Executives Who Inhale

New York Business ^ | July 25, 2005 | Matthew Flamm

[Know your rights]

They have service jobs. One should aspire to a more lucrative career.

Sure ... but some don't have what it takes for a more lucrative career. Better we allow them a legal way to earn their living.

[Know your rights]

Given that most pot users quit in their early 30's, these guys got serious addiction problems.

So not doing what most people do makes them addicts? Since they hold down good jobs, I don't see any serious problem there.

[robertpaulsen]

"If they could make a legal profit selling to adults, they'd have an economic disincentive to endanger that legal profit by elling to kids."

Sell to legal adults and make 10% profit, or sell to the illegal underage market and make, what, 1000% profit? 5000% profit?

Gee, what will they do?

Currently, the underage market represents 30% of all pot smokers. With legalization, that could rise to 50%.

Big market with a big mark-up.

[robertpaulsen]

"Since they hold down good jobs"

Addicts don't hold down good jobs?

[KingNo155]

A $600 ounce will last u 6 months its that potent.

[Know your rights]

Sell to legal adults and make 10% profit, or sell to the illegal underage market and make, what, 1000% profit? 5000% profit?

Gee, what will they do?

Many (although not all) will prefer a smaller profit margin with no risk of prison.

Currently, the underage market represents 30% of all pot smokers. With legalization, that could rise to 50%.

Or it could fall.

[Know your rights]

Addicts don't hold down good jobs?

Of course they do.

[robertpaulsen]

"Many (although not all) will prefer a smaller profit margin with no risk of prison."

Coulda fooled me with all the current, prison-risking drug dealers. And, according to you, many more eager to take their place upon their arrest.

It's not like they can't find a small profit activity in today's world.

"Or it could fall."

Based on what?

I say it would rise based on the University of Alaska study. What do you base your statement on? Wishful thinking?

[Know your rights]

It's not like they can't find a small profit activity in today's world.

Switching from selling drugs to one of those unrelated activities is quite different from simply ceasing to sell to one part of one's former market.

I say it would rise based on the University of Alaska study.

What study ... what's the title and author(s)?

Wishful thinking?

I'm savoring the irony.

[RichInOC]

...good times...

:-D )))

[robertpaulsen]

The best.

[TKDietz]

"I agree that we should legalize and regulate marijuana for adults first, then see how it goes before talking concretely about legalizing other drugs."

So we should just talk in vague terms about legalizing meth and heroin until we get pot legalized? WTF? I'd rather just say concretely that those drugs are too addictive and cause too much harm to innocent third parties to be legal and regulated like alcohol. As far as I'm concerned there is no need to wait until we legalize marijuana before we say that.

[robertpaulsen]

If a constitutional argument can be made for the legalization of marijuana, then the same argument holds true for all drugs.

The end of Prohibition resulted in the legalization of all forms of alcohol, not just beer or wine.

Pretty funny. The ex-pot smoker argues constitutional law and the lawyer argues practicality.

[Know your rights]

I'd rather just say concretely that those drugs are too addictive and cause too much harm to innocent third parties to be legal and regulated like alcohol.

You're certainly entitled to do so right now ... and I'm entitled to ask how drugs, rather than their users, harm innocent third parties. As it stands, "cause too much harm to innocent third parties" sounds like what gungrabbers say about guns.

[TKDietz]

You know perfectly well how abuse of these drugs and addictions to these drugs harms other people. You just refuse to acknowledge it. If you did the kind of work I do in an area like mine with high numbers of meth addicts you wouldn't ask such silly questions.

[Know your rights]

how drugs, rather than their users, harm innocent third parties.

You know perfectly well how abuse of these drugs and addictions to these drugs harms other people.

No, what I do know is how some abusers of these drugs harm other people ... just like some users of guns harm other people.

[TKDietz]

I'm calling for the legalization of all forms of marijuana, not just unprocessed plants, but also hash and kif and whatever else you can make with it. I don't know what the heck you are talking about with your silly argument about just legalizing beer and not wine and liquor. These are all alcoholic beverages, different preparations of the same thing. It seems that you are trying to say all illegal drugs are the same and that you can't legalize one without legalizing them all. If that is what you are saying, it's just plain silly.

[TKDietz]

Some just play around with these substances a little and grow out of that phase in their lives before they become addicted. Others get addicted and become a burden on society soon after trying the drugs for the first time. Other others go on using the drugs occasionally for a long time hurting no one and never becoming addicted. Others though may seem like they'll never become addicted and the wham, the next thing you know their lives are falling apart around them and they are bringing others down with them.

The thing is though that a high percentage of people who use these drugs do become addicts. No doubt you can produce some bogus chart where some incompetent researchers will claim that drugs like heroin are less addictive than alcohol or whatever, but I just don't believe that. People who use drugs like meth and heroin who never become addicted don't tend to use these substances very often and they don't tend to use them for very long. If they used these drugs all the time like many drink beer, a high number of them would become hardcore addicts. Can I produce data to prove this? No. I don't know how they'd come up with data like that unless they used human test subjects and to my knowledge no such experiment has been performed. All I can do is base my opinion what I have seen with my own two eyes and what I've learned dealing on a regular basis with users and people addicted to these substances, methamphetamine in particular. You just don't find many people who can be frequent methamphetamine for an extended period of time and not become addicted to it sooner or later, and addiction to this drug is incredibly destructive to the addict and those around him.

[MarkL]

Alcohol at least doesn't stink.

Ahhhh... You've never been a broke college student who bought Weidemans Beer (IIRC, the deposit on the bottles was about the same as the actual price of the case of beer), and then made the mistake of pouring it out of the "long neck" bottle, into a glass! We called it "Skunk Beer" for a reason! You could drink it, as long as you couldn't smell it!

Mark

[MarkL]

Youth is wasted on the young...

Mark