dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Thier problem they have a preset decision prior to know the facts. Therefore they are in the dark ages. The world will not pause for them to think about self educating.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Massachusetts legalized cannabis a couple years ago by way of a citizen petition.

I'm not a fan of laws made by citizen petition. It sounds like a way the majority can force a recalcitrant legislature to do something. But the way it works is that someone writes a petition and passes it around for signatures. If it gets enough signatures it gets onto the ballot and the voters vote on it. If it passes then it's law, but the legislature can still reject it (although it's difficult to do and is rarely done). The problem here is that the "law" is not subject to debate, as is the normal way a legislature produces laws. If it has flaws, loopholes, or real problems, they are baked into the law. The reason it's nondebateable is that it's a petition, and it's signed by a LOT of people to get it onto the ballot. In order to change a petition you have to have the agreement of everyone who signed the original petition. (Maybe it's only a majority, but either way it's really difficult to do). In the normal legislative process a proposed law is discussed, changes are suggested by committees, amendments are voted on by the legislators, and the proposed law is polished until it satisfies enough people to pass it. The result is that a lot more thought goes into a normal law going through the legislature than what goes into a citizen petition.

So Pot is legal in Massachusetts. You can use it. But you can't buy it until the legislature sets up a control commission which generates regulations covering who may sell it and who may buy it, and where, and what and why, and when. So it's legal but it's not legal, kind of a quantum state at the moment.

Supposedly you can grow your own for personal consumption only. But cannabis has been explicitly excluded from normal laws and regulations regulating agriculture. Eventually some farmers will be able to grow it, but you won't see fields of pot in Massachusetts. It has to be grown indoors, with all sorts of security considerations in place and forms to be filled and reports to file. The reason that it is not controlled by the normal laws and regulations of Massachusetts is that the MA Department of Agricultural Resources gives grants to support and encourage new agricultural endeavors. But Pot is still illegal according to the Feds, and Massachusetts, like most other states depend on federal dollars for a lot of programs. Those federal dollars are contingent on following federal regulations.

Part of the reason that pot will be a billion dollar industry is that the states that permit it will reap a significant fraction of that billion dollars. But it's going to be a long, slow process to get it really freely available (not that I'm saying it would be a good idea to do so). The real fight is going to have to be in congress.

Fat Gregory Loc: Southern New Jersey

Medical no problem...

Recreational is all about the $$$

Why mix the discussions???

In Colorado the price of illegal pot dropped below Medical pot and state forecasted sales (revenues) slumped significantly.

Thruxton Loc: Indiana / California

Whew! So it's finally happened. The pot producers began moving into our little town out here on the left coast a year ago with bundles of cash to buy up suitable indoor greenhouses. Most have stood vacant for months after displacing other established businesses. But now the city fathers are gleefully rubbing their sweaty palms together as they expect an additional $2 million dollars of revenue. What to do with all that money??? My wife has lived here for nearly 70 years and I for 50. These are uncertain times and we wonder what new cultural and social changes are in store despite the rules against selling the drug at retail (wink-wink). Will the cartels move in to protect the lucrative market they're been serving for so long? I doubt there will be much good to come of it. Time will tell but we hope to be somewhere else by then.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

The trouble with citing the medical benefits of marijuana, is, like most holistic remedies, the results aren't repeatable which western science & medicine demand in order to be convinced. My friend on Cape Cod has Parkinson's and has been eating pot brownies for years. His hands shake uncontrollably but after eating a brownie his hands calm down to the point where he can play guitar again. Trouble is, this same "treatment" might not work for the next guy with the same affliction. Sadly, like most our age, we now turn to marijuana as a sleep-aid before we go to bed rather than to enhance a good meal, entertainment, a social event or a walk in the woods.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Never heard that before

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

They get the same heath benes from the cannibis with the THC extracted. The fact that these supporters in all of these states insist on the THC in shows me that it’s the “high” they are looking for, not the health benes!

Also, u dear the heading of EXTREME HYPOCRISY, we have the same people who screamed about smoking, in public and elsewhere, now supporting smoking doobie.

Simple fact....NO smoking is good for you, and NO second hand smoke is good for you.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Wrong again on wall counts of your statements. It does not have to be smoked.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Your inability to read is soooooo fcuking sad!

Try reading it again, oh incoherent one. I never said they HAD to smoke it, dummy. I DID point out the hypocrisy of those who still endorsing lighting it up.

Oh, before you whine, ask your mommy to turn on the Telly for you.....I’ve watched maybe six segments today on three channels, and they ALL show people lighting up at 12:01 a.m. to celebrate! Oh, in the same states that were smoking nazis during the big smoking debate!

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

I have struggled back and forth on this issue. The most important benefit is reduced cost to law enforcement and incarceration and the general load on society b/c there will be fewer people personally struggling with getting employment and other benefits since they won't have a criminal record. This will also (hopefully) undercut the business of drug gangs and illegal trafficking. Also reducing costs to law enforcement.
There are many costs (some are pretty substantial, I know), and various benefits plus the main benefit that I mentioned.
So on balance I have come down on the side of this being a net benefit.

Thruxton Loc: Indiana / California

Stay tuned my naïve friend. I'll let you know how it turns out here.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

You seem to make strong mention of smoking not one utterance of edibles . Funny how that works. The thc in the oil increases the treatement rate of improvement. Like I said on all your points

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

Then its collapsed already and no one noticed.

jaycoffman Loc: San Diego

Much ado about nothing as far as we've been smoking/ingesting marijuana here on the left coast (and everywhere) since I was a kid and that was a long time ago. The so called "war on drugs" has been horrible for our country and has resulted in numerous deaths because it artificially raises the price for drugs so much that even gangs of kids on street corners can afford automatic weapons which has further resulted in a really high death toll. It has also really hurt any general efforts to deal with the addictive and negative properties of some drugs. Finally it's given rise to extremely violent and very very cash rich cartels who are holding whole countries hostage (but they do provide U.S. gun makers with a swell market).

So, having said that I support any attempts to legalize and normalize any drugs with marijuana being a good first step. And, no, I don't think the legal issues of drug prohibition are the only issues with drugs but they are the most immediate and by far the most harmful to our country. It's long past time for us to grow up and realize what doesn't work doesn't work.

And also, "no," I'm not going to run out and start using marijuana or other drugs just because it's now legal--I did enough of that when I was a kid and just got tired of it. I do use alcohol and think it's a bit hypocritical to think alcohol is OK and marijuana not.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

Well, that’s because there is no hypocrisy involved with the edibles (or drinkable) that I’m aware of, and the point had to do with the hypocrisy of the smoke nazis.

As for improvements, the two most well-known cannabinoids/active ingredients (THC and CBD) each have their own strength....however, the THC is a clear mind altering compound with hallucinogenic effects.

If you look at the summary, below, the main difference is the “high” from THC which you don’t get from CBD:

Common uses for THC:
Euphoria and relaxation
Sleep and drowsiness
Appetite stimulant
Painkiller
Anti-emetic
Muscle relaxant


Common uses for CBD:
Anti-anxiety
Neuroprotective
Anticonvulsant
Anti-psychotic
Anti-tumoral
Painkiller
Anti-inflammatory

Here in Illinois the CBD oil is available over the counter, so to speak, but what you get is questionable at best (proven via scientific testing) based on lack of oversight. You get guaranteed CBD via medical dispensiaries.