I'm not sure many of you have thought about this, but the passing of medical marijuana bills really still doesn't make it better in the eyes of the law enforcement, who also have an influence on how regular citizens look at marijuana. Think about it... medical marijuana is legalized. The black market within the state is still thriving, because there are now two distinct categories of marijuana users: -The MMJ patients. -The recreational or common ailment users. So while the MMJ system shows a sort of professional image of marijuana, it still won't serve for the recreational users, who are definitely not gonna go away. The demand is there for all users, but legalizing just for patients is not helping. In no way am I saying I would go against any MMJ bills... but I am also speaking to those MMJ patients who think that recreational users don't need it, therefore it should be limited to just them. Thanks for read, and please keep the discussion respectful!
also, based on current events, when a state goes MMJ it creates an industry. any industry in a capitalist society prefers to operate in a monopoly. keep their profits high while making sure their industry DOESN'T change (i.e. full legalization). once the MMJ industry is in-bedded, it is in their best interest to keep the status-quo.
That seems strange to me, because if legalization were passed, then dispensaries would be able to sell to anyone they wanted, not just people with a card.
Well. Medical cannabis (which is all cannabis no matter where you are or if you have a card or not) is a good way to show the citizens of this country that the "evil weed" the government told them about truly isnt evil. There are alot of people who think it is bad for you when the opposite is true. Cannabis is medicine and has been for thousands of years so why not? Its just one more step to full legalization. In truth rec users are also medi users whether they want to be or not. They are one in the same. The plant does not have a bias as to who it heals (in which ever way from cancer to stress relief ect.) and who it does not. Just a thought.
this is a great point that i really try to stress to people when talking about weed, especially mmj. the line between recreational and medical usage is a lot thinner than people realize. there are the extremes on both sides, people that use cannabis because they have to to stay alive and people who use it just to get fucked up at parties, but most people fall in between the two. whether or not you NEED cannabis, its a medicine that everyone should have access to that is an effective treatment for DOZENS of conditions. although i love california MMJ and love going to the dispensaries, the one thing i think the whole mmj movement does that i dont like is the media makes it seem as if the only true "patients" are those with life threatening illnesses, and everyone else is just a faker. we are all patients of the great herb.
I agree that patients should not be portrayed as people with life threatening illnesses. It is sad people only get to use it "after they are sick", when hemp can cure illnesses and help to regulate your body so that you do not get an illness in the first place. If you can get fucked up on alcohol and tobacco at parties why not add cannabis to the list if you enjoy it. At least you will be regrowing (neurogenesis) braincells while you kill them off!
My main point is that the black market thrives from the MMJ sources, and cops continue to crack down on that, which then leads to them spreading word that "marijuana crime has not gone down." I understand it well, I don't have a problem with it. I'm just worried that the law enforcement is given another excuse to persuade people to vote against legalization.
I mean that, high quality marijuana is grown and distributed legally within the state. Which eliminates having to import from other states. So people within the system can help distribute to the black market.
it isnt really the black market though, because a lot of people "distributing" medicinal marijuana are really just hooking up there friends, the mmj system has definitely made the classic "pot dealer" harder to come by in cali.
But the cops see people dealing or growing without an MMJ card, and see they have guns to protect their property, and presume to say this is a dangerous business. It's lies and propaganda... but it deceives the undecided people into thinking maybe it is dangerous, because supposedly MMJ doesn't stop the criminal activity. Legalizing it outright is the best option because it covers all bases, and greatly reduces the excuses to keep it illegal.
Cops lie. Who cares what they think? You want to get rid of MMJ because of what some cops think? Do you live in a MMJ state to see this happening? Legalizing is the best option but unfortunately it is not an option right now.
Russ Belville talks about Med mj being a box canyon. We spend too much time working out who is sick enough to qualify for herb and who should go to jail instead. I kind of agree. But I still think we need Med mj for now. It benefits a lot of people and helps to introduce mj to the square culture in a positive way. Eventually we will have full legalization. Maybe not in the next 4 years, but it is coming. And when it does, the dispensarys will just become regular storefronts.
you said it yourself,,,cops greatly exaggerate the whole "dispensaries increase crime". ive never heard of shit going down at any dispensary where i live, most places want to stay low key. i see your point, but the other side of the argument is MMJ is showing people that cannabis is the best medicine out there, and we all can be beneficiaries.
OP there are good links to look at in this "article" about how dispensaries decrease crime. Marijuana Dispensaries Not Linked To Crime: New Study - Toke of the Town - cannabis news, views, rumor and humor.
I never said I wanted to get rid of MMJ. I'm just saying, it's not good to go halfway, because it's not showing the full potential. And cops can still spew bulls*** and be believed by many. Once it's fully legalized, there won't be the same problems as there are when you have to get a card to legally buy marijuana.
Well, honestly I don't believe that full legalization is EVER coming in this country (the USA). So the next best thing is MMJ, and keeping it respectable is what I'm all about.
You can keep it respectable by making it just like the alcohol laws. Idk why people think full legalization somehow makes it less legitimate.
I've read op-eds how MMJ is the trojan horse of prohibitionists, and I must say, that argument made sense. The politicians are all LAWYERS first and foremost, and much of Wall Street. I think it was very interesting that one poster said the typical pot dealer is harder to find than ever in Cali. Think about that. The street competition has dried up (not really, but in comparison to how it was perhaps.) Now, its time to put the storefront dispensaries out of business with the raids. Finally ending up in the hands of "legitimate" Wall Street firms, just as alcohol did. It will never work; but that doesn't stop the prohibitionists, does it? It's still on our dime just like the past prohibitionist actions have been.