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[Scarecrow]

We can have up to 30 grams in our possession before it is a crime. I don't even know how much that is?

There is 28 grams in an ounce, which is a pretty standard purchase for most street level dealers (atleast around here, it all depends on quality/price/etc)

If you smoke a bowl a day a gram will last you maybe 3 or 4 days depending on quality. That amount decriminalized is pretty standard here in the states that have done that.

[Grumpy Ole Artist]

By all means, LEGALIZE IT!!!! As has been said, I would MUCH rather deal with a spacey stoner than a sloppy, agressive drunk! Thank ole "Tricky Dicky" for his "schedules"! But the mis-information and paranoia started WAY before that crooked S.O.B. Whether you do or you don't indulge, I highly recommend viewing "Reefer madness". That flick is absolutely, (albeit unintentionally) hilarious! I have heard W.R. Hearst's name related to this issue before. Also Henry Ford and a consortium of business magnate types (Dow Chemicals, amongst others) that were in the process of developing Nylon and Polyester. In their infinite self-serving wisdom, they realized that one of the best ways to ensure a market for their product was to do away with the hemp rope industry.The male plant has essentially, NO effects when smoked. The female plant however, does. The best way to get their product into the biz, was to take a "back door" approach, and attack the recreational usage. Clever, no? God, could I go on, this kinda duplicitous shit REALLY rubs my rhubarb!!! FYI, Most of our founding fathers "grew their own" to "supplement their tobacco supply". Bull! They were CERTAINLY smart enough to realize the differences between the two. They simply liked the way it made them feel! It's all about the almighty dollar. As an aside, the stuff you find out there today is WAYYY more potent than what one would encounter in the 60's. Here's why...In the 70's, Unk Sam decided to attack the Mexican growers by spraying a weed killer called "paraquat" on their fields. The growers went ahead and harvested, causing a bunch of scared stateside stoners. Labs popped up (Mostly in Cali) to test folks' stuff for the poison. The net result was the domsstic, higher quality weed that we have today....God bless the U.S.! Again, LEGALIZE IT! The desire to alter one's consciousness is inherant to humans. Ever seen a little kid spinning in a circle like a dervish until they collapse, dizzy and giggling? Ever wonder WHY? As Tom Lehrer so astutely observed, it's all about freedom of fun! Wanna get the cartels outta the biz? Last I heard, murderous drug gangs don't have ANY interests in your local liquor store. Stop by, grab a pack of doobies, pay your taxes on it, go have a nice weekend. OK soap box is put away now. Thanx for letting me vent.

[Ergo]

Agreed.  Legalize it.

I used to smoke it to alleviate depression but my dosaging was far from controlled and the quality of the drug differed with each purchase.

Eventually I got a bad batch that had been laced with something still unknown.  I had a psychotic episode that nearly cost me my life and potentially could have cost the lives of others.

Give me a controlled product, under medical supervision, and I'm back there in a heartbeat.

[flushed]

ergo, grow your own. It is actually pretty simple getting a clone or cutting will be the hardest part. If you don't want to try to find grow lights you can use flourescent and I have heard of people using LED grow lights.
I used it for pain and found it just made me not care rather than relieved the pain. I gave it up as I don't like being high anyway. 


Legalize it? IDK decriminalize it for sure

[Grumpy Ole Artist]

Ergo, If I had to guess....There used to be a rash of instances where  pot was found laced with angel dust. Absolutely NOOOO firsthand experience there, despite my fairly protracted experience with an infamous "gateway drug", but I have heard PCP (an animal tranquilizer, if I recall!) Led to a lot of acts of "superhuman strength" (People breaking their own arms attmpting to escape restraints, etc.) Borderline psychotic behaviour, in this layman's oh, so humble opinion! Sorry you had such  a bad time with it, glad you made out in one piece!

[professionalurbanexplorer]

Marijuana should be legal to smoke and grow in the USA

 

[bill door]

If you are to edit your posts, please give a brief explanation, as per rules. Thanks.

[autoguy]

Interesting this pops up!  Colorado is on the cutting edge of this issue.  I had gone over all the regulations and licensing concerning a MM production business.  CO had structured their laws different than CA and had it written into the state constitution.  CA has been struggling with some issues due to how their laws were structured.

Recent growing operation raids in CA were done due to the realization that the production levels far exceeded the legal demand for legitimately dispensed product.  (Like that would surprise anyone?  )  Startup costs to meet full regulatory requirements in CO can be considerable, but it can be a very lucrative business to be in.  The state of CO has hinted that it will do whatever it can within it's power to protect legal operations under state law from federal intervention.  I hope they can, and do.

No telling if my associates and I will ever realize a CO MM production operation, but in examining the legal structure and regulations, it appears that CO is trying to do things as properly as possible.  It is not a moral or emotional issue for me.  It's business.  CO is realizing that allowing small operators to scatter everywhere with growing operations is creating an oversight nightmare.  Laws are being modified as the advantages of centrally located growing facilities in commercial and industrial areas are being identified as more preferable.  As we move forward on this issue, I believe interstate commerce among MM states will be established.  Public opinion regarding recreational use is near the tipping point in some areas also.  An established production facility working fully under all aspects of the law would be well poised to meet the market demands of the future.  I'd love to get on board.  My hat is off to the legislators of CO for paving the way on this issue!

Any edits I do are typo corrections.

[psychadellic one]

I know a lot of people who have died as a result of alcohol and cigarette use, i don't know anyone who has died from smoking marijuana.
Just legalize it.

[arntzville]

It's on the ballot in Massachusetts November 6th. However, when our state legislature doesn't like the results of ballot question voting, they just ignore it.

[Jon]

Sometimes it's not what you do in life that defines you; it's what you don't do. Never even tried weed, had it waived in my face constantly, my live in girl friend smokes it daily. Never had the urge, saw no benefit from it. When she goes a few days without smoking she's moody and irritable. When she smokes she's calm, but disconnected. I would assume it has different effects on everyybody. Maybe I live in a 1950's paranoid state of mind, but to me personally it's dirty, mind altering,and addictive (from what I've seen of friends going through withdrawal). I don't judge people who smoke it; I drink like a fish. Pick your poison I guess.

[autoguy]

It's on the ballot in Massachusetts November 6th. However, when our state legislature doesn't like the results of ballot question voting, they just ignore it.

There's not real good standardization across the states that have legalized MM.  I think some states have recreational referendums coming up.  I can see legislators ignoring popular opinion.  They function on graft and bribes.  If their main financial source says no, they say no.  Then, voters (USA) keep re-electing the incumbents and expect a different result.  Einstein defined that behavior as something.  What was it again?   

The THC active ingredient is a cannabinoid.  According to research claims in a documentary I saw, we have natural substances in our bodies that are cannabinoids also.  The similarity allows THC to effect us.  In our body, the natural cannabinoids are a brain and nerve activity regulator.  It was said that people have brain seizures were devoid of cannabinoids and all the brain nerves were firing at once.  No regulator to slow them down.  One woman shown was told to put her child on Ritalin for ADD, a dangerous class two narcotic that induces a lifetime of narcotics addiction.  She chose to give the child very small doses of THC instead.  The dose is not enough to induce a high or anything, but it worked well to alleviate the ADD symptoms.  Compare that to a class two physically addictive narcotic that so many children are fed every day.  (THC is not addictive, BTW.)  I thought the whole nerve regulation thing was very interesting, something I had not heard before.

Any uses of MM are easy to go see, no need to list those.  But one thing I see that needs to be addressed is the broadcast of certain individuals who behave like Woodstock heavy stoners with all the psychedelic posters on the wall behind them.  The public is less likely to accept their explanations of MM benefits and support the industry.  There is a professional side of the issue and it could be presented better.

Jon, sorry to hear your girlfriend is dealing with some issues.  I'm no psych expert, but it sounds like she is depressed and uses negative escapism to deal with it.  You mention she seems disconnected with pot use.  That doesn't sound like a legitimate MM use there.  My best wishes for her outlook on life to improve some day.

[AbandonedNJ]

I see a lot of people here saying legalize it... I don't know if I would say that persay...

The thing is, you can't just trust people in a country like America with that much responsibility all at once. I say make it "legal" in the same way alcohol is, you can buy it in stores but it is heavily regulated. I personally feel like alcohol is much worse than weed. I believe if my brother was a pothead when he was 17 instead of an alcoholic, he may have never tried heroin... but that's a whole other issue.

Those who say it is a gateway drug are uninformed. In many cases people do smoke weed before doing other drugs, but that is because its easier to find! You can't blame weed for that. Also, somebody who looks for an escape, like getting high, is already psychologically determined to try other drugs, and it all comes back to ease of access.

I wonder if anybody has done a study to see if it is statistically, in fact, a gateway drug. I would venture to say alcohol shows to be a more powerful influence.

[autoguy]

Hey ANJ, you posted the 5th, and yesterday the states of WA and CO have legalized pot for recreational use.  You have likely seen that by now.

Whatever the arguments might be, I see the gateway as simple escapism, and any social acceptance of using it.  The legal intoxicant up until now was alcohol.  Escape reality and alter consciousness with alcohol.  Not only only socially acceptable and taught from cradle to grave, but encouraged many times.  The idea of socially acceptable escapism by way of an intoxicating substance is there to begin with.  I'd say that in itself is the gateway.  The list of substances is secondary in my mind.

I say hooray for CO.  One of the most lucrative opportunities with fantastic growth potential for a long time is there now.  Those active in MM on the larger scales are poised very well at this point.  A new industry is there to jump on.  Damn I wish I had the startup capital.  Open the Rocky Mountain High "connoisseur's retreat" or some crap.  "Pot tourists" will be flocking to CO in large numbers and they will be willing to pay for such services.  A fully stocked resort of sorts combined with a commercial growing operation should be very lucrative.  I see a great business opportunity.

Other stuff too.  Near the state line on busy highways, try running a "weed vault" service.  Little locker boxes like the train stations have for temporary use, nominal cost.  People heading across the state line can stow any weed they're carrying in there, and nab it back when they came back into CO.  It's an illegal substance in all the surrounding states.  Runs itself basically.  I'd bet that would get used!

[Ichabod]

I have been smoking marijuana for 3 years now. It should be mentioned that the substance is illegal in my country of residence and that i nevertheless grew up around it like all of my peers.I used it recreationally several times when i was a kid just like everyone else, we used it for laughs and interesting nights.

Now for years i'm suffering from deppresion and at one point marijuana became a fundamental tool in my everyday life. I spent this last summer as a season worker (cook) and i was away from home for 6 months.
After coming home from work i would not be albe to sleep at all, i had no appetite at all, and i was, basically feelling meagre. I was not able to concentrate on fairly simpe tasks including what seemed to be a perpetual hollowness on top of a period of memory loss.
I noticed i was becoming more and more forgetfull and it was interfering with my work as it is high paced.
So after coming home from work, tired as hell but still unable to even keep my eyes closed, i would routinely smoke a spliff and that was the only initiator of sleep and eating.
My roommate was a recreational user so we got along quite nicely.
As far as medicinal use is concerned, and recreational for that matter, i pray to the heavens that one day it becomes at least decriminalized so i don't have to watch over my shoulder every time i'm walking with weed home as if i was some sort of public enemy n.1