Do we still think pot is harmless?

See, my feeling is that I would actually rather purchase it legally, and pay the taxes on it, because in addition to preferring to be law-abiding when possible, I actually feel that taxing marijuana is a good revenue source for the country, which is sorely in need of revenues for social programs.

 

So now that you have a legal option are you buying weed that way or are you supporting a criminal enterprise?

 

Why oh why would anybody answer that question at all if they're buying weed illegally?

It's going to take a while for the market to balance out. Based on the info provided--If an ounce purchased illegally for $280.00 would cost over $670.00 at a licensed store (not taking into account any discounts for bulk purchase), where do you think people are going to buy their weed?

 

Maybe because one is a criminal action, and the other is a legal enterprise. Maybe some people do the right thing because it's simply the right thing to do. People say they wanted legal drugs. If they continue to turn to illegal sources, then what is the point? Why not just buy stolen car parts? Or stereo equipment? Why not steal cable, or electricity? Those last two are practically victimless crimes.

 

I think that most people are honest and law abiding, in general. If somebody has a safe connection/dealer whose pot is 1.5/2 times cheaper than the legal store, I don't see them jumping at the chance to pay more just because it's legal. I don't toke, have no intention of starting again anytime soon, but I support the idea of being able to grow your own for personal use.

 

^^^Yup, this.

If people really don't want to pay taxes and fees on legal pot bought from stores, then they should be free to grow small amounts for personal use only. Then, the taxes and fees are essentially just the price you pay if you are uninterested in putting in the effort of growing and drying a couple of plants yourself, but would prefer someone else to do it.

To me, that would seem to leave small room for complaints.

 

The question wasn't whether someone was willing to grow his own, the question was whether cj was going to buy black market drugs. There is a difference. In Colorado, people can grow their own. But law enforcement officers there are more likely to find kids holding pot than alcohol. Warehouses grow it, but there is no oversight. So stuff just slips away. Into the alleys, into the wrong people's hands.

 

I have never taken the position that pot should be illegal. I believe in informed choice.

I hear so many people, particularly young people, take the position that it is absolutely harmless. But it isn't. Not everyone who uses pod will have a psychotic break, just as not everyone who uses alcohol Will get cirrhosis of the liver. It could happen, but it may not.

If you choose to use it, understand that you may have a bad experience. Don't say it's harmless, And don't run around telling everyone you know that it is harmless. Misinformation is what is screwing up for debate.

 

Not everyone who uses peanut butter will have an allergic reaction, just as not everyone who goes to college will get sexually assaulted. It could happen, but it may not.

 

If you are allergic to peanut butter, you know it.

You cannot predict whether or not you will have a bad reaction to a drug like THC, because it may not happen for years.

It is not my position that people should not use THC, it is my position that they should make an informed choice about using THC.

 

You just compared pot to peanut butter and college. I didn't know you were a Republican.

 

Pot isn't harmless. It's a matter of personal responsibility. Some people will abuse it, some people won't.

Then there's also addictive personalities. Some people don't know they have a problem. Others will ignore it, or rationalize it.

 

One of the concerns expressed here is kids getting their hands on pot. I don't the legalization of pot causing an increase in use among teenagers. If they want pot, they're going to get it, be it illegally from a "street dealer," or illegally from a legal store that doesn't ask questions. The pot might be grown legally or illegally. Yes, pot is going to go missing from legal farms and legal stores, just the same as booze goes missing from breweries & distilleries.

Some growers and distibutors will follow the letter of the law and keep accurate records, some won't. I could see the cost of having strict government oversight (micromanaging, so to say) the growing & distribution of legal pot being way too high (an unintentional pun).

 

Or they will steal their parent stash like my brother did from my dad.
He said, "What's he going to say? You stole my stash?"
Damned if Dad didn't didn't drag us all home and ground us for that.
You don't mess with your parents stash.

 

Quote from a party I attended this summer:

"The kids are out in the garage smoking pot" ... "Dammit, it's MY pot they're smoking"

Note that the kids in this case are all >21.

 

I had a friend in high school who would sneak a J or two from his dad's stash, but he was careful not do so when dad's stash got low. One night we got really drunk (teenagers & Bacardi 151 don't mix well) and when I dropped him at home another friend passed out laying half on the curb & half in the street. He was a big guy, out cold, & we couldn't budge him. My friend's parents let us crash there, and his mom served us menudo for breakfast. Which apparantly is common hanover cure with latinos. I don't remember how we managed to get him into the house, or what I told my parents regarding being out all night. The friend also wore bib overalls when the fashion de jour was designer jeans and disco shirts.

 

It doesn't matter. What harms individuals, and society, are sumptuary laws attempting to regulate lifestyles, where there is no direct correlation with violence or social disorder. The symptom of such harm is the paralyzing of society into chronic suppression and unjust imprisonment. If I am not harming or risking harm to someone else, then the things I do are my own affair. As the late conservative commentator William F. Buckley remarked "We may as well legalize it; they're going to smoke the stuff." He cruised out beyond the five-mile limit and tried some himself. He said what most people have said who have made the experiment: "I don't see what all the fuss is about." So forget about whether or not you are harming yourself by smoking marijuana. And forget about whether other people are harming themselves by doing it!

 

Pot has a completely different affect when ingested. It lasts up to 12 hours, is more efficient for pain relief and is more of a body high.

And yes, you do taste it (I think mostly as a slight aftertaste) but I think it really depends on how the item was made etc etc.

I would not ever want to eat something with pot in it without knowing - because of the length of the high.

I ate a cheeba chew one night before a business trip. I was so stoned the next morning I'm shocked I made it to the airport. IMHO, medibles need to be used more carefully.

Chefs incorporating it into foods could be interesting, but again, I'd want to know up front.