It depends on the state but there are some out there who have been locked up for ridiculously minimal amounts. The draconian laws in Oklahoma have been especially harsh on native Americans. The story of Patricia Spottedcrow is horrible but I think its the exception rather than the rule.
First, you're assuming that there def won't be a black market. I don't know how competitive pricing is in legal States compared to when it wasn't legal....anyone? Second, the amount is pretty simple, most users will KNOW how much they can get away with carrying w/out getting clobbered with distribution charges so please, give'em a little more credit. Third, 3 strike rules do NOT apply to weed charges, in fact most States make it clear that it's gotta be a violent crime or high felony. Weed ain't either. One area I will agree it will help, is in our inner Cities. A LOT of people of color get a raw deal for living/hanging/walking in a crappy high crime area which can easily suck them into a petty charge if they're at the wrong place at the wrong time for simply having a joint on them. I never agreed to doing that to these kids, esp. if they had a clean record. Unfortunately, not all LEO's feel the same about that. Time will tell if this will help them enough to show an actual difference in these neighborhoods. Lastly, I define jails and prisons differently. Jails are typically City or County run facilities, they hold people until court appearances, bail hearings, trial is over and/or for SHORT sentences, typically 18mos or >. Prison is typically State or Federally run and they serve for longer prison stays. What I'm saying more than anything, this facility does NOT have many weed related prisoners UNLESS big time smugglers/dealers. I worked as a TFO at DEA a number of yrs ago, they do NOT entertain weed investigations unless it's a semi full of it. Any tips they get for less than say a ton, will be forwarded to local authorities.
It's hard to say about the black market. You can't really look at the states where it's "legal" because it's still not "legal" in the sense that alcohol and tobacco are, nor is it legal nationwide. I can say this, how many people are currently brewing black market scotch or growing black market tobacco? Outside of limited areas with ridiculous taxes (that are usually close to places that don't have those) it's a virtually non-existent crime.
Victim of three strikes? If you're stupid enough to have two strikes on your head and get busted with pot, you're too stupid for society and your ass deserves to be in jail. Not breaking the law is very easy to do.
if its legalized and you still use it, stick to homegrown: https://www.healthy-holistic-living...na.html?utm_source=HHL&utm_content=53094-DUVF
Any plant grown, nurtured, and tended to, will indeed reap the best harvest. Not that I'd know. I heard that somewhere.
and you know it wont be sabotaged into a tool for genocide laced with the gay gene or who knows what else that way either. I'd use weed for medicinal purposes if ever needed but not any legal strain. hell naw! probably a good idea to start collecting heirloom seeds just in case. the stuff grows like weeds for real though. we had a smoking area in HS and at least 40% smoked weed too. so much that we had plants sprouting up next to the wall just from discarded seeds. it just sprang up and grew upto a couple of feet high. if the jonesers would have left them alone they probably would have got huge. teachers and stuff knew many of us were stoned half the time and nobody ever got busted unless they were caught red handed, actually selling there. its was old school south. CSA flag on the cover of the yearbooks. things were better back then. rode dirtbikes to school on the street with no helmets, no locks, never got stolen.
IMO, it ALL comes down to money (more specifically, taxes). There are thousands and thousands of deaths every year related to alcohol, but yet it is perfectly legal...because they can control it and tax it. Ive seen the internet media outlets talking about how there is a weed epidemic or opiate epidemic. But when was the last time you heard of someone smoking weed, or taking a pain pill, and then getting into a bar fight, or beating their wife? I have personally never heard of anything like that happening. But yet we all can tell stories of stupid shit people have done while drunk. That is why the saying goes "hold my beer and watch this..", and not "hold my joint and watch this..." or "hold my Percocets and watch this...". It isn't about an "epidemic" or the govt worried about the population's wellbeing, it is about control and taxes. If they were REALLY worried about people's wellbeing, they would make beer and cigarettes illegal. Hell, for that matter they would make RedBull and Monsters illegal. I feel as soon as they figure out a way to control and tax things, they will become legal. I have always been of the opinion that anyone should be able to do what they want in regards to their own body. Personally, it doesn't matter to me. I don't do any of it. I've never smoked weed, hell i have never even smoked a cigarette in my life, and might drink 2-3x a year. So at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter to me either way, I just don't like the idea of anyone (govt) trying to dictate what people can do with their own bodies. Sorta like how I agree with the doctor-assisted suicides under the right circumstances. If someone wants to go, and it truly is the best option, then let them go. It shouldn't be anyone else's business.
I agree with everything you said, except putting it in the same conversation with opiates. That really is an epidemic, just look at the number of deaths each year. Weed on the other hand doesn't kill, and in my opinion has very little negative impact on society. To me there is no question that it should be legal, but I don't like the idea of making it legal just to fund some more bullshit government spending. For a while I thought all this legalization stuff was about people figuring out that weed isn't a bad thing, but I really think the states are just looking at the nice revenue stream. I say legalize it and tax it the same way you would tax anything else. I can't stand hearing the mantra from people who don't smoke, "legalize it and tax the shit out of it". I hear it constantly. Why not just legalize it period?
the opiates are institutionalized genocide. a silent weapon in the war on the unprotected class of people.
So are beer and cigarettes an epidemic? Look how many people they kill. What about the obesity epidemic? IMO it all boils down to the govt trying to control our lives, and more importantly, make money. That's why people say "legalize it and tax the shit out of it"...because people know that is the only way it will become legal. The govt isn't going to one day say "you guys want it, here you go, we will make it legal so you can enjoy it". That will never happen. BUT, if they can make money from it, there is a much greater chance it will become legal.
I guess epidemic is the word that the media uses to scare people, so I'd put that aside and say that yes, alcohol, cigarettes, and opiates while very different, all kill people. My point is that opiates kill and weed does not, so they shouldn't even be in the same conversation.
Not breaking the law is impossible, everyone is a felon. You live by police discretion. And who made you the iron boot of karma? That mindset is the antithesis of liberty.
I don't disagree with your point. You are making a different point than I was. I wasn't saying they are the same in how they affect the body; I was talking about how the reason all of that shit isn't legal is because the govt hasn't figured out a way to control it and tax it. They aren't worried about people's wellbeing, they are worried about money. That shit isn't any more of an "epidemic" than alcohol, cigarettes, energy drinks, Big Macs, etc...that is just a scare tactic the media uses.
Sure Please do tell. How many felonies did you commit on the way to work this morning? I admit I violated a couple traffic codes this morning, and they sure as hell weren't by accident. Plus had I been nabbed by the fuzz because I was stupid I deserve whatever tickets I would get.
As a kanuck, but one who hasnt partaken only occasionally and long time ago, this whole weed thing is just background noise. but the politics of it are hilarious to me. The only reason weed is legal is because A. liberals promised it to get elected, which was 3 years ago btw. B. because they tried to play the whole "oh, we're gonna need another term to make it legal", and a lot of people got pissed off about the blatant re-election game. C. there is $$ to be made. There's a really good point to be made in regards to government making $$. In essence, weed being a criminal charge does nothing for the government pocket book. Throwing you in jail, or giving you a criminal charge, record etc doesnt do anyone any good. You cant pay income taxes locked up, you actually cost gov money. You cant get a decent job to pay income tax, buy things, be a good worker bee if you have a criminal record. Also, cops for the most part dont want to ruin your life over a joint so they normally just let you go, or turn a blind eye. Now thats its legal, we have a grayscale of fees and tickets to use to make $$ off of you. Whereas you'd have your weed taken away and given a stern warning, now we can give you a bunch of tickets....voila...chaching....the taxing of weed goes without saying. the bureaucracy created by another layer of black holes whos only job is to generate revenue for their job security is also an added "bonus". They made a mess of the rules and laws, you have federal, provincial, municipal (fed, state, county for you yanks) laws to worry about that you're almost guaranteed to trip over them. Its just like our gun laws....they are so convoluted youre bound to be a walking criminal that just hasnt been fined yet. To add to it, weed may be legal, but you can only source it from a few well connected grow operations. Free market? hell no....apparently, those in the know, already say that weed prices are much higher than the black market. Which brings us to the next quagmire...you're only allowed to be in possession of "legal" weed. How do you prove its legal? How do you prove its your 4 pot allotted home grown stuff? Thats right, ticket and fight it in court... oh man, the potential income from this crap is driving the government into ecstasy...
