Hemp and Marijuana Are the Answer

Off Topic
141

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:

[quote]Loftearmen wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:

[quote]Loftearmen wrote:
The fact that this thread is still going on proves that there are bigger problems in our society than the legalization of marijuana. Who the hell cares? If smoking pot is that important to you then move to Colorado. If you don’t want to be around it then to move to Texas. Done.[/quote]
This is an incredibly ridiculous stance to take.

When something illegal should by all logic and evidence be legal, the solution is not “move to where it’s legal.” The solution is to push for legalization everywhere and stop allowing irrational fear rule policy making.

And the condescension towards people who care about different issues than you is a huge pet peeve of mine. What issues are so important to you that you think supersede everything else, and what exactly are you yourself doing to help solve them?

The beauty of having 7 billion people exchanging ideas is that gasp we can actually solve more than one issue simultaneously.[/quote]

Hey buddy,

You’d better make sure you know what someone’s standpoint is AND why they took that standpoint before you go off and call it ridiculous. I actually would support the legalization of marijuana if it ever came to a vote here in TX.

You should also understand that something that “should logically be made legal” in your mind is “something that should logically remain illegal” in another person’s mind and those people’s opinions are every bit as valid as your’s because we are all citizens of the same country.
[/quote]
I don’t think I made any statement regarding your position, in fact. You made a stupid statement, I pointed it out.

Please explain what pressing issues nullify the concern over the legalization of marijuana, as you made sure you let everyone know shouldn’t matter. Immediate disqualification if you reference “pussification of America” in any iteration.

And it’s also without question false to say everyone’s opinion carries the same weight. Yes, we all have equal power to vote. However, someone like Bill gates has a much more publicly valid opinion than you or I because of his status. In much the same fashion, my, and apparently your, opinion that weed should be legal is significantly more valid than the contrary. There is no way to claim logic is behind keeping marijuana illegal just as is there is no way to claim there is logic behind the opinion that creationism should be taught in science class. It’s stupidity no matter how you slice it.[/quote]

Poor comparisons make weak posts.
[/quote]
I’m shocked that you came in when creationism was called into question.

142

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
It’s kept around because the middle-aged population grew up with “reefer madness” and can’t seem to let go of the idea that weed is a boogeyman because it challenges something that they learned growing up. It’s always tough to combat those opinions precisely because they aren’t evidence based.[/quote]

While it may be an appeal to tradition, I think your judgment of the age of those “holding back” legalization and reference to “reefer madness” is off base.

I would imagine, unless your idea of middle age is 60+, you would find more “middle aged” people okay with legalization than not.

143

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
It’s kept around because the middle-aged population grew up with “reefer madness” and can’t seem to let go of the idea that weed is a boogeyman because it challenges something that they learned growing up. It’s always tough to combat those opinions precisely because they aren’t evidence based.[/quote]

While it may be an appeal to tradition, I think your judgment of the age of those “holding back” legalization and reference to “reefer madness” is off base.

I would imagine, unless your idea of middle age is 60+, you would find more “middle aged” people okay with legalization than not. [/quote]

My city of Lewiston, Maine recently put a legalization referendum up for vote. It was narrowly defeated and, from what I understand, two major voting blocs were responsible.

  1. Old French-Canadian Roman Catholics, of which we have many
  2. Somali Muslim immigrants of all ages, of which we have many

Those are two huge local voting blocs that really get out and vote.

Religion strikes again!

144

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

145

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.

146

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…

147

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
It’s kept around because the middle-aged population grew up with “reefer madness” and can’t seem to let go of the idea that weed is a boogeyman because it challenges something that they learned growing up. It’s always tough to combat those opinions precisely because they aren’t evidence based.[/quote]

While it may be an appeal to tradition, I think your judgment of the age of those “holding back” legalization and reference to “reefer madness” is off base.

I would imagine, unless your idea of middle age is 60+, you would find more “middle aged” people okay with legalization than not. [/quote]
Yea what is middle aged? Im 41 and considered by most as middle aged. :confused: Reefer madness was in the 50’s for God’s sake.

148

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…[/quote]

Why sober up? You can be high as a kite and vote. Explains a lot, really.

149

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…[/quote]

Why sober up? You can be high as a kite and vote. Explains a lot, really.
[/quote]

I figure you wouldn’t want to get a DWI on the way to the poll, but sure. Whatever.

150

[quote]Loftearmen wrote:
The fact that this thread is still going on proves that there are bigger problems in our society than the legalization of marijuana. Who the hell cares? If smoking pot is that important to you then move to Colorado. If you don’t want to be around it then to move to Texas. Done.[/quote]

Legalization of marijuana, whether you’re for or against, is a very topical issue. In it’s day the prohibition of alcohol would have been similarly relevant.

Marijuana is a huge cash crop, the proceeds of which currently fund numerous criminal enterprises. As a result, significant police resources are tied tied up attempting to interdict the flow. Many people are incarcerated each year as a result of pot related offences. Weed is used as currency in the trade of other substances (e.g. cocaine, illegal firearms etc). Changes in our drug enforcement policy affect us all, whether we personally care one way or the other.

It’s certainly not the most important issue on the table and it’s definitely not “The Answer”, but it’s far from trivial.

151

[quote]Derek542 wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]HeavyTriple wrote:
It’s kept around because the middle-aged population grew up with “reefer madness” and can’t seem to let go of the idea that weed is a boogeyman because it challenges something that they learned growing up. It’s always tough to combat those opinions precisely because they aren’t evidence based.[/quote]

While it may be an appeal to tradition, I think your judgment of the age of those “holding back” legalization and reference to “reefer madness” is off base.

I would imagine, unless your idea of middle age is 60+, you would find more “middle aged” people okay with legalization than not. [/quote]
Yea what is middle aged? Im 41 and considered by most as middle aged. :confused: Reefer madness was in the 50’s for God’s sake. [/quote]

In terms of age group, I bet you find an 80/20 split in the 18-29 groups, 60/40 split in the 30-45 age group, 51/49 in the 46-59 group, and it doesn’t flip until 60+.

Just so happens people in the older ages out vote the young bucks, so politicos don’t’ really push the issue.

152

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…[/quote]

Why sober up? You can be high as a kite and vote. Explains a lot, really.
[/quote]

I figure you wouldn’t want to get a DWI on the way to the poll, but sure. Whatever.[/quote]

In the north we have these things called sidewalks. The cars can’t drive on them, so you can safely walk to the polls, all baked, drunk or, in the case of many Mainers, on some prescription medication thrill ride that looks a lot like a vegetative state.

Then you vote yes on all forms of spending except things related to law enforcement, and profit. Or just stay home, because that’s really a big hassle if you think about it.

I didn’t see many of these sidewalks when I was doing consulting in the southeast, but that’s another topic.

153

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…[/quote]

Why sober up? You can be high as a kite and vote. Explains a lot, really.
[/quote]

I figure you wouldn’t want to get a DWI on the way to the poll, but sure. Whatever.[/quote]

In the north we have these things called sidewalks. The cars can’t drive on them, so you can safely walk to the polls, all baked, drunk or, in the case of many Mainers, on some prescription medication thrill ride that looks a lot like a vegetative state.

Then you vote yes on all forms of spending except things related to law enforcement, and profit. Or just stay home, because that’s really a big hassle if you think about it.

I didn’t see many of these sidewalks when I was doing consulting in the southeast, but that’s another topic.
[/quote]

In the North do you have this thing called public intoxication? I also can’t imagine even in “The North” there aren’t folks who live miles from their polling station. I suppose the fully baked can try and walk 5-10 miles to their station. Do me a favor and record it one day will ya?

154

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
Religion strikes again!
[/quote]

Well it is their right to vote. It’s not their fault the 20-something stoner couldn’t make it to the poll.

[/quote]

Don’t forget the 30-something stoner crowd, the 40-something stoner crowd, the 50-plus stoner crowd and Crazy Charlie, an septuagenarian stoner often seen yelling at the pigeons in Kennedy Park. I don’t think Crazy Charlie made it to the polls either.
[/quote]

That’s a shame. All they had to do was sobered up for 1 whole day and it’d be legal now…[/quote]

Why sober up? You can be high as a kite and vote. Explains a lot, really.
[/quote]

I figure you wouldn’t want to get a DWI on the way to the poll, but sure. Whatever.[/quote]

In the north we have these things called sidewalks. The cars can’t drive on them, so you can safely walk to the polls, all baked, drunk or, in the case of many Mainers, on some prescription medication thrill ride that looks a lot like a vegetative state.

Then you vote yes on all forms of spending except things related to law enforcement, and profit. Or just stay home, because that’s really a big hassle if you think about it.

I didn’t see many of these sidewalks when I was doing consulting in the southeast, but that’s another topic.
[/quote]

In the North do you have this thing called public intoxication? I also can’t imagine even in “The North” there aren’t folks who live miles from their polling station. I suppose the fully baked can try and walk 5-10 miles to their station. Do me a favor and record it one day will ya? [/quote]

The referendum in question was a Lewiston city ordinance, and I’d say about 80% of the population and 90% of the aforementioned street zombies live within a few block’s walking distance of polling places.

And public intoxication doesn’t seem to be heavily enforced in the Dirty Lew. Downtown is BAD! My girlfriend sings a rhyme to me every time we need to head downtown for any reason…

“Don’t forget to pack your gun, when we’re walking in Lewiston”.

Of course, when you go even further north, the sidewalks disappear, it is just woodland and you can almost bet the farm that half of the drivers are drunk and 75% of the snowmobilers and ATV’ers are. And the one game warden patrolling an area the size of Rhode Island probably will be lucky to catch half a dozen in a shift.

It is an odd place, this state of Maine.

155

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
It is an odd place, this state of Maine.
[/quote]

Sounds nice.

156

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
It is an odd place, this state of Maine.
[/quote]

Sounds nice. [/quote]

Its a hard state to figure out.

157

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
It is an odd place, this state of Maine.
[/quote]

Sounds nice. [/quote]

With the exception of a small handful of dumpy places like the downtown of my city, it really is. I love living in Maine.

Back on topic, I fully expect Maine to be one of the next states to follow Colorado. MJ is already heavily decriminalized, with possession of reasonable amounts being a civil infraction resulting in confiscation and a ticket. We have a medical marijuana program, and none of the dire predictions about that seem to have come to pass.

Prescription pills and alcohol abuse are, by FAR, the biggest problem here. All of the domestic violence stories I read in the newspaper always seem to involve one or both of those substances. Apparently we lead the nation in two things here in Maine. Greatest percentage of forested land and highest rate of prescription drug abuse.

I am personally acquainted with several people who are addicted to pills and it is just a terrible thing to be caught up with. It makes pot look little worse than caffeine in comparison.

158

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
I am personally acquainted with several people who are addicted to pills and it is just a terrible thing to be caught up with. It makes pot look little worse than caffeine in comparison.[/quote]

I’ve heard that abusing pain pills is generally harder on your liver and organs than abusing alcohol. I’m not sure in this, but it can’t be good for you in any event.

159

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
It is an odd place, this state of Maine.
[/quote]

Sounds nice. [/quote]

Its a hard state to figure out.

[/quote]

I am not sure if they realized this when they were making the sketch, but the Cajuns of Louisiana are of Acadian heritage. Acadia included half of Maine before Maine was Maine.

Maine also has a greater percentage of French speakers than Lousiana, and poutine does not get me closer to my health and fitness goals.

But yes, funny sketch!

160

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:

[quote]twojarslave wrote:
I am personally acquainted with several people who are addicted to pills and it is just a terrible thing to be caught up with. It makes pot look little worse than caffeine in comparison.[/quote]

I’ve heard that abusing pain pills is generally harder on your liver and organs than abusing alcohol. I’m not sure in this, but it can’t be good for you in any event. [/quote]

The opiates themselves are not, from what I understand. The acetaminophen in many of the popular opiate pills is what kills your liver, especially when COMBINED with alcohol.

Regardless, it is BAD. .