Quote Originally Posted by IAmKowalski
Underage use is not appropriate - the recreational use of an intoxicating substance requires sufficient maturity to keep balance and moderation. Most 16 year olds do not have this level of maturity - 18 or 21, preferably 21.

I have no problem with underage medicinal use - with a doctor's prescription. It would be entirely irrational to allow 16 year olds to purchase for recreational use, however.

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As for keeping the corporations out: there is nothing special about Marijuana that makes it uniquely worth protecting from corporate interests. A solid case could be made for providing an advantage to smaller businesses in general to help counteract the general trend of wealth concentration and consolidation - this could be achieved through a wide variety of means: For instance distance from origin taxes on physical goods such that a local sales tax is exempted on goods produced within the same county, a low in-state tax rate is payed on goods from outside of the county but within the same state, and a higher out-of-state tax is payed on goods produced in another state, and finally an imported goods tax is payed on anything produced overseas. This is a pretty crude example, but it is a means of helping keep markets from concentrating to a handful of large companies whose efficiency of scale prevent competition from upstarts and who tend to push smaller established firms out of the market.

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I agree underage use isn't appropriate, I merely lowered slightly the age that separates underage from "of age." My argument being, of course, that 18 is fine for booze and smokes, but weed is a healthier substance than either of these, therefore the policy should be slightly more lenient. 21 is just ridiculous: I can't think of a single thing you shouldn't be allowed to do when you reach adulthood at 18.

I agree there's no rational reason weed should be protected from corporations, other than the obvious (which is that ALL goods should be free from such a cesspool), I was just stating what I'd prefer. If Weed Corporations sold joints by the pack, they'd never get my money...I'd grow my own or buy from a small business.