Do you think marijuana will be legalized nationwide? If so, how long will it take?

[streetroc]

So I was watching a show on the history channel last night called The Marijuana Revolution and it was quite an eye opener. Its amazing how quickly the cannabis industry has developed in the states where it is legal. As far as I can tell there haven't been any serious issues associated with recreational use and I think it is long past time that we legalize it nationwide and start taxing it. There are absolutely no side effects or long term damage associated with its use and aside from the simple enjoyment of feeling happy and relaxed for an hour or so there are limitless medical uses for it. As far as I can tell the only proponents of keeping it off limits are those who directly profit from it being illegal. (alcohol companies, big pharma companies, law enforcement, private prisons, etc...) I think its definitely safe to say that the trend toward broader legalization will continue. What do you guys think? Will we be able to buy it in Georgia within the next few years or is this battle going to continue for much longer than that?

Oh and for the record I am a respectable law abiding citizen who has never indulged in any illicit drug use nor am I advocating it. I just think that this is a discussion worth having.

 

[DinkyDau]

Wanna have a good Laugh? Find the Movie Reefer Madness, I laughed so hard when I watched it many years ago. I almost choked.

 

[dakota port]

i was listening to a leo from Colorado talk about he effects the legalized marijuana has on the local area, he said that the local homeless population has increased from folks moving there just to score legal marijuana and beggars are getting more aggressive to but the drug.

it's a sad state of affairs that humans do not know how to use anythign in moderation sometimes.

i do believe legitimate medical illness that can be treated with specific doses of marijuana should be legal, not like the guy from the movie due date though

 

[Chatsworth]

I hope not.

 

[linebacker]

I think the advantages of marijuanna far outway the disadvantages. I've seen cancer patients ease their pain with it. Before they legalize it on a national level, they need figure out a way to tax the hell out of it.

 

[sparked1]

No, it won't be any time soon because big pharma is already trying to extract the cannabinoids (medicinal component) and patent their drugs. They have the money for R&D, lobbying, and distribution. Doctors will get onboard because they have no qualms prescribing FDA approved medications since they can offload most liability to the manufacturer if something goes wrong. Many are still leary of prescribing it even if legal for medicinal purposes because of product inconsistencies. The government will cite big pharma's quality control and research capabilities as safety assurances to the American public, because that's their primary concern- You know? Our safety.

The government has no need to legalize it at that point. Big pharma lobby will never let that happen once they monopolize the market. Local growers will be regulated out of business. Only incentive left to legalize would be to kill the black market, which is still a good enough reason to do so, but that may take another generational cycle of our legislators.

 

[jcountry]

My main issue is with traffic laws.

They need to come up with some good way of telling how high someone on pot is. From my understanding, they can say that someone has THC in their system, but there is really no good way to determine how baked they are.

I think something like this is needed-not only to prosecute people who are really stoned, but to protect those who are genuinely not affected-and smoked days (or even a couple of weeks ago.)

For new or infrequent users, the window of time for detection (50ng/ml limit) is believed to last 1 to 2 days.

On the other hand, studies have shown that regular users can test positive (20 ng/ml limit) for THC metabolites for up to 46 consecutive days following marijuana usage. In an extreme case, a heavy cannabis user of more than 10 years was able to test positive (20 ng/ml limit) for up to 67 days after last being exposed to marijuana.



We figured this out for alcohol decades ago. And it really should be figured out for pot.

 

[DinkyDau]

When I read on how much young children have been helped, that have seizures. Going from 10-20 times a day with medication, then on a derivative of marijuana go down to maybe 1 a week...My answer is Hell ya.

 

[Kman]

There is a reason it's called dope. It certainly has no positives related to succeeding in life. Long term use makes people forgetful, lazy,complicit and eat to much. Like alcohol or any other mind altering drug, regular use or abuse isn't good for anyone. If the intent is to get high or "take the edge off", then that's about all I see as a benefit. I don't think it should be illegal, because your a fool to choose a chemical dependency to get you through life. We are supposed to be free and make those decisions ourselves. Likewise, if that's people's choice, don't ask for government assistance to live on, EVER!!!!

 

[streetroc]

My main issue is with traffic laws.

They need to come up with some good way of telling how high someone on pot is. From my understanding, they can say that someone has THC in their system, but there is really no good way to determine how baked they are.

I think something like this is needed-not only to prosecute people who are really stoned, but to protect those who are genuinely not affected-and smoked days (or even a couple of weeks ago.)

We figured this out for alcohol decades ago. And it really should be figured out for pot.

This is really the only legitimate concern that I have heard. I'm not sure how you can determine if someone is high other than a basic sobriety test. Having THC in your system doesn't prove anything.