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> The state will license and regulate private cannabis farms and then sell the marijuana at pharmacies Curious why this is troubling... I can understand argume

by md224 13y ago

> The state will license and regulate private cannabis farms and then sell the marijuana at pharmacies Curious why this is troubling... I can understand arguments for limiting government regulation, but I'm okay with cannabis being regulated much like alcohol is. Does this go beyond that? I don't have much knowledge of the inner workings of alcohol regulation, so it's hard for me to compare.

GFischer 13y ago
Yes, alcohol is freely sold everywhere, the only restriction is for minors (under 18, not 21). There are worries about discrimination, and pharmacies telling who their customers are (since every sale is registered under your ID). For comparison, cigarettes and alcohol are anonymous (you might be asked to show an ID, but it's not stored anywhere).
- md224 13y ago
  Thanks for the reply. > Yes, alcohol is freely sold everywhere Don't stores need licenses to sell alcohol? Or are you comparing it as "any store with a liquor license" vs. "only pharmacies"? I can see that as being a bit restrictive, yeah. > For comparison, cigarettes and alcohol are anonymous Right, but that relates to your point about being required to register... I was just asking about concern over the first point (regulation). I agree that the registration isn't optimal.
  - GFischer 13y ago
    > Don't stores need licenses to sell alcohol? Nope, they don't. You don't need a license to sell cigarettes either, both are free to sell here in Uruguay (always for people over 18). Heck, the government has it's own brands of Whiskey and spirits ! (ANCAP sells those, both under the Ancap brand, and Mac Pay) http://www.whisky.com.uy/marcas-de-whisky/mac-pay/ http://www.whisky.com.uy/marcas-de-whisky/mac-pay/ The government does want to introduce a license to sell alcohol, and a ban on selling alcohol in stores after 10 pm. You can currently buy alcohol basically everywhere (supermarkets, stores, gas stations, kiosks), and there's a problem with the ban on underages not being respected.
JoshTriplett 13y ago
The phrasing suggests that the state does the actual selling, which seems fundamentally broken. Regulate, sure, but don't become part of the market you're regulating.
- plorkyeran 13y ago
  That's how it works for alcohol in several countries, and while I don't think any of them have managed to show any actual benefits from doing it that way, it's also not a total disaster.
  - wahnfrieden 13y ago
    It's awful for beer, for one example. It means that breweries can only produce things for mass markets. Governments demand a base amount of each single item so that they can create and meet demands. They won't take special, small-batch items, because they're looking to stock shelves all over. This drastically alters what breweries are able to experiment with (if at all). If you view marijuana as a commodity item, then maybe government sale makes sense. You could view ale the same way, but it'd be an unfortunately shortsighted judgment.
    - dzhiurgis 13y ago
      Many people love nice ales, wines or whiskeys, but the bottom line is - all of them are meant to intoxicate you. Therefore, I would be a bit dubious whether it is really ethical to make something seem less dangerous. It's just like selling chocolate cigarettes to children, surely it builds some sort of mental image of cigarettes being good.
      - phaemon 13y ago
        The major difference between selling chocolate cigarettes to children and selling me an interesting tasting ale, is that I am not a child. I am more capable than you are of deciding what is best for me.
      - 13y ago

by md224 13y ago

GFischer 13y ago

Yes, alcohol is freely sold everywhere, the only restriction is for minors (under 18, not 21). There are worries about discrimination, and pharmacies telling who their customers are (since every sale is registered under your ID). For comparison, cigarettes and alcohol are anonymous (you might be asked to show an ID, but it's not stored anywhere).

md224 13y ago
Thanks for the reply. > Yes, alcohol is freely sold everywhere Don't stores need licenses to sell alcohol? Or are you comparing it as "any store with a liquor license" vs. "only pharmacies"? I can see that as being a bit restrictive, yeah. > For comparison, cigarettes and alcohol are anonymous Right, but that relates to your point about being required to register... I was just asking about concern over the first point (regulation). I agree that the registration isn't optimal.
- GFischer 13y ago
  > Don't stores need licenses to sell alcohol? Nope, they don't. You don't need a license to sell cigarettes either, both are free to sell here in Uruguay (always for people over 18). Heck, the government has it's own brands of Whiskey and spirits ! (ANCAP sells those, both under the Ancap brand, and Mac Pay) http://www.whisky.com.uy/marcas-de-whisky/mac-pay/ http://www.whisky.com.uy/marcas-de-whisky/mac-pay/ The government does want to introduce a license to sell alcohol, and a ban on selling alcohol in stores after 10 pm. You can currently buy alcohol basically everywhere (supermarkets, stores, gas stations, kiosks), and there's a problem with the ban on underages not being respected.

JoshTriplett 13y ago

The phrasing suggests that the state does the actual selling, which seems fundamentally broken. Regulate, sure, but don't become part of the market you're regulating.

plorkyeran 13y ago
That's how it works for alcohol in several countries, and while I don't think any of them have managed to show any actual benefits from doing it that way, it's also not a total disaster.
- wahnfrieden 13y ago
  It's awful for beer, for one example. It means that breweries can only produce things for mass markets. Governments demand a base amount of each single item so that they can create and meet demands. They won't take special, small-batch items, because they're looking to stock shelves all over. This drastically alters what breweries are able to experiment with (if at all). If you view marijuana as a commodity item, then maybe government sale makes sense. You could view ale the same way, but it'd be an unfortunately shortsighted judgment.
  - dzhiurgis 13y ago
    Many people love nice ales, wines or whiskeys, but the bottom line is - all of them are meant to intoxicate you. Therefore, I would be a bit dubious whether it is really ethical to make something seem less dangerous. It's just like selling chocolate cigarettes to children, surely it builds some sort of mental image of cigarettes being good.
    - phaemon 13y ago
      The major difference between selling chocolate cigarettes to children and selling me an interesting tasting ale, is that I am not a child. I am more capable than you are of deciding what is best for me.
    - 13y ago