if republicans took up this issue, it would help them a lot with young people and the people who wouldn't like it already vote republican and still would anyways

11/6/2014 8:52:26 AM

I want to know when all these social problems that they told us would follow legalization are gonna start. One would think in the states that have had it for two years society would have broken down by now...

11/6/2014 11:01:25 AM

I don't use mary jane myself, but it makes sense to decriminalize it... it's no more dangerous to the user or the general public than alcohol. look at all the revenue brought in from alcohol taxes. people are buying it anyway, might as well stop spending so much on the "war on drugs" and tax the legal sale of it.

11/6/2014 7:28:29 PM

Honestly, MJ is just the tip of the iceberg. All drugs should be regulated, available, and taxed. Laws have never been a big deterrent to recreational drug use anyway.

11/6/2014 7:34:27 PM

Cocaine Bars

11/6/2014 8:41:24 PM

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/19/bolivia-cocaine-bar-route-36

11/6/2014 9:30:58 PM

Aside from the fact that it's morally the correct thing to do, it also makes huge economic sense to legalize drugs. You can dial back massive spending on jails, cut back on law enforcement budgets, regain lost productivity from people who can go back to being productive members of society instead of felons, and so on.

Then there are the impacts that it would have on organized crime in the US, what it would do to the Mexican cartels, and so on.

The only real impediment is that LEO organization and their members don't want it, there's a lot of US black ops and CIA ops that are still funded by involvement with drugs, and then the fact that it takes power away from government. Stuff like this is what has kept drugs illegal for this long already, it's only overwhelming public support that is starting to move the needle.

11/7/2014 9:11:42 AM

WTF, Florida?

We voted 57.5% in favor of medical marijuana, but referendums need 60%.

Really? A somewhat purple state can't even pass medical MJ in 2014?

11/7/2014 9:42:13 AM

It might be a purple state, but it was a red electorate.

11/7/2014 9:54:03 AM

I may be remembering this wrong, but isn't Florida the capital of prescription pills?

don't they have shady clinics that exist exclusively to prescribe pills?

that's about a million times worse than legalizing medical marijuna (or marijuna in general)

11/7/2014 11:39:10 AM

Florida is filled with old people that are still afraid of MJ. Once they start dying off, it'll be another story.

11/7/2014 12:18:50 PM

It'll be really interesting to see how marijuana legalization plays out in the District. While it may be legal now, the Federal government still views it as an illegal substance that they can fire for. Government contractors, which are forced to sign on to Federal drug laws when they take on government work, won't be able to ease up until the Federal government changes its policies.

11/7/2014 1:57:36 PM

California just voted to make possession of illegal drugs for personal use a misdemeanor instead of a felony. This included cocaine, PCP, meth, etc.

11/7/2014 4:33:26 PM

^^^ yeah I think everyone knew that was a big factor, but it looks like that was pretty much the only factor:

From a Reason article I just read:

Quote :

"Amendment 2 would have been approved if voting had been limited to residents younger than 65. The survey put support for medical marijuana at 79 percent among 18-to-29-year-olds, 65 percent among 30-to-44-year-olds, 60 percent among 45-to-64-year-olds, and 38 percent among voters 65 or older. "

The requisite 60% supermajority would have been met with lots of room to spare if not for tons and tons of old people.

11/10/2014 12:49:02 PM

when im old im gonna smoke the pot

it will be completely legal by then

11/10/2014 3:09:33 PM

Wow, that's a lot of >65 aged votes. I don't think i have an accurate perception of just how much older people vote.

11/10/2014 3:12:47 PM

They literally have nothing else to do.

If you really want voter participation there's a few things that you can do:

1. Make it mandatory with an accompanying fine if you don't vote. You wouldn't need to fill out a ballot, but you would be required to come in and get checked off the list. Plenty of other countries already do this.

2. Move election day to a weekend, make it a national holiday, and mandate a certain opening/closing time for businesses. No work from 3pm until 10pm or the like. You wouldn't have to make everything shut down, just make sure there is a window in which to vote with no excuses.

3. Automatic voter registration with either drivers license or selective service, whichever comes first. Change selective service from male only to all citizens.

11/10/2014 8:06:15 PM

yeah that's all well and good, and as much as I'd like to, I don't believe in preventing people from voting, but the last thing we need is more people who don't know shit about shit voting on things that affect the entire country.

11/10/2014 8:19:44 PM

I didn't say I wanted it either. Hell, I think too many people vote as it is.

I'm just saying, if you actually want a democratic process there's a few very easy steps you could take to get closer to that.

11/10/2014 8:21:59 PM

Yep. Way too many people vote. WAAAAAAAY too many. I mean, really, it's that way too many are ignorant and/or stupid, but that's not likely to change. Information is pretty accessible nowadays, and people are still low-information voters.

^^^^ just read in Money magazine that 17% are 65+ in FL...and yes, they vote their wrinkly asses off, often for all kinds of stupid things like entitlement programs on everyone else's dime, or keeping marijuana illegal, or anti gay marriage, etc.

11/10/2014 11:28:11 PM

^
^^

I really don't think that having too many people voting is the problem; I think that having too many low-information citizens is the problem.

[Edited on November 11, 2014 at 12:02 AM. Reason : ]

11/11/2014 12:02:13 AM

Parse it however you want, but an uninformed electorate is a problem.

Honestly, at this point there are so many systemic issues that our uninformed electorate isn't even close to the number one problem.

11/11/2014 12:16:00 AM

11/11/2014 12:51:02 AM

^^ hell yeah it's a problem, but when even people on food stamps have the ability to tap essentially the entirety of human knowledge from the smartphone in their pocket, any time they want, and almost everyone is still massively uninformed...well, I think it's safe to say that we can give up on ever having an even remotely informed electorate.

11/11/2014 3:46:30 PM

i blame the media, it's the media's duty to inform the electorate but they only care about entertainment

11/11/2014 3:49:36 PM

What's the problem here? One of the most progressive agendas (marijuana legalization) got majority support in a traditionally red state. So what if it didn't pass, I don't live in that shit hole.

11/11/2014 3:55:18 PM

^^ the media deliver largely what these dumb motherfuckers want.

^ I like FL.

And it's kind of a tangential discussion, anyway.

11/11/2014 4:00:55 PM

Orrin Hatch, old geezer conservative from Utah, is getting ready to take to the senate floor to float a bill that would encourage medical marijuana research.

Orrin fucking Hatch (thom Tillis co-sponsoring the bill btw).

I don't think it deschedules MJ but it does ease the restriction associated with research. Not exactly a slam dunk but this has to be the biggest sign yet that we are slowly reaching critical mass on federal legalization.

9/13/2017 3:17:45 PM

the statement he released on the matter is one of the more amazing pieces of writing I've seen

9/13/2017 3:20:00 PM

^LOL:

Quote :

"“It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” the senator said. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I’ve decided to roll out the MEDS Act.”"

http://www.sltrib.com/pb/news/politics/2017/09/13/utah-sen-orrin-hatch-announces-his-support-for-medical-marijuana-research-releases-new-bill

9/13/2017 4:46:17 PM

lol at weeds, blunt and roll out

9/14/2017 5:08:47 AM

high time

[Edited on September 14, 2017 at 2:47 PM. Reason : and strains]

9/14/2017 2:46:42 PM

yes, basically every sentence has a reference or two

9/14/2017 4:00:59 PM

if you're interested in the history of drug prohibition in the US, check out the Historical Controversies podcast

9/14/2017 8:11:45 PM

won't happen until the pharmaceutical industry loses its power to govern.

9/14/2017 10:48:31 PM

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/22610685/texas-wesleyan-university-baseball-coach-mike-jeffcoat-tells-recruit-no-colorado-players-failed-drug-tests

legalize so people like this won’t be able to do things like this

3/1/2018 10:00:25 AM

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2018/12/12/asheville-alcohol-regulators-officials-say-prepping-marijuana-pot-cannabis-sales/2288531002/?fbclid=IwAR0tdH3hb0yeWLC7bYi9fL8Eufx9S2u920RO_5-mJl0cXZWlMAE6wk4UiY8

Quote :

"City alcohol regulators say they're making some preparations to sell marijuana should it become legal in North Carolina. Asheville Alcoholic Beverage Control officials made the statements during and after a Tuesday City Council meeting where they were reporting annual numbers and trends to the elected body. ABC Board Chairman Lewis Isaac told the council it is the board's job to take a "30,000-foot view" and anticipate changes. "There is a national trend to legalize cannabis. And we will probably oversee the sales and distribution because we are already a part of that control structure," said Isaac, who like other board members is appointed by the council."

Talk about getting out ahead of your skis.


Is this imminent in NC or what?

12/13/2018 9:33:24 AM

He's bragging about their new warehouse and justifying ABC's continued existence.

12/13/2018 10:06:40 AM

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/426560-bloomberg-trying-to-legalize-marijuana-is-perhaps-the-stupidest

Quote :

"Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans OD’d on drugs. In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD’d on drugs, and today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done."

1/23/2019 10:55:22 AM

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-barr-on-marijuana-legalization-attorney-general-nominee/

[1 week OLD]

1/23/2019 11:03:04 AM

Trump will legalize marijuana before 2020, guaranteed. Easy win.

1/23/2019 11:06:49 AM

https://www.wral.com/hemp-marijuana-fight-may-doom-nc-farm-act/18504073/

Quote :

"...The problem is that smokable hemp looks and smells like marijuana, and police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecutors around the state have said that, if the legislature keeps smokable hemp legal, marijuana might as well be legal as well. Law enforcement isn't just worried about it being harder to enforce marijuana laws but about losing probable cause for searches based on the smell of marijuana smoke, or when a drug dog keys in on a vehicle. ... ... "

7/11/2019 2:51:30 PM

yep.

they're so mad they can't make criminals out of people that they want to move in the opposite, logical direction

THE WHOLE SOUTH is on lockdown for both medical and recreational, we could totally be the first get in on an cash crop perfect for our climate and they're sitting here thinking about rolling back laws on the industrial aspect

7/11/2019 4:08:57 PM

^

7/11/2019 10:43:11 PM

climate doesn't matter given that most of it is grown and maintained indoors.

but I do agree that it is a cash crop, regardless, and could help areas of eastern north carolina that have a history working, managing, and producing crop goods, especially since these areas are seeing lower economic growth than the rest of the state.

7/12/2019 10:56:51 AM

i don't think that's true in NC is it, isn't it outdoors here?

7/12/2019 11:03:05 AM

Yes, there's outdoor growing in NC.

https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/will-hemp-be-a-good-crop-for-north-carolina/

[Edited on July 12, 2019 at 11:52 AM. Reason : +]

7/12/2019 11:49:25 AM

Any grow operation in NC will be indoors so they can pump light and CO2 to them yearround, 24 hours a day.

[Edited on July 12, 2019 at 8:45 PM. Reason : Probably required for security too]

7/12/2019 8:44:53 PM

oh, eleusis, i'm glad you're here.

now you can tell us what kooky website you were reading earlier when you learned of Kamala Harris's involvement in the planning of the Jesse Smollett fake attack...

7/13/2019 1:44:47 AM

I can't speak to ^^'s comments on what you're referencing, but any major grow operation for THC rather than what we do today for hemp would be different. What you can do indoors, with respect to strains, yield, potency, etc.. is far beyond what would happen in a natural outdoors environment.

I 100% guarantee that it will be indoors.

7/15/2019 11:00:32 AM