Legalise it, No!

[Dev]

On the weekend I was smoking with my dealer, when an interesting debate came about. I started by saying that weed should be legal and assumed I was preaching to the converted. However everyone disagreed saying, that they prefer weed being illegal. Wait..what!

The argument was that once you grow your own and have a circle of smoking friends it was both better quality and more cost effective than government regulated weed which would incorporate tax levies, distribution costs and profit margins and labour costs. Reducing the economies of scale benefit that would exist if legalised and produced commercially. Considering regulation (Making sure the smokers are 18+) would be a big push on legalising it, expensive licences to grow and sell would be required.

It would also be very vulnerable to high taxes as it would be seen as easy money as the government who would no doubt want to actively discourage use. Even to more of an extent than tobacco and alcohol, because there is already a strong anti-marijuana bias in both government and people.

Threat of legal persecution for people who wish to grow and sell illegally wouldn't really change, considering it would be available legally much of the market who prefer take the legalised avenue. Many pot users currently face little in the way of legal persecution anyway often nothing more than confiscation provided it's obvious it's for personal use.

The assumptions to this argument:

• You grow your own and have some good connections.
• You don't live in an almost Nazi like anti-marijuana state/nation, where you face prison or large fines for small/personal amounts.
• You don't intend on producing it commercially if legalised.

Now, I don't necessarily agree. However I can see some merit in the thinking. I was hoping members here could provide input. This lead me to thinking that perhaps decriminalising the plant maybe a more effective means at keeping everyone happy.

Also just to note this argument only focuses on the end user. I'm not concerned with other perspectives such that legalising it would help the government budget or that currently you are supporting organised crime or what ever.

-Dev

 

[ORECAL]

Threat of legal persecution for people who wish to grow and sell illegally wouldn't really change, considering it would be available legally much of the market who prefer take the legalised avenue. Many pot users currently face little in the way of legal persecution anyway often nothing more than confiscation provided it's obvious it's for personal use.



-Dev

this is complete bullshit. I've been arrested twice, once for paraphernalia, the other for less than a gram of pot.........

many pot smokers are in very real danger of persecution..... whoever tells you otherwise is not wise to whats going on. plus, everything is relevant to what your state laws are.

 

[Dev]

I agree, however that argument assumes you don't live in such a state/nation.

Such an assumption though would definitely be a big criticism since many smokers do live in such states. I'm not familiar with all the US State laws regarding it. However I do know that California, Canada parts of western Europe take a much more relaxed approach.

this is complete bullshit. I've been arrested twice, once for paraphernalia, the other for less than a gram of pot.........

Thats fucking harsh mate.

-Dev

 

[ORECAL]

The argument was that once you grow your own and have a circle of smoking friends it was both better quality and more cost effective than government regulated weed which would incorporate tax levies, distribution costs and profit margins and labour costs. Reducing the economies of scale benefit that would exist if legalised and produced commercially. Considering regulation (Making sure the smokers are 18+) would be a big push on legalising it, expensive licences to grow and sell would be required.

-Dev

they would not be able to force people to acquire licenses to grow their own pot....

and no way to stop (since they can legally grow it for themselves) them from selling it to their close friends ( who probably wouldn't need it since they could grow their own)

 

[ORECAL]

I agree, however that argument assumes you don't live in such a state/nation.

Such an assumption though would definitely be a big criticism since many smokers do live in such states. I'm not familiar with all the US State laws regarding it. However I do know that California and Canada take a much more relaxed approached.

-Dev

yes they do..... but the majority of the U.S. is not like california..... this theory would be great but it does not take reality in consideration. in reality, people are most certainly persecuted for small amounts, the weed is not better (no way of finding out who grows cause it's too risky to tell anyone if you do grow), and overall would just not suite the majority of smokers.

 

[ORECAL]

your telling me it's harsh, i was 16 when i was arrested for less than a gram of pot... I was fucking pissed.

 

[mythic]

Even in a relatively tolerant state like Oregon, getting popped with a single plant carries a maximum penalty of 20 years time/$300,000 fine. Not that I think that max penalty would be applied in such circumstances, but still. You're assuming a lot.

mythic

 

[overfiend]

of course your dealer does'nt want it legal he would have to work and would have competition but a lot of pot smokers are picky about they're smoke if it were legal and uncle sam could'nt give us good but at a reasonable price we would look elsewhere like a local dealer. so the job changes from just selling bud to a market that specializes in local quality bud. either way we will adapt as we have in the past.

besides i would rather they legalize so i can grow my whlole backyard full of bud.
and open my own 420 friendly coffee shop!

 

[Microdizzey]

As long as people aren't getting thrown in prison for possession of/using a plant that isn't dangerous, I don't care what they do.

 

[ORECAL]

As long as people aren't getting thrown in prison for possession of/using a plant that isn't dangerous, I don't care what they do.

i don't think you really mean that. i care very much about what they do.... even if it is legal. just like the guns issue, guns are legal, but they are trying to restrict them severely. which doesn't help stop violence.

 

[Dev]

I am indeed looking for feedback and I appreciate you guys taking the time to reply but there seems to be a small misunderstanding about what the post is arguing.

Even in a relatively tolerant state like Oregon, getting popped with a single plant carries a maximum penalty of 20 years time/$300,000 fine. Not that I think that max penalty would be applied in such circumstances, but still. You're assuming a lot.

mythic

The argument advocates decriminalizing over full out legalising.

besides i would rather they legalize so i can grow my whlole backyard full of bud.
and open my own 420 friendly coffee shop!

Even in The Netherlands you can't grow a back yard full of bud and not anyone can open a 420 cafe shop and you can't open it anywhere you like. There is a limit to how much you can grow.

This is based on second hand knowledge. I'm not sure on the Dutch Marijuana Policy.

 

[ToastedFox]

There is still tax free alcohol made, such.. Really pot plants would be even easier to hide for private use then alcohol would be.


The only people I think are against legalization are most likely part of either the crowd that makes money off the fact its illegal somehow or are just not the sharpest tools in the shed.

 

[kronicsmurf]

My state has decriminalized it but the fines are still hefty and the threat of going to jail for less than a ounce still seems like overkill. fuck decriminalization, legalization would be much better in my opinion.

 

[Wh00p]

weed wont be legalized because its the head honcho of the blame game..Kids go to jail, blame there life on Pot(and other assorted drugs) and then you have crack and coke being assorted with weed in Politics, Causing domino effect..

 

[AlphaNoN]

Decriminalization sounds good in theory, but the "war on drugs" is a multi-billion dollar money making machine that feeds our growing police state, and face it, the American populace is a statistical paycheck, taking marijuana out of the picture would be equivalent to telling thousands of police officers they can kiss their retirement goodbye. Many (if not all) police drug interdiction groups use drug money as their supplementary budget, to buy cars, guns, body armor, etc. The surplus goes to line pockets in the form of bonuses, benefits, 401k, and so on.

Then there's the prison system, which benefits from the free, inexhaustible laborers that the "war on drugs" provides. And the tobacco industry which doesn't want the competition, the same goes for the textile industry.

These organizations, local/state drug enforcment, DEA, big tobacco, DuPont, etc, are not going to give up easily, and decriminalization will only delay and possible benefit them. I say it may benefit them because decriminalization will not stop some of the more egregious problems with the drug trade and that could be used to re-criminalize marijuana down the road, gaining us nothing. No, when it comes down to it, legalization and the dismantling of the mechanisms that are currently in place to enforce these laws, removing the authority of these agencies is the only way to eliminate their influence in our political system and win back the right to decide what you'll do with your body, with your property and with your life.

In my opinion, your dealer doesn't want legalization because he runs a criminal enterprise (not dissing anyone) and makes money from the risk involved with providing a prohibited substance. His profit margins are at stake, and he's feeding you disinformation to justify it.

Even if the government taxed the hell out of marijuana cultivation, we'd have our foot in the door, public opinion of marijuana would slowly but surely change and with that change we'd see more tolerance, and the ability to sway laws, tax or otherwise, in our favor.

 

[Kindbuds262]

If marijuana became legal, then i would be excited about the availibility of a huge selection of strains. And then of coarse i'd have a backyard wonderland of herbs. But as bud hook up in my hometown i'd for sure be loosing out on some major cash oppertunities. The beauty of marijuana prohibition is that anyone with a cell phone can now run there own fortune 500 company out of there house. In America money grows on trees, you can squeeze $400 out of an ounce of dank... people work there entire lives making only some small profits per unit, or punching in at minimum wage. while other kids are growing money with dirt and tap water.