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Federal legislation is far from finished. Who knows what we end up with. I for one would prefer to pay rehabilitation therapy rather than supporting the ludicr

by esarbe 5y ago

Federal legislation is far from finished. Who knows what we end up with. I for one would prefer to pay rehabilitation therapy rather than supporting the ludicrous enforcement apparatus we have now. If someone wants to burn away their brain cells, let them do it. Why involve police and the justice system? Why throw them in jail, where they have even less chance of rehabilitating themselves? I don't need to retread the old discussion "How on earth is alcohol legal?", since the effects of alcohol abuse are so much worse than the effects of marijuana abuse and it's rather hard to OD on the later. But in the end; what do I care? There's the case to be made for protecting young adults, since there's solid evidence that smoking weed is harmful to the developing brain.

ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
I don't use it, nor do I drink alcohol, smoke tobacco (or vape), and I don't use any other drugs at all. I haven't, for decades. I'm no fun at all. That's because I burned through my quota by the time I was eighteen. As far as I'm concerned, they should totally legalize it, to the same extent as booze (which, if discovered today, would easily be classified as a Schedule IV narcotic). Here in New York, we had the Rockefeller sentencing laws in the 1970s. There's people still in jail, today, for offenses that would get a slap on the wrist, these days. I doubt that it will suddenly make America look like the parking lot of a Grateful Dead show. People who would have problems with legal weed, are already having problems with it now, or are having problems with other drugs (like booze). Most folks won't have any real issues with it. Some will have problems that will cause things like traffic fatalities. Big Tobacco will take over the industry, destroying many of the mom-and-pothead dispensaries that we have now, and we'll probably see an "artisanal cannabis" industry, like the wine industry, today. I suspect that Napa Valley will become known for things other than wines. Personally, I think it could be pretty cool. It will be another industry that would promote "back to the earth" values, like farming (except for the inevitable factory farming). If we were really concerned about protecting people's health, we'd still be in prohibition, and tobacco would be 100% illegal, as would whole classes of junk food.
- esarbe 5y ago
  > Here in New York, we had the Rockefeller sentencing laws in the 1970s. There's people still in jail, today, for offenses that would get a slap on the wrist, these days. That's so sad. Lives were ruined and society not only pays to to ruin their lives by keeping them in prison, but also basically destroys any means of rehabilitation. We really have to rethink our justice system when it comes to drug abuse.

by esarbe 5y ago

ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago

I don't use it, nor do I drink alcohol, smoke tobacco (or vape), and I don't use any other drugs at all. I haven't, for decades. I'm no fun at all. That's because I burned through my quota by the time I was eighteen. As far as I'm concerned, they should totally legalize it, to the same extent as booze (which, if discovered today, would easily be classified as a Schedule IV narcotic). Here in New York, we had the Rockefeller sentencing laws in the 1970s. There's people still in jail, today, for offenses that would get a slap on the wrist, these days. I doubt that it will suddenly make America look like the parking lot of a Grateful Dead show. People who would have problems with legal weed, are already having problems with it now, or are having problems with other drugs (like booze). Most folks won't have any real issues with it. Some will have problems that will cause things like traffic fatalities. Big Tobacco will take over the industry, destroying many of the mom-and-pothead dispensaries that we have now, and we'll probably see an "artisanal cannabis" industry, like the wine industry, today. I suspect that Napa Valley will become known for things other than wines. Personally, I think it could be pretty cool. It will be another industry that would promote "back to the earth" values, like farming (except for the inevitable factory farming). If we were really concerned about protecting people's health, we'd still be in prohibition, and tobacco would be 100% illegal, as would whole classes of junk food.

esarbe 5y ago
> Here in New York, we had the Rockefeller sentencing laws in the 1970s. There's people still in jail, today, for offenses that would get a slap on the wrist, these days. That's so sad. Lives were ruined and society not only pays to to ruin their lives by keeping them in prison, but also basically destroys any means of rehabilitation. We really have to rethink our justice system when it comes to drug abuse.