Legalization of marijuana

[MightyGiants]

With so many states legalizing how do you feel about it?

My view is that we should make it legal as I don't see how it's any worse than cigarettes or alcohol

My only issue is driving while impaired.  With alcohol, we have a vast amount of research and data that allows us to define what is impaired and it's quite easy to test for.   With Marijuana we don't really have a solid understanding of impairment levels nor is it easy to test for (no breathalizer)

What do people think

[jimmyz]

EXTREEEEEMELY Right Wing jimmyz here....my opinion is...who cares?  Pot is, for the most part, one of the most harmless drugs there are.

It is a missed tax opportunity.  And these folks want to pay their taxes.  And they want to put money in banks.  And they want to be insured.  And they dont mind a little regulation of their product and practices.

Being this weird quasi-legal cash business puts them at risk on so many levels.

[MightyGiants]

Another thing about criminalizing pot is you create crime and organized crime just like when they outlawed alcohol.

[Bob In PA]

With so many states legalizing how do you feel about it?

My view is that we should make it legal as I don't see how it's any worse than cigarettes or alcohol

My only issue is driving while impaired.  With alcohol, we have a vast amount of research and data that allows us to define what is impaired and it's quite easy to test for.   With Marijuana we don't really have a solid understanding of impairment levels nor is it easy to test for (no breathalizer)

What do people think

Rich: I'm for anything... IF laws can be written and enforced to ensure that the freedoms being exercised by persons using drugs do not interfere with the freedoms of the rest of the people. 

That is not as easy as it sounds.  And you put your finger on one of the main problems (impaired driving). 

There's probably a better case for legalized prostitution... I think it's easier to write laws protecting people who choose not to 'participate' from potential adverse effects. 

Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich: I'm for anything... IF laws can be written and enforced to ensure that the freedoms being exercised by persons using drugs do not interfere with the freedoms of the rest of the people. 

That is not as easy as it sounds.  And you put your finger on one of the main problems (impaired driving). 

There's probably a better case for legalized prostitution... I think it's easier to write laws protecting people who choose not to 'participate' from potential adverse effects. 

Bob

Bob,

You know the funny thing about the impaired thing is that it's a bit of the chicken and the egg.   Since so much of research is financed with government $$$ there hasn't been the funding to study impairment and driving.  The needed studies are not likely to happen until the feds legalize it.


From what I have tried to learn, people high on pot tend to overestimate how impaired they are so they are more likely to drive extra-care while with alcohol the opposite tends to happen.

[DaveBrown74]

I don't have a strong objection to the legalization of pot. It seems like the natural sequence of things.

The one comment I would make though is that the handful of times I have tried it in my life, I was always blown away by how strong it was. Maybe it is just the way I am personally wired, but to me, that is not some drug that just makes you feel chilled out. It is quite powerful in my experience. So if you're for the legalization of it and your rationale is that it's "no big deal", I personally don't agree with the latter part of that reasoning based on my own personal experience. I think it's an incredibly powerful drug. That does not necessarily mean legalizing it is wrong, but let's not kid ourselves about the nature of this drug. It's not just some very mild, uneventful, relaxing drug. It's more than that.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I don't care for pot. I get paranoid going into deep thoughts about the universe, eternity, and subjects that freak me out. As far as the legalization goes - it's long overdue. It's little different than the days of prohibition where the booze continued to roll as usual, just all done in a clandestine way and taxes never got to the government whilst bad guys became millionaires.

Without going into great detail, I just point to the guy I voted for back in 2012 and 2016:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAWqd3uspzA

[Sem]

Long overdue, although I do have some concerns. As, I think it was Rich who pointed it out, unfortunately there

[LennG]

As someone who was really around before 'Pot' became the 'in thing'. I fully support it being legalized.

Why should the state spend countless millions putting away people who have a couple of ounces of pot, when instead, they could be making millions on selling it. Seems like a no-lose situation for the state and for people who use it.

Personally, I've tried it several times when I was younger, but never really felt the need for it. but if people want to sue it and they WILL use it legally or not, why not make money off of it.

[weeze]

 I got caught riding around with a buddy of mine who had 7 pds in the trunk of his MGB. After a lot of jockeying around plead guilty to 7Th degree possession of a controlled substance under Wilson's brand new overblown tough guy nonsense drug laws. Was on probation for a year and a half until I go this letter from the probation department that said I "had made great strides in becoming a more useful member of society" and was released from probation early.
For the first time since 1973 I now have NO criminal record.  Gee I don't feel any different.
IMO drug laws are ridiculous. Trying to lock people up for smoking grass. I guess we didn't learn anything from prohibition.

[MightyGiants]

I got caught riding around with a buddy of mine who had 7 pds in the trunk of his MGB. After a lot of jockeying around plead guilty to 7Th degree possession of a controlled substance under Wilson's brand new overblown tough guy nonsense drug laws. Was on probation for a year and a half until I go this letter from the probation department that said I "had made great strides in becoming a more useful member of society" and was released from probation early.
For the first time since 1973 I now have NO criminal record.  Gee I don't feel any different.
IMO drug laws are ridiculous. Trying to lock people up for smoking grass. I guess we didn't learn anything from prohibition.

That is the biggest problem with so many of these types of laws, it makes criminals of good people.   I am not in favor of just opening the pharmacy's doors to a free for all, but I think that the risks and benefits of certain drugs needs to be considered before outlawing them.   I think the default state of any substance should be that it's legal until it's proven to be dangerous to the point that it needs to be outlawed. 

[Sem]

I got caught riding around with a buddy of mine who had 7 pds in the trunk of his MGB.

Was the 7 lbs for personal consumption? That seems like a lot, and a huge risk as well.

[Ed Vette]

I got caught riding around with a buddy of mine who had 7 pds in the trunk of his MGB. After a lot of jockeying around plead guilty to 7Th degree possession of a controlled substance under Wilson's brand new overblown tough guy nonsense drug laws. Was on probation for a year and a half until I go this letter from the probation department that said I "had made great strides in becoming a more useful member of society" and was released from probation early.
For the first time since 1973 I now have NO criminal record.  Gee I don't feel any different.
IMO drug laws are ridiculous. Trying to lock people up for smoking grass. I guess we didn't learn anything from prohibition.

Good thing you weren't Black. You would have spent the greater part of your life in jail.