Nevada's big gamble -- whether to legalize pot
- Thread starter ryson
- Start date
From an article I found:
The Need To Legalize Pot
Just in, California has become the first state to legalize pot! Unfortunately, for all you proud owners of a two-foot-bong or a three-inch bowl, you must have a prescription from a medical doctor before you light up. Perhaps it's only a crack in the ice, but it is a start to a long-awaited, controversial issue that needs to be touched upon again.
In the fall of 1996, Proposition 215 was passed in California, legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Even though the majority (56%) voted to pass 215, opponents plan to continue to fight the measure. It was also so in Arizona, where Proposition 200, the Drug Medicalization, Prevention, and Control Act, won 65% of the vote. It says that Arizona's doctors can prescribe marijuana, heroin, and LSD for patients when there is "medicinal value" (California 62). The passing of these two propositions has also helped the release of prisoners convicted of drug possession (---). With jail capacity already overflowing, if you were to lock up a dealer, you therefore create a job opening.
Bob Randall, president of the Alliance for the Cannabis Therapeutics, a Washington-based patients' right group, says as many as five-million sick Americans might benefit from the legal access to marijuana. Marijuana has been found to: relieve nausea and stimulate appetite in people with cancer and AIDS, control muscle spasms among people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorder, reduce eye pressure among people with glaucoma, and some say it also controls seizures, eases chronic pain, and relieves depression. Dr. Ernest Rosenbaum, a San Francisco cancer specialist, says he and many doctors quietly recommend marijuana to patients who didn't respond to other medications. A 1991 Harvard study found that about 40 % of cancer specialists surveyed had recommended marijuana to relieve chemotherapy nausea, and about 48% said they would prescribe the drug if it were made legal.
An article was written in the October, 28, 1996 Time issue about a former police commissioner, Jo Daly, who was diagnosed with colon cancer. Jo started chemotherapy for her cancer, but the side effects included "nuclear implosion." Then came a burning pain under the nails of her toes and fingers. The good news was that she eventually found relief. The bad news was that it came from marijuana. Daly tried Marinol, a substitute the FDA approved as a synthetic version of THC (marijuana's psychoactive ingredient), without success before she ended up turning to pot. Even after the positive results and outcomes of patients using marijuana, not everyone is in favor of legalizing the drug. Some people are still uptight about the whole issue of legalizing marijuana and continue to set aside the benefits of pot. "This proposition is not about medicine," charges Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, co-chairman of Citizens for a Drug-Free California, the campaign opposing Prop. 215. "It's about the legalization of marijuana" (36).
Well, wake up, America! There are far more benefits from the drug then just medical. Making the drug legally available, with tight regulatory controls, would end the black market and with it, much of the violence; legalization would reduce the number of people in prison, which in turn would reduce the government budget. For 20 years the authorities in Amsterdam have simply ignored the use of pot, which is regularly sold in 4,000 coffee shops in amounts up to 30 grams a customer. Their coffee shops sell an estimated $67,500,000 worth each year (most of which is Dutch-grown) while the Siberia Cafe sells an estimated $1,000 of hash and marijuana a day. It's all done in the open, with the Dutch government collecting the taxes on the receipts (Just 114).
It is reckoned that some thirty-million Americans, roughly Canada's population, have tried marijuana. Of those, about ten-million smoke pot every month, and unlike our president, most of them inhale. In Glasgow, one-half of all students between the ages of 14 and 25 admit to smoking pot "every day." Marijuana has become the US' 'biggest cash crop' despite the death penalty for growing the plant. The estimated thirty-two billion dollar market has spurred many gardeners to make a career out of cultivating the plant.
In a Pensacola Florida News Journal, statements from an article titled, "Marijuana use rising; foes to blame pop culture." were pulled:
- It Beats crack," said David Spencer, a 24-year-old Pensacolian who smokes two or three joints a week. "Beats drinkin', 'cause you don't want to get into a fight or you don't get sick. Smoking weed ain't going to kill you like cigarettes will. Only thing it'll do is make you chill out and hungry."
- And people in Pensacola are grabbing the T-shirts and other merchandise
with illustrations of giant marijuana leaves on them. "It sells great,"
said Joyce Smith, manager of Spencer's in University Mall, about pot-
related merchandise. "We can't keep it in stock."
- "If you're allowed to drink alcohol, there's no reason that you shouldn't be allowed to smoke something that's natural," says Rick May, 26, a Pensacolian who smokes a few joints a year. "Marijuana doesn't cause the problems that alcohol does. You don't hear about people getting stoned and going to pick in a fight or getting in a car and driving somewhere."
From magazine articles to surveys, it's almost unanimous that marijuana should be legally available to the public. I took a survey within the school and found out these results:
* 34 out of 45 people feel that marijuana should be legalized.
* 28 have smoked pot or at least tried it once in his/her life.
* 31 would smoke pot if the drug were to become legal.
How many times must we analyze the issue of marijuana? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that legalizing the drug with a heavy and strict tax would instantly improve the economy, not to mention the medical and social benefits from the drug. If we were to legalize the drug tomorrow, our national debt could be cut in half and our taxes might take a dive. America's society is so caught up in believing what is good and bad for us. If we were smart, we would stop our bitchin', let the drug become legal, and watch what would happen for a change. Perhaps that is what everyone is afraid of, change!
The Need To Legalize Pot
Just in, California has become the first state to legalize pot! Unfortunately, for all you proud owners of a two-foot-bong or a three-inch bowl, you must have a prescription from a medical doctor before you light up. Perhaps it's only a crack in the ice, but it is a start to a long-awaited, controversial issue that needs to be touched upon again.
In the fall of 1996, Proposition 215 was passed in California, legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Even though the majority (56%) voted to pass 215, opponents plan to continue to fight the measure. It was also so in Arizona, where Proposition 200, the Drug Medicalization, Prevention, and Control Act, won 65% of the vote. It says that Arizona's doctors can prescribe marijuana, heroin, and LSD for patients when there is "medicinal value" (California 62). The passing of these two propositions has also helped the release of prisoners convicted of drug possession (---). With jail capacity already overflowing, if you were to lock up a dealer, you therefore create a job opening.
Bob Randall, president of the Alliance for the Cannabis Therapeutics, a Washington-based patients' right group, says as many as five-million sick Americans might benefit from the legal access to marijuana. Marijuana has been found to: relieve nausea and stimulate appetite in people with cancer and AIDS, control muscle spasms among people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorder, reduce eye pressure among people with glaucoma, and some say it also controls seizures, eases chronic pain, and relieves depression. Dr. Ernest Rosenbaum, a San Francisco cancer specialist, says he and many doctors quietly recommend marijuana to patients who didn't respond to other medications. A 1991 Harvard study found that about 40 % of cancer specialists surveyed had recommended marijuana to relieve chemotherapy nausea, and about 48% said they would prescribe the drug if it were made legal.
An article was written in the October, 28, 1996 Time issue about a former police commissioner, Jo Daly, who was diagnosed with colon cancer. Jo started chemotherapy for her cancer, but the side effects included "nuclear implosion." Then came a burning pain under the nails of her toes and fingers. The good news was that she eventually found relief. The bad news was that it came from marijuana. Daly tried Marinol, a substitute the FDA approved as a synthetic version of THC (marijuana's psychoactive ingredient), without success before she ended up turning to pot. Even after the positive results and outcomes of patients using marijuana, not everyone is in favor of legalizing the drug. Some people are still uptight about the whole issue of legalizing marijuana and continue to set aside the benefits of pot. "This proposition is not about medicine," charges Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, co-chairman of Citizens for a Drug-Free California, the campaign opposing Prop. 215. "It's about the legalization of marijuana" (36).
Well, wake up, America! There are far more benefits from the drug then just medical. Making the drug legally available, with tight regulatory controls, would end the black market and with it, much of the violence; legalization would reduce the number of people in prison, which in turn would reduce the government budget. For 20 years the authorities in Amsterdam have simply ignored the use of pot, which is regularly sold in 4,000 coffee shops in amounts up to 30 grams a customer. Their coffee shops sell an estimated $67,500,000 worth each year (most of which is Dutch-grown) while the Siberia Cafe sells an estimated $1,000 of hash and marijuana a day. It's all done in the open, with the Dutch government collecting the taxes on the receipts (Just 114).
It is reckoned that some thirty-million Americans, roughly Canada's population, have tried marijuana. Of those, about ten-million smoke pot every month, and unlike our president, most of them inhale. In Glasgow, one-half of all students between the ages of 14 and 25 admit to smoking pot "every day." Marijuana has become the US' 'biggest cash crop' despite the death penalty for growing the plant. The estimated thirty-two billion dollar market has spurred many gardeners to make a career out of cultivating the plant.
In a Pensacola Florida News Journal, statements from an article titled, "Marijuana use rising; foes to blame pop culture." were pulled:
- It Beats crack," said David Spencer, a 24-year-old Pensacolian who smokes two or three joints a week. "Beats drinkin', 'cause you don't want to get into a fight or you don't get sick. Smoking weed ain't going to kill you like cigarettes will. Only thing it'll do is make you chill out and hungry."
- And people in Pensacola are grabbing the T-shirts and other merchandise
with illustrations of giant marijuana leaves on them. "It sells great,"
said Joyce Smith, manager of Spencer's in University Mall, about pot-
related merchandise. "We can't keep it in stock."
- "If you're allowed to drink alcohol, there's no reason that you shouldn't be allowed to smoke something that's natural," says Rick May, 26, a Pensacolian who smokes a few joints a year. "Marijuana doesn't cause the problems that alcohol does. You don't hear about people getting stoned and going to pick in a fight or getting in a car and driving somewhere."
From magazine articles to surveys, it's almost unanimous that marijuana should be legally available to the public. I took a survey within the school and found out these results:
* 34 out of 45 people feel that marijuana should be legalized.
* 28 have smoked pot or at least tried it once in his/her life.
* 31 would smoke pot if the drug were to become legal.
How many times must we analyze the issue of marijuana? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that legalizing the drug with a heavy and strict tax would instantly improve the economy, not to mention the medical and social benefits from the drug. If we were to legalize the drug tomorrow, our national debt could be cut in half and our taxes might take a dive. America's society is so caught up in believing what is good and bad for us. If we were smart, we would stop our bitchin', let the drug become legal, and watch what would happen for a change. Perhaps that is what everyone is afraid of, change!
Ya
Ya
Dude came to the house w/ a clipboard telling me why I should vote "Yes" on the buds.
During his (well rehearsed speech??) he had no less than 4 brain farts.
Brought back memories of many moons ago. :weed:
Oh & Yes it does burn brain cells & memory loss, unfortunately. :nooo:
Ya
Dude came to the house w/ a clipboard telling me why I should vote "Yes" on the buds.
During his (well rehearsed speech??) he had no less than 4 brain farts.
Brought back memories of many moons ago. :weed:
Oh & Yes it does burn brain cells & memory loss, unfortunately. :nooo:
I find it interesting that marijuana was outlawed and classified as a substance with no medicinal value yet has been proven of medical benefit in treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDS and glaucoma. The US Government won't recognize the benefits and overrides the votes of the states' citizens to keep it illegal.
ABC News recently broadcast an interesting program on this conundrum, addressing many of TTM$$'s points.
My question is: Why, if the majority of the people feel this way, do the laws still stand?
ABC News recently broadcast an interesting program on this conundrum, addressing many of TTM$$'s points.
My question is: Why, if the majority of the people feel this way, do the laws still stand?
we already have stuff of way more benefit to pain relief than pot.....other than pain relief, not really any medical benefits.....
i am wondering what kind of social benefits legalizing pot would bring....if 31% of the population would smoke it, i don't see that as being a social benefit......
we need people in our country to reach out and help others who are in need.....serve other people....smoking weed is a selfish activity and does nothing for anyone.....there is so much more to life......it is highly addictive and can trap one into a life of living for the weed instead of living for other things much more fulfilling.....
i am wondering what kind of social benefits legalizing pot would bring....if 31% of the population would smoke it, i don't see that as being a social benefit......
we need people in our country to reach out and help others who are in need.....serve other people....smoking weed is a selfish activity and does nothing for anyone.....there is so much more to life......it is highly addictive and can trap one into a life of living for the weed instead of living for other things much more fulfilling.....
i agree dr. freeze. but really it's up to each individual person who smokes pot to control themselves and do it responsibly. just like alcohol. i've smoked some really good bud before and i don't see how someone in pain from aids would benefit from the feeling unless they smoked it all day, or if they smoked lots of keef. the problem with legalizing pot is that it has been illegal for so long that it would more than likely become a problem.
Dr. Freeze, are you saying that marijuana has no medicinal benefit for nausea or wasting syndrome? Actually, I'm not familiar with claims of it's benefit with pain, but have personal knowledge of it's benefit to people suffering from those symptoms (nausea and wasting) from HIV/AIDS and cancer and their associated chemotherapies! I can't really chastise someone whose lab values (and life expectancy) have drastically improved when they've been able to retain their medications because they've supplemented their treatment with marijuana.
Let's get real! Almost anything that affects one's mood can and, sadly, will be abused. I am well aware of the effects of excess, but is that something the Government can control? Alcohol is controlled by the Government but still abused. Food isn't illegal but obesity is one of our countries greatest health risks. If the monies used to police street drugs and the inherent crime associated with their procurement were utilized to fund mental health services and substance abuse programs, we would all benefit.
Let's get real! Almost anything that affects one's mood can and, sadly, will be abused. I am well aware of the effects of excess, but is that something the Government can control? Alcohol is controlled by the Government but still abused. Food isn't illegal but obesity is one of our countries greatest health risks. If the monies used to police street drugs and the inherent crime associated with their procurement were utilized to fund mental health services and substance abuse programs, we would all benefit.
Last edited:
Marinol is a good drug, but it still has to be absorbed into the body through the stomach. For someone suffering from nausea and vomiting, it may not stay in the system long enough for it to be of any real benefit.
I was in the process of editing my previous post when you responded. If you'll look back and read the addendum, I think you'll see where I'm coming from.
I was in the process of editing my previous post when you responded. If you'll look back and read the addendum, I think you'll see where I'm coming from.
Freeze, I hardly see what "Social benefit" has anything to do with the topic of legalization. For someone who professes to be in the medical field you certainly seem to me to be a very callous caregiver. Your views on a few subjects now and in the past have never really affected me one way or the other, have agreed and disagreed , but you cannot tell me there is not medicinal value in hooch. The social benefit may be the huge amount of tax money that the gov't stands to collect and if you are a Republican which I hazard to guess that you are, you should love that. It should translate into sweeping tax cuts. Or maybe not.
i am a "callous caregiver"?
that is a harsh judgement if you have never met me in your entire life.....
i care more for people than tax dollars.....i don't think the effects of pot are fully understood by most people.....
if you look at the impact of marijuana use on the economy....millions of dollars are loss due to decreased work performance.....the work lost due to marijuana addiction will far exceed the taxable income ever received from it
that is a harsh judgement if you have never met me in your entire life.....
i care more for people than tax dollars.....i don't think the effects of pot are fully understood by most people.....
if you look at the impact of marijuana use on the economy....millions of dollars are loss due to decreased work performance.....the work lost due to marijuana addiction will far exceed the taxable income ever received from it
Legalized Marijuana gets a 'No' Vote
(Nov. 5 ) -- Nevada voters have defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to let adults possess up to three ounces of marijuana for personal use. Question Nine was backed by a group
called Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. It would have made Nevada's pot laws the most liberal in the nation.
(Nov. 5 ) -- Nevada voters have defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to let adults possess up to three ounces of marijuana for personal use. Question Nine was backed by a group
called Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. It would have made Nevada's pot laws the most liberal in the nation.
there's some real bs, freeze.
like to see you back that up with some substantial data....
and no i don't mean referring us to the film reefer madness.
like to see you back that up with some substantial data....
and no i don't mean referring us to the film reefer madness.
FDC,
It's good to see you posting. I missed your wit.
Dr. Freeze,
You mentioned in your previous post that million of dollars are lost due to decrease work performance.
I don't think you can make such a generalized statement like that.I will agree that there are some people who haven't done very well in the work force or socially while stoned. But I do know people who were very successful in their field, eventhough they smoked the weed. For example:I smoked for many years(1968-1995).During those years achieved a BBA, & a MBA & was very successful in the work place. While the time that I smoked, I was working as a salesman & was in the top 5% in sales nationwide for a major company. I was able to train new people that were starting out in sales. I made enough money to retire at a young age, & have a very happy married & social life. I tell you this eventhough I don't like to talk about myself to people I don't know, but I felt it neccessary to rebut your generalization. I can give you more examples of very successful people who were "heads"& worked in various fields such as law, big business, & sales. I am talking about people who were making money in the $250K & up range.
I do feel that pot should be legalized, but used for medical purposes or used in one's home only. What goes on in someone's home is nobody's business. I think people should not drive while stoned & if caught driving by the authorities they should be treated the same way as driving while drunk.
Senor Capper,
Not surprised by the no vote. Are you?
Patternseeker,
I saw Reefer Madness & thought it was a hoot!
It's good to see you posting. I missed your wit.
Dr. Freeze,
You mentioned in your previous post that million of dollars are lost due to decrease work performance.
I don't think you can make such a generalized statement like that.I will agree that there are some people who haven't done very well in the work force or socially while stoned. But I do know people who were very successful in their field, eventhough they smoked the weed. For example:I smoked for many years(1968-1995).During those years achieved a BBA, & a MBA & was very successful in the work place. While the time that I smoked, I was working as a salesman & was in the top 5% in sales nationwide for a major company. I was able to train new people that were starting out in sales. I made enough money to retire at a young age, & have a very happy married & social life. I tell you this eventhough I don't like to talk about myself to people I don't know, but I felt it neccessary to rebut your generalization. I can give you more examples of very successful people who were "heads"& worked in various fields such as law, big business, & sales. I am talking about people who were making money in the $250K & up range.
I do feel that pot should be legalized, but used for medical purposes or used in one's home only. What goes on in someone's home is nobody's business. I think people should not drive while stoned & if caught driving by the authorities they should be treated the same way as driving while drunk.
Senor Capper,
Not surprised by the no vote. Are you?
Patternseeker,
I saw Reefer Madness & thought it was a hoot!
Last edited:
a generalization is exactly that......most people still are able to function while smoking pot....but there are many who are not.....
a generalization does not mean 100%....nor does it mean 30%....it might be only 10%...but if 10% of the people who smoke pot have a substantial decrease in work performance that translates into billions of dollars.....and i don't think 10% is a reach at all.....certainly is a grand underestimate of the people i know who smoke and have become bottomfeeders because of it when they had so much more potential.....
also know many people who smoke it recreationally and are quite successful in what they do....
a generalization does not mean 100%....nor does it mean 30%....it might be only 10%...but if 10% of the people who smoke pot have a substantial decrease in work performance that translates into billions of dollars.....and i don't think 10% is a reach at all.....certainly is a grand underestimate of the people i know who smoke and have become bottomfeeders because of it when they had so much more potential.....
also know many people who smoke it recreationally and are quite successful in what they do....
AR182 said:
AR.....out of curiosity, how do you propose the authorities do this, since then only tests (that i'm aware of anyway) for THC, will not determine if the smoking was done 2 minutes ago or 2 weeks ago?
BahamaMama,
(LOL) I didn't say I knew how they can enforce it.The professionals should be able to come up with some kind of test.
(LOL) I didn't say I knew how they can enforce it.The professionals should be able to come up with some kind of test.
and that's one of the main reasons i think it hasn't been legalized yet (even without a vote) they know they can't *prove* driving under the influence as they can driving while intoxicated. (and a good reason NOT to legalize it in my book until they DO find a way.)
Sorry Always Prayen. Maybe one day people will become more enlightened and realize this stuff is much less dangerous than alcohol. Doubt it.
