the GOOD and the BAD aspects of legalization

[Buddha Man]

pretty simple:

GOOD- Smoking wherever you want. No dealing with rip off dealers. BEing able to go to the corner store to pick some up.
BAD-if it is legalized i guarantee stores will charge more than street prices. it probably wont be the BOMB either. just some commercial shit

[hossua34]

Not so simple at all.

First off, there would be no "smoking wherever you want". If legalization were to occur, it would pretty much be legal to smoke in your home or a friend's home, and nowhere else. As it should be. You shouldn't have the right to blaze while driving, for example, or on a sidewalk where any kid could walk by.

Second, there's no way they would charge more than street prices if it were legal. If they did, they'd just lose business to street dealers. AND, the only reason marijuana is so expensive is because it's a scarce commodity. It takes time, effort and considerable risk to produce. If it were legal, lots of companies would make some bomb-ass shit on a large scale, and it wouldn't be so expensive. And if you didn't like the sound of that, you could always grow your own!

There are virtually no downsides to legalization (apart from more potential exposure to young children, like cigarette smoke, which would be a sad thing).

[Captain Hanks]

well from my eyes marijuana smoke is completely harmless, so the little kid issue isn't an issue at all, from my view at leat

[Pride]

Same with beer though how you shouldn't drink in public or drive with it.

[bud breath420]

my thoughts on this.. well my stoned thoughts on this...good point are: if weed was legal there would be alot less usage of harder drugs like heroin and shit, i could wave to the cops as they drove past my house smokeing a big spliff, it would be easier to get for medicinal users and such and im guessing the crime rate would probably go down (everyone would be too stoned to care about crime!!) bad points: umm not realy many except i kinda like how i can say fuck the system in my own little way by sparkin one up... maybe thats just me.... Peace!!

[Lucifuge]

The good points only refer to what YOU personally would gain from legalization. What does society and the economy have to gain? Not from commercial Hemp, but from cannabis.

[Hamlet]

What does society have to gain? How about organized crime's profits being completely undermined. Government agencies profits being completely underminded (how many billions every year in the War on Drugs?) The guys clear-cutting our forests profits would be undermined-hemp makes better paper. And the economy in general would have to make some dramatic shifts. It's the first, second and third largest mony crop in a lot of places. So basically, just like everything else, if you want to understand something-just follow the money. That works for almost everything from Marijuana to Iraq.

The down side? I think the Culture would fall away. It wouldn't be cool and rebellious anymore and most people would loose interest. As it stands now it's something of a beckon pointing out our society's corruption, hypocracy and greed. Joe Average is being persecuted and becomes aware of Big Brother's tyranny. I think we would loose that and a lot of people would put their heads right back up their asses and fall into complacancy, blindly doing what 'The Man' wants and never thinking for themselves. You wouldn't be cool anymore, you would just be stoned.

[SinisterK]

It's a natural progression, societys constantly changing. Once marijuana is legal people will move on the other issues.

You'll have to be 21 to buy it. Society will pressure you not to do it. If it does become legal, it'll take ages before it's an excepted thing. But you'll rebel against them and do what you think is best for you. If your concern is being rebelious, that is.

I'm personally tired of seeing this harmless plant demonized, things need to change.

[bud breath420]

Yeah!! naw to be honest it wouldnt bother me either way if legalization occured or not.. id still smoke the same amount everyday.. but when i realy think about it the chances of legalization actualy happening in my lifetime is slim...... very slim.. Ive just been listening to system of a down (prison song?) it tells me the government uses drug money to pay for secret wars around the world, drugs are now a global policy .. which in turn makes greater nations like America and what not to police the globe... i love you system of a down!! peace!!!!

[hossua34]

well from my eyes marijuana smoke is completely harmless, so the little kid issue isn't an issue at all, from my view at leat

Don't fool yourself - marijuana smoke isn't completely harmless. It irritates the lungs and may or may not be a cancer risk. I just don't think it's right to expose children to any mind-altering chemical at such a vital time for physical and psychological development.

And as far as what society has to gain at large, the point has already been made about the illicit drug trade taking a big hit, and it is a good point. How about the millions of dollars in vice taxes that states stand to make from legalization? There is no way that would be less than what they currently make through fines against smokers. There would also be a minor ease on our overburdened prision system, and countless other benefits.

[Rhastus]

how about drug taxes as a pro to economy!!! i mean c'mon they tax every legal form of drugs and you would only get more tax money from marijuana, yet i've also heard that all the fines that get taken in from all the crimes from drugs well enough makes up for it(i still doubt it but possible)

society should not be worse by any means other than old farts bitchin about it

definitely lower prices

i for one would not want kids to see it in public, and i'd say 18 is a good age because chewing tobacco provides a high that is comparable to weed at low doses where as alcohol is a lot more intoxicating

of course tho everyone is trying to get rid of tobacco and teh way we have BRAIN-WASHED everyone into thinking that weed is bad it would probably be less accepted


on a side note someone should make a Get the Facts booklet and distribute them everywhere!!!

[pu ekot]

Can you imagine going to a gas station and buying a pack of joints?
Think about it, they could probably grow for the same price as tobacco, although it would be less expensive because of less demand.

Also, you would also have packages of weed that say what percentage THC they are(gov. regulated, probably), possibly what percentage indica/sativa, and the government would stop wasting money on the war on drugs, stop paying to keep stoners in prisons, and gain money from taxing marijuana.

I see no downsides.

[MastaChronic]

^word, i wanna buy a deck of spliffs for like $5 plus a .50 cent tax on every deck, the government would make so much money

[Transition Force]

BAD-if it is legalized i guarantee stores will charge more than street prices. it probably wont be the BOMB either. just some commercial shit

Wrong.

From a simple economics perspective, that would never last.

Currently, dealers face far higher operating risks than they do if bud was legalized. That is the reason prices remain as high as they are on the streets.

Now enter legalization. Virtually all of the risks are eliminated from the buisness, other than the typical risks associated with running a buisness. Growing costs go down, as you don't have to have such high security measures from worrying about getting caught. Transportation costs go down for the same reason.

If public buisnesses were to charge more than street prices, while offering a lower quality of bud, people would naturally simply buy it off the street like they do now. Someone will offer a better quality product at a lower price and still be able to make a huge profit. When that happens, buyers will begin flocking to that buisness.

In response, other buisnesses will be forced to lower their prices and/or increase the quality in order to stay in buisness. You simply can't stay in buisness while offering higher prices and lower quality in a capitalist society. That's the beauty of capitalism.

The only concievable time where prices could go higher than street prices would be when it is legalized. Why? The demand from current bud smokers is going to skyrocket, and everyone's going to take advantage of that fact. IMO, it'll probably last about 6 months, after which prices will normalize.