Colorado begins to turn against medicinal marijauna

[Bateluer]

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-fort-...an-passes-20111102,0,1371662.story?hpt=us_bn7

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Fort Collins has become the largest city in Colorado to 'Just Say No' to medical marijuana.

Question 300, which would prevent medical marijuana dispensaries and grow facilities from operating within city limits, passed by a margin of 53-percent to 47-percent Tuesday evening, based on unofficial Larimer County election results.

The ban will force 21 licensed medical marijuana businesses in Fort Collins to close within 90 days.

The contentious battle over Question 300 pitted a coalition of well-funded shop owners against a group of concerned citizens, led by a retired police officer and former city mayor, Ray Martinez.

According to Martinez, the recent profusion of medical marijuana centers along the College Avenue business corridor has led to an increase in crime and drug use.

Fort Collins joins Loveland, Windsor and Greeley among northern Colorado cities, and the 75-plus communities statewide, which have banned medical marijuana.

On Colorado’s Western Slope, voters in Palisade on Tuesday rejected a measure that would have closed Mesa County’s only medical marijuana dispensary.

I'm not a fan of drug use of any kind, and generally oppose marijuana. But this mess of laws covering it are causing more problems. You've got different laws at the federal level, different laws at every state level, and now different laws at the local level. State laws have conflicted with federal law, CA and AZ have been embroiled in suits with the feds over medical pot. Its not going to be a good thing when you use/grow medical pot in Location A, but drive 20 miles to Location B and have it be illegal.

 

[xBiffx]

Imagine if the time, energy, resources, and money spent on fight marijuana crimes was instead used to fight real crime, such as violent crime, the state this country would be in. Time to legalize, regulate, tax, and profit from this drug that is not any worse or harder to control than alcohol.

 

[bfdd]

Imagine if the time, energy, resources, and money spent on fight marijuana crimes was instead used to fight real crime, such as violent crime, the state this country would be in. Time to legalize, regulate, tax, and profit from this drug that is not any worse or harder to control than alcohol.

I believe that's how all drugs should be handled and another reason why I like consumption taxes. I'm a big consumer of cannabis, not so much other things although I have experimented, I don't mind paying taxes on my purchases of it. I also grow my own for consumption and bartering reasons. It's neat to get things for 40-50% off because I offer bud instead of cash.

 

[xBiffx]

I believe that's how all drugs should be handled and another reason why I like consumption taxes. I'm a big consumer of cannabis, not so much other things although I have experimented, I don't mind paying taxes on my purchases of it. I also grow my own for consumption and bartering reasons. It's neat to get things for 40-50% off because I offer bud instead of cash.

I disagree with this being applied to all drugs. Marijuana is a 100% natural product. Sure there can be additives but its not a requirement. Pretty much every other drug we have issues with in this country is a synthetic, or artificial drug. Yeah sure, its made from natural things, but once you add in a lab or chemist, hell no, anything can get fuxored up. The FDA can't even get it right with some of the legal commercial drugs, don't think we need them screwing up something that used to be illegal. Marijuana is easy to produce and regulate due to its "all natural, organic characteristics". How's that for a sales slogan?. :awe:

 

[Bitek]

I know there are so many shops in denver they are almost on top of each other. I don't think anyone believes the medical part at this point.

I don't see boulder banning it though. Those hippies must be shitting their pants about this. The northern areas of colorado tend to be very conservative, so I'm not surprised this is beginning to be a fight.

 

[bfdd]

I disagree with this being applied to all drugs. Marijuana is a 100% natural product. Sure there can be additives but its not a requirement. Pretty much every other drug we have issues with in this country is a synthetic, or artificial drug. Yeah sure, its made from natural things, but once you add in a lab or chemist, hell no, anything can get fuxored up. The FDA can't even get it right with some of the legal commercial drugs, don't think we need them screwing up something that used to be illegal. Marijuana is easy to produce and regulate due to its "all natural, organic characteristics". How's that for a sales slogan?. :awe:

uh... well we share a different definition of "natural" I don't actually believe in "nature" as most people would use the definition. I look at a sky scrapper and I think "what natural beauty". Why is it unnatural just because it took the human mind to create it? If it's capable of existing, it must be natural no?

 

[xBiffx]

uh... well we share a different definition of "natural" I don't actually believe in "nature" as most people would use the definition. I look at a sky scrapper and I think "what natural beauty". Why is it unnatural just because it took the human mind to create it? If it's capable of existing, it must be natural no?

Natural to me is something that exists without the help of man in this case (or more specifically without man doing a damn thing). Marijuana exists, man does nothing and marijuana still exists. Skyscrapers exist, man does nothing (didn't do anything) and skyscrapers don't exist.

 

[fskimospy]

Why does something being natural matter? Uranium is natural.

 

[Bitek]

Seeing that the vote was so tight was pretty interesting. Even the old cowboys barely care about who is smoking weed. I think most people get upset about just how many shops there are all over the place for what is supposed to be a medical product.

Some politician should just cut the bullshit and try to legalize it. Then we could make sensible regulations for the sale and proliferation of head shops.

 

[xBiffx]

Why does something being natural matter? Uranium is natural.

I don't have a problem with smoking uranium either.

 

[Bitek]

Natural to me is something that exists without the help of man in this case (or more specifically without man doing a damn thing). Marijuana exists, man does nothing and marijuana still exists. Skyscrapers exist, man does nothing (didn't do anything) and skyscrapers don't exist.

You could say the same thing about poison ivy. I wouldn't smoke it though.
Really the modern cultivars are way more engineered than any strain that was found in the wild.

 

[xBiffx]

You could say the same thing about poison ivy. I wouldn't smoke it though.
Really the modern cultivars are way more engineered than any strain that was found in the wild.

Granted but it still only requires seed, water, air, earth, and sun (fire - lol) to make. The same can't be said about other drugs.

 

[bfdd]

Granted but it still only requires seed, water, air, earth, and sun (fire - lol) to make. The same can't be said about other drugs.

Yeah, but it's not the same any more. Seriously, it's been cross bred for specific traits. It's no less a man made creation than genetically modified corn.

 

[xBiffx]

Yeah, but it's not the same any more. Seriously, it's been cross bred for specific traits. It's no less a man made creation than genetically modified corn.

I work for one of those GM companies just so you know you don't have to tell me what's man made and what isn't. Strange that we still have to use the field with all the work we do, since we just do everything on a factory floor here with hug vats of chemicals. 🙄

I just want to work on something more "interesting" than corn. :awe:

 

[KlokWyze]

Christ. Just legalize it.... not like it's hard to get anyways.

 

[bfdd]

I work for one of those GM companies just so you know you don't have to tell me what's man made and what isn't. Strange that we still have to use the field with all the work we do, since we just do everything on a factory floor here with hug vats of chemicals. 🙄

I just want to work on something more "interesting" than corn. :awe:

Get into the Cannabis industry. Are you in California? It's seriously FUCKING HUGE. It's kind of funny to me to see outsiders talking about the cannabis situation here because it isn't going anywhere. There is so much money being made, far to many people being employed, new businesses popping up daily. Hell I see billboards all over the place now "1800-xxx-xxxx CALL NOW AND GET YOUR MEDICAL MARIJUANA RECOMMENDATION FOR ANXIETY HIV DEPRESSION ETC ETC ETC BS". Why shouldn't all drugs be this way? Lower cost, create a safer environment, just seems to make sense to me. I don't think we'd see things like heroin or crack cocaine necessarily spiking in usage either, though we would see a HUGE decline in related crime and a big savings on tax dollars.

 

[akahoovy]

I'd rather it be legalized than to put a criminal activity on people's records for something stupid like possession.

I don't think all drugs should be legal though, a lot of them have highly addictive properties.

 

[bfdd]

I'd rather it be legalized than to put a criminal activity on people's records for something stupid like possession.

I don't think all drugs should be legal though, a lot of them have highly addictive properties.

Do you think caffeine should be illegal then? Caffeine is more addictive than heroin, yet there isn't even a law prohibiting its sale to minors. Why have such arbitrary laws on substances people put into their body? Are tattoos of hearts ok, but not those of swastikas? I don't see any difference between eating a tab of acid or eating a chicken nugget either. Both give me a form of sustenance, one psychological or "spiritual" and the other we'd view as physical. What's the difference? Just some bs. I'm much against forcing drugs on people and I even believe there should be harsher penalties for anyone committing an actual crime while under the influence of anything inebriating.

Intoxication != inebriation.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The strongest drugs I use are ibuprofen and caffeine, but IMHO:

Prohibition benefits organized crime and those selling enforcement more than it does society as a whole.

Legalize and tax it. Create agricultural jobs and tax revenue, empty out the prisons, stop spending billions on enforcement, get the dealers off the streets, and de-fund the drug cartels.

 

[CrackRabbit]

I don't have a problem with smoking uranium either.

I have an issue with smoking uranium. See Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Facilities. 😉

Until MJ is legalized at the federal level and comprehensive federal or state laws governing the growing, sale and distribution are put in place there will be plenty of conflicts.

 

[Anarchist420]

Imagine if the time, energy, resources, and money spent on fight marijuana crimes was instead used to fight real crime, such as violent crime, the state this country would be in. Time to legalize, regulate, tax, and profit from this drug that is not any worse or harder to control than alcohol.

I'm not so sure that it would be a good idea to regulate it as it already is regulated and regulations just create cartels. Also, if taxes on it are excessive, then that will just drive it back underground.

 

[Darwin333]

I disagree with this being applied to all drugs. Marijuana is a 100% natural product. Sure there can be additives but its not a requirement. Pretty much every other drug we have issues with in this country is a synthetic, or artificial drug. Yeah sure, its made from natural things, but once you add in a lab or chemist, hell no, anything can get fuxored up. The FDA can't even get it right with some of the legal commercial drugs, don't think we need them screwing up something that used to be illegal. Marijuana is easy to produce and regulate due to its "all natural, organic characteristics". How's that for a sales slogan?. :awe:

So you are cool with opium too? All natural baby!

But your not cool with heroin or even synthetic opiods like vicodin

 

[Gooberlx2]

I'm willing to bet the resident student population at CSU barely turned in a vote.

Meanwhile, other smaller cities in Colorado also voted to keep MMJ.

Either way, MMJ is still well supported in the larger Colorado cities and suburbs, like Denver Metro and Boulder, which possesses a couple million people. Even CO Springs, which is substantially more conservative. I'd say MMJ may be a split issue in some localities, but overall the state is supportive.

From quotes I've seen of some of the pro-ban supporters, they painted it as a conflict of Denver big-city values running over Fort Collins small-town values. Whatever, fuck them. My city voted to hike taxes on MMJ; which is great (even if it's not ultimately significant) because I'm fucking tired of the only proposed hikes ever being in the mill levy. Hopefully our dispensaries will benefit from Ft. Collin's loss of business.

 

[Darwin333]

I'm not so sure that it would be a good idea to regulate it as it already is regulated and regulations just create cartels. Also, if taxes on it are excessive, then that will just drive it back underground.

bought any bootleg booze lately? How about some "underground" cigarettes?

 

[Zedtom]

The government agencies and law enforcement are playing a game of love/hate with the whole issue. They like the idea of a new revenue stream for the tax base but they cling to a moral sense of law and order about drug use. They want it both ways and the public needs to voice input since they got the ball rolling with the referendums to allow medical marijuana in the first place.

The issues of federal laws and states rights will lead to an eventual showdown in the courts, but meanwhile the cartels and their customers will carry on as they always have.