Medical Marijuana

Decriminalize Marijuana


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arkfarmbear

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In the days leading up to the California election the alcohol industry funded campaigns to defeat the proposal. I've heard gossip that the drug mfg industry also funds the opposition.
I've dealt with neck pain for over 30 years. The medical system is not set up to deal with cases like mine. There are major roadblocks if you try to take control of your treatment. Moreover, doctors loathe internet medicine. I've learned that attempting to make them aware of your findings often will result in being "fired" from the practice. In small towns there are few options for continued care. The grapevine will label you as trouble. It is akin to being fired from your job.
The red tape is a subject unto itself. One finally just goes through the motions and does whatever possible to just get through "existing".
 

arkfarmbear

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One other thing. I am aware of the availability of drugs to teens. The thing that is overlooked is that what they are doing is ILLEGAL. If they are caught they will likely suffer no long term legal consequences.
Adults are treated very harshly in most states. Being arrested will haunt you the rest of your life.
 

Bbucko

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I smoked weed daily from the ages of 15-23, when I decided to stop using all illicit drugs. To the best of my knowledge, it did nothing to impair my physical development, and I know for a fact that it enhanced my socialization. Personally, I prefer hashish rather than marijuana because I prefer the body buzz hash provides over the head buzz I always got from pot.

I'm a pragmatist about most things, but when it comes to prohibitionism, I'm an absolutist ideologue. If the 18th Amendment proved nothing else, it's that state intervention against and prohibition of a popular intoxicating substance simply doesn't work. Eventually we'll look back at "The War On Drugs" and shudder at the cost of blood and treasure spilled for naught.

To the OP: this is a pretty socially-libertarian, socially-anarchist-type crowd around here. I seriously doubt you'll get any POV in favor of the status quo. And as to your mighty strange reasoning behind excluding full legalization from the poll: laws change every day. Much as with marriage equality, our elected representatives are way behind their constitutients on this (and many other social issues). The only reason to continue supporting our archaic drug policy is to protect those who make money from keeping things as the are: they are numerous and extremely wealthy.

That, and the great apathy that feeds our low voter turn-out, election after election. Otherwise, things would have been changed decades ago. As I often say, just because something's illegal doesn't make it wrong any more than making something legal makes it right.
 
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Intrigue

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I smoked weed daily from the ages of 15-23, when I decided to stop using all illicit drugs. To the best of my knowledge, it did nothing to impair my physical development, and I know for a fact that it enhanced my socialization. Personally, I prefer hashish rather than marijuana because I prefer the body buzz hash provides over the head buzz I always got from pot.

I'm a pragmatist about most things, but when it comes to prohibitionism, I'm an absolutist ideologue. If the 18th Amendment proved nothing else, it's that state intervention against and prohibition of a popular intoxicating substance simply doesn't work. Eventually we'll look back at "The War On Drugs" and shudder at the cost of blood and treasure spilled for naught.

To the OP: this is a pretty socially-libertarian, socially-anarchist-type crowd around here. I seriously doubt you'll get any POV in favor of the status quo. And as to your mighty strange reasoning behind excluding full legalization from the poll: laws change every day. Much as with marriage equality, our elected representatives are way behind their constitutients on this (and many other social issues). The only reason to continue supporting our archaic drug policy is to protect those who make money from keeping things as the are: they are numerous and extremely wealthy.

That, and the great apathy that feeds our low voter turn-out, election after election. Otherwise, things would have been changed decades ago. As I often say, just because something's illegal doesn't make it wrong any more than making something legal makes it right.

I agree I probably should have put up a legalize option but my main focus is on the treatment of pain and the rejection of pharmacuetical companies and their propaganda. They do derive their drugs from plants but what they do is then cause ridiculous side effects. For instance I take medication to treat a certain disorder. The medication I take can "possibly" induce periods of schizophrenia, demensia, and heart issues. Not what I would call harmless or beneficial. I changed my diet and introduced some natural remedies and some plain ole mind training and I don't have to take that crap anymore. Checked out with the doc and everything. I think their would be sone issues with full legalization although I can't support that opinion at this point other than my gut tells me. And I'm a normal guy so I may just be being a big ole worry wort . I fully believe in helping people with their pain and I think our health system does a mighty poor job of it, and that's not even talking about the VA I have to deal with.
 

willow78

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I picked 'Decriminalize'. I think to legalize it only for medicinal would end up making it just as expensive as any other meds. Government would sell out to a big private pharmaceutical company who would 'patent' it, then charge a fortune for it. Decriminalizing it altogether would allow people to grow it freely themselves without having to get ripped off by a big company or even a dealer.

But I also think with decriminalization, there should still be some restrictions regarding age, similar to the regulations for smoking and drinking.
 
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B_VinylBoy

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I'm not even a smoker, and I picked decriminalize.
It's hard to validate or even ponder the continued criminalization of this drug knowing how pharmaceutical companies push a legal version of the drug called Marinol. Plus, the amount of revenue our country could make by legalizing and taxing it would be huge.
 

Pierced1953

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Decriminalize and legalize NOW!

I have MS and took injections for eight months feeling like I had the flu for days. The good natural weed helped with the nasty side effects. Ok, I've smoked weed for four decades and like to get high.

Like jdunhill shows you, billions of dollars spent for people taking a toke, locked up with murders and if nuns can smoke it why not the rest of us. Of course I live in Tn now where Tn and Ky beleive it's a sin. It will always be illegal to these fucks, though tobacco, booze that is made here is Ok. Oh, so is the meth labs.
 

redejb87

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I say end the war on drugs completely, if for nothing else because it's not working. The government is spending millions of dollars on something that will not end. No matter how hard they try to stop it, it keeps going. I would even go so far and sound like a conspiracy theorist, and say that the government might even be in on it a little.
I feel bad when I hear how families are children are getting killed in Mexico b/c of the drug trade....I think that if it was legal than the killings would stop by a lot. Also with gangs, they do big business in all that stuff. If it was legal, maybe gang activity would go down. All purely thoughts, but who knows.

I'm not in any way saying I agree to doing drugs, I'm straight edge myself. But I feel it's up to the person to decide and no one should have a say in what someone does, as long as it doesn't harm others. Like a politician said recently, If the states were to make drugs legal today, who would say that they are going to go out and do them now, just because they are legal? Most would say no.....people don't need laws to tell them how to live, either way we all make our own decisions. I'm getting off topic. I just think the war on drugs, including pot, should end.
 

zephyr808

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I'm bumping this thread from the depths of the message board basement because I was considering posting a poll on this very subject. In my mind, there are more reasons to legalize weed than there are to continue with the status quo. Even if you are discussing the issue with someone who has never smoked, there are a few points that may make them rethink it.

For one thing, and I believe someone posted this earlier in this thread, no one has ever overdosed on pot, and you can't say that about other drugs or alcohol. Also, if it was legalized for adults, taxed and sold in stores, there would be more money available for states to do things that benefit all the citizens...schools, roads and arts funding spring to mind. I support the legalization of medical marijuana, but I think it should be extended to just anyone who wants it. I think Colorado is onto something by referring to the proposed initiative for 2012 as a Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, because when you put it in those terms it's hard to justify why liquor is OK but pot isn't.

Colorado pot legalization petition nearing end (Summit Daily, 12-18-11)
 

tamati

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Should be mandated that anyone with usable land grow as much as they can.
Acre for acre its one of the best plants for reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

(And it also cures/reduces/prevents many cancers)
 
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OhWiseOne

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Medical marijuana there are positives to this based on what I have read. But lets look at it another way. The issue is social acceptance like alcohol. No you won't go crazy smoking it, it won't kill you and it doesn't in itself lead to other drugs. There is a perception that smoking pot will lead to other drugs, it doesn't. That is a persons make up and choices to move up the drug ladder. Like everything it's called moderation.
If you put in place the same laws with respect to other substances (alcohol, perscription drugs). It can be controlled.
Final thought legalize it and tax it. The same amount would be consumed but the farmers growing it would generate income and the gov. would generate tax dollars. Along with saving money fighting a losing battle trying to rid this country of marijuana from outside influences.
 

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Medical marijuana is such a joke. Does pot help with nausea and a few other issues? Sure it does. But the vast majority of "medical" users don't have medical issues, they're just pretending or over-exaggerating their "suffering" so they can be legal potheads and buy really good bud for cheap prices. Kind of like all those Americans with prescriptions for anxiety medicine...most of them don't really need it...anxiety is normal. Argue it all you want, but this is coming from someone who's blazed everyday for the last decade.
 

OhWiseOne

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Medical marijuana is such a joke. Does pot help with nausea and a few other issues? Sure it does. But the vast majority of "medical" users don't have medical issues, they're just pretending or over-exaggerating their "suffering" so they can be legal potheads and buy really good bud for cheap prices. Kind of like all those Americans with prescriptions for anxiety medicine...most of them don't really need it...anxiety is normal. Argue it all you want, but this is coming from someone who's blazed everyday for the last decade.
Relax take a toke....:smile:
 

zephyr808

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Medical marijuana is such a joke. Does pot help with nausea and a few other issues? Sure it does. But the vast majority of "medical" users don't have medical issues, they're just pretending or over-exaggerating their "suffering" so they can be legal potheads and buy really good bud for cheap prices. Kind of like all those Americans with prescriptions for anxiety medicine...most of them don't really need it...anxiety is normal. Argue it all you want, but this is coming from someone who's blazed everyday for the last decade.

The pro-legalization argument has been around for years, but it has always been treated like a fringe movement no matter who advocates for it. Medical marijuana is more palatable to a lot of people than outright legalization, since most of us want to appear compassionate to anyone battling an illness or chronic pain. For someone who wants all pot legalized, establishing a legal basis for medicinal use is a foot in the door towards achieving that goal and probably the only way to change things in this system we are stuck with in the US. It does kind of bug me when people fall into the argument of 'well, I have a legitimate need for it, because of (fill in the blank), but I'm not saying everybody else should be allowed to do it too', because that seems to me to be a cop-out. If it's OK for you, why not admit that it could be OK for the general population? There is still this (I think ridiculous) stigma associated with pot that most Americans absorbed at some point in our youth, either we smoked it once and got grounded, or some other kid did it and ooh boy he got a whooping, or some made-up or partially true story told by a frantic parent or minister or teacher about a horrible accident that happened when somebody was high. So our formative minds have incorporated all this guilt and shame when it comes to pot (and sex, too, of course), which just makes it harder to combat that later in life. And what makes it virtually impossible for the argument to gain any serious traction these days is that the majority of employers fall into the over-reaction and invasion of privacy camp, which is another obstacle you have to navigate in order to be employed.

I am certainly sympathetic to the medicinal argument but simply favor legalizing or decriminalizing the damn thing period. But legalizing it vs. decriminalizing it is an interesting distinction that earlier posters on this thread mentioned, and I can't say I understand that completely. You are spot-on, lucky8, about the number of people who exaggerate their symptoms to get their card in a state where medical pot is legal. I hope that changes and becomes less of a necessity, and it will be interesting to see if the Colorado initiative stands a chance in 2012. Or even makes it to the ballot, I don't think that part is a done deal yet.
 

Dave NoCal

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The "War on Drugs" and prisons are BIG industries. having things be illegal reliably yields a very valuable commodity: Prisoners. Each one is worth at least $50,000 a year to the prison industry. That's not including lawyers, bondsmen..... There is strong vested interest in the status quo.
 

tamati

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The pro-legalization argument has been around for years, but it has always been treated like a fringe movement no matter who advocates for it. Medical marijuana is more palatable to a lot of people than outright legalization, since most of us want to appear compassionate to anyone battling an illness or chronic pain. For someone who wants all pot legalized, establishing a legal basis for medicinal use is a foot in the door towards achieving that goal and probably the only way to change things in this system we are stuck with in the US. It does kind of bug me when people fall into the argument of 'well, I have a legitimate need for it, because of (fill in the blank), but I'm not saying everybody else should be allowed to do it too', because that seems to me to be a cop-out. If it's OK for you, why not admit that it could be OK for the general population? There is still this (I think ridiculous) stigma associated with pot that most Americans absorbed at some point in our youth, either we smoked it once and got grounded, or some other kid did it and ooh boy he got a whooping, or some made-up or partially true story told by a frantic parent or minister or teacher about a horrible accident that happened when somebody was high. So our formative minds have incorporated all this guilt and shame when it comes to pot (and sex, too, of course), which just makes it harder to combat that later in life. And what makes it virtually impossible for the argument to gain any serious traction these days is that the majority of employers fall into the over-reaction and invasion of privacy camp, which is another obstacle you have to navigate in order to be employed.

I am certainly sympathetic to the medicinal argument but simply favor legalizing or decriminalizing the damn thing period. But legalizing it vs. decriminalizing it is an interesting distinction that earlier posters on this thread mentioned, and I can't say I understand that completely. You are spot-on, lucky8, about the number of people who exaggerate their symptoms to get their card in a state where medical pot is legal. I hope that changes and becomes less of a necessity, and it will be interesting to see if the Colorado initiative stands a chance in 2012. Or even makes it to the ballot, I don't think that part is a done deal yet.


Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

Marijuana cures cancer – US government has known since 1974
 

zephyr808

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PussyWellington

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No plant should be illegal, full stop. Anyone who is dubious about the medical benefits of cannabis needs to research the endocannabinoid system.

I'm lucky, I live in a country that still has "Happy" Pizza restaurants.
 

zephyr808

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In honor of my 420th post on LPSG (and before I toke up today :bongsmi: ) I thought I'd post on this thread. Anyone else want to chime in? Or, like me, chime in again?

Colorado's initiative will be on the ballot this November, although it will be interesting to see the feds' reaction if it passes. And as much as I am confident I will be voting for Obama this fall, that goes for whoever wins the prez election:

Pot initiative could be boon to Obama in Colorado - Political Hotsheet - CBS News