Marijuana Legalization

[MachineGhost]

With five states voting to legalize recreational weed this November, and four more voting on medical marijuana, legal pot is expected to be a $7 billion industry by the end of this year, according to market research. And that means a new wave of corporate interest in Big Bud, with a whole slew of companies hoping to "get rich or high trying."

Nowhere was this more apparent than at last week's Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in Los Angeles, where you can see firsthand what happens when you cross one kind of green with another. This wasn't a showroom of bongs, pipes, and weed candies. Instead, there were 100 or so booths selling agricultural equipment, packaging materials, insurance, and accounting software suites to the thousands of industry professionals in attendance.

http://www.vice.com/read/corporations-h ... eed-boring

[Reub]

Were you there?

[MachineGhost]

Were you there?

Naw.

[WiseOne]

Good, that's exactly what should happen.

The question with legalization was never "will people smoke pot". They already do. The question is who gets to enjoy the money made growing and selling the stuff. The two choices are a) Mexican cartels and organized crime in the US, and b) private enterprises and state/local governments (via taxes on legitimate businesses).

I pick b.

[curlew]

Good, that's exactly what should happen.

The question with legalization was never "will people smoke pot". They already do. The question is who gets to enjoy the money made growing and selling the stuff. The two choices are a) Mexican cartels and organized crime in the US, and b) private enterprises and state/local governments (via taxes on legitimate businesses).

I pick b.

I was looking at the pot business in Colorado not long ago and was amazed at the price you have to pay for just a single joint. I forget the figure but having bought and smoked pot in Vietnam it was staggering. I do remember figuring that I can still get high on beer a LOT cheaper though it might (will) be worse for my health. I'm guessing this is mostly mark up due to all kinds of government regulation over the business, whether direct or indirect.

And given the U.S. track record, what will be the cost of "Medical" marijuana? $1,000 / joint?

So as long as that continues I don't think the Mexican cartels will have anything to worry about. The government will still assist them in keeping the price up and making it worth their while to sell an "illegal" product.

[WiseOne]

I'm no expert on marijuana prices, but relative to the stuff you get from the black market, the prices in Colorado aren't actually that bad. A "dime bag" is somewhere around 1 gram of pot for $10, whereas the going rate for 1/8 oz (about 3.5g) in Colorado is $40.

Factor in more reliable quality and the peace of mind that comes with buying legally, plus the fact that increased competition is slowly bringing prices down, and I'd say the black market is going to lose this one. Don't forget that the illegal stuff is often mixed with something that is inert if you're lucky. If you're not lucky it's mixed with PCP.

I'll also add that alcohol is plenty bad stuff when you go overboard with it. It's true that we don't know much about the long term effects of cannabis, but it's unlikely to be worse than alcohol, which damages the brain, liver, and stomach lining and supplies a lot of calories. For effects on the brain, look up Marchiafava-Bignami syndrome, Wernicke's encephalopathy (thiamine deficiency), and combined subacute degeneration (B12 deficiency). Alcohol also increases the risk of brain aneurysms and subarachnoid hemorrhage. The fact that it has been legal while substances like pot (which is a PLANT) has been illegal just boggles the mind.

[ochotona]

I am sure many folks must grown their own plants to lower the cost.

[MachineGhost]

I'm no expert on marijuana prices, but relative to the stuff you get from the black market, the prices in Colorado aren't actually that bad. A "dime bag" is somewhere around 1 gram of pot for $10, whereas the going rate for 1/8 oz (about 3.5g) in Colorado is $40.

Factor in more reliable quality and the peace of mind that comes with buying legally, plus the fact that increased competition is slowly bringing prices down, and I'd say the black market is going to lose this one. Don't forget that the illegal stuff is often mixed with something that is inert if you're lucky. If you're not lucky it's mixed with PCP.

"Often" is too aggressive a word. I'd say its a very minor issue, but since its not exactly tracked unless the smoker winds up in the emergency room, its hard to know exactly what slice of the overall pie it represents. Especially since pot is so stronger now compared to decades ago that lacing shouldn't be needed as much.

But the peace of mind would be worth it. You can't trust those crazy cartels! They care about you about as much as a housefly does.

What a lot of unnecessary and stupid political drama for decades over a bloody weed. Thanks, Nixon!

[curlew]

I hope to see marijuana legalization in Florida but I'm skeptical if it will ever happen. We are kind of a cross between red state conservatism and blue state liberalism with the elderly population probably being the deciding factor. An initiative on the last ballot failed and even my friends at work voted against it because it involved amending the constitution and they didn't want to see their kids turned into potheads.

The reason I would like to see it legalized from my own point of view is because I currently use beer as an adjunctive treatment for pain in the form of arthritis in my back and bone spurs in my neck. Basically, after a few beers I don't care about it any more. A few more and I'm good until I go to bed. I tend to think if I could smoke a joint it would be less damaging to my overall health. I smoked marijuana in my younger days and it had a similar purpose but it was mostly psychological back then, having to do with the concept of getting yourself or others around you blown to kingdom come. A friend of mine has an even worse back problem than mine and he says it's a big help. He actually has some kind of contraption that holds him upside down to relieve the pressure on his back and he says that smoking a joint before doing it gives him relief for most of the rest of the day.

[MachineGhost]

I think you can buy THC-free, cannabinoid extract oil legally on the Internet. Since that is where the pain-killing stuff is, worth a shot!

[Mountaineer]

A friend of mine has an even worse back problem than mine and he says it's a big help. He actually has some kind of contraption that holds him upside down to relieve the pressure on his back and he says that smoking a joint before doing it gives him relief for most of the rest of the day.

That's an inversion table you are referring to. I have one in my basement and use it almost daily for 5-10 min after I get home from work. I find it helpful for chronic back issues and my chiropractor is a huge fan as well. They can be had for about $120 delivered from Amazon if you have Prime.

I have periodic back pain, but I think the inversion table is not for me - borderline high eye pressure. Risk of eye damage is too great for my situation. Oh well ......

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... Q-20057951

[Mountaineer]

That's an inversion table you are referring to. I have one in my basement and use it almost daily for 5-10 min after I get home from work. I find it helpful for chronic back issues and my chiropractor is a huge fan as well. They can be had for about $120 delivered from Amazon if you have Prime.

I have periodic back pain, but I think the inversion table is not for me - borderline high eye pressure. Risk of eye damage is too great for my situation. Oh well ......

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... Q-20057951

I believe the Mary Jane is still effective even in the seated position.

But probably not nearly as satisfying as free brisket and beer .... send me a care package, please! Help a poor old man who does not want to go the stoner route.

[MachineGhost]

But probably not nearly as satisfying as free brisket and beer .... send me a care package, please! Help a poor old man who does not want to go the stoner route.

You would enjoy that brisket and beer by several orders of a magnitude more AND get rid of your back pain going the stoner route. Don't be shy!

[Mountaineer]

But probably not nearly as satisfying as free brisket and beer .... send me a care package, please! Help a poor old man who does not want to go the stoner route.

You would enjoy that brisket and beer by several orders of a magnitude more AND get rid of your back pain going the stoner route. Don't be shy!

Me? Shy? You surely jest. Not shy, just wise. Some would even place a three letter word beginning with A behind the wise. Just because the zero-bama has not had the federal law yet enforced for the undeplorables and some of the deplorables does not mean he would not single me out due to my desire to uphold the Consitution and all its Amendments ... especially 1 and 2.