Medical Marijuana legalized in another state

[Blank Rune]

Extra, Extra, read all about it!!!!!!!!

Another state does it!

Washington DC has also legalized medical marijuana.

Do you find it amazing that the powerful drug companies and organized crime organizations have managed to keep it illegal all this time or that they have begun to lose the battle?

The medical benefits are finally being recognized...maybe this will be the beginning of the end of the "evil weed" label...what do you think?

[Phaedra]

I personally think its a good idea to legalize it not only for medical purposes. Why is alcohol legal? There are more automobile accidents causes by drunk drivers than those caused by pot users. I work with a man who was in the criminal justice system for over 30 years and he's for legalizing it. He says he never met a person who used marijuana who committed a violent crime. Now thats pot only, not other drugs. In Massachusetts, where it's decriminalized, and where I live, there has not been a huge increase in smoking. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug to many people, and it is, but the majority of kids who start taking drugs start out with liquor and cigarettes. Both legal drugs. I think its about time.

[Celtaur]

Liquor and cigarettes are terribly addictive and in Canada, guess who controls those. The government. Liquor is sold by government run stores. Only in Quebec is alcohol allowed to be sold in convenience stores by private retailers as far as I'm aware. Even then, I think it's like the retail end is farmed out by the government to the convenience stores. The government is also the only organization allowed to run gambling in Canada too. Strange how the government has their hands in these addictive and destructive areas.

Marijuana. I used to smoke it religiously. Once it went from fun experimentation to bad nerves, I called it quits. I love the smell of it though. Whenever I walk by someone who's smoking it, I'll take in a deep breath to enjoy the herbal, buttery scent. However, that's as far as I could go. I figure as an incense it wouldn't be too potent and thus wouldn't make my nerves bad. Moderation is the key I think. Pot usually makes people calm, relaxed, easy going. That's good. Alcohol, ughh... I've seen so many people get violent and angry - Why drink if it makes you angry?!?! Doesn't make sense to me. Isn't it supposed to be about having fun, letting loose and feeling good? I guess it reveals what someone is like on the inside.

I think Marijuana should be decriminalized. It's a plant for God's sake!

Now I did just watch Scarface and that was intense. It was about the drug world, and it's vicious and violent. Nobody can trust each other. It's all about greed, hiding, lying, money. It's terrible. Mainly about coke, higher end drugs, rather than marijuana.

I have a friend who has done a lot of drugs. Doesn't anymore because she's not exposed to them, but if she was, I'm sure she'd be like Courtney Love, and has been many times. However, she said something interesting not long ago about how she's glad she doesn't do coke anymore and such, and doesn't think she'd ever want to do it again. Her main reason being that she doesn't want to indirectly contribute or support the kind of violence and devastation the drug world causes. She said there's a lot of dirty things that happen behind the scenes that lead up to you getting that 8 ball and it's not good karma.

Do you find it amazing that the powerful drug companies and organized crime organizations have managed to keep it illegal all this time or that they have begun to lose the battle?

I think the government / pharmaceutical companies let everything slide and it's ok, once they are getting their cut. I'm sure the taxes are high.

Just like the government in Canada, mentioned above being the one's who sell alcohol, the majority of the price of a bottle of anything is something like 80+% taxes. The brewers and vineyards, etc., only get a very small percent, something like 6-12% or something very low like that.

So yah, now that it's becoming legalized, I'm sure you may end up getting less for your money with all those taxes.

You'd think though it would be cheaper buying it from the government though as it doesn't have to go through all those middle men selling it down to the street from person to person. With taxes though, I doubt it would be.

I'm not sure I agree with it being sold as a medical drug. Why should it be reserved and OK to use by people who are sick, but not for others. I find it baffling. By legalizing it for medical use, it's like saying "it really isn't that bad and never has been and we're finally waking up to that fact and admitting it", and that it can be consumed by people, and is actually good for them, but only if you're sick? If it's ok to consume, and it's natural, what's the big deal if anyone else uses it?

On the teenage thing. That's when everything starts. That's when you experiment. It's a rite-of-passage in a way to grow up by learning by experiencing. I bet most people who smoke, started when they were young. It's not like you hit 30 and say... hmm I should buy a pack of cigarettes today, if you never have before. I'm sure that happens very infrequently.

[bsbray]

Is DC the new "state" where it's been legalized?

That'd be ironic, considering the federal supreme court that demands all over states keep it illegal is sitting there, but DC isn't a state but an independent city.


Nonetheless it's another step in the right direction. All they are doing is victimizing people. People will smoke it anyway, and do so anyway, even in public.

[Blank Rune]

That'd be ironic, considering the federal supreme court that demands all over states keep it illegal is sitting there, but DC isn't a state but an independent city.

Interesting, let's take a look at what Washington DC says about itself...

Is Washington, DC a city or a state?
Washington, DC is not a state, nor is it part of any state. It is a unique, "federal district" created specifically to be the seat of government.

So how is a “District” different from a state?
Just like people who live in states, DC residents pay full federal and local taxes, but they do not have a voting representative in Congress. DC residents do have representation, but the representative cannot vote and can only sit on committees. When there’s a presidential election, the Electoral College gives Washington, DC the same number of votes as the smallest state, even if it has a larger population. Unlike the states, when DC receives federal funding, it also gets special orders on how to spend the money. The President of the United States appoints Washington, DC’s local judges. In states, judges are appointed by state officials. Before 1974, Congress appointed the people who would govern Washington, DC. Now there is an elected mayor and 13-member city council. Even though the mayor and city council govern the city, Congress still reviews and sometimes changes DC’s laws and budget. No states have their laws and budget reviewed by Congress.

Why doesn’t Washington, DC have a vote in Congress?
When Washington, DC was founded, it was designed to be the seat of the federal government, not a real city where people lived. Even though the city is home to more than 500,000 people today, they are still not represented with a vote in Congress. Washington, DC has had a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives since 1971, and the delegate was given the right to vote on the floor when the House meets as a Committee of the Whole to take its first actions on bills in 1993.

Reference: http://washington.org
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I find that really interesting, especially with regards to the subject of the thread. Thanks BS for bringing that point up in your post.

I'll have to pay more attention to what DC does in the future.

[Celtaur]

When Washington, DC was founded, it was designed to be the seat of the federal government, not a real city where people lived. Even though the city is home to more than 500,000 people today, they are still not represented with a vote in Congress. Washington, DC has had a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives since 1971, and the delegate was given the right to vote on the floor when the House meets as a Committee of the Whole to take its first actions on bills in 1993.

When I read this, I think of the pyramid. All the people on the bottom, and the one at the top.

I figure they must have expected the resident population to grow as it does in any location - town, city... where people are working for companies that are growing. They must have planned the government would grow I would suspect. Image of the pyramid comes to mind again (or an ant-hill ).

[SameBreath]

I think what the weed growers are doing is revolutionary. I live in the Bay Area and the dank is phenominal, I think its great. Now i just need to extract my own DMT and grow my own poppies and life will be good.

[victoria333]

"Big Pharm" has already come up with a cannabis extract called "Sattivex" in their attempt to coin the market on medicinal cannabis which is already being distributed in the U.K. and may become approved by the FDA in the U.S. in a couple years, mainly for cancer patients.

That being said, I do use cannabis medicinally and purchase my medicine through a dispensary which tests everything they sell so you know exactly what you're getting and the amount of THC. The medicinal cannabis industry has become greatly refined and a science. There are specific strains for specific ailments and when used properly are quite useful and WITHOUT the side effects. They've introduced medicinal cannabis which is "CBD" rich. "CBD" is a compound found in cannabis that has medical effects but does not make people feel “stoned” and actually counters some of the effects of THC. The reduced psychoactivity of CBD-rich cannabis may make it an appealing treatment option for patients seeking anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, anti-anxiety and/or anti-spasm effects without disconcerting euphoria or lethargy.

I also pay taxes on my purchases which brings up another point. Our economy would benefit from these taxes.

I hope it becomes legal by the feds. There are a lot of people who have benefited from it.

[brifae]

sativex is approved in Canada but expensive only thc formula and causes mouth sores, pills like marnol or nabilone is also approved, thc only, no cbd or other cannabinoids. cbd also fights breast cancer and is antiflammatory.