Your thoughts on legal cannabis

Should marijuana be legalized?

  • Yes

  • No

  • I couldn't care less


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Veganite

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I have dabbled in the past, but choose to live clean these days. However, with legal marijuana on the horizon here in Canada, I was curious to other people's thoughts on the subject.

There's been a lot of controversy over cannabis impaired drivers. Personally, I fear distracted drivers a heck of a lot more when out riding my motorcycle. The difference being an impaired driver at least tries, where a distracted driver doesn't have a clue. The controversy, however, lies in the testing. There's evidently no good roadside test for pot smokers. They want to rely on a standardized field roadside test, which ultimately leaves it up to the discretion of the officer.

I wonder how things panned out for people in Washington state with respects to cannabis impaired drivers. Did the numbers go up after legalization? My worst fear is seeing way more impaired drivers on the road as a result of legalization. While I do believe alcohol impairment is far worse, impairment is impairment, nonetheless. I'm sure it can cause fatal accidents just the same.

What are your thoughts on legal cannabis? Is it legal where you live? Do you believe it should be legalized? Do you feel there's any health benefits to medicinal marijuana? What age limit should be on its usage?


*
 
I live in Colorado which also legalized recreational use. It's been that way for a few years now.

I wish I had some stories to cite, but I think if you did a google search you'd be able to find stories on whether or not impaired driving has risen in the states where they've legalized its use.

I honestly don't think I've seen many stories of that problem here. The larger problem I've seen is that when CO first legalized it, it was just one of two states that did it and we saw a huge influx of transients coming in. Population boomed and you can imagine all the problems a population explosion can present. (I'm still ****** my usual hiking spots are now swarming with people.)

I don't personally use cannabis. I really don't care for substances that affect my mental clarity (I don't drink, either.) As to whether I think it should be legal or not... well, I feel alcohol does far more damage than cannabis does and yet it's legal. The least I can say about its being legal now is that I don't have to listen to its users whine about it not being legal. :joy:
 
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Big fan here.

As you can imagine, there are very few ways to track statistics about Marijuana use and auto accidents.

Here in California, we had a big 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park and there were roadblocks set up. We were warned by the promoters and most of us just walked to a restaurant or coffee shop and hung out till the roadblocks went away. On the local news that night they reported on the whole thing and said no arrests were made. Not sure if that is considered a success or proof or what.

DUI is still illegal no matter what you have been doing. There may be no objective blood test (yet). but if you can't walk or talk...

Of course I worry about this stuff


Personal view: I think driving after smoking pot makes me a little bit better or safer driver. I tend to get a little paranoid when high and drive a little slower and pay more attention. You mentioned "distracted drivers" and I think I can be one of those. I remember once being sober but fascinated by a story I was listening to on my iPod and missing my exit. When I'm high I'm more likely to be calculating the optimum distance till I change lanes.

Here in America, The War On Drugs has been a ... not sure what. Disaster? Abomination? Mockery of justice? Our criminal justice system is in serious need of reform. I'm not sure Marijuana decriminalization was the best first step. but we needed to start somewhere and this step had a lot of popular support.

Just recently I read something about the NYC police. I guess the feds noticed that 80% of their prison population was black and told them to fix it. They studied some aspects and noticed that white people who got caught smoking pot in public got a warning. But black people went to jail. So they changed their policies and now everyone gets a citation.

It's not going to be the solution. But I think its a step in the right direction.

I don't think Canada is going to have the same issues as Colorado has had as far as "immigration" goes. It's your whole country not just a little piece of it.
 
Pot makes me feel homesick because I'm from a country where it is partially legal, you can buy it as long as you buy it from licensed places, has to be less than 4g per day per person, it's not legal to grow so the weed has to magically show up behind the counter, you cannot smoke cigarettes in the coffeeshops, and so on a lots of ******** rules meanwhile cigarette smokers are able to take ''smoke breaks.''

I think governments should focus on bigger things like the environment, animals, racism/sexism, corruption, diplomatic relations, etc... so much **** going on in the world and people are worried about some college students smoking weed at home. :confused:

What we do in the privacy of our own home should not be other people's f&&& business as long as we are not harming any other living beings. Just leave people alone, smoke pot, drink alcohol, consensual intercourse, eat junkfood in peace.... I'm not paying a ridiculous chunk of my salary in taxes for some nonsensical waste of money like that.

As for me personally: I don't smoke weed.
 
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I live in California and I can tell you the pros and cons...

Pros: Firstly it frees up jails and prisons from unfairly punished people who are disproportionately minority races. Secondly it helps the environment and wildlife since some bigger illegal growers were assholes who polluted water and started other hazards through carelessness. Thirdly it creates a clean standardized products that aren't laced with cocaine or bug spray. Fourth it allows for cool edible cannabis products like vegan chocolates with THC.

Cons: Firstly hurts smaller ethical growers because they lost money and will continue to do so until they can get through the process of being certified as a legal grower. Secondly anytime the government gets involved there will inevitably be some unintended consequences.
 
I live in California and I can tell you the pros and cons...

Pros: Firstly it frees up jails and prisons from unfairly punished people who are disproportionately minority races. Secondly it helps the environment and wildlife since some bigger illegal growers were assholes who polluted water and started other hazards through carelessness. Thirdly it creates a clean standardized products that aren't laced with cocaine or bug spray. Fourth it allows for cool edible cannabis products like vegan chocolates with THC.

Cons: Firstly hurts smaller ethical growers because they lost money and will continue to do so until they can get through the process of being certified as a legal grower. Secondly anytime the government gets involved there will inevitably be some unintended consequences.

one of those unintended consequences or maybe unexpected consequences is the explosion of the paraphernalia industry.

We need paraphernalia even when pot was illegal and the paraphernalia was legal. but the number of head shops and the stuff they sell has dramatically increased.

I know nicotine addicts use vapes too - but OMG. The vaping industry is like a 10m/y industry now.

In a sort of unrelated vein....

Oregon, Washington, and California, when they legalized pot handled their pot-sniffing dogs differently.
Washington retired theirs. They were afraid that busts could get thrown of court. Let's say the drug-sniffing dog barks at a car's trunk and the trunk was filled with cocaine but there was a joint in there, too. They thought a crafty lawyer could get the guys off on an illegal search.

Oregon kept their dogs active.

In California, they are keeping the dogs but using them for other things. and not training new dogs to detect cannabis.

I'm pretty sure there is a cute cartoon in there somewhere.
 
cool edible cannabis products like vegan chocolates with THC.

Sounds tempting. It was the cool part that got me ;)

I am not a fan of the Canadian RCMP. I have the utmost respect for the law, but I am concerned they're going to have a field day with this. Our laws in Canada are so much different here. We're far more a police state than your are in the US. If you get pulled over here, you basically have no rights now. You are just about guilty before proven innocent here. They recently passed a law here where they can now demand a breathalyzer test without any suspicion. Read here

Furthermore, this new law falls under the new Cannabis Act legislation, which has nothing to do with cannabis.


This is funny. It seems very familiar to Lou's story ;)


This is what's really in store for Canadian's that get busted high behind the wheel. Not so funny...

 
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Sounds tempting. It was the cool part that got me ;)

I am not a fan of the Canadian RCMP. I have the utmost respect for the law, but I am concerned they're going to have a field day with this. Our laws in Canada are so much different here. We're far more a police state than your are in the US. If you get pulled over here, you basically have no rights now. You are just about guilty before proven innocent here. They recently passed a law here where they can now demand a breathalyzer test without any suspicion. Read here

Furthermore, this new law falls under the new Cannabis Act legislation, which has nothing to do with cannabis.


This is funny...


This is what's really in store for Canadian's that get busted high behind the wheel. Not so funny...


Wow I had no idea Canada was more of a police state and harassed people that way through routine traffic stops.
 
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It's outrageous that we accept anything less than complete autonomy over our bodies and minds. I think all drug use should be decriminalized, and many drugs (including pot) should be outright legalized.Treating drugs as a criminal justice issue instead of a public health issue has been a disaster...except for the criminal organizations, law enforcement and prison industries who are empowered and enriched by that policy.

Pot is unhealthy for your body and mind, and it's mass production is bad for the environment. Same for soft drinks. And like soft drinks, it's use among children should be strongly discouraged and adults should only indulge in it sparingly if ever. But no one should be harassed, criminalized or imprisoned for it.
 
OMG, when I was in high school, and stoned, I waited for a stop sign to turn green, too. Fortunately, it was late at night and no one was behind me. Eventually, my buddy asked me what I was waiting for. then we couldn't continue till we both stopped laughing.

When I was in college, the rumor was that in Texas, a Steal Your Face sticker constituted probable cause.

and I heard that in Kansas (just east of Colorado) all cars traveling east with college stickers get stopped and searched.

Oh. and the best thing about vegan edibles is that they seem to be the same price as the nonvegan edibles. Edibles is another industry that is expanding like crazy. You go into a pot shop and its like visiting a candy store. In Colorado, they had to start up a new agency to regulate potency and sanitation.
 
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I'm all for legalising Cannabis and other drugs. If they were all legal then their would be no more mixing drugs with all sort of deadly substances and it would free up police time.

I used to take cannabis but it made me weak and stupid so I gave it up.
 
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I think California legalizing pot was so smart. A tremendous boost to the economy. Something like 40,000 new jobs - just in California. And over 600 million in new taxes - just in Ca. I don't have any California only numbers but the Marijuana vaping industry is projected to hit 3 billion.
I don't have any figures but I bet there are savings in law enforcement and court cases, too.

Even with all the taxes (almost 40%), pot is still cheaper than it used to be. And better.

I don't have any statistics - but finding vegan edibles is not a challenge. You don't even have to pay extra. Plus a lot of the chocolate is Fair-Trade, too.

I think there is also a ripple effect. Lots of jobs legal cannabis related or an industry that is getting a bump. The scientific firms that make or train people to use the machines for determining potency, or the pizza delivery business. or how about all those new flavours of So Delicious frozen dessert? Gluten Free non-dairy Cookie dough anyone?
 
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Not convinced by this stoned driving. Seems an obviously bad idea.

If the net effects of legalizing cannabis are negative, it doesn't necessarily follow that it shouldn't be legalized.

Because legalizing it may have some indirect positive effects like freeing up police time, freeing up jail spaces, and generating tax revenue from the sales to fund positive things. Therefore, I'd lean towards legalizing it.

Perhaps it could be sold with warnings on the packets like cigarettes.
 
Perhaps it could be sold with warnings on the packets like cigarettes.

Here in Ontario, Canada (where it has just become legal) all legal cannabis is sold with warnings, at least the recreational cannabis is according to the Ontario Website which is the only place you can buy it until April when stores will become legal.

Emma JC
 
Warnings?! We don't need no stinking warnings.

Bonus point for understanding the reference. but it's like 40 years old. so double points to any millennials who get the reference. Triple bonus point for knowing the reference from the reference. :)
 
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Pot should never have been criminalized. You know there is something dirty in government when you can legally grow all kinds of plants that are deadly to eat, or contain strongly addictive properties (for example, poppy plants) that have strong potential to be abused and cause wider harm to communities - but a harmless, healthful * and non addictive plant is painted as a scourge and government effort is spent on banning or discouraging it's use.

*when ingested, as opposed to smoked.

The medicinal benefits of Cannabis are well documented. They were in the past and are more so now. It also just so happens to replace a bunch of pharmaceutical drugs. The fact that it has been criminalized so long in many parts of the world, especially in areas where big corporate pharma has strongholds, is not a coincidence.

Legalize.
 
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