Legalization in California. Who wants it?

[DonkeyBong64]

hey well i heard of law that might make marijuana legal in california for recreational use and i was wondering who actually wants the law to pass. Personally i think it shouldnt be... not yet becuase i think people are just not ready for that and also because the bud itself would change in a bad way. and yeah i just want hear what people think about it.

[GenerationOverdone]

I don't even live in California, but OF COURSE I want it to be legalized! Has 72-73 years of failed prohibition not been enough? Do you really want the government to continue spending your tax dollars on busting people for smoking cannabis while much more dangerous drugs are legal? Do you really want millions of innocent people to continue to sit in jail and waste more tax dollars for consuming a plant a lot less dangerous then alcohol or tobacco? Cannabis wouldn't even be dangerous if it weren't for the crime surrounding it due to it's status as an illegal drug.

Why would bud change? The same growers will still be growing, plus many more would join. This may cause an influx of lower quality bud from sup-par growers, but that is the beauty of a free market. If you don't like the product, then don't buy it and guess what? With it legal you will have many other options, so you won't be stuck buying whatever you can find..therefore not giving your business to shitty growers/suppliers and eliminating their chances of surviving in what will likely become a very competitive market. If you are currently a grower or dealer I can see why you wouldn't want legalization..depending on how much it is taxed the price is likely going to drop due to A. More product available B. less risk C. Greater amounts being sold.

If California voters get the legalization bill passed then it will spread to other states just like MM has. There are already 4 or 5 states other then California that are working on legalization. I know Massachusetts is one of them and they already have up to an ounce decriminalized. I believe anything up to an ounce is cited with a ticket with a $100 fine and you don't even have to appear in court..it's time for the prohibition of Cannabis to end. Enough lives have been ruined and enough money has been wasted. Did we not learn from the prohibition of alcohol that it doesn't work?

Despite the obvious reasons for legalizing cannabis,when did it become the governments place to tell me what I can or cannot put in my body? If for nothing else, it should be legalized for our freedom of choice.

[DPHil.Socrates]

I agree mostly with what GeneOver said. I have to think though that eventually there will be Big MMJ just like Big Oil, Tobacco, etc. This will ruin MMJ for everyone who isn't a pothead. Potheads will get improved quality bud overall I think though. I can think of 5 people off of the top of my head who are in the Black market, who don't grow but sell, and would immediately start making outrageous grows if they had the chance to.

Legalization isn't so much of an "if", DonkeyBong, as it is a "when". You must be the only person on any website related to MMJ who doesn't want legalization... EVERYONE wants legalization.

[Drums]

I think that it will eventually be legal, and we may have to deal with a zillion unentended consequences. The Gvt will get seriously involved, and how often is *that* a good thing? Your favorite Blackberry Kush will have to be Gvt grown/inspected/labeled/etc, then priced so that the Gvt growers/middlemen/sellers will all be able to retire with gvt pensions. Not sure what this will do to the prices. Of course, everyone and his mother will start growing, so maybe prices (and quality) will drop. The fact that it's illegal, and alcohol isn't, is absurd of course. At the least, it'll have to be treated legally the same as alcohol. 21+, no public consumption/intoxication/driving/etc. While it *sounds* good, and I''ll probably vote for it, I think there's gonna be a ton of issues we haven't even thought about.

[Jake]

hey well i heard of law that might make marijuana legal in california for recreational use and i was wondering who actually wants the law to pass. Personally i think it shouldnt be... not yet becuase i think people are just not ready for that and also because the bud itself would change in a bad way. and yeah i just want hear what people think about it.

When you say the bud will change in a bad way. I'm assuming you mean quality. How so?

[DonkeyBong64]

i have a feeling that growers who just want money out of it will put a bunch of chemicals in the plant to make it grow faster or for whatever reason and it just makes the bud not natural at all and maybe even lace it with other drugs to make it seem more potent. and to DPHil.Socrates i never said that i want it to remain illegal. i also want it to be legal but just not yet.

[RanchoRat]

ummmmmm i live in cali and i deffinatly think it should be legalized itll open up many jobs around here and help get it to places that are hurting right about now!

[RanchoRat]

i have a feeling that growers who just want money out of it will put a bunch of chemicals in the plant to make it grow faster or for whatever reason and it just makes the bud not natural at all and maybe even lace it with other drugs to make it seem more potent. and to DPHil.Socrates i never said that i want it to remain illegal. i also want it to be legal but just not yet.

if yuou know what your looking for it will only take a quick test nug to tell if its quality medicine. im sure some fakes will try what they can but it will be detectable. weeeeding out the bad seed wont be that hard;)

[DPHil.Socrates]

i have a feeling that growers who just want money out of it will put a bunch of chemicals in the plant to make it grow faster or for whatever reason and it just makes the bud not natural at all and maybe even lace it with other drugs to make it seem more potent. and to DPHil.Socrates i never said that i want it to remain illegal. i also want it to be legal but just not yet.

Sorry for the misunderstanding! I figure though that we'll encounter those issues regardless of the time of legalization, so why not bite the bullet now and fight for our right while we have such huge support. It's MUCH harder for lawmakers to try and restrict use when you have such a huge outpouring of citizens asking for the contrary. Politicians have to stay in office too, you know.

[DonkeyBong64]

yeah what you guys are saying is true and its cool that youre thinking of all the positive things itll bring but like everything good in life it always has a downside.

[DuctTapeTheory]

Hey, another good reason for legalization--and a feel-good-about-myself-for-buying-medical justification: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?blogid=49&entry_id=63987

[Wesley]

I would personally love it if you guys would legalize. It would show the rest of the world it's ok and maybe it wouldn't be an issue with current politics here. They copy alot from California.

[DonkeyBong64]

@DuctTapeTheory that article makes a good point but then again since marijuana is popular then ever and legalizing it would basically fuck over gangs, cartels,etc. what if they start to tax the shops for the money, the bud, or both?

[Muter]

I think not only Cali. should legalize, but everywhere. In Canada it WAS coming until stephen harper fucked everything up. It would be so good for us, because basically everything you do in the states we end up doing, or have already done. The only issues i can think of are the issues for growers. YES they will still make money, but when you have 200000 coming in the door every year from secret homegrows, no one who is involved really wants that to come to an end. I'm also not sure what role the government will take on the distribution, will the MMJ contract or whatever be turned over to the health officials so they can sell under the counter at pharmacies? There are just so many "ifs" here. If you can smoke in public, you can toke in public. Cigarettes are disgusting and dangerous, yet we allow people to roam freely around smoking. Weed smells better, i would much rather sit in a hot boxed toke room than a indian hot boxed smokers room. As for driving, i think its safe to say that most potheads think it is easier to drive while stoned. There are limits of course, say you smoke some killer OG and you are glued to your couch. You probably shouldnt drive.. but why would you?! Im happy just sitting on my couch watching tpb, screw driving. PLEASE LEGALIZE!!!!

[GenerationOverdone]

All of the points I made in my previous post are still valid. But after reading some of the stipulations in the current initiative that is to be voted for in September, I'm not sure that this is the right way to go about legalization. Mainly due to it making it illegal to smoke marijuana in a space where there is anyone under 21 or in public.Why is that alcohol and tobacco can be consumed in such a manner, but cannabis cannot? Why is the legal age going to be 21 and not 18? The legal drinking age was changed due to states not getting national funding for their roads if they didn't raise the drinking age, so it shouldn't apply to Cannabis. When did the legal age change in the US? Also The very limited grow area of 25 sq.ft. that is defined in the bill is bs as well.

I still haven't read the bill,but I got these points from a summary written by someone else. Cannabis should be legalized and I would really like to see California have legalized Cannabis since other states and countries would follow, but it shouldn't be regulated more then alcohol and tobacco..

[Drums]

All of the points I made in my previous post are still valid. But after reading some of the stipulations in the current initiative that is to be voted for in September, I'm not sure that this is the right way to go about legalization. Mainly due to it making it illegal to smoke marijuana in a space where there is anyone under 21 or in public.Why is that alcohol and tobacco can be consumed in such a manner, but cannabis cannot? Why is the legal age going to be 21 and not 18? The legal drinking age was changed due to states not getting national funding for their roads if they didn't raise the drinking age, so it shouldn't apply to Cannabis. When did the legal age change in the US? Also The very limited grow area of 25 sq.ft. that is defined in the bill is bs as well.

I still haven't read the bill,but I got these points from a summary written by someone else. Cannabis should be legalized and I would really like to see California have legalized Cannabis since other states and countries would follow, but it shouldn't be regulated more then alcohol and tobacco..>>>

Sorry, but you an Muter (I'll respond to his in a min)are making a bad argument that can only lead to this being voted down.First, alcohol *can't* be consumed in most public places anymore. Try drinking a beer on the beach here and see what happens. Tobacco as well. Try lighting up a cigarette, well...*anywhere*. While not 100% illegal to consume either in public, the places where you can are shrinking.

[Drums]

As for driving, i think its safe to say that most potheads think it is easier to drive while stoned. >>>

And not only would most potheads be wrong (I'll bet everyone here has, at some point, thought: "Oh man...I should NOT be driving right now"), THIS is what people are afraid of if it becomes legal.

I keep seeing letters in my local paper from people who want to "legalize drugs". Make that *all* drugs*. Not only is this a hugely horrible idea (I'd be dead in a week), but it *seriously* hurts the legalize pot cause. Best to push for pot, with the same restrictions as alcohol, but with one extra: no smoking in public. Yeah, it smells better than cigarettes, and is less harmful, but *the public* (re:voters) will NOT want to walk through a cloud of it. Gotta accept and deal with that, because if you push it will only backfire.

[GenerationOverdone]

>>>

Sorry, but you an Muter (I'll respond to his in a min)are making a bad argument that can only lead to this being voted down.First, alcohol *can't* be consumed in most public places anymore. Try drinking a beer on the beach here and see what happens. Tobacco as well. Try lighting up a cigarette, well...*anywhere*. While not 100% illegal to consume either in public, the places where you can are shrinking.

I suppose you are right Drums..I was under the false pretense that I was still living in the United States of America...it slipped my memory that our rights our slowly being stripped from us one by one. I guess we should take legalization by any means necessary because no matter how it is introduced special interest groups will slowly, but surely, buy the restrictions they wish to see placed upon any substance or act.

[Jake]

As for driving, i think its safe to say that most potheads think it is easier to drive while stoned. >>>

And not only would most potheads be wrong (I'll bet everyone here has, at some point, thought: "Oh man...I should NOT be driving right now"), THIS is what people are afraid of if it becomes legal.

I keep seeing letters in my local paper from people who want to "legalize drugs". Make that *all* drugs*. Not only is this a hugely horrible idea (I'd be dead in a week), but it *seriously* hurts the legalize pot cause. Best to push for pot, with the same restrictions as alcohol, but with one extra: no smoking in public. Yeah, it smells better than cigarettes, and is less harmful, but *the public* (re:voters) will NOT want to walk through a cloud of it. Gotta accept and deal with that, because if you push it will only backfire.

Ha, yes mater. I would agree that driving is much easier while stoned. And on another note, alcoholics get so intoxicated that they do not think twice before getting behind the wheel. To were if someone who smokes weed feels "To stoned" or a deep couch lock they still have the mind set to think hey I dont need to drive. ( If they could even make it to the car in the first place)

[Drums]

Ha, yes mater. I would agree that driving is much easier while stoned. And on another note, alcoholics get so intoxicated that they do not think twice before getting behind the wheel. To were if someone who smokes weed feels "To stoned" or a deep couch lock they still have the mind set to think hey I dont need to drive. ( If they could even make it to the car in the first place)>>>

I don't even understand this post. Are you saying that no one anywhere ever drives while too stoned?

[Jake]

Not even, I was agreeing with his post on saying how most stoners find it easier to drive while no stones. Not sure how you got that out of what I said but, sorry for the confusion

[Drums]

Not even, I was agreeing with his post on saying how most stoners find it easier to drive while no stones. Not sure how you got that out of what I said but, sorry for the confusion>>>

I'm just saying that, while people *think* they drive better while stoned, most do not. The Presidential OG I have is so potent that you might actually forget you're driving.

[Muter]

>>>

I'm just saying that, while people *think* they drive better while stoned, most do not. The Presidential OG I have is so potent that you might actually forget you're driving.

Haha zing! That was funny shit, reminds me of cheech n chong. "hey man how's my driving?" "dude.. We're parked man!"