Yes, another pot thread...

Ahhh ok. Then I have no idea about your situation. Sorry.

 

lol, thought cambridge was england

Prices go up here as well, or at least from when I can remember which is at least 10 years ago from police busts. This however only inflates the price, it still isn't hard to come by, nowhere near as hard to come by as cigarettes or tobacco when a minor, and I didn't even live in a big city.

 

Not sure on total proof myself, but there are many instances of hemp being farmed in this great land of ours before pot prohibition, many farms still have it growing wild every year. Going to take a few minutes between cocktails to see if i can find and good research articles on the subject.

 

http://www.erowid.org/library/books/great_book.shtml
A review on a book, no real proof but brings up some good points in the review of hemp being grown
in the United States and what it was used for.

http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempHDRT.html
excellent break down of some of the uses

http://www.pdxnorml.org/7_presidents.html
possible uses by our founding fathers
which includes this quote

and

A few quick reads...will research more if there are any disputes to the info

 

TBH I don't give a shit.

I live in Amsterdam, so I'm not fussed about if it's legal anywhere else. ;p

 

So then I take it you would be a bit t'd if it were banned where you live? Got any rooms for rent lol

 

No, I wouldn't be t'd. I don't smoke it. It's not even legal here in Hamsterjam, just tollerated...which I STILL don't understand coz people buy weed in special coffeeshops and can get stoned next to a policeman or infront of a policestation and no one batts an eyelid.

 

Do you have any reasons for why they should batt an eyelid?

 

I actually knew it wasn't legal, but to me being tollerated is as good as not being banned

It would not matter to you, even knowing some enjoy it's uses, even though if the government could do that they could take something way that you might enjoy?

Love the Hamsterjam by the way, is it for the little furry creatures of the city I had to ask myself.

 

Who do you think you're funding when you buy weed?

The mexican cartels that murder with no regard.
The local gangsters/thugs that also murder, steal, start gang wars, etc.

Of course not all weed is grown/sold through those people, but a large majority of it is. So just think about that the next time you buy....


As for the personal right to use weed (or any drug) I think is a toughy... sometimes I want to say all drugs should be legal, let the weak ones who get addicted ruin their own lives.... but at the same time those people cause a danger to other's. Does weed really cause a danger to others if used? I don't think so... so go ahead and smoke up you long haired hippies!!!

 

Alcohol is legal and pot is illegal.

Makes sense!

T.H.C.?

 

Depends on where you live #1
#2 your point is exactly the point I would use as to why it should be legal. Just like alcohol prohibition drove crime, so does the act of a substance such as pot. Make it legal and would these drug cartels be pushing any pot? The pure act of making the substance illegal makes it possible for the criminal element to try and reap the rewards of it being illegal, make it legal and take it away from these criminals once and for all.

 

You must also consider the economic effect of illegal pot. In BC, Canada pot has estimated revenue of 10 billion dollar (10,000,000,000) /year. The second biggest industry in BC is softwood lumber at 2 billion dollar.

Since the money does not disappear in thin air and because the PST (state tax) and GST (federal tax) on all purchases are 7%, this means pots generates 700 million tax for state and 700 million dollar in federal level or total of 1,4 billion.

On top of this, you must calculate the income tax, luxury tax,... which makes the illegal pot very profitable for government.
Now if the government decides to make it legal which certainly results in price drop (for example 50%), all of sudden the government income has dropped by at least 700 million.

As you can see illegal drugs are very profitable for government.

 

But who sales pot and pays taxes on that income?

 

I see it more of a power struggle at the moment, legalize pot and where would that leave a few government agencies, not to mention more than likely a cut of police forces around the nation 'because need had been reduced' plus other economic issues such as pharmacy, oil, tectiles, etc.

I myself would rather argue the other version, legalize and tax it, think of the revenue you could produce for the government together with the money saved on not prosecuting it, taxes would go down and money would still be left over to educate on drugs and rehabilitate more than there is now. Don't hardcore republicans like low taxes?

 

I think it should be legal. I like smoking it, but rarely do. I think it causes serious damage. But then again, so does alcohol and the pack of Marlboro lights that I inhale each day. So basically, I don't think it will ever be legal. The government is full of old dudes and not many of them smoke weed, but they prolly all drink and grew up used to cigs being legal. There is little cash to be made by the government legalzing weed. Right now a joint is 2 bucks because it's illegal, once legal the price will be similar to the price of cigarettes. Imagine smoking 20 joints a day. There is a lot of hypocricy about the whole issue and I'm sure churches will be against it. 20 years from now we'll probably have the very same discussion and nothing will come out of it.

 

Possibly some damage by smoking but there are other ways to enjoy it other than smoking it, plus in most studies I've read especially since you don't smoke nowhere near as much as you do of cigarettes the damage is much lower.

.
Exactly

I hate to do this, but I do agree the likelyhood of it becoming legal is slim to none. Most if it depends on if the misinformation is allowed to continue and if future generations fall for it hook line and sinker 'I used to be one of those who bought it all'

I disagree, a new product on the market that the government has had such a hissy fit about would probally incur 2 or 3 times if not more per joint in taxes than a pack of cigarettes would. Not to mention the savings of tax dollars for no longer prosecuting weed users and sellers.

You more than likely are right, but if even one person wakes up to the facts from such a discussion in my mind it's worth it. Even if I get 1,000 reds in responce for rep I find it kind of funny the church, with sections of the bible stating basically all plants put on earth were for man that the church be against it. I used to know the exact quotes, but now on my 8th or so large cocktail of the night and my memory is getting a bit blurry, 'kind of funny for a legal drug'

 

I had to follow up on this, I recently within the last year or so read a statement by I believe the drug czar stating a standard user smokes 20 joints a day and a heavy user about 60! I should try to find that article again. The point though is this is how the government tries to claim damage done by pot and other false hoods by totally embelishing the facts to total undeniable falsehoods.

 

Zman a quote from my timmy example from an actual expert Wow I never read an associate professor of psychology or anyone using this for a reason, but I knew I wasn't the first. Glad you got the point, I think it's a good one myself.

I personally read this and other info I've read tonight on this subject, a subject I haven't even thought about in sometime as legalizing pot being a very effective method of stopping hardcore and dangerous drug use. Thank you for the thread, knowledge is a great thing and I'm sucking up more and more as the night goes on.

 

I've met people who smoke that much, and they arnt in the best shape, but doing anything that offen is bad for you. Some people will always do more then they should, same as alcohol. Can it really be banned because some people have no self control?

A couple other random thoughts from reading this thread:
I think the IT industry must have one of the highest percentages of pot heads (at least where I live). But I have yet to see it cause any problems for those who use it responsibly, or seen a casual user move on to harder drugs.

As for supporting Mexican cartels and gangs or whatever... I know who grows the stuff I get; a friendly, non-violent entrepreneur .