Potential downside to medical marijuana: criminals who want it.

[Bill Mattocks]

I'm not even saying it couldn't be true, just that it sounds like the argument of someone with a vested interest in banning the shops & supply.

Nope. I have left my own personal feelings about medical marijuana at the door for this thread.

Similar arguments can and have been made about tattoo parlors in many neighborhoods where the residents don't want them because they will attract "undesirables" to the area.

Ahem. Are you saying that this does not happen? I live in the Detroit area. I can tell you that many tattoo parlors, strip joints, and other such 'adult' businesses do indeed attract a great deal of crime to those areas. And you're talking to a guy who has tattoos and has nothing against strip bars. But yeah, you get them, you get a certain clientele in the neighborhood. Goes with the territory, and sometimes neighbors aren't happy about it, especially if the neighborhood didn't always have such businesses nearby.

 

[Nomad]

Nope. I have left my own personal feelings about medical marijuana at the door for this thread.

My suggestion was actually leaning more towards the possible slant of the media that chose to focus on these specific incidents rather than any other robberies or muggings that didn't happen to be pot related. Tying an article into any controversy gets bigger headlines and sells more papers, and given the current arguments on medical marijuana (and legalization in general) in several states, this counts as a controversial topic.

Ahem. Are you saying that this does not happen? I live in the Detroit area. I can tell you that many tattoo parlors, strip joints, and other such 'adult' businesses do indeed attract a great deal of crime to those areas. And you're talking to a guy who has tattoos and has nothing against strip bars. But yeah, you get them, you get a certain clientele in the neighborhood. Goes with the territory, and sometimes neighbors aren't happy about it, especially if the neighborhood didn't always have such businesses nearby.

No, I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but that it is a specious argument, since these are in fact, legal activities. What I'm saying is that a statistic of increased crime in the area (real or invented) can and has been used to prevent legal businesses of many types, including medical marijuana stores, from opening. But that really is a completely different argument.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

My suggestion was actually leaning more towards the possible slant of the media that chose to focus on these specific incidents rather than any other robberies or muggings that didn't happen to be pot related. Tying an article into any controversy gets bigger headlines and sells more papers, and given the current arguments on medical marijuana (and legalization in general) in several states, this counts as a controversial topic.

Really? I've always thought that the media was pretty much behind the idea of medical marijuana. They make great noise when the feds raid MM establishments.

What you may not know is that I am a news junkie. I keep news search agents active that let me know about home invasion news reports. You may have noticed I post a lot of stories about people who defend themselves from predators who invade their homes. Well, it was this that informed me of the rising trend of home invasions by people specifically looking for medical marijuana.

No, I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but that it is a specious argument, since these are in fact, legal activities. What I'm saying is that a statistic of increased crime in the area (real or invented) can and has been used to prevent legal businesses of many types, including medical marijuana stores, from opening. But that really is a completely different argument.

If it is a real effect and the cause is established, then I don't think it is specious. But I have to go, ice cream is ready.

 

[BloodMoney]

Then all these news stories I'm reading about people being robbed for their MM is just lies, I guess. Or maybe I'm the liar. Whatever.

All these? Well, you posted one, in which it specifically said they werent sure if MM was the reason for the burglary, but ok. A quick search of google doesnt show up many, the stories are more about the MM dispensaries being hit. Like I said I dont know the statistics, but over here it just doesnt happen.

 

[geezer]

I don't get where you can 'not see it' when I'm posting links to it actually happening. I mean, it's happening. Period. Fact. In what way is it not happening? Is this just something you don't want to accept?

Just the opposite, Bill. I'm saying that I accept it as an unavoidable reality in today's world. Crime is a fact of life, but honestly as pot becomes more available either through opening "medical marijuana" dispensaries or through outright legalization, the price will drop and the motivation to steal it will decrease. I mean, when was the last time you heard of someone breaking into a house to steal a bottle of aspirin. Pardon me if this point has already been made several times. I haven't had a chance to read all the new posts since I made that last post, but since you quoted it, I felt a response was in order.

BTW, here's another example of accepting the reality of drug-motivated burglary and robbery. My father is a retired MD. When I was a young teen, my father's car was broken into, right in our carport, and his instrument bag was taken out of the trunk and dumped out in the driveway. The cops said it was a typical drug motivated burglary. Thieves would identify an MD's vehicle, track it to the doctor's residence or other secluded location, and bust in looking for drugs. In this case, they didn't find any, but that's not the point. The point is, we don't have laws prohibiting people from having legitimate prescription drugs in their homes just because thieves might break in and steal them! Instead we have cops, and laws protecting our right to defend our homes!