What is the world becoming....

[urnoodle]

My first thought was, wonder how long will it take to trickle down to underage kids? Alcohol sure has.

It already has trickled down. The only difference now is that it's illegal for both adults and kids.

[LainD]

My first thought was, wonder how long will it take to trickle down to underage kids? Alcohol sure has.

It already has trickled down. The only difference now is that it's illegal for both adults and kids.

Exactly! There is more underage marijuana use by teenager than there is alcohol consumption. Statistically, cnnabis is a gateway drug to all other substances. The 7-14yr old age range usually moves from inhalants to marijuana and then on to alcohol and harder drugs in their later teen years. One of the major reasons states are contemplating decriminalizing (or already have) cannabis is because its effects are "less harmful" biologically than alcohol or cigarettes. The concern I have about making another substance legal is despite the fact that it is less harmful than alcohol, cannabis still does affect brain development. These substances do permanently alter brain structure when they are used on a regular basis for a prolonged period of time- another way for the rising generation to become even more stupid but in a permanent way.

I don't care one way or the other if cannabis is legalized. The system is so broken as it is, legal or illegal, I don't think it is going to make that big of a difference. Legalizing cannabis means state won't have to waste taxpayer money to house offenders who get thrown in jail for a little while before they are release to become a repeat offender. But on the flip side, there are going to health consequences from using that will get handed off to the socialized medicine program and the judicial system is still going to have to deal with people doing stupid things or harming other people while they are high. Until the symptom stops being the focus, trading a judicial financial burden for a medical financial burden is just trading seats on the titanic. Biochemically, eventually a marijuana user stops being able to feel the effects of the cannabis because their body builds up a tolerance and they either have to stop using for a while (which is almost impossible when you are an addict unless the intent is sobriety) or move on to something harder to keep chasing the first high they experienced.

[Gameover]

I'm all for legalizing marijuana. The war on drugs has been one big epic fail. Marijuana is not a drug anymore then alcohol is (they both change your mental state)but the difference would be that alcohol kills thousands a year vs 0 deaths form marijuana. If they want to use it let them who are we to say they cant.

[LainD]

I'm all for legalizing marijuana. The war on drugs has been one big epic fail. Marijuana is not a drug anymore then alcohol is (they both change your mental state)but the difference would be that alcohol kills thousands a year vs 0 deaths form marijuana. If they want to use it let them who are we to say they cant.

Without a doubt the war on drugs has been an epic fail. But I don't think legalizing cannabis will help anything either. I just think what was a judicial expense will become a medical/rehab expense. I have been studying the biology of addiction for the last year. One reason I think, and the research seems to back it up, is that alcohol kills more people than marijuana because it is legal, socially acceptable, and promoted in was that make it seem fun, cool, and a way to kick back and relax. I have not problem with alcohol and enjoy a glass of wine myself every now and then. But alcoholism is a severe problem for millions of Americans. Another reason I am skeptical of legalizing cannabis is once the federal govt starts getting $$ out of the deal via taxes, it will never go away. Just like I don't think cigarettes will ever be banned or a cure for cancer will ever be found. As sad as it is, both make too much money for the medical industry and the government. It creates a cyclical problem: legalized substance, govt taxes it to make money, people get addicted and need help, the medical industry makes money on rehab, and addicted people don't get cured - they go into recovery and have to deal with addiction all their life because the substance permanently altered their brain's functioning.

The war on drugs is a mega waste of money and it failed. But from what I know about addiction and drugs, I can't see that legalizing it will help either. Just my 10cents (haha)

[pcgizzmo]

I'm for legalizing it as well. The only problem I see is it's fairly easy to grow marijuana. Once it's legal in a certain state what's to keep people from growing their own plants instead of buying it and not raising as much tax as the state things it can. Tobacco is not as easy to grow so you don't have the problem with it.

[Dave2]

I think most of the states where pot is "legal" also make it legal to grow your own. We won't know their effect for a while (and really not ever unless the Feds back off), but I'd look at what CO and WA (I think it was WA) do over the next couple years for hints.

[RoyGBiv]

I'm ok with legalizing marijuana. To set the record straight upfront, I'm not a pot smoker nor have I ever been. Recreational use is not the reason I support legalizing it. I'm a cancer survivor. I spent thousands of dollars for prescription medications to assist in treating the side effects of chemo and radiation. Health insurance will only cover a specified number of doses of the prescription meds. Costs to the patient can be nearly $1000/month depending on how frequent the patient needs to take it. I was receiving treatment on and off for 2 years. Many times I couldn't afford the prescription and my quality of life was poor. I had friends who were being treated for cancer too. Some moved to states that legalized marijuana for medical use. Others used illegally. Their costs were substantially lower than mine and the marijuana was more effective in counteracting the side effects than the prescription. I will not break the law so therefore I would not use it unless it was legalized. Issues abound when legalizing it only for medical use. Anyone can find a doctor to prescribe it for an real or imagined ailment, therefore legalize it. Let the state gain taxes from its use. I don't forsee Texas ever legalizing it for any type of use. Thank God that I'm in remission now and I don't need it but for those still suffering it would be a viable resource for a better quality of life.

I've never smoked pot but I would break the law to save my loved one and/or myself. The so-called war on drugs is an expensive joke, an expensive bad joke.

1,010%
And thanks urnoodle for sharing your first-hand account. All the best to you.

[chasfm11]

I'm not sure that legalizing drugs solves anything but what we are doing isn't working either. Other than the crimes that they commit to feed their drug habits, I'd prefer have people live with the consequences of their own decisions. But, unfortunately, parents who abuse drugs are a different story.

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statisti ... substances

As many as two-thirds of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected as children

There are people who abuse their kids and are alcohol or drug abusers, too. But many/most are. Battered children are more likely to batter their children. Abused children because of drugs and alcohol appear to turn into substance abusers themselves too often.

I don't think that there is an easy answer.

[RoyGBiv]

I'm not sure that legalizing drugs solves anything but what we are doing isn't working either. Other than the crimes that they commit to feed their drug habits, I'd prefer have people live with the consequences of their own decisions. But, unfortunately, parents who abuse drugs are a different story.

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statisti ... substances

As many as two-thirds of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused or neglected as children

There are people who abuse their kids and are alcohol or drug abusers, too. But many/most are. Battered children are more likely to batter their children. Abused children because of drugs and alcohol appear to turn into substance abusers themselves too often.

I don't think that there is an easy answer.

If the threat of jail goes away, and we reallocate a portion of those enforcement expenditures towards more proactive intervention, treatment and remediation, we have a better chance of breaking that cycle of destruction.

Bringing abusers into the sunlight will help... Removing the criminal element will be a huge help... Removing the motivation of the seller to get the abuser hooked on ever more potent and profitable drugs will help too.

We've lost the "war on drugs", as it's been defined for the past 40 years. It's time to stop the insanity and try something new.

IMO, YMMV

[chasfm11]

If the threat of jail goes away, and we reallocate a portion of those enforcement expenditures towards more proactive intervention, treatment and remediation, we have a better chance of breaking that cycle of destruction.

I agree that the war on drugs has been lost for a long time. CO and WA will be good test cases for whether the removal of legal threat does anything to help with the destruction cycle. I'm very doubtful.

[RoyGBiv]

If the threat of jail goes away, and we reallocate a portion of those enforcement expenditures towards more proactive intervention, treatment and remediation, we have a better chance of breaking that cycle of destruction.

I agree that the war on drugs has been lost for a long time. CO and WA will be good test cases for whether the removal of legal threat does anything to help with the destruction cycle. I'm very doubtful.

Hard to say... and I hate to equivocate.. but.. with 48 states on one side and 2 on the other, the illegal trafficking folks will still be highly incented to continue their business. I'm not really sure what to expect in CO and WA... Will Holder let this experiment alone to see what happens? I'm expecting a reduction in petty possession charges, but what will legalization do to manufacturing and distribution in this small experiment? That's where half the rubber meets the road... The other half is in bringing out drug abusers for treatment and decriminalizing only MJ isn't going to do that. So, success here would be measured longer term, by a decline in those abusing other still-illegal drugs like cocaine and opiates... Specifically, by a decline in the rate users choose legal MJ and choose not to move to other still-illegal things. If you remove the narco trafficker from MJ sales, does that keep MJ from being a "gateway drug" and to what extent?

From a personal liberty perspective it's a no brainer, but from a fiscal and societal costs perspective I'll be interested to see how the facts and arguments shape up on both sides...

[anygunanywhere]

Mrs. Anygun has been a nurse for 40 years and has worked every specialty except ER and OR. Her favorite is oncology. She achieved certification in this field when we lived in California.

If a patient is suffering pain then the doctor is at fault. There is no reason to prescribe pot for pain medication or appetite. The only reason pot has been legalized for medicinal use is because people want to use pot. Pain management is a specialty. If a patient is suffering they need to get another doctor that knows how to manage pain.

I am all for legalization. The war against pot is another example of a lesson we should have learned by the alcohol prohibition fiasco.

Anygunanywhere

[nightmare]

If the threat of jail goes away, and we reallocate a portion of those enforcement expenditures towards more proactive intervention, treatment and remediation, we have a better chance of breaking that cycle of destruction.

I agree that the war on drugs has been lost for a long time. CO and WA will be good test cases for whether the removal of legal threat does anything to help with the destruction cycle.

That might be true if Federal law didn't apply in CO and WA, but the legal threat from the federals still exists. I think the best we can hope for is CO and WA law enforcement focusing resources on issues that are important to residents in those states, so they get more value from their tax dollars.

[CoffeeNut]

I'm all for legalizing marijuana. The war on drugs has been one big epic fail. Marijuana is not a drug anymore then alcohol is (they both change your mental state)but the difference would be that alcohol kills thousands a year vs 0 deaths form marijuana. If they want to use it let them who are we to say they cant.

Couldn't agree with you more! If people want to smoke weed they're going to smoke weed so if the states can make some tax money off of it like the Netherlands then I am all for it. I'd rather have people buying something that is legal rather than driving down to the nearest dealer and risking their life for something that has more proven medical uses than it does negative effects.

[CoffeeNut]

Mrs. Anygun has been a nurse for 40 years and has worked every specialty except ER and OR. Her favorite is oncology. She achieved certification in this field when we lived in California.

If a patient is suffering pain then the doctor is at fault. There is no reason to prescribe pot for pain medication or appetite. The only reason pot has been legalized for medicinal use is because people want to use pot. Pain management is a specialty. If a patient is suffering they need to get another doctor that knows how to manage pain.

I am all for legalization. The war against pot is another example of a lesson we should have learned by the alcohol prohibition fiasco.

Anygunanywhere

If she's worked in hospitals then she should know that they have more "illegal drugs" than most street dealers. Depending on the type of surgery such as my aunts nose surgery they will use liquid cocaine to stop the blood flow and such. If cocaine can have medical uses I'd be willing to guess that marijuana does as well and no offense to your wife but many others (doctors, nurses and more) have put their weight behind marijuana and I doubt all of them are doing so just so they can smoke it.

I'd much rather be prescribed marijuana for pain then be given a bottle of pills that have more potential side affects than an increased appetite, a dry mouth and reduced motor speed.