Responsible Cannabis Consumers Are Not Criminals!

[Indica]

I am really sick of our BS laws. Our country was founded on Marijuana and up untill the 1930's, Hemp was our nations #1 Cash Crop. A lot of towns around our country still have the name "Hemp" in it's name - Hempstead, Hempfield...etc in honor of this crop.


Aside from personal use, there are over "20,000", yes 20,000+ uses for Marijuana besides the use for getting Stoned.

I contacted my Congress and urge you to do the same.

http://capwiz.com/norml2/home/

One of the current bills on the house - H.R. 5843, an "Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults," has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Barney Frank and Ron Paul.


I did this and even got a reply back from my Congress Representative


----

Dear xxxxx:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults, H.R. 5843. I appreciate your comments and welcome the opportunity to respond.

The Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults would eliminate most federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use. H.R. 5843 has been referred to the House Committees on the Judiciary, and Energy and Commerce. Should this bill reach the House floor for a vote, I will keep your views in mind.

Once again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. If I may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit my website at http://berkley.house.gov.

Sincerely,
SHELLEY BERKLEY
Member of Congress

[Mewnie]

Too bad it'll get shot down, more than likely X3

[Shadowpawn]

Well what are the benefits if weed is legalized? Besides eliminating a source of income for drug traffickers I can't really envision anything else.

[Randomness]

Well what are the benefits if weed is legalized? Besides eliminating a source of income for drug traffickers I can't really envision anything else.

Home-grown painkiller, but...

Also, #1 cash crop? I'm pretty sure cotton/tobacco held that for a LONG time.

[Ketchup345]

Well what are the benefits if weed is legalized? Besides eliminating a source of income for drug traffickers I can't really envision anything else.There would be less drug court cases, convictions (prison sentences), which would mean more tax money could be spent on other things. If it was legalized, it could be taxed.

[Shadowpawn]

Yeah but I thought prison system gained more by convicting people for petty offenses. Also, you said it could be taxed if legalized right? After the decades of sigma surrounding it who would actually sell it? I couldn't imagine it being sold in your neighborhood pharmacy store.

[CelestialBlade]

I'd rather the courts were focusing on putting REAL criminals behind bars, like murderers and child rapists, instead of people looking to get a little relief from the stresses of life. Yeah, I'm sick and tired of most of our drug laws.

[Ketchup345]

Yeah but I thought prison system gained more by convicting people for petty offenses. Also, you said it could be taxed if legalized right? After the decades of sigma surrounding it who would actually sell it? I couldn't imagine it being sold in your neighborhood pharmacy store.Prisons do benefit, but the government gets hurt. Some prisons are overcrowded, and why pay for drug users to be jailed instead of either legalizing it or fined?

I'm sure some places will decide to sell it, maybe not all, but at least a few.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

There would be less drug court cases, convictions (prison sentences), which would mean more tax money could be spent on other things. If it was legalized, it could be taxed.
My personal disinterest in using marijuana aside, I can only agree. There is no reason why someone should be sent to prison for marijuana use. Fine them or legalize it, whatever, but a prison sentence for the act is ridiculous.

Yeah but I thought prison system gained more by convicting people for petty offenses.
The prison system is strained and ineffective, because there are so many inmates. A very large number of them could be removed by de-criminalizing a number of petty crimes, such as possession of narcotics. Prison needs to be reserved for individuals convicted of crimes that pose a direct threat to society. Marijuana smokers pose a direct threat to themselves, at worst.

Also, you said it could be taxed if legalized right? After the decades of sigma surrounding it who would actually sell it? I couldn't imagine it being sold in your neighborhood pharmacy store.
In cities such as San Francisco, the legalization of marijuana sales would see the opening of entire businesses dedicated to its sale and use.

[Indica]

Well what are the benefits if weed is legalized? Besides eliminating a source of income for drug traffickers I can't really envision anything else.

Well, what people dont realize is Hemp is pretty much totally illegal to grow in the United States today. Hemp can produce paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, health food, and biomass fuel.

This includes clothes, toilet paper, laundry detergent, soap, and even run a car. Henry Ford during the 1920's proved and manufactured a car out of Hemp and even able to run it on Hemp Fuel.

For every 3 acres of forest we destroy to produce paper, it only takes 1.3 acres of Hemp to produce the same amount and better quality paper and it does not need to go though a bleaching process with chemicals that is bad for the environment.

I can pretty much go on forever and didn't even mention our food source. Hemp Seed Oil contains all the amino acids which is a necessity to our digestive system. Your not going to get stoned off Hemp Seed Oil and it would replace all the crap these companies are putting in our food supply including Soy.


Home-grown painkiller, but...

Also, #1 cash crop? I'm pretty sure cotton/tobacco held that for a LONG time.


Hemp would surpass Cotton Tobacco. When your grow Tobacco on a farm, it actually destroys the land and dirt. Farmers would alternate each season on that plot of land by growing Hemp.

Hemp would restore all the minerals and neutrants in the dirt after growing Tobacco.

[Sekani]

Getting laws like this passed would have to start with the admission that the "War on Drugs" is a failure, something that any politician who's not an extreme liberal would be unwilling to do.

[Indica]

Getting laws like this passed would have to start with the admission that the "War on Drugs" is a failure, something that any politician who's not an extreme liberal would be unwilling to do.



That's why Im voting for Obama!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQr9ezr8UeA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUze-oYsswI&feature=related


>

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Well, what people dont realize is Hemp is pretty much totally illegal to grow in the United States today. Hemp can produce paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, health food, and biomass fuel.


Marijuana plants are not useful for the production of hemp fabrics, due to the high content of THC. Hemp fabrics are generally produced from Industrial Hemp (a different species of the genus, Cannabis), which is perfectly legal to grow in some states, sometimes with and sometimes without the permission of the DEA. Even if industrial hemp had a THC content high enough to produce a drug, hemp grown for cultivation is planted too close together to provide effective room for the flowering necessary to produce an impressive quantity of buds.

The point is: Marijuana plants are only good for producing narcotics.

[Indica]

I know what your saying but Marijuana should not be classified or even considered a narcotic.

Yes there a difference between Hemp and Cannabis Flowers but with our current Federal Laws there really isn't any distinct difference.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Well, no, the law does differentiate between Hemp and Marijuana, but the catch is that all Cannabis contains THC, so only varieties producing a minimum amount of the chemical can be grown in the United States, and usually only by permit.

[Indica]

Well, no, the law does differentiate between Hemp and Marijuana, but the catch is that all Cannabis contains THC, so only varieties producing a minimum amount of the chemical can be grown in the United States, and usually only by permit.


Take a look at Vermont vs Montana.

2008 Vermont passed a Hemp bill, however farmers will not be able to legally grow hemp under the law until “such time as the United States Congress amends the definition of "marihuana" for the purposes of the Controlled Substances Act.”



Vermont

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4568&wtm_view=hemp


Montana

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4548&wtm_view=hemp

H.R. 1009 is still open and nothing done yet

H.R. 1009: Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007

To amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1009

[Kylie]

To be honest, I really don't care what happens with marijuana. However, I don't believe in painkillers or any kind of anti-depressant type of drug (or stress reliever) unless the person really needs it, and I'm sure many people that wouldn't need it would use it. Not relying on yourself during tough times when you could can't be a good thing, whether or not the drug does any physical damage. I suppose that's agreeing that responsible users are okay...

I think you're a little obsessed with this though, Indica. :-P

[Indica]

Thank you, but I need to be obsessed with this topic. Someone needs to take charge and push the truth towards the light.

Corporations have been doing evil and greedy things to us for the last 71 years. It really needs to stop as it's effecting society and our environment.

[Night_Raid]

As it's been established so far. Marijuana could have some uses if legalized. But see it from the government's point of view "For responsible adults" RESPONSIBLE adults. In the government's eyes, the people are a bunch of uncivilized apes that don't know their ass from their elbow. Which sadly enough, is largely true. People getting stoned DO present a threat to others as well as themselves. Seeing as how it affects judgment and basically common sense overall. If it were legalized, any adult would have access to it. Just because an adult buys marijuana doesn't mean they're responsible. Have you SEEN the world in the past twenty years? We're getting dumber by the second. It's like in elementary school. Where the teacher would punish the whole class because of what a select few did. The government has no way of knowing who's going to get stoned and then go out driving five minutes later. The only way to ensure that no one abuses it is to outlaw it all together. The worlds chock-full of dumbasses who aren't responsible enough to even be called adults. Welcome to 2008 ladies and gentlemen.

[SpikeOtacon]

Thank you, but I need to be obsessed with this topic. Someone needs to take charge and push the truth towards the light.

Corporations have been doing evil and greedy things to us for the last 71 years. It really needs to stop as it's effecting society and our environment.

Good Luck with that.

I personally feel that it shouldn't be illegal and I felt offended by a recent "my anti-drug" commercial which showed a boy cocooning himself with weed and coming out as an overweight, bald middle aged man still living at home with his parents. I am offended by this because I have been friends with a few fellows since the 6th grade who have been partaking in the use of the drug for several years and are not only responsible about it but are more productive members of society than half of the people that were in our graduation year. They are active in college with above average grades and have healthy personal relationships with family and friends.

What's all this about weed turning you into a dipshit now?

[Randomness]

Well, what people dont realize is Hemp is pretty much totally illegal to grow in the United States today. Hemp can produce paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, health food, and biomass fuel.

This includes clothes, toilet paper, laundry detergent, soap, and even run a car. Henry Ford during the 1920's proved and manufactured a car out of Hemp and even able to run it on Hemp Fuel.

For every 3 acres of forest we destroy to produce paper, it only takes 1.3 acres of Hemp to produce the same amount and better quality paper and it does not need to go though a bleaching process with chemicals that is bad for the environment.

I can pretty much go on forever and didn't even mention our food source. Hemp Seed Oil contains all the amino acids which is a necessity to our digestive system. Your not going to get stoned off Hemp Seed Oil and it would replace all the crap these companies are putting in our food supply including Soy.




Hemp would surpass Cotton Tobacco. When your grow Tobacco on a farm, it actually destroys the land and dirt. Farmers would alternate each season on that plot of land by growing Hemp.

Hemp would restore all the minerals and neutrants in the dirt after growing Tobacco.

Actually, common practice at the time was to use 2/3 or your land, while leaving 1/3 fallow, and rotate each year. Crop rotation came later.

[Yuudai_Riisu]

.

This includes clothes, toilet paper, laundry detergent, soap, and even run a car. Henry Ford during the 1920's proved and manufactured a car out of Hemp and even able to run it on Hemp Fuel.


I'm pretty sure that Henry Ford was using Ethanol fuel produced from corn in the 1920s.

[Indica]

I'm pretty sure that Henry Ford was using Ethanol fuel produced from corn in the 1920s.

Henry Ford grew hemp on his estate to demonstrate the efficiency of methanol production. Both Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel (inventor of the diesel engine) intended to power their vehicles with plant-based fuels.

[Iduno]

I think legalising it would let shops sell it fairly cheaply so it would cut down on drug related crime since, well how often do you hear about someone stealing or something to get money for a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of cider?

[Obscenity]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the alcohol and tobacco companies. How much money do you think is contributed by companies like Phillip Morris and Anheuser-Busch to anti-drug advertising campaigns? They fear the legalization of marijuana because it would cut into their respective slices of the pie. I imagine plastics companies like DuPont are opposed to the legalization, also. You can use hemp to make material that's much more durable than plastic, and cheaper to produce.

[Sgt_Shligger]

As it's been established so far. Marijuana could have some uses if legalized. But see it from the government's point of view "For responsible adults" RESPONSIBLE adults. In the government's eyes, the people are a bunch of uncivilized apes that don't know their ass from their elbow. Which sadly enough, is largely true. People getting stoned DO present a threat to others as well as themselves. Seeing as how it affects judgment and basically common sense overall. If it were legalized, any adult would have access to it. Just because an adult buys marijuana doesn't mean they're responsible. Have you SEEN the world in the past twenty years? We're getting dumber by the second. It's like in elementary school. Where the teacher would punish the whole class because of what a select few did. The government has no way of knowing who's going to get stoned and then go out driving five minutes later. The only way to ensure that no one abuses it is to outlaw it all together. The worlds chock-full of dumbasses who aren't responsible enough to even be called adults. Welcome to 2008 ladies and gentlemen.

Hey. alcohol called. He wants to have a word with you.

Marijuana is less harmful to you than alcohol but you don't see alcohol banned. Hell, alcohol can kill you on its own. I really think marijuana should be legalized. I know a few people who do it and none of them are the total burn outs that the drug programs say they should be. The government can tax it just like everything else and make a good amount of cash off of it. They can control the safety of it and quality once it's legalized as well as keep many people out of prison. Our tax dollars shouldn't be paying for some guy who got busted with weed on him while murderers and rapists run the streets.

[Tessu]

I don't think it should be completely legalized. I don't know much about the subject, but I do know that it can turn you into a total junkie, and we don't want any more of those, now, do we?

However, I do agree--it's ridiculous to be sending people to prison for it. I think a fine and a confiscation of said person's possession of marijuana should be enough.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Marijuana is less harmful to you than alcohol but you don't see alcohol banned.

Alcohol does slightly more damage to your body, yes, but that damage is distributed over the entire body. Marijuana's damage is exclusive to the brain, however. What's most significant about this, is that the brain does not heal so easily as the rest of the body, so any damage caused by marijuana is next door to permanent. Regular use of the drug even over a short period of time can make permanent changes to your speech and behavior that are recognizable to people who know what to look for.

[Shigecki]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzVPMq-mCpo

[Obscenity]

I don't know much about the subject, but I do know that it can turn you into a total junkie

The second half of that statement completely validated the first half.

[Tessu]

The second half of that statement completely validated the first half.

Oh, come now. How does it not turn you into a total junkie? You smoke it, you feel good, you want more, period. Junkie. And don't start giving that shit about how "marijuana isn't addictive".

[Obscenity]

Oh, come now. How does it not turn you into a total junkie? You smoke it, you feel good, you want more, period. Junkie. And don't start giving that shit about how "marijuana isn't addictive".

So your definition of a junkie is...someone who wants more of something? Seriously, for someone who claimed to know little about the subject, you seem to think you're very well-informed now.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Oh, come now. How does it not turn you into a total junkie? You smoke it, you feel good, you want more, period. Junkie. And don't start giving that shit about how "marijuana isn't addictive".

There are two types of addiction: Chemical and Psychological. Of the two, Chemical addiction is easier to get away from, and some people do not have personalities that are conducive to Psychological addiction. Marijuana can be chemically addictive, but this effect is very mild. The result is that only some of those susceptible will develop the psychological dependencies that result in psychological addiction.

So, marijuana is addictive, but in contrast with other drugs, it's pretty low on the scale. For some people, it acts as a gateway into further drug use; after one has accepted use of marijuana, the use of stronger narcotics no longer seems so serious. That effect, however, is largely dependent on a person's social environment.

[Nitro Vordex]

I honestly couldn't care less if this stuff was legalized or not. In my area, you barely see kids outside here, and that's mostly because they're all too busy smoking weed. Sure, a lot of them are healthy(or for the most part anyways), but weed being a gateway drug does have some truth to it. I'm not saying doing weed will get you doing crack cocaine or heroin, that's not it at all. It's something like alchohol, you drink enough on a regular basis, you build up a tolerance, you need more to get that same feel. Weed, same idea. Sometimes, people don't want to smoke all of that weed, or waste that money, so why not get something less and cheaper that gets the same effect?

Okay, back on topic. I'm not really seeing the benefits of legalizing the stuff. The "cool"(See:irresponsible) parents would buy it for their kids. A lot of kids, and teens, will do whatever just to smoke. Ditch class, miss work, whatever. In this state, it happens a lot, due to being near the border. I used to have a really good friend, I'd known him for years. He had been smoking pot since 4 years ago. Believe it or not, he was a great person to be around. He had a pretty sane mind and a cool head on him. When I moved back out to where I am now a few months back, he had totally gone downhill. He was living with friends, they weren't the best of friends, he was popping pills, doing graffiti, and smoking weed. Though, I think he gave that up, because I had talked to him seriously a couple months ago, and he said he'd move back with his mom and start over.

Take note, I never said anything about weed being his problems. This person was a really good person, stoned or not. He had a bass for some time, and he would get high, then we'd go to my house and play music. Like, really play. He was excellent.

Allright. The whole point of that is, I've seen the good side of pot and the bad side of pot. Yes, there is a good side. It's along the same vein as a good drinker and a bad drinker, a good smoker and a bad smoker. I don't honestly see anything wrong with someone smoking pot, as long as they are a responsible person.

By the way, I don't smoke pot, and I never will.

tl;dr:Neutral on pot.

[Indica]

I don't think it should be completely legalized. I don't know much about the subject, but I do know that it can turn you into a total junkie, and we don't want any more of those, now, do we?

However, I do agree--it's ridiculous to be sending people to prison for it. I think a fine and a confiscation of said person's possession of marijuana should be enough.


A "junkie" is a Heroin user. Old propaganda TV shows like Dragnet used to call everyone junkies.

There is a huge difference between a Heroin Junkie and a Pothead.




Regular use of the drug even over a short period of time can make permanent changes to your speech and behavior that are recognizable to people who know what to look for.


I have honestly never seen or read about Marijuana causing any kind of permanent damage and dont believe this. Rodney Dangerfield and Willie Nelson have been smoking Pot for over 50 years.

Dangerfield did have health problems but it was not associated to Pot.

[Aisha379]

I really don't give a shit, as I think the world is screwed either way.


If people want to stay home and get high, fine. I really don't care. The problem is a vast majority of these people are going to be a drag on society, and I don't want the Governments money (IE: My money) going to help them if it really becomes a problem.


That, and if someone decides to drive high and crash into my car or something, I WILL jump out and kill them for the good of humanity.

Of course, that goes for alcohol too, but still...


If I had to vote on it, I'd be against it. Just because I like to see potheads cry in a corner and whine because "they aren't hurting anyone". And that tickles me <3

[Tessu]

So your definition of a junkie is...someone who wants more of something? Seriously, for someone who claimed to know little about the subject, you seem to think you're very well-informed now.

missing the point

I define a junkie as someone with an addiction. A serious one. I'm sure not all marijuana users become really big addicts, but there are still the few that do. Completely legalizing it would only provoke that sort of activity. That's just what I was saying.

Sheesh. ;3

[HUnewearl_Meira]

I have honestly never seen or read about Marijuana causing any kind of permanent damage and dont believe this.

There is no perfect drug, dude. Many of the effects of Marijuana may be negligible, but it is not without side effects. Any individual with a history of heavy use is immediately identifiable by their behavior and multiple qualities of their speech. These qualities are much more difficult to observe in an individual with a history of very light or minimal use, but they are present, nevertheless.

[Obscenity]

missing the point

I define a junkie as someone with an addiction. A serious one. I'm sure not all marijuana users become really big addicts, but there are still the few that do. Completely legalizing it would only provoke that sort of activity. That's just what I was saying.

Sheesh. ;3

Conversely applying that logic to prohibition of alcohol would make you assume that people drank less when alcohol was outlawed. They didn't. People are going to do it regardless of the legality. While I agree that there may be more people willing to try marijuana if it was legalized, I also think that about as many would stop doing it for the exact same reason. Once it's legal, it's no longer "cool". The majority of people, however, are doing it/abstaining from it without consideration of its legal status.

[Yuudai_Riisu]

Now, I wonder why they have been saying America is becoming a dumber nation...

[Nitro Vordex]

Now, I wonder why they have been saying America is becoming a dumber nation...

Obviously not due to drugs. :roll:

[Aisha379]

While I agree that there may be more people willing to try marijuana if it was legalized, I also think that about as many would stop doing it for the exact same reason. Once it's legal, it's no longer "cool".

As horrendously low the probability of that is, you must still admit the overall percentage of users is would, hypothetically, go up. Regardless.



Now, I wonder why they have been saying America is becoming a dumber nation...

Partially jealousy, partially because its true =o

[Sgt_Shligger]

As horrendously low the probability of that is, you must still admit the overall percentage of users is would, hypothetically, go up. Regardless.


True but the amount and potency of marijuana could be regulated and therefor made safer for the general public. The government can only make money from legalization.

[Night_Raid]

Oh, and since I've been out of this conversation for a DAY (+3 pages, bah) I'm going to pretty much keep my nose out of this, however.

http://news.aol.com/article/allow-some-pot-lawmakers-urge/110137?icid=100214839x1206873085x1200350904

knock yourselves out.

[Nitro Vordex]

The United States should not punish adults for responsible marijuana use,
Oh yeah, because it's mostly adults that do it. :roll:

That'll just make it easier for kids to get it, dumbasses.

[Obscenity]

Oh yeah, because it's mostly adults that do it. :roll:

That'll just make it easier for kids to get it, dumbasses.

Yeah, because they have such a hard time getting it now.

[Night_Raid]

Yeah, because they have such a hard time getting it now.

Well it's certainly isn't any harder if your dad goes to the store and buys a brick...

[HUnewearl_Meira]

http://news.aol.com/article/allow-some-pot-lawmakers-urge/110137?icid=100214839x1206873085x1200350904

knock yourselves out.

It certainly seems like progress is being made, here. I'm rather interested to see how far this goes.

[Nitro Vordex]

Well it's certainly isn't any harder if your dad goes to the store and buys a brick...

Yep.

Though, the dad would probably give them some anyways. So yeah.

[Toadthroat]

Smoking Marijuana, especially Marijuana that could be tested and regulated by the government, is no worse than drinking alcohol or smoking a cancer stick.
And guess what, kids still get their hands on that. You're not going to stop a few delinquents from getting something if they want it bad enough.
The Gov't might as well legalize it so the weed that they DO get isn't laced with all sorts of other bullshit that could kill them.

[Nitro Vordex]

Camel pot.

Would that be awesome?

Maybe. Though, it'd probably be expensive as bloody hell.

[Solstis]

The legalization of marijuana would drastically increase the amount of bad poetry, prose, and music being produced and released to the public.

I for one say that we doggedly enforce the criminal nature of this cultural menace.

[Weeaboolits]

In my opinion the only thing making marijuana any worse than tobacco or alcohol is its being illegal.

Look at prohibition, outlawing alcohol gave rise to just as much violent crime as any other substance, rather than banning the lesser ones outright, they should subject them to government control.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

The legalization of marijuana would drastically increase the amount of bad poetry, prose, and music being produced and released to the public.

I for one say that we doggedly enforce the criminal nature of this cultural menace.

Legalization and Decriminalization are two different things. The difference is that legalizing it would condone it, whereas decriminalizing just means that you won't go to prison over it-- you'll pay a fine, at worst. Just like speeding is not a criminal offense, but you'll get in trouble over it, anyway.

[holotiip]

I am liking these threads more than the official ones. Im new, but over the years I have used pso-world and its forums for their good advice , interesting forums, and general qualty of people. This thread is proof.

Oxycontin( hillbillly heroin!!!) woo hoo amphetamines, and cocaine are all legal for medicinal purpose in America but medical marijuana is not? Let's just go arrest all the cancer patients that are benifitting from medical marijauna.