Victory for Marijuana Reform:

Flashy

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Another Victory For Marijuana Reformers: Medical Pot Stores In Rhode Island

In the latest advancement for marijuana law reformers, the Rhode Island state legislature today legalized medical marijuana stores in the state, overriding Gov. Don Carcieri's (R) veto.

The new law will take effect immediately. Legislators voted in favor of the measure by wide margins on several votes today (vetoes of both House and Senate bills were considered in each chamber): 67-0 and 64-0 in two votes in the House, and 35-3 in both House votes.
 

unabear09

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Good to hear. Now if we can get the federal government to take the same stance on Medical Marijuana......
 

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This is AWESOME news. So Rhode Island is the 14th state to allow Medical Marijuana use and Illinois is close behind as a very possible 15th state. Then we just need ten more states to make it half of the country so that the federal government can act.

Great news. :smile:
 

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Good to hear. Now if we can get the federal government to take the same stance on Medical Marijuana......

Well they kind of already are. Holder passed a new law or act or whatever you want to call it that states the feds won't persue growers and cafes that are allowed by state laws, essentially leaving the issue up to state legislatures. It's a big step forward

...next year CA is having a vote to allow the recreational use and possession of up to an ounce for anyone over 21. We're getting there a lot quicker than I thought we would
 

unabear09

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Well they kind of already are. Holder passed a new law or act or whatever you want to call it that states the feds won't persue growers and cafes that are allowed by state laws, essentially leaving the issue up to state legislatures. It's a big step forward

...next year CA is having a vote to allow the recreational use and possession of up to an ounce for anyone over 21. We're getting there a lot quicker than I thought we would


Unfortunately for me, I live in Alabama, where damned near everyone smokes weed, but find it sinful and think it should be illegal. It would/will take the Federal Gov't legalizing medicinal marijuana for Alabama to ever get on board.

I have smoked pot both recreationally and medicinally. In the past, it has helped me a great deal with depression and other mental health issues, and up until 4 months ago, I had never used it for pain relief. That was until I ruptured a disc in my back. I am in constant severe pain pretty much around the clock. I've gone to the doctors, and they have kept me doped up on high levels of hydrocodone (30+ mg a day), Soma (1000+ mg a day), every anti-inflamitory, and steroids.

The pills do help with the pain. However, they have side affects that suck. I can't really properly function while on the pills. They make me horribly constipated, and make me groggy all day long. However, when I am on marijuana, I get some moderate pain relief, the constant nausea (from the pain) goes away, and the constant worrying/thinking (vicious cycle) about the pain ceases. I can still function, I'm not groggy all the time, I can actually sleep....the benefits go on and on.

Now, I don't necessicairly support the legalization of recreational marijuana. However, to continue to keep it illegal and therefore unavailable to people in severe pain is cruel and unusual.

I just don't understand this country sometimes......
 

HazelGod

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Now, I don't necessicairly support the legalization of recreational marijuana. However, to continue to keep it illegal and therefore unavailable to people in severe pain is cruel and unusual.

I just don't understand this country sometimes......
It's probably something rooted in the theocratic origins of the power structure of our society. Our government is loathe to admit fallibility in general...even when examining some of the most obvious fuckups for which it's responsible. Slavery, Prohibition, Illegal kidnapping, detention and torture of human beings. The "war on drugs" is more of the same. Government cannot, in its own view, afford to lose face by admitting that perhaps the anti-drug policies that have cost us innumerable lives and incalculable sums of money were not absolutely right and might require revisiting. Oh, no...our government is infallible! :rolleyes:
 

B_VinylBoy

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There was a recent story on CNN International about authorities who were discovering and destroying hidden batches of marijuana crops in the woods of California. They came to the conclusion that the amount of money the crop they botched up could have totaled up to $15 Billion.

That's just one batch in one state. Prostitution also brings in billions a year as well, even if it's illegal. It's amazing how we're essentially sitting on these two obvious sources of revenue and would rather keep them illegal so that the criminals can keep the money.
 

HazelGod

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There was a recent story on CNN International about authorities who were discovering and destroying hidden batches of marijuana crops in the woods of California. They came to the conclusion that the amount of money the crop they botched up could have totaled up to $15 Billion.

That's just one batch in one state. Prostitution also brings in billions a year as well, even if it's illegal. It's amazing how we're essentially sitting on these two obvious sources of revenue and would rather keep them illegal so that the criminals can keep the money.


I watched that today, too. The first thing I said to my wife was, "Wow, that's $1.5B they just destroyed in sales tax revenue alone. Genius."

Not to mention the utter stupidity of men wandering through the woods and pulling plants up out of the ground. :rolleyes:
 

Dorian_Gray

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It's probably something rooted in the theocratic origins of the power structure of our society. Our government is loathe to admit fallibility in general...even when examining some of the most obvious fuckups for which it's responsible. Slavery, Prohibition, Illegal kidnapping, detention and torture of human beings. The "war on drugs" is more of the same. Government cannot, in its own view, afford to lose face by admitting that perhaps the anti-drug policies that have cost us innumerable lives and incalculable sums of money were not absolutely right and might require revisiting. Oh, no...our government is infallible! :rolleyes:

Wow. Now that's a mouthful! I would love to hear you talk in person. Back to the topic... I'm all for the legalization of Medical/Recreational Marijuana, but I do agree that the Feds will go to hell in a Coach Bag (see what I did there??) before they allow anything like this to happen on a Federal scale. Today in certain parts of the country all they have to do is smell it on you and you go to jail, no questions. WAYYYYY TO HARSH!!
 

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Today in certain parts of the country all they have to do is smell it on you and you go to jail, no questions.

I call shenanigans. Hell, I call bullshit.

A law enforcement officer can arrest you and confine you in jail for anything; wearing a green hat, liking jazz music, or smiling too much. LEOs are not immune from abuse of power, and some have acted ridiculously out of spite, malice, revenge, and the like. But you certainly seem to imply that either 1) a person can be arrested by an LEO on the basis of smelling of marijuana and won't be released immediately when either the LEO's superior or a barely competent lawyer hoves into view, or 2) a person can be charged with violation of a law or ordinance and convicted with jail time on the basis of smelling like marijuana.

I dare you to find me one US jurisdiction where smelling like marijuana is a legal violation, one case where a person was convicted of smelling like marijuana, or even one case where a person was arrested for smelling like marijuana (no other violations) and it was determined that the person's rights weren't violated.

(Please provide enough information in any reply that the facts of the law or case can be independently verified.)