Should we Legalize marijuana?

[Sensei Payne]

I think I may've said this in another post, but....

whats interesting, is that you see lots of violence due to drugs, yet you rarely see any violence over someone trying to get alcohol. Would legalizing weed, cut down on drug violence? Something tells me it wouldn't, but I guess if it was made legal, only time would tell.

Maybe we won't see the violence decrease right away..but over time, it will become just like alcohol. If you want it, go buy it.

I am taking massage therapy classes, and two of the women in there work at substance rehabilitation center.

They see people coming off crack, meth, alcohol, and several other things...sometimes legal things...but they never see someone detoxing from weed.

 

[MJS]

Maybe we won't see the violence decrease right away..but over time, it will become just like alcohol. If you want it, go buy it.

I am taking massage therapy classes, and two of the women in there work at substance rehabilitation center.

They see people coming off crack, meth, alcohol, and several other things...sometimes legal things...but they never see someone detoxing from weed.

OTOH, alcohol could be considered a 'drug' so to speak, yet as I said, we dont see people mugging others on the street to get cash to buy beer, we see them doing it to buy drugs. So, yeah, its very possible that the violence would decrease.

Of course, if it were to become legal, that would probably put the medical marijuana centers out of business. What I mean is, if its legal, and you could buy it at a store, just like you could buy beer, there'd be no need to have a special weed depot. LOL.

 

[Sensei Payne]

OTOH, alcohol could be considered a 'drug' so to speak, yet as I said, we dont see people mugging others on the street to get cash to buy beer, we see them doing it to buy drugs. So, yeah, its very possible that the violence would decrease.

I have known Heavy Alcohol users steal from family and such just so they can get there next drink..but that kind of addiction can be found anywhere..and dare I say...even in the martial arts community. People get addicted to the pain, and/or exercise...just like people get addicted to Tattoos, video games, adrenaline, etc.

 

[elder999]

I ..but that kind of addiction can be found anywhere..and dare I say...even in the martial arts community. People get addicted to the pain, and/or exercise...just like people get addicted to Tattoos, video games, adrenaline, etc.

I'm addicted to bison and air......:lol:

 

[Sensei Payne]

I'm addicted to bison and air......:lol:

Point was that some people have addictive personalities, thats just how they are...no matter what the vice, they will find a way to abuse it.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Maybe we won't see the violence decrease right away..but over time, it will become just like alcohol. If you want it, go buy it.

I am taking massage therapy classes, and two of the women in there work at substance rehabilitation center.

They see people coming off crack, meth, alcohol, and several other things...sometimes legal things...but they never see someone detoxing from weed.

I use to be security in a Hospital that had a detox unit and I never saw anyone being brought in to detox from Marijuana either... but I did see a guy come in via ambulance from a car accident, he was the driver, and he was reeking of marijuana and had a bag of marijuana in his pocket… apparently he veered over the median and hit another car.

Same thing happens with Alcohol too… legalize it and just get more of the same.

It is kind of like Mac vs PC as it applies to viruses and malware. It is not because Mac is any better or worse it is because it is not as popular at the enterprise level so it is not targeted.

Legalize Marijuana and you will get all sorts of problems you never dreamed of as well as an increase in others previously known.

 

[Sensei Payne]

Legalize Marijuana and you will get all sorts of problems you never dreamed of as well as an increase in others previously known.

But in the long run things will work out for the better...They said the same thing about the boose when it first became legal again.

I think we all should go and watch boardwalk empire..The Mobs got rich from prohibition...Do you think they're not getting rich from Marijuana not getting legalized?

 

[Xue Sheng]

But in the long run things will work out for the better...They said the same thing about the boose when it first became legal again.

I think we all should go and watch boardwalk empire..The Mobs got rich from prohibition...Do you think they're not getting rich from Marijuana not getting legalized?

whose talking about mob and prohabition... not me :idunno: You may want to reread the Mac vs PC bit of my post and try and understand the comparison.

I'm talking what happens every day like the 37,261 Alcohol related deaths from auto accidents in 2008. And the guy I was referring to was not mob either. He was a guy who decided to smoke some marijuana and go for a drive or possibly smoke while driving and he went across the road and hit another car. He was not pushed by anyone form a mob

What will sort itself out is that the problems you do not see related to marijuana right now you will begin to see if it is legalized, no mob needed

You seem to think legalize and everything will be just fine nothing but happy times from there on out. Wrong.... there will be other issues that come with that... nothing...absolutly nothing operated in a vacuum on Planet earth


Yup alcohol is legal but there are stilll a whole lot of deaths associated with that as well as a whole lot of violence. Legalize Marijuana and yuo get more of the same

EDIT

Correction 13,846 Alcohol related deaths from auto accidents in 2008. I made a mistake and wrote down the total which was 37,261

​

 

[granfire]

whose talking about mob and prohabition... not me :idunno: You may want to reread the Mac vs PC bit of my post and try and understand the comparison.

I'm talking what happens every day like the 37,261 Alcohol related deaths from auto accidents in 2008. And the guy I was referring to was not mob either. He was a guy who decided to smoke some marijuana and go for a drive or possibly smoke while driving and he went across the road and hit another car. He was not pushed by anyone form a mob

What will sort itself out is that the problems you do not see related to marijuana right now you will begin to see if it is legalized, no mob needed

You seem to think legalize and everything will be just fine nothing but happy times from there on out. Wrong.... there will be other issues that come with that... nothing...absolutly nothing operated in a vacuum on Planet earth


Yup alcohol is legal but there are stilll a whole lot of deaths associated with that as well as a whole lot of violence. Legalize Marijuana and yuo get more of the same

driving under the influence, does not matter what it is you are doped up on, drunk as a skunk or high as a kite.

however, without prohibition I doubt the mob would have become what it is.
On the same token (mob is involved in drug distribution, or just gangs, same difference, organized crime) you make the 'drug' easier and cheaper to acquire legally, the criminal organizations will see their cash flow dry up on it.

 

[Omar B]

I'm addicted to bison and air......:lol:

I'm a rageaholic, I'm addicted to rageahole.

 

[Xue Sheng]

driving under the influence, does not matter what it is you are doped up on, drunk as a skunk or high as a kite.

however, without prohibition I doubt the mob would have become what it is.
On the same token (mob is involved in drug distribution, or just gangs, same difference, organized crime) you make the 'drug' easier and cheaper to acquire legally, the criminal organizations will see their cash flow dry up on it.

That is true but I am not talking about the mob or prohibition I am talking about a likely result from the legalization of Marijuana since the legalization of Alcohol has been thrown around as a justification.

But let’s talk organized crime

Legalize it and organized crime “may” or “may not”....more likely “may not” get out of it. For the record one of the big money makers for the mob right now is selling cigarettes.... do you think legalized marijuana would be any different

 

[Sensei Payne]

But let’s talk organized crime

Legalize it and organized crime “may” or “may not”....more likely “may not” get out of it. For the record one of the big money makers for the mob right now is selling cigarettes.... do you think legalized marijuana would be any different

They will move onto something else...as they always do. Why not take away one of there biggest cash crops.

 

[RandomPhantom700]

But let’s talk organized crime

Legalize it and organized crime “may” or “may not”....more likely “may not” get out of it. For the record one of the big money makers for the mob right now is selling cigarettes.... do you think legalized marijuana would be any different

An excellent point, but it would depend on the taxes and costs imposed on the legalized weed compared to what the criminal element's offering. Right now, dealers are the only source of weed unless you grow your own.

If you decide you want to buy some weed once it's legal, are you going to get the, say, $10/pack from the local grocer (for argument's sake) where you know the content and know where the money's going, or will you buy it from your local street dealer at $2/pack where you don't know what's in it or where the money's going (or if there's a cop waiting nearby). Most sane people would opt the first, but that changes if the legal source is suddenly charging $25/pack.

Either way, legalizing weed will substantially curtail, if not eliminate, the criminal market. There maybe circumstances in which a black market would survive, but it would be nothing like what it is currently, where the drug dealers are the only source.

 

[Xue Sheng]

They will move onto something else...as they always do. Why not take away one of there biggest cash crops.

Did you even bother to notice the bit about cigarettes? Or was it just convenient to your argument to ignore it?

As they always do they will move on to where they can make money and my post to you was not about organized crime it was about other issues and I am beginning to think all you got is the organized crime angle and it is just not working. My post to you was about the side effects of legalization and ignoring that to make your case is not working.

Organized crime makes scads of money off of legal cigarettes and I would not be surprised if they were not making money off of legal alcohol too what makes you think legalized marijuana will be any different. Legalize marijuana and they will find another way to exploit it.

Get a new spiel because the angle of organized crime getting out of it does not work and that has been proven with cigarettes and likely alcohol too.

 

[Sensei Payne]

Did you even bother to notice the bit about cigarettes? Or was it just convenient to your argument to ignore it?

Smoking is almost a non issue..fewer and fewer people smoker cigarettes everyday...as where pot users are going up.

Its just a matter of time taht the cigs become a relic...hence the ignore.

 

[Xue Sheng]

An excellent point, but it would depend on the taxes and costs imposed on the legalized weed compared to what the criminal element's offering. Right now, dealers are the only source of weed unless you grow your own.

If you decide you want to buy some weed once it's legal, are you going to get the, say, $10/pack from the local grocer (for argument's sake) where you know the content and know where the money's going, or will you buy it from your local street dealer at $2/pack where you don't know what's in it or where the money's going (or if there's a cop waiting nearby). Most sane people would opt the first, but that changes if the legal source is suddenly charging $25/pack.

Either way, legalizing weed will substantially curtail, if not eliminate, the criminal market. There maybe circumstances in which a black market would survive, but it would be nothing like what it is currently, where the drug dealers are the only source.

Chances are it would be taxed similar to a cigarette which leaves a great profit opportunity for organized crime.

But you are correct the current street dealer, technically the little guy in this scenario, will be out of business.

My issue is that legalizing it does not make all the problems go away, see alcohol related deaths and health issues related to alcohol and cigarettes and that crime will not be gone it will simply change so I am not so sure that it will substantially reduce the criminal market since selling cigarettes from another state out of the back of a semi is still criminal

 

[Xue Sheng]

Smoking is almost a non issue..fewer and fewer people smoker cigarettes everyday...as where pot users are going up.

Its just a matter of time taht the cigs become a relic...hence the ignore.

Hence legal marijuana cigarettes could fill the void... once again organized crime has a built in market

But the fact is cigarettes are an issue

You say cigarettes are a non-issue.... do you have any idea how many smoke in the USA alone

24.8 million Men and 21.1 million women. So 23.1 percent of all males in the USA and 18.3 percent of all females in the USA smoke and that is a non-issue.

Actually is an inconvenient issue to your argument for legalization

You want legalization and want to argue for it that is fine but you need to base that argument on facts and you are simply basing it on speculation and assumption and the world as you see it based on your short time and limited expereince due to your age or lack thereof

 

[Sensei Payne]

Chances are it would be taxed similar to a cigarette which leaves a great profit opportunity for organized crime.

But you are correct the current street dealer, technically the little guy in this scenario, will be out of business.

My issue is that legalizing it does not make all the problems go away, see alcohol related deaths and health issues related to alcohol and cigarettes and that crime will not be gone it will simply change so I am not so sure that it will substantially reduce the criminal market since selling cigarettes from another state out of the back of a semi is still criminal

You would be suprised the lengths people would go through to make sure they are legal about what they are doing. I know I would pay the extra few bucks to be legal.

Like here in Kentucky...a lot people go to IN to get Fireworks..because mortors are illegal for people to privately have...but a lot of people do it anyways, they just stay with family up in IN and set them off there...perfectly legal with the same amount of danger.

If it was legal in Kentucky people would just by the fireworks here instead of putting there money in another states economy....

don't get me wrong, a number of people take the fireworks home..they buy a few "Illegal" fireworks, in IN, and then finish there shopping in IN...so yeah don't mis understand...just saying that the state would make more money and people would be glad to do it..if it was closer to home.

 

[Xue Sheng]

You would be suprised the lengths people would go through to make sure they are legal about what they are doing. I know I would pay the extra few bucks to be legal.

Like here in Kentucky...a lot people go to IN to get Fireworks..because mortors are illegal for people to privately have...but a lot of people do it anyways, they just stay with family up in IN and set them off there...perfectly legal with the same amount of danger.

If it was legal in Kentucky people would just by the fireworks here instead of putting there money in another states economy....

don't get me wrong, a number of people take the fireworks home..they buy a few "Illegal" fireworks, in IN, and then finish there shopping in IN...so yeah don't mis understand...just saying that the state would make more money and people would be glad to do it..if it was closer to home.

Fireworks are illegal here too but you know what.. One year in Chinatown the Chinese gangs that usually control the sale of fireworks in Chinatown sold a whole lot of fireworks to others and allowed them to sell in Chinatown...which was highly irregular. These very same gangs then called the police and reported every single person that was selling in Chinatown. They got their money with no legal issues what-so-ever and now that the police were confident they got all the fireworks they happily went back to the station and the Chinese gangs once again opened up shop and made more money that ever since most of the competition had been arrested.

But if I go back to my original line using legal fireworks.

Are people injured using illegal fireworks?
Now make them legal are they magically safe?

Actually legalize them more use them and there are potentially more injuries

And I see you seem to have either ignored or abandon the cigarette bits and now changed to a somewhat unrelated issue of fireworks.

 

[Sensei Payne]

And I see you seem to have either ignored or abandon the cigarette bits and now changed to a somewhat unrelated issue of fireworks.

Again, I feel that the cigarettes are a non issue being that they are declining in popularity...the mobs/black market isn't making a killing off of them like they do pot..they just don't.

and the fireworks was just an attempt at an analogy...people are going to get hurt either way you look at it...as someone said before...You can't legislate stupid.