Posted on 06/09/2008 5:24:53 AM PDT by Invisigoth
There are a few constants in the discussion of American domestic politics: Rising costs, shady politicians and our Puritan ethics. Gas prices are depressing and politicians are repetitive, so that leaves us with the contraband.
The 11 states that have legalized medicinal marijuana have their share of grief from opposition groups ranging from scared parents to DEA officials trying to monitor the production of the leafy painkiller. But besides being controversial, the distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes has now officially become ridiculous.
The boundaries between the justifiable purpose of the substance and the not-so-underground culture of recreational use have blurred, and it’s not doing law-abiding users any favors. We’re an image-driven culture, so no matter how many reports and physician testimonials another acronym-happy organization comes up with, a single shot of a “pharmacy” with a neon 420 sign flashing and Grateful Dead poster speaks for itself.
In California, the ease with which a prescription can be obtained relying solely on the patient’s word and then filled by a vending machine is laughable. To convince the nation that marijuana is a legitimate drug reserved for extreme cases, either start putting Vicodin in Pez dispensers or start treating Mary Jane like a potent controlled substance.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
Medical marijuana isn’t a joke...once again, it is the government handling of the issue that’s a joke.
Yeah, it’s a joke it’s against the law.
I worked for the police, my son is in the police, and I have ‘experience’ in this area.
The police all say they have never broken up a domestic disturbance of potheads.
In moderation I think the effects are sometimes even beneficial. Too much, though, CAN BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM
I have not smoked it in 20 years- my job tests for it and it is not allowed. If it was legal I might indulge, but I don’t think the criminalization of it has helped anyone.
feel free to disagree, i don’t mind. The usual response though is “oh yeah go smoke a rope dummy pothead”
legalize marijuana NOW!!! Tax the hell out of it, and move on. I had rather run across a stoner than a drunk, any day...
Truly one of the silliest articles on the subject to have been posted to FR . . .
I think some people genuinely get relief from marijuana that they were unable to find in other (conventional) drugs. But I KNOW that “medical marijuana” is HUGELY abused as a loophole by people who simply want to get high.
Over the counter? No way.
Pay the exam fee and your radical 60’s physician will prescribe it for your hangnail.
Decriminalize? I can live with that. Legalize? No; it will only serve to increase the number of non or semi-functional individuals needing care from the public dole.
Gonna be hard to tax (that’s a feature not a bug, btw). Worse than moonshine. And big government and big booze would lose money, which is why they want to keep this stuff illegal. You can grow your own with only a postage stamp sized area - many do already.
...meets the not-so-laughable scam that is called the War on Drugs.
“The police all say they have never broken up a domestic disturbance of potheads.”
BAHAHAHA!! We sure have around here. Remember, Chronic is the drug of choice for gang-bangers.
I have a sensory disorder and medical MJ was one of the few things that helped.
When I looked at the side effects of legal drugs(addiction, death!) compared to side effects of MJ(being hungry, laughing, forgetting), it’s a no brainier. Legalize and stop politicians in the pockets of big pharma.
“If a licensed physician wants to order it for treatment of a patient, what exactly is the problem?”
They used to dispense it at pharmacies. You would get the joints in a little pill bottle. But doctors quit dispensing products that people smoked because smoking is bad for you.
Or eaten for a long ‘time-release’ effect.
Eleven years in Maine and you’re the only guy I know that doesn’t smoke ganja.
Any thing that reduces or eliminates the war on drugs is okay by me.
And how many people actually do that?
I am just eagerly waiting to hear about “gasheads” people who commute several hours a day in fuel guzzlers and are giving up the basic needs like meat to pay the cost of fuel.
Soon we will see emaciated drivers behind the wheels of the tuna boats, we will see ads on Craigslist of parents selling children for gas, we will be seeing new individual owners starting their own car pools like the trophy wives in the oversized SUVs, I can just see them parked in groups near Walmarts tossing catcalls of a suggestive nature at passing commuters to “ride” with them all in a similar fashion to streetwalkers on a busy street.
And a new snob society will be borne, status now is not being able to just buy an expensive car or SUV, its how much or rather how less fuel the car needs, pure electric are now at the top of the list. The lowly much taunted Prius is now the school yard bully, the Hummer crowds cower in fear or lie gasping for fuel alongside the road.
I agree with everything you just said.
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