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| Iraq war veteran Sean Azzariti making Colorado's first legal marijuana purchase. |
The new year got a little happier for pot smokers in Colorado on Wednesday as the nation's first retail outlets for recreational marijuana opened their doors.
"Marijuana does not have to be a burden to our communities," said Betty Aldworth, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. "Today in Colorado we shift marijuana from the underground into a regulated market."
The first sale, orchestrated as a news media photo opportunity, was made to Sean Azzariti, an Iraq War veteran who has lobbied publicly for legalization and says pot helps mitigate problems stemming from his post-traumatic stress syndrome. Azzariti, who served six years in the Marine Corps and two tours in Iraq, spent about $60 at 3D Cannabis Center for an eighth of an ounce of "Bubba Kush" and a pot-laden truffle.
"Today I was fortunate enough to be the first recreational cannabis purchase in the world," Azzariti tweeted. "We did it!!"
Aldworth said pot sales in the state are expected to reach $400 million this year. More than $40 million in tax revenue is targeted for public schools. Dozens of shops are opened or will open soon. She spoke of jobs, tax dollars and peace of mind for marijuana smokers.
Hundreds of people lined up to purchase the newly legal pot.
So much for the old adage about pot users being lazy.
This is actually one of the issues that I do not always see eye to eye with my liberal friends.
Personally I have never been a drug user.
Oh I dabbled a little when I was a young man, but it as never my thing.
I don't have any serious problems with it, however I did have a number of family and friends who started with pot before taking the plunge into more dangerous recreational drug use.
Some did not come out the other end.
However to be fair my family historically has a much bigger problem with alcohol than with drugs.
For me it is one glass of wine a night, and that is about the extent of it. Hopefully that does not damage my liberal creds too badly.
The song Rocky Mountain High is proof John Denver was a psychic.
ReplyDeleteMost have forgotten his last big hit ... Carmel Bay
he was drunk.
DeleteAnd, kiddies, your new playground is brought to you by our friend, Mr. Mariwana -- oh, don' worry about the spelling. Just remember, you must never never play with Mr. Mariwana because he'll do bad things to you. Now, RECESS!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYour liberal creds are okay, Gryphen. You didn't come right out and condemn it!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a user, either, including booze of any sort, although I do like wine. And as far as I am concerned, as long as they handle it the same as DUI, I'm okay.
I am NOT okay with Driving Under ANY Influence!
In most states the Driving under the influence DOES include any substance.
DeleteI know that, 8:29. However, there are laws that are enforced and laws that aren't.
DeleteI would prefer that ANY DUI be enforced to the max - including prescription medications. If the label warns against driving and they are caught it should be prosecuted.
A person killed by a medicated driver is just as dead as one killed by a drunk!
UGH. JUST what we need. I feel for my fellow parents.
ReplyDeleteNot. In my area it is harder for kids to get legal drugs like booze and cigarettes than it is to get hard core heroin.
DeleteLegalizing pot means that is no longer a gateway drug. Gateway drugs are sold by those who have a vested monetary interest in making the user bump up to a higher high.
Teens will do that no matter what is legal or illegal. Pot uses who purchase legal pot do it for their own high and do not go to the next level of drug use. A comparison would be a wine drinker like me. I like it, use it, do not drive if I imbibe and have NO interest in hard core liquor.
What a strange comment. Your kids are already drinking or smoking pot if they have chosen to.
DeleteAnonymous8:30 AM
DeleteWhat a strange comment. Your kids are already drinking or smoking pot if they have chosen to.
While she is high on wine...lol!
******
REALLY!!!
Oh, please...
DeleteSave your pearl clutching for alcohol and cigarettes.
I am a Coloradan and parent and I voted in favor of legalization.
DeleteI have never used it and probably never will; but just as in the rest of my personal liberal agenda I have no problem with others desire to do so. My experience in the workplace with drunks and potheads has demonstrated to me that the drunks are much more dangerous, unpredictable and uncontrollable. I do believe that regulating it and taxing it could be a huge windfall for states.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right about drunks being "dangerous, unpredictable, and uncontrollable," Olivia. I grew up in a household with two alcoholic parents. My father was one of those so-called "functional alcoholics," who held down a 9-5 executive job, came home, and got sh*tfaced with my mother Every. Single. Night. Week nights, that is... on weekends, they often started with Bloody Marys at breakfast.
DeleteThey also tended toward extreme violence; that's all I'll say about THAT, except that I was afraid of alcohol and never touched it until I was past twenty-one.
Marijuana was so common in my SoCal beach town that even a nerdy honor student like me had access. I now recognize that my moderate pot-smoking as a teen was my way of self-medicating severe depression and anxiety at a time when no other help was available.
My sons are early-to-mid twenties, and "the talk" they received about marijuana from their father boiled down to: Be careful.
Coffee and cigarettes and sugar are the real gateway drugs.
ReplyDeleteyup. thank you.
Delete"Coffee and cigarettes and sugar are the real gateway drugs."
DeleteMy dad was a heavy smoker, drank a lot of coffee and used a quite a bit of sugar. He lived to 86, never got cancer of the lungs although he did have a smoker's cough every morning. He was 6 ft. tall and always weighed about 175 so didn't have a weight problem and never got diabetes. He never used drugs until he was put on blood pressure meds and only drank a cocktail or two at weddings or at Christmas time. Impossible to think that coffee, cigarettes and sugar are a gateway to anything.
Oh! Wait! Wasn't it Jesus who turned water into wine? Yup, I believe it was.
Now days, energy drinks are the new gateway drug.
Delete8:11, your father was one of the lucky ones.
DeleteI don't drink either, and have gotten no closer to pot than being in a dorm room on the same floor as weekend users. My dad was an alcoholic, and I wouldn't touch the stuff. I prefer to be in control of my behavior. I hope this law doesn't result in more driving problems, or people not working. I hope they use it in their own homes, stay there, and do it on weekends. Otherwise, there will be no other states that do this.
ReplyDeleteJust curious Sal, "people not working'??? Where does that come from? I'm not challenging you or calling you out or anything else. I am truly curious.
DeleteI really don't understand why people believe this. Could it be more false info? I ask because I've personally known hundreds, if not thousands of people that smoked pot. People from all walks of life, from teachers, preachers, Dr.s, dentists, nurses, business owners, cops, to waitresses, bartenders, factory workers, etc. Everyone held a job. Everyday.
Now, are there deadbeats in the pot world? Absolutely. Of course there are.
Trust me, when I speak about drugs, I know what I'm talking about. So if you have any questions, fire away. For decades, I lived it. Then, I walked away. Why? Because I wanted to. I was done. But I can honestly say, I never ever missed work because of pot. And I started working one month after my 13th b-day. I did however miss a few over the years because of alcohol.
For those that aren't aware, the three most misused drugs in the U.S. are alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Just for the record, wine IS alcohol.
That's the KEY word: MISUSE!
DeleteI like a good beer or a glass of wine. Once in a while.
Hell even the bible got this one right: Take unto thyself food and drink, but not unto EXCESS! Gluttony is the sin.
Please understand that the vast majority of people who will make use of legal marijuana are those who were previously obtaining it illegally.
DeletePlease also understand that marijuana is used by people of all stripes, including doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, and just about every other occupation you can imagine. Although many slackers use marijuana, marijuana doesn't make you a slacker.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually one of the issues that I do not always see eye to eye with my liberal friends.
Personally I have never been a drug user.
For me it is one glass of wine a night, and that is about the extent of it
Don't look now G, you ARE a drug user.
And the drug you use, even though you use in in moderation, is the cause of many of societies ills.
Got a beam in the old eye there,G?
The B.
Sure, but anyone using coffee, aspirin, ibuprofen, or even drinking camomile tea is a DRUG USER.
DeleteDrugs are food to a sick person.
Drugs are all around us, in nearly everything we eat.
To a man dying of scurvy, the best drug in the world is a citrus fruit or a bunch of currants
Some of the paranoid mania surrounding drug usage in this country started with the women's temperance movement in the late 1800's, and resulted in prohibition.
That was a major disaster, causing thousands of murders, and was the foundation for much of the organized crime we still see in the USA.
I say keep the government out of our bedrooms and gardens!
Drinking a glass of wine every night doesn't make Gryphen a drug user. Just this week, my doctor told me to drink "one or two glasses of red wine" every evening. He rattled off several health benefits.
Deletehttp://www.prevention.com/which-healthier-red-wine-or-white-wine
8:00am
DeleteI'd have to argue that if your doctor "prescribed" wine (alcohol) then most definitely it is a drug, albeit one with beneficial effects on blood pressure and reduces LDL and can prevent blood clots. Like every other drug, beneficial alcohols should be consumed in moderation.
Anonymous @0800
DeleteDid he specify what size glass to use? Potential problem there...
Balzafiar, you just made me laugh my ass off. Why? After some heart(I guess I should say artery) problems, my Old Man's Dr., much to my dismay, told him, it's fine to have a drink a day.
DeleteSo he'd get out his 30 ounce glass and fill it a third to half with his nectar and have his 'one drink'. Mixing it with Coke, of course.
Yes, we did go round and round about this. Potential problem indeed.
9:06 and 10:04
DeleteNo, my doctor didn't say how large a glass to use. I can see your point that a glass or two of wine a day would be considered a drug. While I never considered myself a teetotaler, my normal alcohol consumption is a couple of bottles of beer a year so both my doctor and I aren't concerned about me over-indulging. Almost everything could be considered a drug ... even religion or computers. IMO, the country has suffered a lot more from over-indulgence in religion than from anyone smoking a joint or drinking a glass or two of wine.
at $800 an oz.. it's hardly a bargain. You can buy up to an oz a day, but seriously. that's some heavy financing.....
ReplyDelete$79. for 1/8 oz. that's the minimum purchase.
I suspect this will just drive the underground prices up in the RW. PLUS I hate that the buyers have to fork over their ID's and a ton of info. What are the plans for that data?
We have to show ID to buy booze, hon. No difference.
DeleteThis just goes to show what a geezer I am now. The last time I bought my own was in 1982 and it was $40 an ounce in New Jersey. Good thing I aged past it, cause the budget wouldn't stand it today!
DeleteIs that what is costs in Colorado? Holy crap, I pay $50 for 3 grams in California. And that lasts me, smoking daily, up to a month depending on the quality. That seems really expensive for smoke.
DeleteI've been smoking pot since I was 18, and I'm in my 60's now. I've had an active professional life, am highly educated and financially sound. For me, cannabis is a completely positive experience, one that helps expands my creative thinking. How I have made my living is directly enhanced by my smoking marijuana.
I have absolutely no regrets for including it in my life and have made many long and close friends who I retain to this day, while smoking a joint, somewhere in the world. There's not a better conversation opener and when those of like mind connect, it's a beautiful thing. I've traveled the world and enjoyed some of the most exquisite blends of the green and it always came with lovely people and phenomenal experiences.
..."Our most expensive strains sold the quickest," said Toni Fox, proprietor of Denver's 3D Cannabis Center, to The Huffington Post. "We're closing Monday and Tuesday next week to reassess after the large volume of sales we are seeing."
DeleteThe Huffington Post spoke with owners at many of the roughly 30 dispensaries that sold legal weed on New Year's Day, and they all said the same thing: an eighth of an ounce of marijuana, which would have normally sold for as low as $25, was fetching anywhere between $35 to $70, after taxes.
The proprietor of Denver-based Medicine Man revealed to The Denver Post that, after taxes, the shop was selling an eighth for about $64, and although The Associated Press found at least one shop selling the same amount for as much as $70, Marijuana.com found that the average price right now is approximately $65.
So which strains were the most popular? All of them, according to dispensary owners throughout the state. But many also said their own custom and award-winning strains were big sellers as well.
Many shops raised prices or enforced a purchasing cap of one eighth-ounce in order to mitigate against a possible marijuana shortage.
Prices were also increased by the new 25 percent tax -- 15 percent excise and 10 percent sales -- on all marijuana purchases in the state that voters approved in November, along with any other local jurisdictional taxes on top of that. Marijuana sales are expected to generate nearly $70 million in tax revenue for Colorado in 2014.
But some dispensary owners, like 3D's Fox, chose to absorb the cost of excise tax in order to keep marijuana prices competitive. Fox told HuffPost that her most expensive eighths sold for approximately $50 after taxes.
The state projects nearly $600 million in retail and wholesale marijuana sales annually.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/02/marijuana-prices-colorado_n_4532463.html
"Gateway drug" is just a propaganda term. Sure, your relatives started with marijuana--but if they didn't have MJ they'd have started with alcohol or energy drinks or prescription medicines. Some people just relish the loss of control & the rush of excitement & the easy sense of euphoria. It's a personality thing, not because they have access to drugs.
ReplyDeleteLet's correct one misconception, Gryph:
ReplyDeleteALCOHOL is the gateway drug, not marijuana.
I'll wager that in the vast majority of cases people experimented with alcohol long before they ever tried smoking marijuana.
I agree Randall, but only because when I was young alcohol was easier to get. And that's the point. WHATEVER thing is easiest to get will be your "gateway drug". Some people go on to have issues, some, like me, stopped at pot and realized it was by far the least dangerous/poisonous option for recreational perception alteration. I HATE it when people equate weed with alcohol. They couldn't be more different.
DeleteBut if you REALLY want to be accurate, spinning around in circles until you fall down when you were a kid was your "gateway drug". Humans seem to be wired to want to alter their perceptions once in awhile.
But in the end, if you're wired to abuse substances, it doesn't matter which one you start with. Some start with glue and spraypaint (and end with it). But if we're going to rate them on damage to society, cannabis is going to be WAAAY at the bottom of the list. Think about the fact that there is not one single recorded incident of someone dying from an overdose of pot. Science tells us it is mathematically impossible.
Consider that you CAN kill yourself by ODing on WATER.
I absolutely agree. I'd far rather the person driving toward me in the opposite lane had had a few joints than a few Manhattans. The stoned driver doesn't want to be driving, and is probably going 10 under the limit thanks to paranoia. The drunk driver is feeling invincible, probably belligerent and his coordination and reaction time are profoundly impaired.
DeleteThe drinker wants any provocation - real or imagined - to show how fearless he is, the stoner wants to giggle, cuddle, pig out and go to sleep.
And don't wait for it, even in your grandchildren's lifetimes, for more Colorado shootings to be marijuana-fueled than alcohol-fueled.
EXACTLY. I've seen several documentaries that did tests on this and they all found the same thing: alcohol makes you aggressive and overconfident, pot makes you self conscious and over-cautious.
DeleteFrankly, I think a lot of people could benefit from being a little more self conscious these days. A little introspection is good for your personal development. As a society we put way too much value on being bold, aggressive and decisive. That's caveman shit. We should be glorifying artists and scientists, not football players and families of fake bearded hillbillies.
The feds will swoop in a arrest everyone and close the dispensaries.
ReplyDeleteThey do that in Medical Marijuana states. FTR the Gov has a patent on Marijuana. Just saying.
Pot is on a higher schedule than coke or speed?
I don't think it should be legal as a rec drug, look at booze but it should be available for medical use. No one should drug under the influence of ANY DRUG.
Uh, hello, Washington state has had recreational marijuana for months now and no fed hassles.
DeleteNot yet. Cali has for YEARS and always getting dispensaries closed.
DeleteEveryone here who is saying alcohol is a drug, +1.
ReplyDeleteG, you must adjust your thinking.
so is coffee.
DeleteYippee!! NOW....on to California. The state that everyone thought would be first, but due to the religious groups dumbing down, we lost. Same with prop 8.
ReplyDeleteCome on California.....GET WITH IT!
I tried pot in Nam and it didn't really do much for me. While my "drug of choice" is alcohol I probably carry around and set down more beers during a BBQ, which are frequent events in my crowd. I only like ice cold beer and I bet I don't really drink more than a one or two beers in 5 or 6 hrs. I'm half Irish and half Naive American so I never overindulge.
ReplyDeleteAs for wine, it triggers my migraines.
@7:54 "FTR the Gov has a patent on Marijuana."
ReplyDeleteBullshit. Marijuana is not a laboratory-designed plant. Mother Nature designed it. No one has a patent on it.
Google is your friend. Google it. They even say how you have to decarb it.
Deletehttp://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.com/medical-use-of-cannabis-video/the-government-holds-a-patent-for-medical-marijuana/
DeleteGovt Patent.
I just had a friend in Arizona ( no, not Sarah Palin lol) who can fair to medium constant pain from a few physical sources. She told her Doc that she needed sleeping pills but walked out with a script for marijuana, cheaper, less side effects and at 68 my friend is now smoking for the first time in probably 50 yrs.
ReplyDeleteYes, my husband (Oregon) finally received his MM card last year for the same reason and is THE only sense of relief he gets. The most high-powered Oxys, Percocet, etc., wouldn't touch it.
DeleteI hear all the Palins are moving to Colorado now.
ReplyDeleteThe Palins aren't really potheads, they like booze, stimulants and prescription drugs.
Deletewell i'm glad some folks on this board have some common sense re 'reefer madness' propaganda, but i see a lot of you still have bought it hook line and sinker.
ReplyDeletethis is one of the things that always kills me with the liberal mindset.... so many want the government to protect you from everything- it kills me. the most important thing about this legalization, to me, has less to do with partying, but has everything to do with freedom. freedom folks- when it is offered in this country- you take it.
btw- i suspect most of you dont know the depth of weed usage in colorado already- whether it was legal or illegal- they really like their weed... from ski bums to lawyers and doctors.
8:59, in one way I can agree with you. It IS a personal choice question.
DeleteHaving said that however, ANYTHING that alters one's perceptions should not be imbibed if one is going to drive. Dammit, we have enough BAD drivers - including the assholes too stupid to understand that driving and TEXTING don't go together!
As long as it remains a PERSONAL choice, I am fine with it. Smoke or drink all you want - at home or someplace where it won't affect others.
When that choice begins to potentially adversely affect others, it is time for something to be done. That ends the personal choice angle.
and to take it a bit further- the costly unwinnable & undefined drug war has caused more violence & ruined more lives and families than drugs themselves ever could.
Deleteaddictions always exist with all drugs, but they are a mental issue (some say disease), not a criminal act.
I've lived in CO most of my life. Believe me, nothing will change regarding availability of mj. What will change is that folks won't be plagued with a police record for the rest of their lives because they're caught with a joint.
DeleteI think this is a step in the right direction regarding wasting millions of dollars and police hours chasing down pot smokers. We have more to worry about & always have. The war on drugs was lost before it started.
With all due respect there are folks who have addictive type personalities, whether be it this drug or that drug or alcohol or far worse RX pain killers they will find a way to procure it.
Did you ever read about wild pot parties where young men raped a girl out of her mind on pot?
Much ado about nothing.
My only concern is parents leaving edibles laying around for kids and pets to consume.
Some how, the USA survived from 1789 to 1937 without making a common weed illegal to smoke or eat.
DeleteHow did we survived that long with liberty, only to have it taken away by a bunch of aging fat white males with a moral and financial motive, in spite of our Constitutional freedoms.
The Hearst corporation did not want competition from hemp, so with their huge money and lobbyist connections managed to get it banned.
That was in spite of the fact that hemp will not get you stoned unless you smoke 50 pounds of it.
Quote from Wiki
Newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst's empire of newspapers began publishing what is known as "yellow journalism", demonizing the cannabis plant and putting emphasis on connections between cannabis and violent crime.[40] Several scholars argue that the goal was to destroy the hemp industry,[41][42][43] largely as an effort of Hearst, Andrew Mellon and the Du Pont family.[41][43] They argue that with the invention of the decorticator hemp became a very cheap substitute for the wood pulp that was used in the newspaper industry.[41][44] They also believe that Hearst felt that this was a threat to his extensive timber holdings. Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury, as well as the wealthiest man in America, and had invested heavily in nylon, DuPont's new synthetic fiber. He considered nylon's success to depend on its replacement of the traditional resource, hemp.
There's a lot more to the story, but when the bullshit "war on drug" campaign came along, you'd think that smoking a J was about the same as killing your mother.
By the way kids, you could consider getting a vaporizer or just eating your MJ, instead of smokin' cuz it's healthier.
I keep harping on it, but just maybe in about 1000 years, humans will finally shake off the absurd laws that prevent consenting adults to do what they want.
If it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg, I don't care what you do.
I wish that was in the Constitution.
I consider myself a liberal but see this as a slippery slope. I worry not so much about adult users but about the trickle down to underage users. As a physician I foresee more addiction/ behavioural problems to come.
ReplyDeleteand every Dr I know says the real drug problems are for scripted drugs, mostly pain killers.
DeleteBTW I have known some marijuana smokers for over 40 yrs, they are your Drs(yes my primary physician smokes pot and has forever), lawyers, bankers, and CEO's I don't see any "behavioral issues" with any of them.
BTW if my chronic pain gets any worse I will be smoking for medical reasons, heck over half the people in my MS group smoke and they don't have "behavioral" problems either.
" I worry not so much about adult users but about the trickle down to underage users."
DeleteBetter cannabis than tobacco/alcohol/meth/spraypaint/glue.
It all comes down to whether you believe it's possible to baby-proof America or not. -And what damage to the lives of adults you are willing to inflict pursuing it. I'm all for punishing people who give drugs to kids, but it is nonsensical to ruin someone's life simply because they owned a ziplock baggie of dead plant matter or grew a weed in their closet.
As a physician, you should be doing more research on this amazingly beneficial plant. It's shown the ability to reduce the size of tumors from a variety of cancers and effectively treat otherwise untreatable forms of epilepsy. Research is showing possible uses as a treatment for Alzheimer's and MS.
There is no slippery slope.
DeleteI thought the same way as you Gryphen, until I started doing research on the amazing benefits of medical cannabis, and almost every disorder of the human body, including cancer. I started doing research online after my brother-in-law developed prostate cancer. Here in the states, it is listed as a schedule 1 drug, saying that it has no medical benefits. To get a grant to do research on it, physicians have to go through NIDA - National Institute of Drug Abuse. In it's guidelines, they will not allow a grant to show a possible positive result in a study, it has to be a study geared to a possible negative result.
ReplyDeleteDr. Sanjay Gupta was a critic to medical marijuana until he started looking deeper in the research from other countries and patient testimonies stating not only was it relieving their symptoms, it was the ONLY thing that was working. And it was working without the horrible side effects of opiates and/or benzos. It was safe. There was no way to accidentally overdose on it. It also could not be used to commit suicide if someone was depressed and decided in a moment of despair, to try to overdose. In fact, it has been used with good success in other countries for depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta did a very even-handed documentary on marijuana called "Weed". He explained the positives and the negatives with the effects.
As a nurse, I was blown away, and I realized how very brainwashed we have become in this country. We have powerful pharmaceutical companies in this country fighting tooth and nail to keep this plant illegal. That's because they can't patent it. What's going to happen to your revenue if there is a legal herb that works better, is more effective, safer, nonaddictive and with fewer side effects than the drugs your company is putting out? Of course they don't want this to happen!
This is Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaking on CNN about his lastest research on marijuana and what changed his mind:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/health/gupta-weed-reaction/
This is the documentary, "Weed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3IMfIQ_K6U&noredirect=1
This is one of the stories in the documentary that talks about a little girl with epilepsy who was having 300 seizures a week. Her parents had literally gone through every drug that could be used for her condition. Many times her heart had stopped using those drugs, and her mother would have to do CPR on her until the ambulance came. Her doctor told them, "We have come to the end of the road."
As a last resort, they decided to try a new strain that was low in THC and high in CBD. The non-psycho active chemical in marijuana. The first time they used it, Charlotte went for a week without a seizure. Her come back using this medication has been amazing. This video was what really opened my eyes!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH5yzEu3JGQ&noredirect=1
I went through the 60s in California, around SF and Big Sur. Needless to say, I have smoked pot. No one ever became mean-spirited; people laughed easily and got the munchies. I never became "addicted", and found it a useless habit in my case (I haven't smoked for over 40 years, nor care to) - but I can see how this euphoric state would be addictive to folks who are having depression or anger issues. Instead of finding root causes, marijuana may cause them to be more introverted, and mask their situation. Sure, they will feel better, but it could stifle their possibilities, emotional growth potential... It will help people who need it for medical reasons, pain-killer, and such. But those, who end up only using it for fun? It is true, that it is a mother nature thing, like other herbs, so I hope the novelty wears off, and it doesn't become a social problem.
ReplyDeleteAs a postscript, after some reflection, I must say that many of the "pot-smokers" were intellectual, creative types... and have gone on to be socially conscious in good ways. So, hoping for the best.. :)
DeleteOr marijuana is a drug they need to control their depression or other physical problems, it certainly is safer than any drugs given for depression or pain.
DeleteI smoke it. It's the best thing I have ever used for my severe PMS. It changes my mood instantly. My husband loves that I smoke it, LOL. Of course I wait until I get home from work. It's better than taking antidepressants or anti anxiety meds.
ReplyDeleteAnd your liver and kidneys will thank you for it! :)
DeleteTHIS is the definitive book on marijuana and the concerted steps taken to demonize cannibis. The book is online and is fascinating and highly educational. So much of the demonizing of hemp and hemp production had directly to do with suppression and control of the blacks who worked in the fields.
ReplyDeleteThis video, called 'Reefer Madness'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azf320JDdqU
was one of the propaganda tools used to scare people. We used to get stones and laugh our asses off at the absolute idiocy of the content, but unfortunately it worked it's magic on those who didn't know any better.
http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/
...In 1619, America’s first marijuana law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia, “ordering” all farmers to “make tryal of “(grow) Indian hempseed. More mandatory (must-grow) hemp cultivation laws were enacted in Massachusetts in 1631, in Connecticut in 1632 and in the Chesapeake Colonies into the mid-1700s.
Even in England, the much-sought-after prize of full British citizenship was bestowed by a decree of the crown on foreigners who would grow cannabis, and fines were often levied against those who refused.
Cannabis hemp was legal tender (money) in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800s. Why? To encourage American farmers to grow more.1
You could pay your taxes with cannabis hemp throughout America for over 200 years.
You could even be jailed in America for not growing cannabis during several periods of shortage, e.g., in Virginia between 1763 and 1767.
...George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew cannabis on their plantations. Jefferson,3 while envoy to France, went to great expense, and even considerable risk to himself and his secret agents, to procure particularly good hempseeds smuggled illegally into Turkey from China. The Chinese Mandarins (political rulers) so valued their hemp seed that they made its exportation a capital offense.
http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-one/
The Smear Campaign
What socio-political force would be strong enough to turn Americans against something as innocent as a plant – let alone one which so many people had an interest in using to improve their own lives?
Earlier, you read how the first federal anti-marijuana laws (1937) came about because of William Randolph Hearst’s lies, yellow journalism and racist newspaper articles and ravings, which from then on were cited in Congressional testimony by Harry Anslinger as facts.
But what started Hearst on the marijuana and racist scare stories? What intelligence or ignorance, for which we still punish fellow Americans to the tune of 16 million years in jails and prisons in just the last 70 years, (786,545 arrested in 2005 alone for marijuana, more than twice as many as 1990) – brought this all about?
The first step was to introduce the element of fear of the unknown by using a word that no one had ever heard of before: “marijuana.”
The next step was to keep the maneuverings hidden from the doctors, scientists and hemp industries who would have defended hemp. This was done by holding most of the hearings on prohibition in secret.
And, finally, prohibitionists set out to stir up primal emotions and tap right into an existing pool of hatred that was already poisoning society: racism.
http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-twelve/
Colorado's First Day Of Legal Weed Going Pretty Hilariously (PHOTOS)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/01/legal-weed-pot-marijuana_n_4528343.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
The only nit I could pick was when the guy said he was the first to buy recreational weed, don't know who was the first, but someone else gets that honor.
ReplyDeleteI was on the fence over this for quite awhile. I learned so much about the medical benefits it can have with far fewer and less dangerous side-effects. For some reason, I always thought prostitution would be legalized and taxed before weed, but it makes sense.
Free up space in prison for "possession" of small amounts of marijuana, add to the tax revenue base, increase the tourist industry, and most of all, adding it to chocolate truffles sounds like a brilliant idea!
We've always been honest with our kids about our experiences with weed. My husband got a lot more out of getting high than I ever did. It made me too paranoid and gave me a ravenous appetite.
I'll pass and stick with wine,