California finds pot is a huge cash cow
 

i hope california makes weed legal and then the fed will finally cave in..

no reason why pot is still illegal and alcohol is legal..

We have similar but grey-area services in Vancouver... just wish it was less sketchy.

Pot heads to the rescue...

yeah i never got a dui for driving high

Be careful, you can... And a medical license won't save your ass there. Same with any prescription medicines.

yes i know you can , in fact i had taken to much cough syrup when i was younger robotripping got a dui blah!!

where i live ive known one person to get a dui while being stoned.

the bigger issue should be and without starting arguments , alcohol kills .. weed doesn't
and im not talking about driving.

When have you seen someone get weed poisining?

I'm with ya, it's nice to see the culture expanding, and society finally coming around to rational decisions about THC...

And some idiots claim weed should not be legal or will not be legal.

word. :upsidedow

Yep. And I'll take that a step further...I see no reason why an adult should ever be told that something should be "illegal" when it doesn't harm anyone else.

Just read here in Vegas that the Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood is being fined by the state for $750,000.00 because their bouncers weren't fast enough making a girl put her tits back in her shirt in the club and allowing too much "lewd and lascivious behavior" in the club

Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin and the rest must be rolling in their graves at how repressive and authoritarian government has become. "We the people"? I don't think so.

politicians love state rights until it comes to pot.

Gov Perry of texas is using state rights to stand off with Obama on his health care and saying he will invoke 10th amendment and stop feds from "butting into state business"

then comes Cali with trying to legal weed, cant have it both ways can ya Washington???

no shit......wonder how many microeconomists it took to figure this out?

State rights were pretty much gutted with the Civil War. Once the confederate states made the bad decision to try and leave the union (which they constitutionally should have been able to do) it was the end of states rights. Once the war was over, the federal govt. has been large and in charge ever since.

To the good in most ways (civil rights for instance), but as usual...when someone gains too much power they always over reach. And the feds now put their nose into everything and treat the states like lapdogs.

Genius really. They funnel all the money to Washington through the bullshit federal income tax and social security. And then USE that money in a carrot and stick scenario to force states to do the bidding of Washington.

Just a couple of months ago, several governors who did NOT want the federal bailout were forced to take the money against their will by Washington.

States rights were originally intended by the founding fathers to supersede federal powers. But I think we can all see that isn't true anymore and hasn't been since 1865.

Billions of dollars in tax revenue, no doubt.. but at what human cost?

Uhhh..none. Everybody that wants to smoke pot already does. Matter of fact EVERY drug that anybody wants to do...they are already doing it.

Difference is...it's making criminals rich. Once legalized, that shit comes to an end and the cartel is out of business. Same thing happened with Prohibition back in the 1920's.

People need to stop trying to govern how others live their lives.

If a guy wants to get high...it shouldn't be anybodies business but his own.

simple scenarios such as these are "seat belt laws" and "drinking age laws"....they were driven by the FEDERAL gvnt to make the states comply or lose all of those federal dollars that help maintain the interstate highways that run through that state.

Since when did the government start weighing human cost in its decisions?

Iraq War and Agent Orange is still killing more people than pot ever has or will lol

(fletch on lappy)

I agree. I have yet to see, for the life of me, a person on pot (solely) who gets VIOLENTLY ANGRY. Alcohol just brings out the worst in people sometimes...

The only law that should be in place is or are...simple bullshit laws like......

DWI.....obvious.....right.....

outside of endangering innocent bystanders as DWI/DUI laws do......let 'em get fucked up...............


no one would care about trival bullshit anymore.....:helpme

Oh come on. Weed doesn't hurt anyone. Thats a silly "the more you know" commercial... lol

WAY less harmful than Alcohol thats for sure. :2 cents:

never seen that myself either......but as for drunks......I think its a chemical imbalance between different people......one is a happy drunk......then the angry drunk.....then the horny drunk......then the "insert drunkard type here"....:winkwink:

Damn, don't get me started on drinking age laws.

That has been one of the biggest mistakes ever made. We have BABIES instead of adults now at 18.

By the time they turn 21 they theoretically have never had a drink in their life or went to a nightclub and learned how to socialize like an adult.

In reality they are drinking and driving with their buddies in their cars all night long in parking lots and by the time they are 21 they don't even know how to act when they go to a nightclub. They end up getting the shit beat out of them for acting stupid. lol

But we tell them: "Hey you're an adult so go fight in the war! And pay income tax!"

I've always agreed with this. If you are considered old enough to vote and determine who will lead this country and you are old enough to smoke and go fight and possibly die for this country and you are old enough to be tried as an adult if you commit a crime then you should also be old enough to have a drink.

There are a few drugs like Meth and Heroin that I could see keeping illegal because in the end they very well could end up hurting society as a whole. Meth is so addictive that most people are full blown addicts after using the drug just a couple of times so I could see how people could try it at a party just for fun and end up going down a really bad road. Plus the recovery rate for meth is about 10-15% so most people who get on it never get back off it. Heroin is kind of the same thing. The recovery rate is a little bit higher, but not much. I could see situations where if these were legal more people might try them and get hooked on them and then everyone else ends up paying for them because they either resort to crime to pay for their habits or they end up in a rehab or jail and the tax payers pick up the tab.

But weed is a different story. A ton of people smoke it on occasion and never have a problem. It is no more addictive than regular cigarettes or booze.

CA laws are still Fucked up..

Its LESS addictive by leaps and bounds compared to cigs and booze. And its actually not addictive at all, but the feeling you get can be addictive, but not the actual thc.

I was watching Bill Maher a couple of weeks ago and they were discussing drug legalization.
And Bill said something that made 1000% sense to me.

He asked everyone on the panel...If heroin were re-legalized tomorrow (yes it was legal and distributed by Bayer for a couple of decades over the counter) would you want to try it.

Every person on that panel said "no".

I'm not a big pot smoker. Did it as a teen of course, but found that "downers" aren't much fun to me.

I like to snort a few lines of good flake and have a few beers and shots. And I also love blotter acid.

But if heroin were legalized tomorrow? I can't see me ever wanting to try it for any reason at all.

I agree it's pretty damn addictive. But I'm not sure a lot of people would suddenly want to try it because it's legal.

It's human nature to do whatever you want to do, regardless of what the govt. says. If a person wants heroin...they get heroin. If people want meth...they get meth. Just because I think heroin wouldn't be any fun, and meth is just grotesque...doesn't mean they shouldn't have the rights as an adult to do as they damn well please.

Meth heads are already the worst drug problem that I've ever seen as far as what the addicts do (stealing, etc.)

But sometimes I think some people are just no damn good. They have addictive personalities and no matter what you do to try and help them...they are going to naturally end up in the gutter no matter what.

So again, I don't see a person who never wanted to try meth (which is easy to do right now) suddenly deciding to try it just because the govt. says it's legal now.

A lot of it is really just theory and conjecture by people who want to control our lives. That's my opinion on it. It's all about control, power, and money.

I will agree with you that when it comes to most adults. People who haven't already tried heroin or meth won't then just go out and try it. sure, there might be a few, but most of them won't.

That said I think there are a lot of kids out there who could end up at a party and they might try it. Sure, that could still happen today, but if it were legal it would be a lot easier to get. So I fear that you could end up with a bunch of kids who try it just to make their friends think they are cool and end up in a bad place.

When it comes to meth I have to fully agree with you. Meth users are the lowest of the low and chances are these are people who, if there were no meth, would probably be hopelessly addicted to something else.

Meth is such an ugly drug that I think making it legal could start us down a pretty ugly road. I am normally not a person who thinks the government should control much of anything. I have always felt that if I want to do something and it doesn't hurt anyone but me then the government should have no say in it. But I think there are a few situations where the potential of something is so ugly that it might be best for everyone if it stay illegal.

Right it is more of a mental addiction than a physical addiction.

Gray area, but ya its more like that.

Any of you guys in cali getting into the medical marijuana biz?

Let me know when your affiliate program starts up.... will you guys pay in grams or ounces?

Very inaccurate, THC is not physically addicting like alcohol and tobacco is.

Having stopped drinking almost 5 years ago and gone through 9 days of alcohol withdrawal and DTs, and having stopped smoking marijuanan, there is a HUGE difference between the two and it is silly to say THC is as addictive as alcohol or tobacco.

Anyone can stop smoking weed after 10 years of daily use, drink alcohol everyday for 10 years and suddenly quit you will be in hospital after your DTs kick in.

You dont get Dts from marijuana, Ive been through withdrawal from alcohol its horrible. You also dont get the shakes when you need to smoke pot, Ive had my hand shake and NEED alcohol...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_tremens

Smoking weed is legal with a medical prescription. They're easy to get, just gotta pay up for it.

yup very easy to get.. as long as the dea stop doing raids!!! the last ones were when obama took office.

The bottom line is that if all of the controlled substances are taxed and decriminalized....the FDA would regulate the Potency, Purity and Dosage at a controlled level so that people wouldn?t OD.....you can only get TAXES out of dead people ONCE! So it would be manufactured by bristol myers squibb or pfizer and would be kept where the cigarettes are in the store that would collect the state and federal "FUN" excise taxes out of it......


But then where would all of those unemployed DEA agents go off to work at??the FUN division over at the IRS.

Whenever someone tells YOU that your not allowed to do something?..that is like I said not going to endanger anyone but yourself??.there is another extra added thrill of doing something taboo?..or maybe illegal??SHIT IT?S THE COPS!!!! FUCK!!!!

You see it on the first ?real? reality show????????.Fox?s COPS??.just how many people do the crazy shit they do??its fucking life??.but its all about making shit legal that weeds out the seedy and or shady elements of an industry.

Here is one of the most interesting parts of that article, it is toward the end...I'm not sure if any of you read that far, but I'll have to say I agree with most people here on the issue:

What would happen if marijuana was legal ? not just for medical uses, but for all uses?

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, wants the state to tax and regulate all pot as it does alcohol. State Board of Equalization Chairwoman Betty Yee, a supporter, projects the law would generate $990 million annually through a $50-per-ounce fee for retailers and $392 million in sales taxes. (The state now collects $18 million each year in taxes on medical marijuana.)

Meredith Lintott, Mendocino County's district attorney, argues that big-time growers never would bother filing tax returns. "Legalizing it isn't going to touch the big money," she said.

But others predict the black-market business model would fall apart.

Large-scale agri-businesses in California's Central Valley would dominate legal marijuana production as they already do bulk wine grapes, advocates argue. Pot prices would fall dramatically, forcing growers to abandon costly clandestine operations that authorities say trash the land and steal scarce water.

And legalization, supporters insist, would save state and local governments billions on police, court and prison costs.

But others survey California in 2009 and say the cannabis future is now. Richard Lee has parlayed two Oakland dispensaries into a mini-empire that includes a marijuana-lifestyle magazine, a starter-plant nursery and a three-campus marijuana trade school. Oaksterdam University's main campus is a prominent fixture in revitalized downtown Oakland.

All without legalization.

very very true. I know a lot of people wanting to get into the collective biz. now that times are tuff.

If they locked up everyone that smokes weed in California, it would be a ghost town. they know this and have to do something about the laws sometime soon. fuck it's hard for me to think of anyone I know, who does not enjoy a toke or two.

what they need to do is put a cap on meds!!! but I still would rather pay top dollar for that fyha!!!! tripple ogizzle, skywalker etc.. ya know that kill bill

A frank discussion on the legality of weed in America...
 

Here is my 2 cents on the topic...

I always made that same argument too-you have the potential to be drafted, but you can't drink a brew? This is stupid....

for sure if you legalize all drugs it will get rid of most dealers almost immediately because, like you say, big companies will step in and make the drugs and they will be more controlled and "safer", if that is possible, because the meth you buy will be made in a lab, not in some guy's barn on a hotplate.

There will be little use for drug dealers because you can go to local store and buy it. Still, for me, meth is so freaking dangerous that I think legalizing it would be playing with fire. With weed the only person you can really hurt is yourself (unless you drive while high). It is cheap, you smoke some, eat a few twinkies and go to sleep. With meth you are up for four straight days and wired out of your skull and as soon as the immediate high wears off you want more.

I know a woman that was married, had two kids and a job and was a good person. Someone I thought was a trustworthy person and someone I thought was a good parent and wife. She went to a weekend get away with some friends. One of her friends brought a friend with her who had some weed. this woman had smoked some grass before so she was game. The trouble was it had some meth in it. Still she got high as hell and loved it. The next day she decided to try just straight meth. Her friend's friend did it and seemed fine so she figured there was no real harm in it. 6 months later she had lost 50lbs (and she was only about 130 to start with) and looked like a zombie. She lost a couple of teeth, lost her job, got divorced, but before the divorce she drained every cent out of their savings account and was ordered by the court to stay away from her ex and her kids. She ended up getting caught trying to pass bad checks and was convicted of a few counts of identity theft. She only did the full drug twice that weekend and said that every minute after that weekend she craved it and had to have more. It is ugly shit. Maybe if legalized it would be less addictive and less powerful, but it is just one of those things that you can't do socially. If you try it once or twice the odds are you will be hooked and it is downhill fast from there. To me meth can harm a lot more people than just the person using it. Forget that person's family. The meth head almost always ends up turning to crime to get money. If we stopped wasting time trying to get our hands on pot dealers and people selling coke or ecstasy and stuff like that they could focus on the meth and maybe get a handle on it.

I live in a part of the country that has a real meth problem. I have two friends that work construction and both of them often haul materials to job sites. Both get stopped 2-3 times a month by the cops who want to find out about the load they are carrying and make sure that it is legit. The reason they do this is because the tweakers will go to job sites and steal anything that is metal then sell it to the recycle plants to get dope money. It is an epidemic around her construction companies have to hire night security just to keep the tweakers out of their job sites.

um, Cali doesn't lock people up who smoke weed, they decriminalized marijuana in 1976, the year I was born. They dd something about the laws, over 30 years ago ;)

Jay, my only question would be why you wait sooooo many years to get involved? We've been fighting marijuana laws for years, been an activist for a very long time, we've needed people like you on our side for awhile.

ive been encouraging pot heads to get off the couch and get out on the street since the first day I heard about medipot when I first hit cali and started pushing for decrim across entire country.

We need people to get out there and help fight in other states, stand up for your rights.

You can fool some of the people, some of the time, but you cant fool all the people all the time!

FiGHT@!!!!

I am a member of safe access now and encourage everyone to donate not only money but their time.

http://www.safeaccessnow.org

March with your brothers and sisters in the street and feel what it really means to be AMERICAN!

I'm looking for franchisees for my medical marijuana business in the 13 states where it's legal. This franchise will be bigger and better than McDonald's:thumbsup

exactly! :thumbsup

I suppose it's okay if it's for medicinal use. Laws are different everywhere, eh? Amsterdam it's legal.