for a new bike or build a garage or something. So what are everybody's thoughts on this trend?
jonesy Posted January 23, 2014 #2 Posted January 23, 2014 To each their own, myself never got into it. Tried it but never really liked it. Beer now that was another story.
mini-muffin Posted January 23, 2014 #3 Posted January 23, 2014 I have no problem with it being legal. If it's legal then the drug dealers won't make the profit off it. Saves on arrests as well. Way too many other things to take care of. I never really believed it's a gateway drug. Anything can be considered that if you are the type of person that becomes addicted to stuff. Majority of folks don't go on to other drugs those that do would have regardless of what they started with. Just my opinion. Margaret
Bob Myers Posted January 23, 2014 #4 Posted January 23, 2014 I have no problem with it being legal. If it's legal then the drug dealers won't make the profit off it. Saves on arrests as well. Way too many other things to take care of. I never really believed it's a gateway drug. Anything can be considered that if you are the type of person that becomes addicted to stuff. Majority of folks don't go on to other drugs those that do would have regardless of what they started with. Just my opinion. Margaret Almost exactly my thoughts. That plus the tax revenue created if they tax it as heavily as cigarettes.
Marcarl Posted January 23, 2014 #5 Posted January 23, 2014 Warning! This thread has potential. Keep it to helpful insight and helpful info, and it might live. Getting rash or opinionated will have it removed quicker than it was posted.
Ventureless Posted January 23, 2014 Author #6 Posted January 23, 2014 Warning! This thread has potential. Keep it to helpful insight and helpful info, and it might live. Getting rash or opinionated will have it removed quicker than it was posted. I agree. I did not start this thread to start fights. As I said, I am just intrigued that such a thing as this is happening in my lifetime. Similar to the whole alcohol prohibition times which was a big thing in our history in this country just as this is now.
Dragonslayer Posted January 23, 2014 #7 Posted January 23, 2014 OK, Truth be known. I was a product of the sixties, so to say I aint been exposed would be less than honest. There was a long period of my life that I had nothing to do with it. Not because I have a moral objection to it but, being in a line of work subject to drug testing, the risk wasn't worth the rewards. So, I stayed with the legal drug, alcohol. But, now with the risk of DUI's at $10k + a pop, The risk is not worth the rewards. So, I am rethinking my options. If it were legal, there would be no doubt about it. I will say this, Some people have no business drinking. Like my son, when he is drinking he is a major pain in the a$$ to be around argumentative, incomprehensible, hostile then meloncoly. When he is stoned he is funny, interesting and hoot to be around. Go Figure. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
Caveman Posted January 23, 2014 #8 Posted January 23, 2014 I see it the same as alchohol, or cigarettes. If they decide to legalize it, I hope they leave it as mother nature intended it...unmolested! I don't smoke, but as said, to each his/her own.
buddy Posted January 23, 2014 #9 Posted January 23, 2014 Never tried never will.. Scary how times are changing now compared to the past Next you know the drug cartel will be in CO, WA mfg and growing weed now that's its legal
Grolli Posted January 23, 2014 #10 Posted January 23, 2014 Almost exactly my thoughts. That plus the tax revenue created if they tax it as heavily as cigarettes. Absolutely. My only fear wold be that dealers would turn to more potent drugs. Tax the hell out of pot, take away the deficit!
saddlebum Posted January 23, 2014 #11 Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) I myself have never tried it, never was that interested in trying it, and I do not judge those that do. However here is an interesting point. As most know ,Holland has allowed legalized pot for many years, yet about five years back, I read an article, were Holland is rethinking its decision, to legalize it because the government, is beginning to feel that the free use of it seems to be having a negative effect on the people. In what way, I am not sure and I never saw any more articles about it after that. Just interesting food for thought. Though it would initially seem that it would put a big dent in the drug cartels revenue, I would wonder, since it is not their only drug of revenue and therefore think it would not be much of a dent at all, it may even be a means for them to partially legitimize their operation. Edited January 23, 2014 by saddlebum
steamer Posted January 23, 2014 #12 Posted January 23, 2014 Now that they got this train rolling, I don't think it can be stopped. We will have to deal with it. As for taxing it to fix all our financial problems....just look at how well that worked with all our other taxes.
Ventureless Posted January 23, 2014 Author #13 Posted January 23, 2014 Now that they got this train rolling, I don't think it can be stopped. We will have to deal with it. As for taxing it to fix all our financial problems....just look at how well that worked with all our other taxes. As far as the tax part of it goes, I think the initial few years will make an impact on the legal state’s budgets. After it is legal for a few years and the hype settles down some, I believe you are correct that it will be just like any of the other taxes out there now. But if it can help some of the states in bad shape now to climb up to an even point, I think it would be a win for them.
Venturous Randy Posted January 23, 2014 #14 Posted January 23, 2014 Never used tobacco or pot. It is proven that pot has medicinal value, not so with tobacco, probably the number one cause of premature deaths. Since pot has been proven to help people with some disorders, and especially those in pain, to me it is ridiculous not to have it available. Pain killers are readily available and have destroyed many lives and have a lot more side affects than pot. As far as it being a gateway drug, I suspect that much of that may due to having to deal with drug dealers as a routine to acquire pot. Since pot is the number one cash crop for some of the counties in this area, I don't see how making it legal will have a great deal to do with what happens on the street around here. The big thing would be to have to deal with the tax aspect, as in legal vs illegal moonshine. As far as alcohol, it has probably destroyed more families and cost more lives than any drug. About the biggest problem we are seeing around here is meth. RandyA
Bob Myers Posted January 23, 2014 #15 Posted January 23, 2014 As far as alcohol, it has probably destroyed more families and cost more lives than any drug. About the biggest problem we are seeing around here is meth. RandyA I read almost daily of the local PD busting a meth lab in one of the dozen or so local motels. It has become a serious problem in our area too. Maybe the legalization/taxation of pot could allow the focus of enforcement to go after these labs,, probably not but I can hope it does.
mother Posted January 23, 2014 #16 Posted January 23, 2014 it is also used in medical situations. my mother was offered it when diagnosed with cancer. she turned it down and suffered through the treatments. she was violently ill for a week after each treatment. she was on the floor heaving, could not eat for that week, lost weight every month for a year. god bless her that she has been cancer free for 12 years now. i have two other freinds who used weed while going through their cancer treatment and they were not in pain. they were able to eat normally and keep food down while going through chemotherapy with no weight loss. i have had people in the house that when given a couple of drinks are a pain in the ass. yet if they go outside and have a puff they come back in nice, calm and relaxed. i have no problem with it being legalized, treat it the same as liquor.
Ion Posted January 23, 2014 #17 Posted January 23, 2014 This is a post from December... I agree 100% with the logic presented here. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83323
bongobobny Posted January 23, 2014 #18 Posted January 23, 2014 Mixed feelings here! As Dragonslayer put it I'm a product of the 60's, plus a Vietnam veteran so it should be a given there. Finally stopped using it in the 80's, and have no desire to ever go back to it. There really IS a reason they call it dope! And yes it can and will lead to other drugs. Now, just like my Christianity those are MY beliefs for MYSELF. To each their own. We all have free will and have the right to choose what we do. Myself it wrecked my life and was a factor in two divorces. I shudder to think just what I could have been and accomplished if my brain wasn't clouded up with drugs. It made me lazy and stupid! OK now to the point in hand, legalization. I will draw an analogy to prohibition. When the government tried prohibition it lead to one of the highest times of crime this nation had ever seen, and a huge loss of revenue as well. That being said the idea of legalization does make sense in terms of tax revenue and if it is not a crime then a lot of the criminal activity including the violence will decrease drastically. Drug addiction will then be a social issue just like alcoholism and gambling addiction. Of course burglary and robbery will continue to be an issue as people addicted will need to support their habit, and unemployment will still be a problem. No, I'm not saying that those that occasionally use will become addicts any more than I would say anyone who drinks is an alcoholic, I'm just saying that addiction will not go away just because it becomes legal. Bottom line, as it becomes legal more power to it, great source of tax revenue, and it will make some people happy and who knows maybe it will be helpful to some, just like giving narcotics works as a pain killer. I shudder at the implications that it is one step closer in the decline of advancement of science and technology as people in general become stupider by the minute... Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt, what's next!
Guest Swifty Posted January 23, 2014 #20 Posted January 23, 2014 ...I would argue that we need to realize that there is mounting research to show that the teenage brain develops at different rates and will respond to chemicals with varying degrees of susceptibility to the potential adverse effects of these chemicals. We cannot paint with a broad brush as to whether it is harmful or not, or whether it is a gateway drug or not. I have followed the research on this topic for 15 years and have some excellent videos and academic references that I share with my students. The bottom line for the legal implications of this issue (IMHO as a law teacher) is that society (or each legal jurisdiction) needs to decide when laws are necessary based on the harm or associated costs that all members of society will have to endure as a result of it's LEGAL use OR as a result of the enforcement and incarceration costs that all members of society will have to endure as a result from its ILLEGAL use. A general belief (at least from many nations outside the USA that have legalized it) is that American society is paying a disproportionate cost for enforcement and incarceration resulting from their laws on illegal drug use. And that in large part, I believe, is why they are seeing a trend toward legalization. I think the long term costs to society surrounding legalizing drugs have yet to be determined. (ok with that, Carl?)
Drreb Posted January 23, 2014 #21 Posted January 23, 2014 No don't make it legal it is a drug that chemically alters one brain and can and many times does leads to other even more dangerous drug addictions. I am also a product of the sixties and was expose to the drug scene. And so many of my friends got hooked on much harsher drugs than marijuana, but they all started with the marijuana scene. Just saying.....And much more than that I believe God would not approve of this choice.
DragonRider Posted January 23, 2014 #22 Posted January 23, 2014 I was a product of the 60's, being my formative years, never was around anyone who did it till the early 70's, and I shunned those that did, as it was illegal and potentially dangerous, so it was said. Then around 74 a very good friend convinced me to try it once, I did, I enjoyed it and never looked back. I was glad I hadn't tried it sooner as I probably wasn't mature enough to handle it. I smoked it for many years and I never yearned for anything stronger, then this same friend turned me on to something else, church, the irony, out went the pot , cold turkey and I have never looked back, can't say that I missed it, I had something else in my life now. As for a legalizing it, 1. It would take the emphasis of putting recreational users behind bars where there are far to many people doing time for smoking it. 2. It would allow law enforcement to concentrate on more serious matters, like heroin, meth, coke, crack. Put those traffickers behind bars. 3. Having the government tax it and regulate it would help the coffers of some locales that are in dire need of revenue. I could go on with some more. But the question is, should we legalize it? I would wait to see how it goes in the 2 states that have legalized it before I answer that question.
SilvrT Posted January 23, 2014 #23 Posted January 23, 2014 I have no problem with it being legal. If it's legal then the drug dealers won't make the profit off it. Saves on arrests as well. Way too many other things to take care of. I never really believed it's a gateway drug. Anything can be considered that if you are the type of person that becomes addicted to stuff. Majority of folks don't go on to other drugs those that do would have regardless of what they started with. Just my opinion. Margaret I share your opinion and I am all for legalization. Similarly, they should legalize prostitution. With those two things legalized, it would dramatically reduce the "petty" crime rate IMO.
baylensman Posted January 23, 2014 #24 Posted January 23, 2014 At one time it was legal across the country. Shortly after the civil war ended, the plant was outlawed as it is the best source of a natural fiber called "hemp" this fiber is both softer and stronger than cotton easier to harvest and grows everywhere! As part on rebuilding the nation after the war it was necessary to export as much cotton as possible to pay for everything (other sources of income also) the channels for harvest manufacture and distribution on a world wide level were in place. In order to keep the price as high as possible the plant was made illegal to plant sow or harvest. As far as its medical benefits? Lots of evidence on both sides of that issue, so I can't say. As a gateway drug to other substances? Again lots of evidence both sides of that issue. Dope is a lacquer like substance applied to cotton cloth to make it stiff, the fumes of which can produce a "High" many folks used it when alcohol became illeagal in the US, the Term Dope Doper Dope head Dope sniffer became generic terms for folks who used any substance other than alcohol to get a buzz. Basically if they can take the money out of it for illegal importation, control the distribution to keep kids of it and tax it like anything else, I feel why not. I don't want to see Panama Red for sale at the circle K, but get a scrip from a Doc and got to CVS sure. Doesn't mean I'm gonna run down a get some, but if it help the nice old lady in the next Condo get thru the day with a little more peace Heck yeah!!
bongobobny Posted January 23, 2014 #25 Posted January 23, 2014 So far this thread is interesting and it is being kept civil! Here's hoping it doesn't head south...
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