Your Stance on Marijuana - Poll

[rexsomnii]

+1 for option 1

[V4NC1TY]

I'd go for option 1, but let's be realistic here
Tough luck tryna change their minds and get a legislature like that passed. I think the farthest they'll go is de-criminalizing it. But hey, what do I know, I'm just a dumbass kid

[Gh0stRider]

Option 3

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

wow holy shit.

so you don't take drugs recreationally.

i'm sure you've taken some kinda drug medically.

only drug i ever needed medically that addled the brain was when they put me under to set my broken arm; i wouldn't be against it if i was prescribed something for a medical reason though

what about caffeine? a lot of people drink it recreationally, or even for "work".

you can't rule caffeine out, it's just as much as a drug as anything else.

caffeine doesnt confuse the mind though but yeah i've pretty much cut that out too except for the odd cup of tea (used to drink soda pop like it was water)


im not against drugs/medicine i just prefer not to take anything unnecessary that is detrimental/confuses the mind etc
(i dont even pop ibuprofens when i have a headache/pain unless i cant stand it)

[!SG]

from economic pov,

legalize it, tax the shit out of it, watch it be BC's greatest contributor to GDP, and be one commodity to be positive when times are tough, and be even more positive when times are good. kinda like alcohol.

[cressydrift]

I used to smoke, was casual in high school, then regular when I got out, then back to casual and have not touched the stuff for a while. It does have side affects, and your crazy to deny this. It makes you lazy, un-motivated and have a skewed perception on reality. Not to mention its terrible for your lungs (for regular smokers).

If you look at Amsterdam, its legal but only to be bought and smoked in a coffee shop. You can't be on the the street anywhere and spark up a joint, just like you can't sit in a park and drink (legally) here.

To many pros to legalize it,

- Virtually knocking out all income for gangs
- 12-17 males will be less likely to have tried marijuana in high school due to its difficulty to obtain
- Obvious tax gains
- Real jobs that contribute to community
- Less hassle for police cracking down on gangs, and grow ops
- Less power theft
- Less destruction on environment from grow ops (out door)
- More awareness on its medical capability
- A lower inmate population in our prison system, costing us less money
- A chapter closed on a on going debate that waste's time from the worlds/countrys/provinces real issues

[StylinRed]

grow ops would still exist; organized crime grow ops would legalize themselves as some are now; they have licenses to grow but simply grow more than they're allowed (look at some of the last few busts reported in the paper; the grow ops had licenses but not for the amount they grew)
grow ops would exist outside of the law to skip out on giving the govt. a cut and gangs make most their money from exporting

it would be very hard for the govt to profit from pot since the plant wont be illegal people will just grow it in their homes for personal use without feeling they're doing something wrong

it wouldn't be as profitable as you imagine because of personal growing (personal grow ops have an impact already could you imagine when people dont have a stigma that they're doing something illegal over them? you'll see more home grows)

if you try to make personal growth illegal how are you going to stop it? or check for it? personal grow ops aren't going to be using boat loads of electricity; its just like with people who make beer&wine @ home which uses more resources and is more complicated than watering a potted plant

the only way the govt. could hope to profit from this is to export marijuana like the gangs do; the majority of a gangs profit from grow ops isn't from being sold to users in Canada but from exporting it into the US etc (just like with mexican weed growers they export it into the states) gangs cant exactly profit within canada from pot anymore because so many people are growing it on their own

the amount of money used to try and control the industry would be too much of an endevour and risk (as it will likely fail) to make that switch to legalization not to mention the viability as proft comes from export

if the govt. makes it legal it won't be from the hope of profiting from it but to win votes but they'll be enraging their closest ally next door

good luck with that



fail as you wish but that's the reality of the situation

[tonyvu]

Stoners are probably the most harmless people i know... I'd rather deal with a guy whos greened out rather than someone whos raging over something cause they're drunk.

Option 1 plz

[MindBomber]

There's so much wrong with this post I don't even know where to begin..

Brewing wine and beer is of comparable difficulty to growing pot, but the results of home brewed alcohol are generally horrible in comparison to commercially produced alternatives. It's also a pain in the ass, and having a quick sample of something different would require a massive amount of effort and producing a large quantity. By your logic, liquor stores wouldn't exist, because people would brew and distill their own alcohol. The opposite is true, and the exact same principles are directly applicable to pot.

The only potential profit comes from export, what the fuck are you talking about?
The local dispensaries all signed up thousands of customers within the first months of opening, never mind all the people who purchases from illicit sources, the domestic market is massive. Make it legal and that market would only grow.

Will Americans be happy if we legalize marijuana?
No, of course not, but Canadians shouldn't give a fuck about how another country feels about a relatively minor issue. It would be better for us if they actually had some measure of gun control in America, but they don't care what we think. Aside from that, California is closer to legalization that we are, I think they're a little more focused on their own country legalizing than us.

Originally Posted by StylinRed

grow ops would still exist; organized crime grow ops would legalize themselves (as some are now; they have licenses to grow but simply grow more than they're allowed)
grow ops would exist outside of the law to skip out on giving the govt. a cut and gangs make most their money from exporting

it would be very hard for the govt to profit from pot since the plant wont be illegal people will just grow it in their homes for personal use without feeling they're doing something wrong

it wouldn't be as profitable as you imagine because of personal growing (personal grow ops have an impact already could you imagine when people dont have a stigma that they're doing something illegal over them? you'll see more home grows)

if you try to make personal growth illegal how are you going to stop it? or check for it? personal grow ops aren't going to be using boat loads of electricity; its just like with people who make beer&wine @ home which uses more resources and is more complicated than watering a potted plant

the only way the govt. could hope to profit from this is to export marijuana like the gangs do; the majority of a gangs profit from grow ops isn't from being sold to users in Canada but from exporting it into the US etc (just like with mexican weed growers they export it into the states) gangs cant exactly profit within canada from pot anymore because so many people are growing it on their own

the amount of money used to try and control the industry would be too much of an endevour and risk (as it will likely fail) to make that switch to legalization not to mention the viability as proft comes from export

if the govt. makes it legal it won't be from the hope of profiting from it but to win votes in the face of enraging their closest ally next door

good luck with that

[StylinRed]

Originally Posted by MindBomber

There's so much wrong with this post I don't even know where to begin..

Brewing wine and beer is of comparable difficulty to growing pot, but the results of home brewed alcohol are generally horrible in comparison to commercially produced alternatives. It's also a pain in the ass, and having a quick sample of something different would require a massive amount of effort and producing a large quantity. By your logic, liquor stores wouldn't exist, because people would brew and distill their own alcohol. The opposite is true, and the exact same principles are directly applicable to pot.

my fault what i was trying to say is that even with something as complex (in comparison) as beer/wine brewing @ home you still have a lot of people doing it; with something so easy as watering a plant you'll have far more people growing @ home.

where the alcohol industry thrives is due to the different flavours and the fact that home brew is complicated and a large endevour whereas pot growing isnt

The only potential profit comes from export, what the fuck are you talking about?
The local dispensaries all signed up thousands of customers within the first months of opening, never mind all the people who purchases from illicit sources, the domestic market is massive. Make it legal and that market would only grow.

that's because its illegal for those who use local dispensaries to grow on their own

and yes export is where the money is and that's very true for the gangs etc profit in selling to joe-blow is left for high school kids

Will Americans be happy if we legalize marijuana?
No, of course not, but Canadians shouldn't give a fuck about how another country feels about a relatively minor issue. It would be better for us if they actually had some measure of gun control measures in America, but they don't care what we think.

im not saying its right/wrong to care about what the USA thinks or what we would like the USA to do that would benefit us... regardless of that it is what it is... we as a nation are going to continue to care what the US says about this

Aside from that, California is closer to legalization that we are, I think they're a little more focused on their own country legalizing than us.

if that were to happen i could see Canada leaning closer to legalization (prospect of export and less of an issue of US bitching) but California itself has the concern of the Federal govt. on their ass like they say they would be (and have been re: shutting down dispensaries) if Cali legalized it.

[Jermyzy]

Just came across these stats while I was doing an online continuing education course on substance abuse. From Canadian Centre of Substance Abuse, costs attributable to substance abuse (2002 stats however, but still gives a good idea)

Tobacco: $17 billion
•Healthcare costs: $ 4.4 billion
Alcohol: $14.6 billion
•Healthcare costs: $ 3.3 billion
•Law-enforcement costs: $ 3.1 billion
Illegal Drugs: $ 8.2 billion
•Healthcare costs: $ 1.1 billion
•Law-enforcement costs: $ 2.3 billion

Based on these stats, it seem silly that they make drug use illegal but legalize tobacco and alcohol when they are in fact costing society more.

[Jermyzy]

Some more stats

CCSA Mortality and Morbidity
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) data from 2002 also revealed a high cost in terms of mortality for tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drug use



CCSA Mortality and Morbidity

Tobacco accounts for: Alcohol accounts for: Drug use accounts for:
16.6% ----------------3.6% ----------------0.8% of all deaths
16.7%----------------6.2% -----------------2.0% of all potential years of life lost (PYLL)
10.3% ---------------7.4%-----------------1.6% of acute-care hospital days

[Teh Doucher]

man not my weed too. i already get fucking taxed enough...

[Death2Theft]

Uh so it's legal to grow for yourself now?

Originally Posted by StylinRed

they export it into the states) gangs cant exactly profit within canada from pot anymore because so many people are growing it on their own

[Ronin]

I've added a poll for you.

It probably didn't work because options can't exceed 100 characters.

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by Ronin

I've added a poll for you.

It probably didn't work because options can't exceed 100 characters.

Thanks man

[V4NC1TY]

Originally Posted by Teh Doucher

man not my weed too. i already get fucking taxed enough...

by nammer jammers or the government?

[orgasm_donor]

Originally Posted by StylinRed

never had a sip of alcohol either or cigs

wont do anything that i find unnecessary that addles the brain or damages the body

I'm pretty much the same way. Always have been. Some people just don't understand this.

Originally Posted by dignatas

maybe it is because you are 14

anything above 16 and you did not try beer once or a cig..... you must be..

I'm 38 and have never had any drugs with the exception of painkillers for kidney stones or in the hospital. I have had some alchohol but I have never been drunk - don't like the feeling of even being tipsy. Its a choice...and not the wrong choice in my opinion.

That said, I think legalizing it is a good option in the short-term sense of things. Who knows what the long term will bring.

[iEatClams]

Originally Posted by dinosaur

I am between 2 & 3.

Here is the thing....I use to smoke it. Not wake and bake style, but I use to smoke a lot of it. With friends, at parties, at lunch in jr high and high school, camping, weekends, etc...then I hit 23-24ish and was like "meh", I'm done.

Now, at 31, I think the shit stinks. I find it annoying, I think the whole "pot" culture is gross, dirty, and immature, and I hate dealing with it.

I manage 5 apartment buildings and find that this is my BIGGEST problem. I get it. Everyone smokes pot. I am a minority in this province when it comes to this issue. My issue is, is that it effects others. It stinks up the halls, it smells up your neighbours' apartment, etc. It also presents a less than ideal place to live for potential tenants.

I know the same can be said for cigarette smoke, but I don't get high from your cigarette smoke. All my buildings are non-smoking buildings, so if I smell cigarette smoke, I can tell people to go outside, give warning letters, and potentially end their tenancy. The problem with pot smokers is, "well, I don't smoke pot". I can't do anything.

If I sit next to a guy getting drunk, I don't get drunk. If I sit next to a guy smoke pot, I get high. And, from what I understand, there are no mechanisms to detect impaired drivers that are high, so there is another issue.

Rant done...proceed to fail as I am sure few other share my opinion.

I'm between 1 & 2 as well. I think its messed up that growing 6 plants will get you automatic jail time, or how rapists will get less jail time than many pot growers.

However as you get older, you don't want that overwhelming pot smell in public places, especially with children around etc. How are we going to enforce or restrict uses? allow it in designated areas like certain parks or beaches where it's more open ? who knows??

Theres a lot of things that must be considered before it becomes fully legalized.

[hotshot1]

It's infuriating to read that people actually want to jail others for using a natural plant that helps manage so many different ailments.

Think about it... you want to put people in a fucking box, away from people in society, and basically ruin their lives because they smoked something that has a lot of positive effects. It's not as if people lose their minds and commit crimes while under the influence.

We're living in the 21st century, in the age of the internet where we have so much information and yet, people still have primitive views about pot. I can't even read some replies because I get pissed off.

[Happy]

Originally Posted by tonyvu

Stoners are probably the most harmless people i know... I'd rather deal with a guy whos greened out rather than someone whos raging over something cause they're drunk.

Option 1 plz

yeah stoners are harmless
but the guys moving kilo's arent

[NJMR]

alcohol and tobacco have caused more deaths than all illegal drugs combined, the government should not be allowed to tell us what we can or cannot put in our own bodies.

[MindBomber]

Originally Posted by Happy

yeah stoners are harmless
but the guys moving kilo's arent

hence why it should be legalized, to reduce the need to purchase from illicit sources who endanger British Columbians, although it's already quite easy to get approved to buy from a compassion club.

Is it possible to have a referendum on legalizing marijuana, like the idiots did with hst?

[Drizzt Do'Urden]

Banning drugs is unconstitutional to our rights and freedom. If I'm not hurting/bothering anyone with what I'm doing, I should be allowed to do whatever I want.

I agree with what Graham Hancock said about this issue in that there are already laws to protect us from the harm that drugs and alcohol can potentially cause. If somebody gets real hammered and picks a fight, there's already an assault law in place to protect that person in the fight. We don't need a thousand different laws to rule out what we can and cannot do with our own bodies. It's a waste of money and resources, and on top of that, it's not even keeping drugs away from anyone! If you want it, you can get it.

Just keep it simple. If you're doing whatever the hell you're doing in your own home, and not bothering anyone else, go do the fuck out of it.

[asahai69]

i like the way it is now. if the government started selling weed. we would be paying 15-20 bucks a gram. fuck that shit