Legalization of Marijuana

of dru's being.:

@ kizzman
Black markets won't just magically disappear, no. But if we hadn't created them by making the product illegal in the first place, we wouldn't have to worry about cleaning that shit up, which is mainly the point I was trying to make.

How can you say that making a product illegal is the only thing that causes the black market to appear when there's a massive black market for cigarettes even though they are legal? One of the most commonly used arguments in favour of legalizing marijuana is saying that it will be very heavily taxed - but if it will be taxed at all, illegal producers and distributors will prefer to continue selling it illegally instead of losing 20% or 30% (or more? currently in the US 50% of the price of a pack of cigarettes is taxes) of their profit to the government - and many if not most consumers will prefer to buy the cheaper stuff too.

kizzman:

I do, I just posted them. There's no definitive way to prove anything, dru, but studies suggest that being under the influence of marijuana poses increased risk for hospitalization and fatal accidents.

But so do loads of drugs, whether prescribed or bought off the shelf. I don't see how someone getting high on weed and losing control of their vehicle is any different to someone taking common-or-garden pain-killers and falling asleep at the wheel.

If it became legal, it's not like it wouldn't come with wise precautions/advice, just like alcohol and tobacco do. Obviously it's up to the user to decide whether to follow the advice or not, but my point remains the same.

@ kafka.
Right now it's sold medicinally and it's cheaper to buy it medicinally than in the streets, so if it were raised even $20 or $30 for an ounce/half ounce for taxes, it'll still be cheaper than or the same price as the street shit, just better quality that's actually regulated.

of dru's being.:

@ kafka.
Right now it's sold medicinally and it's cheaper to buy it medicinally than in the streets, so if it were raised even $20 or $30 for an ounce/half ounce for taxes, it'll still be cheaper than or the same price as the street shit, just better quality that's actually regulated.

I'd also argue that there is a significant number of people who smoke marijuana who do not engage in any other "criminal" activity, who, if given the chance, would not want to continue breaking the law and putting themselves at risk. If I could get joints at a coffee shop, I'm not going to meet some shady dealer at his creepy ass apartment.

@ Kurtni
Agreed. Since the worst thing marijuana can do for you is to be caught with it illegally, it's probably much more worth it to pay an extra $10-20.

of dru's being.:

@ kafka.
Right now it's sold medicinally and it's cheaper to buy it medicinally than in the streets, so if it were raised even $20 or $30 for an ounce/half ounce for taxes, it'll still be cheaper than or the same price as the street shit, just better quality that's actually regulated.

Your point being? Medicinal marijuana is not heavily taxed because it would be extremely cruel if the state tried to put high taxes on medication, especially since it's something usually used by people with very serious health problems like cancer or HIV - which is to say people who already spend a lot of time on drugs / medical care. Commercial marijuana would be very heavily taxed because not only will the government not want to be accused of encouraging marijuana use by making it very cheap (rising taxes on cigarettes has been proven to lower tobacco use, btw), but they'll want to make a tidy profit from selling marijuana - since that's the only reason why it will ever become legal.

@ kafka.
That's what I said. If medicinal marijuana is currently a fuck of a lot cheaper than street marijuana, even adding a 20-30 dollar tax per half ounce wouldn't make it more expensive than street marijuana. So they can still tax it, make their profit, and it will still be cheaper than the stuff I can go out and buy on the street.

Exactly what I said above...

The substance itself is not bad - many of the people that use it however, are. About 95% of the people I know smoke. Me, my mom, my cousins, my boyfriend and the majority of his family smoke on a regular to daily basis. Most of my friends smoke, as do the majority of the people I work with. None of them are into hardcore drugs, none of them are alcoholics, and none of them are bad people. They have their lives together, and none of their personal problems are because they smoke.

Marijuana is not a gateway drug - there's no such thing. You cannot blame a person's life falling apart based on their use of pot, you can only base it on their own bad decisions. A person CHOOSES to try harder and more dangerous substances - not an inanimate substance. Chasing a better high is a psychological problem, and using marijuana doesn't set it off; that addictive personality is already lingering in their brain. There's also never been a recorded instance where marijuana has killed someone, which can't be said at all about cigarettes or alcohol which kill people on a daily basis and are totally legal. Don't get me wrong, I smoke a pack a day and occasionally drink, but I still think they're much more harmful on a physical and psychological level than weed. But, this being said, I don't think that it should be widely legalized. The government would tax the shit out of it, but illegal sales would still dominate because of how expensive it would be.

Ultimately, it's neither good or bad. Several people I work with smoke AT WORK, and they're some of the best people on the staff. My boyfriend used to smoke before work to kind of pull his head together and help him concentrate before he was prescribed ADHD meds. Some people do it to help with medical issues like sleeplessness/insomnia, pain, anxiety, and depression. It's not just used recreationally to get high.

@ passive-
I don't agree illegal sales would still dominate because of the price. Right now medicinal is 20-30 dollars cheaper than street value (and a lot better quality) so even if the government added a 20-30 dollar tax, you still wouldn't be paying anymore than you do now and you'd know it's legit product and not some reg that's been sitting on a shelf for a year that some dick tried to pass off as kb.

And even if that weren't true, I still don't think it's a good reason to keep it illegal. The worst thing pot can do to you now is for you to get caught with it. It would be nice if we didn't have to go to prison for a fucking plant.

The main issue with the drug is that people have opposing views about marijuana.
I personally believe the weed is a harmless drug, that doesn't have any serious side effects beside hazy thinking for a few hours afterward.
Others believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, opening people up to the wonders of all other illegal substances that are potentially very dangerous.
If the country did legalize weed I feel our economy would slow down drastically. Weed is already taxed extremely by those who sell it. The hardest part about producing weed is growing it. It takes a lot of specific lighting, humidity and tender care. Other than those factors it's very easy to grow. In certain states weed is significantly cheaper than in others, simply because of the weather. Think of how easy it would be to grow weed in Arizona, compared to a state such as Wisconsin.
Also, don't you believe that if weed was legalized and sold openly at high prices, dealers of the drug wouldn't compete and sell for lower prices? This would cause the people to drift toward the cheaper option, leaving the whole legalization thing a bust.
Bottom line is that if Marijuana does become legalized, people must be smart about openly selling it. I think it could be a huge hit, or a disastrous miss if not executed properly.

@ giavona
Like I said above, medicinal marijuana is 20-30 dollars lower than street value now, therefore even a 20-30 dollar would make marijuana the same as street value now.

And I don't know what you mean about easier to grow in Arizona versus Wisconsin unless you're talking about reg. I only smoke kindbud, which is grown inside.

@ open dru's mouth.
I live in Philadelphia where a nickle bag of weed is incredibly small. In humid placed such as Arizona, just an example, a nickle bag of weed (5 dollars) is the entire bottom half of a regular sized sandwich baggy. The prices vary drastically.
As for the medical prices, I feel that dealers would drop their prices and compete. Sure, I feel that there is a price that they would refuse to go below, but than again stores wouldn't lower their prices. At least I doubt it.

@ giavona
I also think that most people would rather not go to prison for illegally buying weed versus paying a few dollars more for better quality.

I don't buy in amounts that small. Usually only reg is sold in increments that small unless it's a really small dealer. I couldn't buy 5 dollars worth of weed from my dealer--he'd laugh in my face. Regardless, I've had dense word versus undense weed and I don't think something being fluffy makes it better than something that is dense. It depends on a lot more than that. I've had fluffy weed that was bigger but not as potent and dense weed that wasn't as large, but was more potent.

Also, a nickel bag should still be an amount (half a gram?) so I would make sure you're getting the amount. I was taught always to specific the weight and never the amount I'm willing to pay because you will get ripped off.

I was just referencing prices. If a nickle bag has such ranging prices, imagine larger scale.

I know a bunch of people who would buy the illegal option for a few bucks less, and those few bucks add up once you buy in large quantities.

@ open dru's mouth.

@ giavona
How can a nickel bag have ranging prices if it's always five dollars? Do you mean amounts? It should never have a different amount unless the buyer paid more for that weed that he did the time before. While it may look different, the measurement should be the same. I feel like you dealer is ripping you off.

Well, I think people who buy marijuana illegally once it's been illegal definitely deserve jail time. The whole point of legalization should be to eradicate the black market for it. I hope anyone who buys marijuana after it's legal through a back-market transaction does end up in jail because they are doing something wrong in that case.

How can you accuse my dealer of ripping me of, when I've never stated that I have a dealer? Invalid point.
I'm referring to the amount for the price. In humid states a lot of work isn't needed to grow any type of weed because the of hot and humid climate. Weed grown under specific lighting with a certain set temperature is going to be more expensive versus reggie. I know that, I'm not daft. Labor causes higher prices.
As for prison time, I agree. If this whole thing is going to actually be legalized, why throw so much effort down the drain? Not only is it ignorant but also meaningless. I know that there are people that would gravitate toward the illegal option just for a few bucks.

@ giavona
I think I get what you're saying now about the nickel bag and the prices. It's just really confusing to me because I buy in increments of half an eighth or an eighth and it's the same price 9/10 times. But when you tell someone you want five dollars worth of something, they'll decide what five dollars is worth to them instead of giving you a set amount, like half a gram or something.

@ open dru's mouth.
In Philly you ask for a dime, a nic, and it's always in a baggy. For instance a dime is two nic bags. Maybe it's just the way it is down here.
I've never bought in large amounts. Only when I was younger, and not pregnant, I engaged in the recreational activity.
However, my fiancee has experience with the subject so I'm sure he's know a lot more about packaging, bagging and the whole fiasco.

@ giavona
We tend to get ours in a bag, it's just fuller depending on the amount you get. I get mine in a bottle because I bring one with me so as not to waste bags or have a million of them floating around my apartment. A bag is the easiest way to do things, but we just fill our bags fuller if it's a gram versus an eighth (3.5 grams).

However, I don't consider an eighth to be a largest amount. It's pretty much the smallest my guy will sell. We always consider a dimebag or a nickelbag to be a high school thing for young kids without a lot of money and selling to high schoolers is stupid, so it's best to stay away from that.

@ open dru's mouth.
Dimes and nics are the only things they sell down here unless your buying a gram or more. The only thing they sell in bottles is exotic, which is overpriced and overrated. At least the kind they sell down here.