DEA to reclassify Marijuana

In reply to bobzilla :

Want to hear a good one?

I had a 1-wire pacemaker implanted 2 years ago.  In patient procedure, not really a big deal.  As the nurse is finishing up releasing me, she remarks, just take Tylenol for the pain.

That my friends is a big joke.  Hurt for one solid month!  Tylenol did not even touch the pain.

I used to work in a dispensary, and honestly, the tax situation is the biggest mess. Even if they reclassify it, fixing banking and tax restrictions matters way more for businesses.

Gotta say I agree with the others that I view it similarly to drinking for a great many reasons and slightly worse for a particular reason.

Same reasons

• Impairment - driving, operating equipment, etc. 
• Dependence on altered state - similarly to alcoholism, people become addicted on that level chasing the altered state and/or self medicating (often to excess). This carries many secondary followers on. 
• Societal - it's another way for people to fall as is true of many vices. (Coulda went and got a job, but then I got high...)

Reasons it's worse

• When smoked, secondhand smoke can alter state. - contact high. Which can endanger the person receiving the secondhands employment in some situations. (At present my employment could be lost if I tested positive for any use)
• When smoked, frankly, it STINKS up a whole area. Seriously, I work in DC and whoof. I hate walking up on it. 

Don't get me wrong, if you use it in moderation and with courtesy, I don't have a problem with it. However, at the same time, I do dislike the fall off the path social vice aspect for those vulnerable to it. I definitely do see the medical uses, especially in chronic pain management. 

In reply to Apexcarver :

The amount of secondhand smoke you'd have to inhale in order to show up on a drug test, would have to be intentional. Like in a closed off room that you willingly sit in for 20 minutes. Maybe a hair sample would be more sensitive, but its not happening with a urine test. I'm with you on the smell though. Its wild to me that the person in front of me on the highway can be smoking, and my car then smells like a skunk. 

nderwater said:

I've never been a user, nor do i pick a side on the politics of drug legislation, but I do agree with this sentiment: “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities ... Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana." 

According to internet sources, American police make over over 1 million drug possession arrests each year,  many of which lead to prison sentences.  The USA holds about 20% of the world's prison population (1.9 million people) at a system-wide cost of at least $182 billion each year. 

 

The stuff has made a metric E36 M3-ton of money for those that sell it and for those that enforce and incarcerate; that 182 billion is someones take-home-pay. In a Capitalist economy, that is all that matters. The cultivators and the users? They must get some value out of it or they would not buy it.

Pot has been legal in Canada for some time now and to be honest it has not changed much other than enforcement. The Gov has gone on to be the one making the money from distribution and a bazillion small stores have opened to sell the stuff.

I don't partake in the drug, but Ohio has approved it, I was not opposed to it. The politics surrounding hardly sounds worth the effort. The money has become very convuleded new budgets are trying to redistribute it and cap it. When you think of the efficiency of money being spent I am speculative of it being pro community and more in the hands of politicians and those who sell it. Honestly I haven't seen much benefit to it, I am not huge fan of people smoking in public or driving while intoxicated.  I have family members through marriage that smoke and they have defiantly increased their intake because of the ease of drive throughs and access, which I do discount "they would do it anyways might as well tax it" storyline. Not saying that is everyone but should be studied.

lnlogauge said:

In reply to Apexcarver :

The amount of secondhand smoke you'd have to inhale in order to show up on a drug test, would have to be intentional. Like in a closed off room that you willingly sit in for 20 minutes. Maybe a hair sample would be more sensitive, but its not happening with a urine test. I'm with you on the smell though. Its wild to me that the person in front of me on the highway can be smoking, and my car then smells like a skunk. 

The hair test was what they did 30-odd years ago.  You could tell who were stoners, they always shaved their heads so they couldn't get hair tested.  

Being young Pete, I just grew my hair long as a way of differentiating myself.  Now, it's just an affectation, honestly I don't care what people do with their private lives as long as it doesn't affect their ability to function as members of society.  I have friends and family who have severe anxiety issues and they actually got prescriptions when it was medical only in Ohio and it really did help them, so good for them to find a way to have more peace in their lives.