Schwarzenegger says it's time to study legalizing pot

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: ericgomes
People don't agree with legalizing marijuana because it's considered a "drug." Meanwhile it's just a man made plant, God put it on the earth. There hasn't been one recorded death of marijuana, but it hasn't been studied seriously enough to see what the long term effects are. I smoke marijuana, and I believe people think so lowly of it is because it smells, it's classified as a "drug", it can "force people to try other drugs", and "smoking marijuana can lead to a lack of motivation and an unsuccessful future." Notice how I put the statements I disagree with in quotes.

Actually, a very significant amount of the population support legalization of marijuana. Last poll I saw showed more people supported it over Obama's stimulus package.

 

[reallyscrued]

Originally posted by: OCguy


I can 100% know for sure that it is not going to happen. Nowhere have I said it shouldnt happen. But I am realistic with the political landscape of the US.

I am in a state where you go to a doctor for 5 min and you have open access to some of the best pot in the world. It is basically quazi-legal already. I just think that is about as close to legalization as it is going to get.

...You know, I'm willing to bet ten years ago, you would've said the same thing about a black president.

Shit happens. And sometimes its good shit. Never say never.

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
The other argument that it's a gateway drug is bullshit too. People with addictive personalities that need the crutch of a heavier drug will get there with or without pot.

Uh hu. I guess you know better than all of the social workers who deal with this every day. Why bother spending millions of dollars on ACTUAL RESEARCH when we could have just talked to you?! Holy crap! What other magical powers do you have?

 

[Overgloc]

Tax what? Any Pot head or Idiot know how to grow their own Weed, What is there to TAX?

1. Plant Weed
2. Dry Weed
3. Smoke Weed
4. profit!

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: XZeroII

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
The other argument that it's a gateway drug is bullshit too. People with addictive personalities that need the crutch of a heavier drug will get there with or without pot.

Uh hu. I guess you know better than all of the social workers who deal with this every day. Why bother spending millions of dollars on ACTUAL RESEARCH when we could have just talked to you?! Holy crap! What other magical powers do you have?

Dude, c'mon. I've been there and I have lots of friends who never went any farther than the toke and neither did I. Some of them are in their 60's now. People who have a predisposition to addiction are gonna get to the harder drugs, while those who do not will never go beyond pot, by choice.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

The tax revenue argument only works if MJ is legalized not just decriminalized. Realizing tax revenue would require the seller collect and remit the tax to the government and thats hardly possible when there are criminal penalties for cultivation and sale. Unless they set up state run dispenaries, or just call it medical MJ and everyones sick and choose not to prosecute laws on the books regarding public sale of MJ and collect taxes from the sellers instead like CA is doing. CA has in effect legalized it with a wink, while creating some extra income for Phsycians writing scripts. CA's solution is dishonest and tenious, at anytime the powers that be could reverse course without changing any laws and drop the criminal hammer on people that they are now treating as good taxpayers.

And if you take it a step farther and compare it to other industries you could come to the conclusion that the govt would also want to collect personal property taxes and the normal raft of fees and tariffs for import/transport/distribution like alcohol/cigs which would only be possible if these activities where legal.

Taxation only works for legal enterprize, criminals dont pay taxes. And as stated above it would require removing MJ as a schedule 1 drug. Anything less and any tax revenue generated would be only a tiny fraction of the taxes were it legal and more importantly the effect on the illegal drug trade would be nil.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: ericgomes
People don't agree with legalizing marijuana because it's considered a "drug." Meanwhile it's just a man made plant, God put it on the earth. There hasn't been one recorded death of marijuana, but it hasn't been studied seriously enough to see what the long term effects are. I smoke marijuana, and I believe people think so lowly of it is because it smells, it's classified as a "drug", it can "force people to try other drugs", and "smoking marijuana can lead to a lack of motivation and an unsuccessful future." Notice how I put the statements I disagree with in quotes.

Actually, a very significant amount of the population support legalization of marijuana. Last poll I saw showed more people supported it over Obama's stimulus package.

That doesn't exactly set the bar high, does it?

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: MotF Bane

Originally posted by: bamacre

Originally posted by: ericgomes
People don't agree with legalizing marijuana because it's considered a "drug." Meanwhile it's just a man made plant, God put it on the earth. There hasn't been one recorded death of marijuana, but it hasn't been studied seriously enough to see what the long term effects are. I smoke marijuana, and I believe people think so lowly of it is because it smells, it's classified as a "drug", it can "force people to try other drugs", and "smoking marijuana can lead to a lack of motivation and an unsuccessful future." Notice how I put the statements I disagree with in quotes.

Actually, a very significant amount of the population support legalization of marijuana. Last poll I saw showed more people supported it over Obama's stimulus package.

That doesn't exactly set the bar high, does it?

For those who want to know...
http://www.unitedliberty.org/a...-than-stimulus-package

40% support legalization, 46% oppose. 14% don't want to admit to trying it.

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: XZeroII

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
The other argument that it's a gateway drug is bullshit too. People with addictive personalities that need the crutch of a heavier drug will get there with or without pot.

Uh hu. I guess you know better than all of the social workers who deal with this every day. Why bother spending millions of dollars on ACTUAL RESEARCH when we could have just talked to you?! Holy crap! What other magical powers do you have?

Basing your opinion off of the anecdotal evidence given by social workers sounds like a terribly flawed way to make a decision. Why would you base your conclusion off the X percent of marijuana users who encounter enough trouble in their lives to visit a social worker and ignore the Y percent of marijuana users who never set foot inside a social worker's office? Talk about coming to the conclusion you want to reach.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: Overgloc
Tax what? Any Pot head or Idiot know how to grow their own Weed, What is there to TAX?

1. Plant Weed
2. Dry Weed
3. Smoke Weed
4. profit!

Thats BS... MJ is a bit like growing tomatoes. Some of the better strains are more difficult to grow. You just can't throw a few seeds on the ground and start a MJ farm. Tho, it is fairly easy to learn. I'd still rather go to 7/11 and pick up some maui wowie or punabutter then go to a local crack head for who knows what the hell your getting laced into your weed.

I'd pay for lab rate top notch hydro any day.... Thank you very much. Even if it did cost 5-15 bucks a J. It's not like your gonna get hooked and if you were a midnight toker a J could last you a few weeks.

I beg to deffer with your logic unless of course you were super poor and wanted to try your hand at growing a few patches. Tho I could see it if your neighbor or buds you hung out with had reliable sources but still I think people would want to try and stick with whatever THC level and taste would suit them best.

Obviously you could apply the same logic with cigarettes or alcohol. I've made alcohol before it only took a few weeks and it was a class and the IPA came out great but MJ takes longer then two weeks and if you had to start from seed your looking at a minimum of a 4-5 month investment and that is if you don't have bugs, rot, mold and everything perfect you got your water PH, soil and nutrients all mixed correctly and at least one of your seeds turned out to be a female. So it's not as easy as it looks and not to mention you gotta be on top of things you can't just sit around and be lazy about it you gotta spend some real Green Thumb time on it.

Lets not even mention how long it's gonna take to harvest / trim / dry / pack and store it correctly. Get real dude. I'd prefer to just buy a few J's any given week then go through all that shit.

 

[GenHoth]

Originally posted by: ericlp


Obviously you could apply the same logic with cigarettes or alcohol. I've made alcohol before it only took a few weeks and it was a class and the IPA came out great but MJ takes longer then two weeks and if you had to start from seed your looking at a minimum of a 4-5 month investment and that is if you don't have bugs, rot, mold and everything perfect you got your water PH, soil and nutrients all mixed correctly and at least one of your seeds turned out to be a female. So it's not as easy as it looks and not to mention you gotta be on top of things you can't just sit around and be lazy about it you gotta spend some real Green Thumb time on it.

HOLY SHIT! YOU WOULD HAVE TO GARDEN! I don't think anyone can handle that!

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: ericlp

Originally posted by: Overgloc
Tax what? Any Pot head or Idiot know how to grow their own Weed, What is there to TAX?

1. Plant Weed
2. Dry Weed
3. Smoke Weed
4. profit!

Thats BS... MJ is a bit like growing tomatoes. Some of the better strains are more difficult to grow. You just can't throw a few seeds on the ground and start a MJ farm. Tho, it is fairly easy to learn. I'd still rather go to 7/11 and pick up some maui wowie or punabutter then go to a local crack head for who knows what the hell your getting laced into your weed.

I'd pay for lab rate top notch hydro any day.... Thank you very much. Even if it did cost 5-15 bucks a J. It's not like your gonna get hooked and if you were a midnight toker a J could last you a few weeks.

I beg to deffer with your logic unless of course you were super poor and wanted to try your hand at growing a few patches. Tho I could see it if your neighbor or buds you hung out with had reliable sources but still I think people would want to try and stick with whatever THC level and taste would suit them best.

Obviously you could apply the same logic with cigarettes or alcohol. I've made alcohol before it only took a few weeks and it was a class and the IPA came out great but MJ takes longer then two weeks and if you had to start from seed your looking at a minimum of a 4-5 month investment and that is if you don't have bugs, rot, mold and everything perfect you got your water PH, soil and nutrients all mixed correctly and at least one of your seeds turned out to be a female. So it's not as easy as it looks and not to mention you gotta be on top of things you can't just sit around and be lazy about it you gotta spend some real Green Thumb time on it.

Lets not even mention how long it's gonna take to harvest / trim / dry / pack and store it correctly. Get real dude. I'd prefer to just buy a few J's any given week then go through all that shit.

Yeah, it's not like people are growing their own tobacco. Yet. :laugh:

Seriously though, yes, most people want the convenience, and they'll pay for it.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: GenHoth

Originally posted by: ericlp


Obviously you could apply the same logic with cigarettes or alcohol. I've made alcohol before it only took a few weeks and it was a class and the IPA came out great but MJ takes longer then two weeks and if you had to start from seed your looking at a minimum of a 4-5 month investment and that is if you don't have bugs, rot, mold and everything perfect you got your water PH, soil and nutrients all mixed correctly and at least one of your seeds turned out to be a female. So it's not as easy as it looks and not to mention you gotta be on top of things you can't just sit around and be lazy about it you gotta spend some real Green Thumb time on it.

HOLY SHIT! YOU WOULD HAVE TO GARDEN! I don't think anyone can handle that!

Well, do you see a lot of people rolling their own cigarettes? Any tobacco shop sells tins of loose tobacco and rolling papers. It's a lot cheaper than buying them in packs, but even with prices of $5-8 per pack, it isn't common to see people rolling their own.

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: GenHoth

Originally posted by: ericlp


Obviously you could apply the same logic with cigarettes or alcohol. I've made alcohol before it only took a few weeks and it was a class and the IPA came out great but MJ takes longer then two weeks and if you had to start from seed your looking at a minimum of a 4-5 month investment and that is if you don't have bugs, rot, mold and everything perfect you got your water PH, soil and nutrients all mixed correctly and at least one of your seeds turned out to be a female. So it's not as easy as it looks and not to mention you gotta be on top of things you can't just sit around and be lazy about it you gotta spend some real Green Thumb time on it.

HOLY SHIT! YOU WOULD HAVE TO GARDEN! I don't think anyone can handle that!

Well, you don't see BK or Mcdonalds going out of business do you? c'mon, You can spend 5-10 minutes in the kitchen making a burger that taste 20X better but lazy americans will start up their cars burn up a few gallons of gas idling in drive through just to spend 3-4 times more on substandard food so they don't have to spend 5 to 10 minutes getting off their fat lazy asses to make it themselves.

And how easy is it to throw a few patties on the grill? C'mon... Get with the program!

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Some of you guys really need to grow up and realize there is more to life than smoking weed. I don't think it really should be criminal, but honestly I don't think it helps society much either. Go read a book or something.

So I'm sure you have no problem drinking a cold one after work while you take in your daily brainwashing from Fox. Double standards :thumbsdown:

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: OCguy
Sorry, outright legalization is not happening. There is a struggle going on for medical use, but that is far different than allowing it for recreational use. (well, theoretically)

You can't possibly know that for sure. Alcohol kills more people than pot does, I promise you. Why is there such discrimination over drugs of choice? Legalization of pot is far less dangerous than legalization of alcohol ever was.

Dating as far back as the 1800's...there has not been one case in which marijuana took a life. Absolutely nothing on the records.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: Zeppelin2282

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: OCguy
Sorry, outright legalization is not happening. There is a struggle going on for medical use, but that is far different than allowing it for recreational use. (well, theoretically)

You can't possibly know that for sure. Alcohol kills more people than pot does, I promise you. Why is there such discrimination over drugs of choice? Legalization of pot is far less dangerous than legalization of alcohol ever was.

Dating as far back as the 1800's...there has not been one case in which marijuana took a life. Absolutely nothing on the records.

It's true. 100% true.

This country will be a much better place once we legalize, and I have a deep seeded disdain for all the politicians that have kept it illegal.

 

[Fear No Evil]

I do find it interesting that Anandtech chooses to lock threads and potentially ban people who admit to piracy, but do absolutely nothing to people or threads which actively promote and admit to illegal drug use.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
I do find it interesting that Anandtech chooses to lock threads and potentially ban people who admit to piracy, but do absolutely nothing to people or threads which actively promote and admit to illegal drug use.

Riiiight..we're discussing Marijuana. What part of that is illegal?

In fact, get this, the governor of California was just discussing it!

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
I do find it interesting that Anandtech chooses to lock threads and potentially ban people who admit to piracy, but do absolutely nothing to people or threads which actively promote and admit to illegal drug use.

The difference is that AT is an online site, primarily about technical/computer subjects, and piracy can easily spread or groups formed of like-minded types in this atmosphere if standards are not upheld.

At the same time, dopers getting together or increasing drug use based on AT P&N or ATOT chatter is ludicrously unlikely.

The issues at hand are valid, both sides of the argument have legitimate points, and the debate should be open. Drug use in and of itself to me is a freedom issue. I don't like drugs, and I'm not friendly with people who use them, but imho, people should be free to do whatever they want as long as the exercise of their freedom does not infringe on others. Being told what you can and cannot put into your body is an anti-liberty stance, imho. Where it crosses the line is just like alcohol, public intoxication and DUI are legitimate crimes with legitimate consequences.

It's just like freedom of speech, I may detest someone's words or ideas, but far be it from me to enforce anything which would curtail their ability to do so. In fact, if a force was aligned which would do so, I would fight and if necessary die in the cause of defending that freedom.

 

[sandorski]

shhhh, I'm growing Pot between the lines of this thread. Message me for the Encryption Key to unlock it.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: sandorski
shhhh, I'm growing Pot between the lines of this thread. Message me for the Encryption Key to unlock it.

rofl. w33d warez!! call the nanny police!

 

[ericlp]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
I do find it interesting that Anandtech chooses to lock threads and potentially ban people who admit to piracy, but do absolutely nothing to people or threads which actively promote and admit to illegal drug use.

I don't know what state you live in but in hawaii, oregon, califonia and many other states ... You can legally grow and smoke weed. So, I am not breaking the law as far as the state is concerned and the feds just stated that they will not go after medical MJ users. So apparently I'm not in violation of any federal law as well. So I don't see what your problem is.

I get it. You just like to troll and try to derail threads. Sigh...

 

[ksheets]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Some of you guys really need to grow up and realize there is more to life than smoking weed. I don't think it really should be criminal, but honestly I don't think it helps society much either. Go read a book or something.

F**K you! Im gonna go smoke a J....

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: ksheets

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Some of you guys really need to grow up and realize there is more to life than smoking weed. I don't think it really should be criminal, but honestly I don't think it helps society much either. Go read a book or something.

F**K you! Im gonna go smoke a J....

Heh, just for FNE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkRKY6K47vA