Why marijuana shouldnt be legalized

[shamrok16]

before everyone gets mad, just read why i think it shouldnt be legalized. If marijuana was completely legalized, then it would end up being mass produced by big corporations. And if that happened, then wouldnt it ruin the point of weed? i mean look at what happened with tobacco. a completely harmless drug being smoked and grown naturally by the native americans. then the big business comes and takes half the high away from the tobacco, and puts all sorts of addictive crap in it to keep people hooked on it. So wouldnt it make more sense to just make the punishment for having weed on you so small (like a 10$ fine or something like that) that the feds and the police won't even bother to try and catch people with weed. just a thought :rasta:

[Monkey4Sale]

You're wrong, and paranoid, but that's ok.

[zooted999]

If it were legalized, what would stop you from growing amazingly potent (and legal) bud at home?

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

:stoned: exactly!!! :D :D

[shamrok16]

ya, you got a point. and how i what i said paranoid? I got a aunt who just died of cancer at 49 from smoking cigarettes . i have a uncle whos being smoking weed all his life and is hitting 87 in a month. Just cause i say the word 'corporation' doesnt mean im talking about some conspiracy theory or some shit like that.

[heavymetal101]

That is exactly one of the reasons why weed isn't going to be legal. Because how are they going to tax it!?? all they want to do is make as much money off of everything as they can, and that's impossible to do with reefer. As you all have clearly stated that you would grow it and that's exactly what they DONT want. They want to make money off of it and the only way they can is to make it illegal so they can put you on probation and fine you. Also what do you think they do with the major busts they make?? why, they re-sell it of course!!

[Hempamasta]

I concur. You could just grow it yourself, and not buy those shitty joint cigarette things.

[Monkey4Sale]

Ok, stop bringing up tax. When marijuana was legal it was taxed, it was a small tax that no one cared about, so stop bringing up tax.

[hempsmoker25]

heavymetal101 is exactly right they want money but with legal bud people could get seeds and grow their own, ya see it would suck legalized cause theres no rush in it, and if it was it would still be illegal to grow which would suck even more cause there would be more plant search teams.

[kpnicholas]

dont you think that if marijuana was legalised...we wont be dying hard to smoke it...a beauty is a beauty till u touch it..so lets smoke..hiding

[BobBong]

Ok, stop bringing up tax. When marijuana was legal it was taxed, it was a small tax that no one cared about, so stop bringing up tax.

So was GST and PST... they were both "small taxes" that were never supposed to be around after ww2. so what's your point? Nobody cared about it...and yet we still pay a "war tax" 65 years later.

[J DOG 6000]

Because we're always at war.
Also those little tax stamps from back in the day before it became illegal were only very few and practically impossible to get ,so it might as well have been illegal then too...but I guess it grew everywhere back then anyway.Taxing wont work.
Look at what people had to go through during prohabition of alcohol.Exactly what we are going threw now.Moonshine factories hiden on there land...Ever watch the dukes of Hazzard.
We are going to have to start taking some action guys.
I don't care if I can crews into 7/11 and buy a pack of white widow chewing weed.I'm happy with the way the cannabis club thing is going,it needs improvment and the prices should be a tad lower but I'd rather go to a cannabis club to buy it then a regular everyday store with kids around and nieghbors and shit. :D :thumbsup: :cursing:

[daves19]

Did you guys ever heard about a place called Amsterdam??? I mean, no need to fully legalize it, the word is decriminalize...Legal up to 28 gram or an ounce...Lil shop, like bars or coffee shop like in amsterdam could sell it, without adding those more than expensive chemicals put into cigs...Government could still tax the shops on their total revenue...So therefor everybody is happy...Please tell me if you don't agree with those points and why...

[Das Boot]

I always thought that if marijuana was legalized. Some big rich company would hire a bunch of NASA scientists or something and grow the best and most potent weed ever. Just trying to look on the bright side.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

Ok, stop bringing up tax. When marijuana was legal it was taxed, it was a small tax that no one cared about, so stop bringing up tax.and you could pay that tax with hemp.

[simplestyle3]

First, I've gotta voice that marijuana is an amazing product not just as a product for consumption. If you ever get the time, look into the affects that hemp products have had on history... early stong navies, for example... and imagine how it could be utilized today. Anybody work somewhere that wastes paper? Anybody know how renewable hempfields are in comparison to forests mature enough for paper? Second, GROW. Please, everyone grow. Spread seeds in protected places whenever you can. And last, be a contributing member of society who uses. If you're young, grow up to be an important figure in your community... and do it smoking grass all the while! This is how a new understanding of pot will come about.

[syrrus]

The Govt. has no reason to legalize it in the United States, and frankly I wouldn't change anything if it were legal, I dont think anyone in this forum would change a thing, besides maybe grow outside and smoke in public.

I would still conceal it because of the social stigma associated with entheogenics. Legal or Illegal Im still gonna smoke.

[Psycho4Bud]

In the mid "70"s the price for a gram of cola was $100 and a ounce of Columbian was $25. The price of coke hasn't risen but the price of bud is completely out of line now! Even if there were a tax I think the price of a good bag would be WAY lower than it is now! :thumbsup:

[syrrus]

if it were legalized, there would be entire organizations formed instantly to setup growth and distribution centers, regulation, indexing of breeding, and a breed database for crossing and collaboration, group ware and breeding centers, auctions and selling resources, instant boom in bud smoking technology. It would happen practically overnight. Head shops and bars will be popping up all over the country, in almost every town. It's like an industry just dieing to explode and flood the market with massive ammounts of good weed, unique weed, rainbow colored weed. There would be more weed throughout this country than in any country ever before. It would be good.....

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

economic boom = bad for war

[Nightfox]

Seriously nobody is gonna legalize it because its a drug, the only thing they will do with weed is decriminalize it like they did in canada. that means u only pay a fine when caught with it, that is the best fucking solution and thats as far as there are gonna go

[matthewwp]

Do you people posting in here completely know where you live? This is the USA; We the People make the laws! Or at least we're supposed to if we aren't glued to the damn TV, computer or playstation.

"They" are WHOMEVER gets off their ass and votes, petitions, and lobbies. All they did in Denver to get buds legal is they went out and got a bunch of petitions signed saying "We want buds legal" and guess what? It's lega. When every city does that and every State, then Washington will have to do it.

Don;t they teach you kids civis anymore? were you all glazed in US History? Man that is one calss you gotta be straight in or not only will buds remain illegal but you will be working in a giant corporate forced labor camp maknig junk for Wal-Mart for minimum wage like the f**king Chinese because you let the government rule you instead of runniong YOUR GOVERNMENT!

We need to sobe rup for 5 minutes, get petitions and get busy. I am the TN rep. for the US Mary Jane Political Party. Get on gong in your town, or sit around while the fascists CONTINUE to take over the country.

Matt
An old Hippy protestor who remembers the civil rights movement.

[WalkaWalka]

I don't want to have taxes on my weed it should be like growing potatoes no one gives a fuck. We must remember not to get too serious with copyrights and such

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

no, of course we dont learn civics, even if they do teach us, the education system is so out of whack, most kids arent even paying attention in the first place, and even if they were, the teachers are only doing this to get paied, so there's still a 50% chance that anyone will walk out of class knowing anything about how to make hemp legal.

[syrrus]

Nightfox is right to a certain degree. The problem with bud is that it's been demonized for 70-80 years now in america. When uneducated people think of drugs they think of crack, meth, coke, heroine, and marijuana. You need to change the views on the herb before you can change the laws on the herb. If you try and skip that step then all your going to get is resistance and go no where.

[Nightfox]

but come on part of doing weed is hiding it from other ppl, and the fucking pigs

[Nightfox]

Syrrus is completely right, mainly cos he kinda agrees with me, but ppl need to change their views on bud as a drug.

[xNoa]

Seriously nobody is gonna legalize it because its a drug and nothing legal is?

[mightymarijuanabuds]

hey folks we are on the way.. i live in denver :)

technically legal... effectively still illegal... but nobody tries to enforce it unless your acting like a jackass ... askin to get busted

you can debate growing vs taxed product all day long but the simple truth is that the majority of smokers now don't grow thier own... they pay (higher than the price of gold i might add) to keep themselves in smoke. even if it were legalized, not THAT many people would go start growin thier own... theres always gonna be people who just wanna buy it instead, and thus there will always be a segment of the population to be taxed :twocents:

there are LOTS of legal drugs, nearly all of them worse for you than pot. it is an herb, it's definition as a drug depends greatly on point of view, and has nothing to do with legislation against it. caffine, nicotine, and alcohol are all legal drugs, and all are way worse for the body than pot smoking. and don't even get me started on the plethora of legal phamaceutical drugs :P

[emg]

ANY over the counter drug or prescription drug is bad for you. over 2,000 people last year died just from taking aspirin. america is trying to fucking poison everyone. it's also in the food. don't you find it strange that 13 year old girls have triple C's?! or an 8th grade male with a full beard?
anyways, i'll quit before i get angry...i'm with you mightymarijuana, i'm glad people can smoke in denver. maybe i should move there, i'm in Co springs.

[saleemgreen]

well i think the reason it shouldnt be legalized is b/c do u really dont want to get up when ur stoned the only time u really think about getting up is to go get so food do u really think ur going t owant to get up for school or work no ur going to sit their and think whats one more day of work then u dont got a job but u still got to pay bills u cant pay them when u have no money they take everything frome u now u live on the streets just b-c of one thing or u could be like a few smart people i know and get high and still b/able to do things :stoned:

[saleemgreen]

[B]hey they are their killing the old and making the young look to old its all got to do w/money

[shamrok16]

it would have to be decriminalized before it was legalized. The politicians wont go near drug reform, and no one is gonna petition or lobby for reform on the for it to be decriminalized. Bill maher put it best.........the stoner movement isnt gonna go anywhere. why? cause to many stoners are involved. Eventually people will get tired of seeing millions of peoples lives getting affected over some half-assed marijuana arrest.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

it's a very good example of how negativity spreads like wildfire, while positivity requires long and drawn out hard work.


sure, take the EASY way out, line your pockets with oil, lumber, and pharmacutical drugs, but that's a terribal path, one which leads swiftly to destruction.

[Myth1184]

Tobacco never has had a HIGH, if anything tobacco calms you.

[passionate grower]

I would humbly suggest that we are missing the point of marijuana prohibition in this thread. Just follow the money. Who profits from prohibition? Let's just call them the Drug War profiteers. This would be local police departments who get federal grants for drug enforcement efforts, and who can fund their department through [unconstitutional] confiscated property from drug busts. These profiteers would also include government functionaries whose careers depend upon prohibition, such as the DEA,ONDP, FBI and their para-military units that track down MJ users,sellers, growers, even critically-ill users. Then of course their are the politicians who have made a grandstanding career out of the Drug War, too many to mention here. Finally, there is international organized crime that would stand to lose considerably if MJ where suddenly allowed to be grown and sold legally. So put the profiteers together: police, federal government, organized crime. What a happy troika!

Put simply, not a f**king chance in hell that MJ will be legal in my lifetime.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

I would humbly suggest that we are missing the point of marijuana prohibition in this thread. Just follow the money. Who profits from prohibition? Let's just call them the Drug War profiteers. This would be local police departments who get federal grants for drug enforcement efforts, and who can fund their department through [unconstitutional] confiscated property from drug busts. These profiteers would also include government functionaries whose careers depend upon prohibition, such as the DEA,ONDP, FBI and their para-military units that track down MJ users,sellers, growers, even critically-ill users. Then of course their are the politicians who have made a grandstanding career out of the Drug War, too many to mention here. Finally, there is international organized crime that would stand to lose considerably if MJ where suddenly allowed to be grown and sold legally. So put the profiteers together: police, federal government, organized crime. What a happy troika!

Put simply, not a f**king chance in hell that MJ will be legal in my lifetime.and FUCK YOU for not offering your life in honnor of the plant, by defending your rights to use.

believe me, if i ever get busted, you'll know it. i wont go down for pot, not alive.

[APTUtah]

I can't believe that this discussion is actually happening. People have their lives ruined everyday by marijuana prohibition. Check out
"New Reports All Agree: Marijuana Prohibition
is an Expensive Failure
Three Nobel Laureates, American Enterprise Institute,
others call for a new approach" at http://mpp.org/reports/index.html
to end the taxation debate.
Another thing is that all of you at cannabis.com can grow your own, no problem, but that does not account for all those not on cannabis.com that have no experience growing, but still smoke as much as they can.

How can this debate even be happening, I watched my grandfather die slowly and eventual what killed him was starvation because he couldn't remember how to swallow food because of Alzheimerâ??s. The new Times magazine has an article stating that cannabis can stop the progression of Alzheimerâ??s. How can anyone be so greedy that they want to be able to smoke for themselves (in the closet, no offence to homosexuals), but be all right with the criminality of cannabis that basically led to my grandfathersâ?? horrible death? This can go for any medical condition cannabis helps: aids, cancer, MS, glaucoma, epilepsy, ect.

How can anyone say that cannabis should not be fully legalized if only to save the lives of so many people who, without this sacred medicine would die or have a life not worth living? Our government will never legalize marijuana, but as long as I am alive, cannabis will not reach 100 years of prohibition. Citizens will rise up and through citizen initiatives (done in Med MJ states already) cannabis will become legal to whatever level each city or state wants it.

Chris

[daves19]

Yep thanks Chris! Good vibes! And you are true, more and more we see some positive thing, breakthrough and more...Many voters will realise it, and politicians, one of the most influent of all the profiters, will legalize for votes...The inevident will become evident, it's the purpous of our being, to eludes mysteries so we can evolve...Evolution is more attractive than money, to many eyes...

[darkside]

passionate grower is right -the so called "drug war" is an industry. too many other industries have too much to lose. it doesnt matter who you vote for, because all politicians are pussy sellouts getting fucked in the a$$ by big corporations. Sad but true -this country is not controlled by the people anymore-its controlled by big tobacco, big pharma, the food industry,andthe petroleum industry.

[APTUtah]

For everyone that didn't check out the link from my previous post here's the basics to end the money debate:

-----In "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition" (released June 2, 2005), Dr. Jeffrey Miron, visiting professor of economics at Harvard University, estimates that replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year.

Using data from a variety of federal and state government sources, Miron concludes:
Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement -- $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels.
Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2.4 billion per year if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods to $6.2 billion if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco. -----

So maybe if you follow the old money trail it will lead to continued prohibition, but I don't think a Harvard University professor is going to be ignored especially with this:

-----More than 500 distinguished economists -- led by Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Milton Friedman and two additional Nobel Laureates -- endorsed the report and signed an open letter to President Bush and other public officials calling for "an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition," adding, "We believe such a debate will favor a regime in which marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods."-----

Our government has kept us in the dark for a long time, but I, for one, am pulling the blindfold off. I would hope that fellow cannabis advocates would do the same, and realize we are the generation that will do this, and we are the generation that will get that $10 to $14 billion a year for our government, and we are the generation that will be running these massive pot fields, not these old jerks, it will be us deciding if we want to produce the best, organic, grade A+ buds, or if we want cannabis to end up like tobacco is now.

We better take hold of the situation now, before all the conservatives get on board and try to legalize cannabis with a system so regulated that it becomes meaningless (Bill O'Rielly is already on his way). That is where the debate needs to go. Not if and when it will happen or not, because it already is, but how to regulate and run a nation wide cannabis system that allows the best buds possible and the most distributed profit for small cannabis businesses, as well as allowing the homegrowing hobbyist to do as they please. We need to look at the strict regulations at the end of alcohol prohibition, some that still exist, and make sure we don't have some of the same limits that happened at the end of that prohibition, at the end of this one.

Chris,
Advocates for Progressive Therapy, [email protected]
www.myspace.com/aptutah (http://www.myspace.com/aptutah) www.geocities.com/aptutah (http://www.geocities.com/aptutah)

[daves19]

passionate grower is right -the so called "drug war" is an industry. too many other industries have too much to lose. it doesnt matter who you vote for, because all politicians are pussy sellouts getting fucked in the a$$ by big corporations. Sad but true -this country is not controlled by the people anymore-its controlled by big tobacco, big pharma, the food industry,andthe petroleum industry.

well in canada we have a better chance with politicians, as we have a big percentage of voters...

[daves19]

but if nobody vote for them they won't be elected, and if they are not elected, big corporation won't have any puppet to play with the strings, so when people, and only when they will realise pot is really not as bad as we hear all around, they will make pressure to legalize it...Still politicians no matter how deep they lick the ass of big corporates they need to lick our ass too to get them elected..

[passionate grower]

and FUCK YOU for not offering your life in honnor of the plant, by defending your rights to use.

believe me, if i ever get busted, you'll know it. i wont go down for pot, not alive.

Ask me nicely and I'll think about it.

Seriously, I am an active supporter of NORML, MPP, and libertarian platform issue #1,...so what's your problem with my post? You don't believe the list of profiteers I cited? You don't believe that all the Drug War supporters aren't equal scumbags to dealers selling to kids on the street?

[DazedandConfused]

I'd be fine if more places had the same view as the Netherlands, like places in the US. and then the US would have shops that wouldn't be bothered. that would be really cool, i wouldn't grow it, i think that would cut down like all the people growing it you know? anyone that grew for personal use only, wouldn't have to grow if they could walk up town and buy a couple grams. and then if they would let growers grow for the shops, just like they let people grow for the medical things. that would be awesome! lol

[hihigh]

can't wait for the ignorant hypocritical babyboomer generation to die out so us, more informed, individuals can take over the reigns in the upper administration and government. Hopefully we can finally talk some sense into the administration and legalize a PLANT.

[beachguy in thongs]

Because it has more rights to this planet than puny earthlings, having survived Dinosaurs and the Ice Age.

[daves19]

can't wait for the ignorant hypocritical babyboomer generation to die out so us, more informed, individuals can take over the reigns in the upper administration and government. Hopefully we can finally talk some sense into the administration and legalize a PLANT.

please some lil respect for people who have been brainwashed...you would have been just the same as them if borned within those years...they are not ignorant, jsut misinformed...big difference dude

-peace out :dance:

[Charlie Horse]

errr, "the point of weed"? the point of weed is to fucking get stoned. if companies and/or the government distributed weed and if it was as potent or more than the weed we have now, then why the hell not? do you realize that if the government legalizes and sells pot, that it would get rid of over 60% of drug dealers? and it would get rid of a bunch of people who don't need to be in prison, saving a SHIT LOAD of waisted tax money.

a real stoner, or anyone who enjoys pot, would want it legalized.

[intheclouds]

hey yall how old is a babyboomer??????so i know if i be one. I had my first J in 1974. Hell yall they dont have to say Legal, Just stop fucking with us. All I want to do is smoke a little bud, hey no big thing. Right Guy's??!!!!!! Hell Yea!

[Testament]

Syrrus is completely right, mainly cos he kinda agrees with me, but ppl need to change their views on bud as a drug.


Drug - (3) A chemical substance, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction.

[arcticspyder]

errr, "the point of weed"? the point of weed is to fucking get stoned. if companies and/or the government distributed weed and if it was as potent or more than the weed we have now, then why the hell not? do you realize that if the government legalizes and sells pot, that it would get rid of over 60% of drug dealers? and it would get rid of a bunch of people who don't need to be in prison, saving a SHIT LOAD of waisted tax money.

a real stoner, or anyone who enjoys pot, would want it legalized.

Just to place another opinion on this topic. I have been smoking pot for more than thirty-five years, still grown to this day. I am for decriminalization and completelty again legalization. There is a major difference, with legalization you will get government controls, regulations, and modifications. With decriminalization, it simply removes any and all criminal punishment, for adults over the age of 18, for the growing, cultivation, possession, and smoking of marijuana. At the same time it puts in place a method to where by the government can still bring prosecution against people who deal to minors and who commit other crimes regarding other so called "soft drugs". If more marijuana activist would just listen to this arguement they would understand the fastest and best way to actual legalization would be first through decriminalization and then to legalization. More people would vote for than against. When asked recently why the voters OVERWHELMINGLY voted down legalization, in Alaska, the number one response was always something regarding needing a way to try and keep it away from kids. At the same time they all stated that if it were decriminalized for growing, cultivation, possession, and smoking for adults over the age of 18, while retaining criminal punishment for dealers, they would have voted in favor of decriminalization.
Just something to think about.

[doctor G]

OK, now you are in for it. I have read the initial post and the conversations that follow. I hardly know where to start. Maybe a compliment (so as to keep your attention). Mattâ??s point about the peopleâ??s right to self determination and the laws we choose to enact and enforce is good. And yes, commercial production of weed would/could just fall into another big corporation umbrella. I am responding in the hopes of STIMULATING some honest research from you folks. Many comments (temporary taxes from WW2) are accurate but only go HALFWAY!
Matt and I can tell you FIRST HAND that the way to get the governments attention is with the MONEY. Thatâ??s how we stopped the Vietnam War. When hundreds of thousands of middle class Americans deducted a portion of their taxes that was being spent to murder people overseas there was not enough jail space to house them all. So they had to pull out of the damn war.
The WAR ON DRUGS is no different. ITâ??S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!
Yes there is 70 years of propaganda telling people that DRUGS WILL KILL YOU and we all know just how far that crap got with US. If you can find a copy of the movie â??GRASSâ?� buy it or at least rent it for a weekend and invite a ton of friends. The war on drugs is just another aspect of the larger war on personal freedom. Dear GOD you donâ??t want me to go on that RANT for long.
So yes it is the money. PLEASE remember there is more than one side to that coin. There is the income from taxes, but the greater amount of money is the SAVINGS from not having to fund: the DEA, Drug Courts, Prisons, propaganda programs, drug stings, welfare for the left behind, and all the ancillary costs of drug persecution. If you read my article The True Cost of Cannabis Legislation you can do the numbers your self, itâ??s stunning. How about $1,000,000,000 (one BILLION) a year to start; TO START!! Thatâ??s US dollars we are talking about. Thatâ??s just the savings, the SAVINGS!!!!!!!!! The additional income from allowing individual states to regulate cannabis use (like alcohol or gambling or prostitution) is another BILLION a year. Not over ten years not after five but from year 1 and ON. DEAR CREEPING JESUS WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK ITâ??S ALL ABOUT?!?! Cops need criminals in order to justify their jobsâ??; an efficient police force just puts itself out of business in a few years.
As DAVES19 mentioned the Netherlands has gotten past the initial problems with a simple and elegant solution. Possession of more than five plants gets you a jail sentence. However if you are registered and certified with the Cannabis Producers Assocician ( read Union) and you have a contract to deliver to a specific coffee shop you can have 25 plants. With proper conditions thatâ??s about twelve pounds every sixty days, not a misprint: twelve pounds every sixty days. For more info on efficient growing methods go to www.growweed.com and order Cathyâ??s book, its real; Iâ??ve used it. That is the way Dutch coffee shops provide an average of 20 jobs per storefront. If the 735,000 people imprisoned for cannabis crimes in the US in 2000 each ran a coffee shop that would be 14.7 million NEW jobs. In Amsterdam each coffee shop keeps a couple of hotels and a restaurant or two in business. More jobs. Please read my articles on cannabis legislation scattered through this category.
So while concerns about taxation and corporate cannabis are valid, so are concerns about personal privacy from the grow light squad. HOWEVER if ENOUGH people got off their ass and read up on the subject and spread the truth to the non smoking Americans we would be able to convince the majority of taxpayers that the waste of their money can STOP and stop NOW. We can provide healthcare for all Americans, we CAN provide a quality education for ALL Americans, we can provide good housing for ALL Americans. IT CAN BE DONE.
The only problems are that most potheads would rather get stoned and play video games and BITCH rather than get out the vote and drag their friends to the voter registration tables. REGISTER, PARTICIPATE, VOTE. Itâ??s your FREEDOM at stake.
OK enough for the moment, I need to go smoke a thumb sized joint of some White Rhino to get my attitude under control. In the mean time YOU, thatâ??s right YOU! Go search out my other articles and read about what you can do to help the cause of personal freedom.
Two last points. The American Colonies supported the revolution with cannabis. Possession of Cannabis is LEGAL if you have an ATF issued TAX STAMP. Yes today in 2006 it is legal if you have a stamp. You never head of this? Read some more of my articles I discuss this more than once. There is an office and a bureaucrat in Washington DC whose job it is to issue the stamps that are still printed and issued. Abit erratically and only a dozen a year but he does have a desk, a phone and a filing cabinet full of stamps waiting to be issued.
To anyone who finished reading this thanks; Iâ??m sorry I want off for a bit

Tons of Love to All
Doctor G

[beachguy in thongs]

I found somewhere, not too long ago, that ending prohibition would save the United States $25 Billion. I'll look for it.

My state, Virginia, would save $5.3 Billion.

[siSTARindigo]

This is a really long thread, and I can't be on here for to long because I have a 3 year old so forgive me if someone has already said some things I say.

Making MJ legal would save a ton of money on inmates in prison for one thing. We have a prison in the town I live, and I have known many gaurds out there. Small town, I babysat for a few of them. I know that like half of the population in this prison is in there for MJ. I-80 comes through here too, and TONS of drugs travel across the united states on this interstate. A lot of people get busted for it, and it costs more money than most people make a year to house 1 of these "criminals", "danger to society". It is crazy, legalizing it would SAVE money for sure.

And as far as not legalizing it because it is "fun" to break the law. Some of us have kids whom we love very much and cannot risk going to prison, and some of us smoke because it calms our anxiety, or curbs our depression. We don't get a kick out of being "hidden" at all. I am a very happily married woman, with tons of morals, but I would probably fuck the cop to get out of being in trouble for my sons sake. I cannot go to prison.

Just my opinion on it all :)

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

Ask me nicely and I'll think about it.

Seriously, I am an active supporter of NORML, MPP, and libertarian platform issue #1,...so what's your problem with my post? You don't believe the list of profiteers I cited? You don't believe that all the Drug War supporters aren't equal scumbags to dealers selling to kids on the street?lol, sorry about that... :( one of my pissy moments...


unfortunately, anything dealing with money is only part of the problem, so dispite my passionate support for NORML, they are coincedentally a part of the problem as well, which is why i am not (and never will be) a finincial supporter (of anything for that matter).


hemp can replace currency, and that's the only way i can be ok wit htaxes and even then, the corperation still poses a huge threat.


once again, sorry, i got all bent out of shape... again... lol

[bonsaiguy]

Odds are that if it is legalized several things will happen. The tobacco companies will jump on the bandwagon and switch a large portion of their fields to weed. (several have already admitted to being ready to convert if it is legalized) It will become a large commercial business akin to alcohol, tobacco and firearms. however, it will no doubt be handled the same way, you can reload your shotgun shells or whatever, you can make beer, wine, even whiskey in your basement up to a fairly large amount without being taxed or hassled as long as you don't sell it. I suspect they would do the same thing with weed. It would be taxed, it would be regulated yes, but it would also generate a boatload of revenue for the feds, save a shitload on legal costs and generally no longer be a problem. As for stoners not getting involved in the political process I would venture to guess that their numbers are no greater a percentage than any other group. But Washington has no balls. Only numbnuts.

[HeyDan]

Lets not forget the forfieture laws. Another reason Gov does not want it legalized. Many , if not most, states have forfieture laws that rake in millions, if not billions a year in homes, boats, cars..etc.

{eace,

HeyDan

[Bonez87x]

well i think the reason it shouldnt be legalized is b/c do u really dont want to get up when ur stoned the only time u really think about getting up is to go get so food do u really think ur going t owant to get up for school or work no ur going to sit their and think whats one more day of work then u dont got a job but u still got to pay bills u cant pay them when u have no money they take everything frome u now u live on the streets just b-c of one thing or u could be like a few smart people i know and get high and still b/able to do things :stoned:
Im currently in collage, holding a job, and a frequent smoker. :thumbsup:


You all can argue over facts and whose opinion is better, etc.

For those who do care for decriminalization / legalization / medical / agricultural purpose / what the fuck ever. . . .
I'll see the some of you at Tallahasee, FL for the Marijuana March in May.

Go to your state capitol. Speak. Get yourself heard.

Think this way. If "I" (as in yourself) don't do it, because some one else will... wait... Im that some one else for that some one else. So thusly no ones doing it. *Le~Gasp* But If I, the 'some one else' goes, and speaks out, then there surely will be other 'some one else'(s).

[ibreakthings]

Yeah, i sometimes think that if it were legal that it wouldnt be as fun cuz you wouldnt have anything to hide and ud just be high like everyone else. I dont drink because i know everyone else is doing it so its like "hey i got drunk yesterday" and then everyone else is like yeah so did we big fuckng deal.....

[toniesamiam]

That why it starts w/you in your community,tring to educate is hard but everyone must know,that canibis has no ill effects exept for smoking it.If taken w/food or a vaporizer or pill form,there is not one harmfull thing that is happing to youre body...The reason people want this drug legalized is the jail time!!!who gets a rush from thinking you could go to jail for having some dope on ya??certinly not me!!that has nothing to do w/my high,if it when it becomes leagal in 10-20 yrs maybe sooner the price of weed will drop dramaticly.... educate when ever given the oppertunity

[Fabolous]

i think if it was allowed in the states, we would run into some problems, mainly more people going homless, becase you gotta think some dealers live off the profit they make from selling this drug.....

i mean theres good and bad sides to alowwing this to happen.
good
1.never run out of supply
2.being high at all times
3.able to walk down the steets with no worrys(of course they well make rules :( )
some bad.
1.more anti drug ad's(Isn't there enogh already?)
2.more people bitching about shit becase of weed
3.homeless ppl
4.Possible market pickup(for those ppl who don't wonna grow or can't)

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

i say we do away with all laws, but nooooo :(

[coolootai]

What!!!!! Legalize the gunja? No way in helllllllllllllll

[tom41352]

My opinion on legalizing pot is that it should be, just like alcohol. The government could make a lot of money on taxes. Save a sh*t load of tax payers money thatâ??s paying for leo busting ppl, and incarceration.

Alcohol is easier to make than it to grow pot. Some ppl make moonshine and sell it and donâ??t pay taxes on it. It would probably be the same with pot, but at honest innocent ppl could legally buy it with out worrying about getting busted or ripped off.

When I and all my friends started smoking it back in the late 60â??s, I thought that when my generation got older and started voting it would become legalized. I guess I was wrong. I canâ??t understand why though.

Peace
T

[Esoteric416]

One of the big reasons it will take a long time to legalize weed is because of all the people who will be out of work. All the guards who wont be needed at our prisons when the inmate population plummets. The construction companies who will lose work when they aren't called upon to build new prisons. All the cops who won't be needed for drug enforcement.(of course there are always other drugs to enforce laws against but some cops will surely become unneeded.) And those people in the legal field who won't be needed to file papers, defend people in court, etc.
Now I realize that legalizing weed wil also create a staggering number of jobs, but remember that most people hate change so regardless of personal polotics those people who stand to lose their jobs will fight legalization, possibly just so they won't have to find a new job.
I'm not proposing a solution, just giving everyone something to think about, as this is a problem that will need to adressed when we make our move to legalize.

[420mory]

In many parts of the U.S. they've quit trying to legally define drugs except to say that possession of a hallucenogen is bad. I've been amazed at the botanical knowlege that must have been required to indentify obscure species on sight.Analyses of pineal glands are revealing that more and more well known drugs (or very similar compounds) are already in your body. More obviously, the circuitry that they trigger is already there. And there are so many claims that, when properly used, these substaces cure aids and cancer. No, it's not tiny quantities that are ruining peoples' lives. Having noticed that you almost never see the drugs as they are being found on police video, I think I have an idea of what sort of politics are in play here.

[lovetogrow]

ohio has decriminalize weed

[rajking86]

God, I would love to be in Amsterdam right now.

It's ok though, I have a way where I can get a little piece of Amsterdam to my doorstep :)

[Pennsterdam]

before everyone gets mad, just read why i think it shouldnt be legalized. If marijuana was completely legalized, then it would end up being mass produced by big corporations. And if that happened, then wouldnt it ruin the point of weed? i mean look at what happened with tobacco. a completely harmless drug being smoked and grown naturally by the native americans. then the big business comes and takes half the high away from the tobacco, and puts all sorts of addictive crap in it to keep people hooked on it. So wouldnt it make more sense to just make the punishment for having weed on you so small (like a 10$ fine or something like that) that the feds and the police won't even bother to try and catch people with weed. just a thought :rasta:The people would not stand for it being made by large corporations and have them adding chemicals to it. More people would probably try to grow themselves if it did that.

[Stellar]

Lets not forget the forfieture laws. Another reason Gov does not want it legalized. Many , if not most, states have forfieture laws that rake in millions, if not billions a year in homes, boats, cars..etc.

{eace,

HeyDan

Too often overlooked.

I wonder if there are any statistics spelling out how much revenue is earned through selling the possessions of druglords, and even your everyday regular John, when they go down for major drug offenses. Not to mention the fines they have to pay on top of sentencing, which is sometimes not even compensated by forfieture. A lot of people going to prison for serious drug offenses that have their stuff auctioned off are paying for a huge chunk of however many years they end up there.

I'm not very informed when it comes to forfeiture, though. But I can imagine that it, itself, is also a multibillion dollar industry.

[Marijuanifornia]

For those of you who believe that "Marihuana" cannot be legalized and taxed, think again.

We already did it twice. The first time the marijuana plant was legalized was in 1619, and it remained legal until 1937. The US government legalized and taxed "Marihuana" again in 1942. "Marihuana" saved George Bush's life. "Marihuana" helped stop Hitler. Follow this plan again.

http://www.chaozation.com/politics/hemp/HFV_video.htm

[Night0wl]

Just a quick note on the tax issue fm someone in the tax rip off capital of the planet. im in Scotland and i hope they dont legalise it cos the gov we have here are greedy bastards and will tax it to the death. i.e it costs me 9 quid for a pac of tobacco and the same baccy is sold in france for less thatn 1 quid. The tax over here is just stupid. But even if it was legalised i would still grow my own.

[Marijuanifornia]

The guy that made "Marihuana" illegal in the US said there is no way for the source of cannabis to be controlled, and that was why it had to be outlawed.

His name was Harry J. Anslinger, and he was a drug dealer. While he campaigned against cannabis, calling marijuana the "worst drug menace in the history of mankind," he was illegally supplying morphine to Sen. Joseph McCarthy. His exact quote was, "The supply is so vast and grows in so many places that gangsters perhaps have found it difficult to dominate the source."

He said "gangsters" can't dominate the source. By that, he meant DuPont, Pfizer, Monsanto, ConAgra, OPEC, and other large conglomerates that sought to dominate the source of everything we use.

Anyone with a backyard, a frontyard, a closet, a windowsill, or even the homeless Vietnam vets living under bridges can grow "Marihuana." Cannabis grows in every climate, all over the world. There is absolutely no way at all for any corporation to take over the "Marihuana" market.

We, the people, will always control the source of cannabis. "Marihuana" was outlawed because corporations could NOT take it over.

Even though "Marihuana" was outlawed in 1937 as the "worst drug menace in the history of mankind," the US Federal government legalized "Marihuana" in 1942 to support the American military during World War II. "Marihuana" made the rigging of the parachute that saved George HW Bush's life in 1942.

Legalizing "Marihuana" helped stop Hitler. Legalizing "Marihuana" again will help stop Cheney and bin Laden.

[GlenCoco]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but people can grow their own tobacco plants. Some of my buddies just made their own beer too.

[Esoteric416]

Too often overlooked.

I wonder if there are any statistics spelling out how much revenue is earned through selling the possessions of druglords, and even your everyday regular John, when they go down for major drug offenses. Not to mention the fines they have to pay on top of sentencing, which is sometimes not even compensated by forfieture. A lot of people going to prison for serious drug offenses that have their stuff auctioned off are paying for a huge chunk of however many years they end up there.

I'm not very informed when it comes to forfeiture, though. But I can imagine that it, itself, is also a multibillion dollar industry.
There are entire police drug task forces within several states that opperate solely through seizure assets. If they don't bust people for drugs and sell off all the siezed items then they have no funding. Talk about your breeding grounds for corruption.

[Esoteric416]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but people can grow their own tobacco plants. Some of my buddies just made their own beer too.
I can't argue with you about the beer (The only kind of beer I really enjoy is made by a friend of mine in his basement), but tobacco is one of the most disease prone plants around, and it only grows well in certain environments. Do you know people who grow their own, I'm not saying it can't be done, but I bet it's alot cheaper to just pick up a pack of cigarretts or even a bag of premium tobacco from a smoke shop.

[Dutch Masta]

One of the big reasons it will take a long time to legalize weed is because of all the people who will be out of work. All the guards who wont be needed at our prisons when the inmate population plummets. The construction companies who will lose work when they aren't called upon to build new prisons. All the cops who won't be needed for drug enforcement.(of course there are always other drugs to enforce laws against but some cops will surely become unneeded.) And those people in the legal field who won't be needed to file papers, defend people in court, etc.
Now I realize that legalizing weed wil also create a staggering number of jobs, but remember that most people hate change so regardless of personal polotics those people who stand to lose their jobs will fight legalization, possibly just so they won't have to find a new job.
I'm not proposing a solution, just giving everyone something to think about, as this is a problem that will need to adressed when we make our move to legalize.

This is an irrelevant concern. Drug offenders wouldn't just get out of prison because its decriminalized, leaving the prisons to lay off a substantial amount of prison gaurds.. They broke the law when it was illegal, and thats all that matters when it comes to justify having them behind bars. There would be no significant job losses as a result of marijuana being legalized, at all..

The more important thing to think about, is how much harder it would be to come up with a perfect plan to regulate the use, sale, and cultivation of Marijuana. Its realistically impossible. People will use it, grow it, and sell it whether it is illegal or not. It just needs to be decriminalized.

[4hous2tx0]

alot of sence being made above.

didnt feel like reading any of the other pages except this one but im pretty sure legalization is the main topic. well my opinion is america is already fucked and theres no turning that around.

[dejayou30]

if it became legal to buy and the government sold it and they taxed it i would still buy it. growing good buds takes a lot of effort, where as buying it would be just like how people buy alcohol, where you just go and pick up a box of blunts of whatever when you feel like it. growing takes too much effort and time. the thing is, i know a lot of people, including myself sometimes, that go entire days being stoned. if it was legal do you think more people would be stoned all the time. would it then become a "problem" like alcohol and you'd have to go to Marijuanaholics Anonymous meetings and shit? i dunno i'm pretty blazed right now. i agree that it should just be decriminalized. whoever said that no matter if its legal or not people are still going to grow it and sell it. if it was decriminalized it would be basically legal anyways.

[Dutch Masta]

if it became legal to buy and the government sold it and they taxed it i would still buy it. growing good buds takes a lot of effort, where as buying it would be just like how people buy alcohol, where you just go and pick up a box of blunts of whatever when you feel like it. growing takes too much effort and time. the thing is, i know a lot of people, including myself sometimes, that go entire days being stoned. if it was legal do you think more people would be stoned all the time. would it then become a "problem" like alcohol and you'd have to go to Marijuanaholics Anonymous meetings and shit? i dunno i'm pretty blazed right now. i agree that it should just be decriminalized. whoever said that no matter if its legal or not people are still going to grow it and sell it. if it was decriminalized it would be basically legal anyways.

To a certain degree, being decriminalized would mean it would basically be legal..

But I dont know if it will ever happen, since the concept of drug dealing is realistically impossible to stop, and any major efforts would only worsen everything if you were to actually take a few bong hits, sit back, and think about it all.

[burnable]

Ok, stop bringing up tax. When marijuana was legal it was taxed, it was a small tax that no one cared about, so stop bringing up tax.


shhh. that tax was meant by the government to be low so that marijuana proprietors would go the government to get a stamp for their buds to be legal, when at the same time they were arrested for not having that stamp, but having reefer. it was a dirty trick. but if that tax was high, then reefer dealers wouldn't go through the govt at all, so the govt couldn't incriminate or fine as many people. so you see, marijuana tax is certainly an issue-always has been

[burnable]

Yeah, i sometimes think that if it were legal that it wouldnt be as fun cuz you wouldnt have anything to hide and ud just be high like everyone else. I dont drink because i know everyone else is doing it so its like "hey i got drunk yesterday" and then everyone else is like yeah so did we big fuckng deal.....


I can't really speak for ibreakthings but weed definitely would not fizzle out in its novelty and appeal if it were legalized. you can look at several old world cultures that had religion-infused lifestyles that had cannabis use deeply integrated within. no social stigmas were attached to it and no laws were there to prohibit it. always they were unique and close-knit. with pot a part of life, it brought people together, and everyone knows what I'm talking about. I think joints should be passed around the dinner table sort of like a dessert blunt to promote family solidarity. nothing makes people tighter, and it would relieve a lot of racial and other bias in this country if it were legal. IBREAKTHINGS if you require hiding something in order to feel gratified, maybe you should take up incest

[rainbows.rsexy]

if we legalized then $ would go into worthwhile things like education instead of donut hungry cops buying bmws and then going to europe to smoke pot with their $

[Dutch Masta]

I can't really speak for ibreakthings but weed definitely would not fizzle out in its novelty and appeal if it were legalized. you can look at several old world cultures that had religion-infused lifestyles that had cannabis use deeply integrated within. no social stigmas were attached to it and no laws were there to prohibit it. always they were unique and close-knit. with pot a part of life, it brought people together, and everyone knows what I'm talking about. I think joints should be passed around the dinner table sort of like a dessert blunt to promote family solidarity. nothing makes people tighter, and it would relieve a lot of racial and other bias in this country if it were legal. IBREAKTHINGS if you require hiding something in order to feel gratified, maybe you should take up incest

Old world cultures are nothing like the society we have today, and can't be compared in any way.. today, we can't even use alcohol (our legal intoxicant) responsibly, as we can see how many deaths result from drunk driving each day. Teenagers these days want to do drugs, drink, have sex, and party.. and do things they aren't supposed to do. The appeal of something that you are not supposed to do is always there, since the beginning of time. Thats not to say that legalizing marijuana will take away the enjoyment of it, but its something to consider.

[burnable]

Old world cultures are nothing like the society we have today, and can't be compared in any way.. today, we can't even use alcohol (our legal intoxicant) responsibly, as we can see how many deaths result from drunk driving each day. Teenagers these days want to do drugs, drink, have sex, and party.. and do things they aren't supposed to do. The appeal of something that you are not supposed to do is always there, since the beginning of time. Thats not to say that legalizing marijuana will take away the enjoyment of it, but its something to consider.


our society today can't be compared to those other cultures because radically different laws govern either. this was my original point, that if we had similar laws to those cultures, they would be much more comparable. of couse we can't use alcohol responsibly enough, because of the nature of the alcohol drug. people tend to feel invincible when they're drunk. they're also not as aware of their level of impairment as a cannabis user, who often feels much more impotent to do anything, and more inclined to revert into a smoky shell, apt to cognizant observation. the intrinsic differences of the two make for lack of frame of reference. If someone needs to be attracted to something clandestine, there's always other illicit drugs that provide more of a recalcitrant appeal.

Alcohol was a staple dating back to colonial times. even kids got drunk; poorer families even fed their kids whiskey to give them energy throughout the day owing to the high concentration of calories. when reefer was becoming popular in the early 20th century, it would have been advantageous if america switched to it as a main source of inebriation, but there was a heavy racial stigma in those days, and weed was associated with minorites. not only did common white america have a disdain for it, but racial propagandists invented myths to scare white people away from weed. my point is this: if white america had seen cannabis for what it was, they wouldn't have been relegated to the reckless effects of alcohol, which prompted dutch master to use reference of america's inability to control themselves with alcohol. I think it might be too late to integrate cannabis as acceptable and innocuous hobby for the majority of the US

[Dutch Masta]

when reefer was becoming popular in the early 20th century, it would have been advantageous if america switched to it as a main source of inebriation, but there was a heavy racial stigma in those days, and weed was associated with minorites. not only did common white america have a disdain for it, but racial propagandists invented myths to scare white people away from weed. my point is this: if white america had seen cannabis for what it was, they wouldn't have been relegated to the reckless effects of alcohol, which prompted dutch master to use reference of america's inability to control themselves with alcohol. I think it might be too late to integrate cannabis as acceptable and innocuous hobby for the majority of the US

This is exactly my stance on it.. that it is too late to properly integrate legal marijuana into today's society. Back then Marijuana was believed to cause "Murder, Insanity, and Death". Then from there, slowly but surely, the widespread misuse of marijuana started and the cops took action against it, and its basically built its way into society as that.

The Marijuana Tax of 1937 was the first step in the outlawing of Marijuana. 1937. THC was later isolated in in 1964. Research on Cannabinoid Receptors was only first being done in the late 1980's and 1990's. What does that tell you? The mere fact that the active ingredient in Cannabis, THC, was found decades after it was made illegal just proves how unjustified the outlawing of Marijuana was, and that there could not have possibly been any legitimate research to back any of it up..

Unfortunately, all of this misinformation resulted in Marijuana getting a bad name. I also think its important to understand how Marijuana use sort of fell in with the Cocaine and Heroin problems that were arising at the same time, which only contributed to the bad names that all illegal drugs had back then. MDMA, was also made illegal based on an experiment which was later revealed to have faulty data.

The only way its going to become legal, is when such a high percentage of people use it, that it just becomes impossible to control. But by that time, it will be much more accepted, so there will be no problems with the transition. Now however, is not the time to legalize Marijuana. Petitions and such to "legalize marijuana" are going to be non effective, since legalizing Marijuana at this current point in time would not result in anything effective, and would be an extremely difficult transition. The only thing you can do is help educate everyone about how virtually harmless marijuana is, introduce everyone to the positive sides of it, and help disprove all of the nonsense that goes around about it.

[PieEyedPiper]

By legalising hemp, millions of dollars will be poured into research. As it stands now there is limited research on the pain killing effects of hemp on cancer patients. Does anyone know other research projects involving cannabis?

[PieEyedPiper]

By legalising cannabis,more research into its effects,good or bad, will be available so people can make more informed decisions.In my case, most of the legislation controlling cannabis is based on rubbish. It hasn't caused me to experiment with 'harder' drugs and I have never robbed or harmed anyone to support my habit. If criminal laws are designed to protect the innocent, where are the victims of my 33 year 'crime' wave. The fact is no one has been harmed by my habit.

[weedheaduknow]

i heard that the marijuana tax stamp thing was a fucked up thing like the only way to legally get marijuna was to have the stamp first, yet u would have to go ahead and try to get the stamp first which would be incriminating yourself since your admitting u smoke weed without the stamp. plus the government didn't even really have the stamps, they were just tryin to catch people. I caught this on A&E like a month ago.