The underbelly of legalization

Discussion in 'General' started by travel2much, Nov 1, 2014.

  1. #1 travel2much, Nov 1, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 1, 2014
    Stick with me on this as I am high and tend to write a lot. I am a Conservative Libertarian that has lived in Colorado since 1974. I have watched the culture here and seen the role cannabis has in our small society. For the last 40 years we all have been advocating for the end of prohibition and for most of that time, people showed up to the capital steps every Saturday in Colorado and would smoke a joint on the steps leading to the capital building and were for the most part left alone. It was still underground but was part of our culture non the less.
    Many people grew indoors and shared what they had....if the police caught you, they would dump out your baggie and tell you to go home. Many of the growers were old hippies and minorities that had grown for generations especially in the Hispanic parts of town. Didn't matter your political affiliation...everyone got high.

    Fast forward to 2010. Many in our community gathered a grass roots coalition to gather signatures to put the end of prohibition on our ballot for a general vote. Democrats and Republicans alike gathered forces to get this thing up for a vote. Amendment 64 was drafted and many of us worked hard on the wording to make it a solid bill and free up the people that have been growing and smoking to no longer face any legal action and make a part of our culture 'legitimate' in the country's eyes.

    We passed it with 55% of the vote...yea....but at what cost? The wonderful culture that once permiated the small grower that grew to feed his family in our Hispanic community paid the price. We never had violence around our weed culture...just growing good weed for all. These people were left out of the process and have paid the price for the people that had the money to license up and open a store front. They set the stage to make our wonderful state a weed legal zone. They were left out of reaping the rewards.

    2014....they can't make money growing their own and selling it as the state government now will levy heavier punishment if caught. The price has plummeted so there isn't any money in it anyways. The state has also inserted themselves into the industry in such and intrusive way as to make it almost impossible to do anything but grow your own and smoke it yourself locked in your home.

    Now don't get me wrong...this is still better than most other places in the world however it destroyed a culture overnight and left many people in the dust trail...the ones that did the jail time and minorities that were overly prosecuted at such a higher rate that white people when WE (white guys) were the ones smoking the weed they grew. Ha...I am a Conservative but I also recognize this travesty. Looking back...all would have been fine if we would have just decriminalized and not gone full on legal.
     
  2. You don't understand how lucky you are to live in a legal state.
    I'm from NSW Australia which is one of the strictest states. It's decriminalized here so you get 2 warnings for possession of less than 15g then after that I think you get a fine or something harder.
     
    You can sit on your front porch and smoke a joint for everyone to see. I have to find a filthy bush in some sketchy park to have a couple of quick bong rips out of a gatorade bottle and look over my shoulder every 2 minutes to check for cops.
     
    Please rethink how bad your life really is.
     
  3. I don't think I quite grasp what you're saying with the culture thing. You're complaining because at one point, the 'small guys' could survive off selling weed, but now they can't? I guess I just don't understand the whole culture you're talking about. See, my culture is that I get arrested if I smoke a joint in front of the capital. If a cop found bud on me, I'd get arrested. If a cop found out I'm growing, I'd be get arrested. Hell, if a cop found no bud on me but a bowl with resin in it, I'd get arrested. 
     
  4. Hes just pointing out flaws in legalization. Unfortunately unregulated legalization would not work, only thing thats moving it forward now is the governments seeing what a killing they could make off heavily taxing and regulating it

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  5. Nothing is perfect. Legalization is better, for the greater good.
     
  6. Oh no... people have to quit growing and get an actual job... Gasp

    And you say "They were left out of reaping the rewards."
    What rewards? The reward for having actual freedom? Or monetary reward?
     
  7. A group of 'small guys' could come together and form a consortium, get licensed & go into the same business as others have done.
     
    All it would take is motivation & reliable personnel.
     
  8. For all the people that don't make as much money from selling weed there's probably 10X more people who's lives wouldn't get fucked up for getting caught with weed. As of now I'm risking my future every time I toke up


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  9. Unbelievable...you're complaining because cannabis is legal in your state. Not to be rude and offensive but, if I lived in Colorado, I would complain about not being able to smoke in public. I understand not smoking in front of small children but, I can't see why a responsible adult can't smoke a joint discreetly in a public park or in a wooded area. That would be my biggest gripe if I lived in Colorado.
     
  10. #10 SergeantMeowstein, Nov 2, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2014
     
    This x 100. I'd give my left testicle in a second to grow and consume without legal or social repercussions. 
     
  11. And God help you if you get caught taking that legal weed over the state line.  I live about 45 minutes from Durango.  So close and yet so far.  Just give it some time.  People are still hysterical about allowing legalized weed.  Once everyone finds out it's not the end of the world laws will change.  
     
  12. Well yeah. It's this thing called "change"

    Change is never easy and with change many things will die off but this specific change is for the better.

    I miss getting high with ten buddies in parks to but I got a store to run and a life to live so I had to change




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  13. Seem reason "responsible" adults can't drink in a park.

    Drugs are for personal times and places unless otherwise designated like shows.. Bars.. Clubs etc.

    Some people (like my mom) are for legal marijuana but can not stand the smell. Public places are suppose to be places for the public not personal indulgences.


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  14. Your mom ? Are you seriously implying that if I was in a public park and your mom was 500-1000 feet away that she would be smelling my joint use ? Ridiculous.
    When I say DISCREETLY I mean as far away from people's moms and small children as possible and even hidden from view if possible.
    Your mom...smh.
     
  15. The old families of Hispanics in Denver have an old culture of growing cannabis that has been destroyed by the legalization. My point is they do not sell cannabis anymore as many just grow their own or go to the nearest shop. These families I speak of are the ones that have bared the burden of arrest with criminal records over the 40 years and then we go legal.....what are they stuck with? Nothing more than I criminal record....that sucks to me because now that we are legal, they have no opportunity to enjoy the fruits of 4 decades of labor...
     
  16. #16 travel2much, Nov 2, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2014
    Not bit hen but mark my words....a few years from now you will be left with nothing more than shit weed being sold at the rec shops from corporate owned chains!
     
  17.  
     
    That's one theory and I'm not buying it. I remember overhearing a conversation that a long time tobacco cigarette smoker was having with other tobacco smokers when I still worked in a factory. They were discussing how tobacco companies were actually adding more nicotine and other substances to their cigarettes to make them more addicting because of falling sales and profits. He actually said that every so often he would smoke a cigarette and actually notice how much stronger it was in comparison to cigarettes from years gone by.
         If anything, the government would make cannabis stronger if their sales were to begin to diminish...not weaker.
     
  18. Our state government doesn't grow weed.....but the shops that have been open for several years are consolidating and now there are 9 individuals here that have a stake in 78% of the shops. Now, our state is trying to limit the amount of THC in edibles, limit the amount of cannabis that caregivers can grow, and are using some of the tax revenue from the sales of cannabis to add more police just to bust growers that are selling.
    I grow for personal use and as a hobby so it doesn't effect me but these chain shops are like putting a Olive Garden restaurant in Venice.
     
  19. Oh no, you get to walk into a store and pick from dozens of exotic strains like it was ice cream while most of us have to go to some dealer and take whatever he happens to have.

    Poor you.
     
  20. #20 Messiah Decoy, Nov 2, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2014
    Or the cannabis industry could end up like the beer/wine industry with plenty of choices for everyone.
     

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