There are those in politics , some more in religion, a bunch more in the financials , then the filthy rich who need to make people dependant.

Weather it's on booze, on drugs, on gambling, what ever there is money to be made.

It's huge money for huge numbers of people.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
I'm with you on the lotto/school thing. My county just elected to spend a hundred frickin' million dollars on a school renovation. I think that amount of money is insane, for a lot of reasons, and we're guaranteed to see a property tax increase to fund this craziness. Lotto money funding the public schools? I don't see it, man.

This is leftism baby. The taxpayer is a bottomless money pit. Keep asking for more with endless levies. If it fails, put it up again next time. Beg for more, beg for more with pleas, beg for more with tears, beg for more with "it's for the children", etc..., etc..., etc.... Next cycle? Beg for money for something else, and the cycle continues. Fuck 'em. I am proud to say that I have never voted for a tax increase, even when it would have benefited me, and I never will.

Regarding legalizing grass? Nope. It should have stayed illegal everywhere, and it is not too late to make it so again. The stoners who want it will still be able to get it, as they always have, but it makes zero sense to expose even more people to it who would normally not have been. Zero sense.

Anyone who buys the "legalize and tax it" bullshit, well...I've got a bridge to sell you.

And yes, I smoked quite a bit as a youngin'. Acapulco Gold and Maui Wowie were my favorites. Even grew my own for a time. Haven't touched it since 1985 and I don't imagine that I will again.

quote:

Originally posted by UpTheIrons:

quote:

MJ becomes legal w/ the assurance it will bring in Zillions in tax dollars. Result: Local .gov -"We need even more taxes!"

That's the problem right there. Pretty soon, pot users will get taxed to oblivion like tobacco smokers did. Then they will go back to buying pot on the street because its cheaper. Government sees decline in pot tax "revenue" and increases taxes somewhere else.

And in CA, I read a news article that a lot of illegal marijuana growers are Chinese illegal immigrants. I don't care for the ethnicity but being that it's illegal along with China not being a friend of the American people....

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Peteroniman:

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Peteroniman:

quote:

I’m honestly a bit concerned that if I have a drug test, I’ll pop positive from inhaling the fumes.

to put your fears at rest, you will not 'pop a positive' from inhaling the fumes.


spoke with an OHSA clinic administrator and was told that there is no way to get enough in your system, passively, to bust a drug screen, you have to inhale or digest it.

If current testing can identify if a person has gotten stoned, then second hand can definitely be detected. Many years ago, my friend and I were at a Who concert at an open air stadium. Everyone around was chain smoking. By the end, my friend and I were staggering.

https://nida.nih.gov/publicati...e-to-marijuana-smoke

This topic isn’t supposed to stress you all out. Smoke a bowel and relax. Just please don’t go driving.

quote:

Smoke a bowel and relax.

Seems like shitty advice.

As a runner and cyclist, I'm shocked by how frequently I smell pot coming from passing cars. I hope and pray the driver isn't too stoned to drive. If I get hit and am injured or killed, at least some dude will be able to say that he was relaxed and not stressed out.

Find the Fridays with Frank (AZ traffic officer with Pinal County Sheriff). He pulled over a buzzed driver and read him the riot act.

Its legal in MN and you can't leave the house without smelling weed. I'd say at least 25% of the cars on the road are smoking - you constantly smell it while driving. People in the grocery store positively REEK of it. I'm tired of smelling the shit.

I recently renewed my carry license in Pennsylvania and there is now a specific question about a medical weed card on the application. I asked the deputy about it and she said that if you check the yes box, you most likely aren't getting the permit. And also, if you check no, and aren't being truthful, well she did not say what would happen next, but I got the feeling that it would be unpleasant.

I’m a ED nurse, emergency department not erectile disfunction…….. and we see so many patients with Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). This is caused by smoking too much weed. They come in thinking they are really sick and get very upset when we tell them to quit smoking weed, give them fluids and send them home. CHS is a very real thing but they refuse to accept the diagnosis.

"But it's not addictive like alcohol..."

Back in the pre-legalization days I had a guy come in who got popped for DUI of pot, he didn't deny it. I asked him about his use and he spelled it out, in fact he said he was addicted. He was an hourly from one of the big three and said when he got up in the morning, first thing he did was smoke a joint. He'd get ready and have some breakfast, then smoke another joint. He'd get in the car for a 45 min commute and light up another, maybe two. Arriving at work the mandatory breaks and lunch, he lit some more. End of the day on the way home he'd light up some more, and for the afternoon and evening, you get the idea. I've known some others.

Reminds me of an old neighbor, retired and smoked cigs constantly all day, plus he got up in the middle of the night to smoke. Will say that the pot smokers of old never smelled as bad as the they do now, hate that acrid odor everywhere out in public.

anything can be addictive, it's the person that drives the addiction, to whatever they crave, sex, food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, you name it and there's someone with the addiction.

quote:

spoke with an OHSA clinic administrator and was told that there is no way to get enough in your system, passively, to bust a drug screen, you have to inhale or digest it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is correct.

A distinction must be made between a physical addiction and a dependency. One can develop a dependency upon cannabis (this can be said of an infinite number of substances and behaviors), but it is not physically addictive.

Cocaine is addictive

Heroin is addictive

Nicotine is addictive

Alcohol is addictive

And on and on, but cannabis is not on the list.

You'll have a heart attack if you stay this uptight, especially if you think peoples lives should be ruined. These are adults, just like you, ya know.

Link

US drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

The DEA’s proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.
Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.

It comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

The election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.

Biden and a growing number of lawmakers from both major political parties have been pushing for the DEA decision as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted, particularly by younger people. A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly 30% who backed it in 2000.

The DEA didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.

Schedule III drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.

Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana, saying rescheduling isn’t necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

Jack Riley, a former deputy administrator of the DEA, said he had concerns about the proposed change because he thinks marijuana remains a possible “gateway drug," one that may lead to the use of other drugs.

“But in terms of us getting clear to use our resources to combat other major drugs, that’s a positive,” Riley said, noting that fentanyl alone accounts for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.

On the other end of the spectrum, others argue marijuana should be treated the way alcohol is.

Last week, 21 Democrats led by Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York sent a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and Attorney General Merrick Garland arguing marijuana should be dropped from the controlled-substances list and instead regulated like alcohol.

“It is time for the DEA to act,” the lawmakers wrote. “Right now, the Administration has the opportunity to resolve more than 50 years of failed, racially discriminatory marijuana policy.”

Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use.

That’s helped fuel fast growth in the marijuana industry, with an estimated worth of nearly $30 billion. Easing federal regulations could reduce the tax burden that can be 70% or more for businesses, according to industry groups. It could also make it easier to research marijuana, since it’s very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.

The immediate effect of rescheduling on the nation’s criminal justice system would likely be more muted, since federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years.

But loosening restrictions could carry a host of unintended consequences in the drug war and beyond.

Critics point out that as a Schedule III drug, marijuana would remain regulated by the DEA. That means the roughly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. would have to register with the DEA like regular pharmacies and fulfill strict reporting requirements, something that they are loath to do and that the DEA is ill equipped to handle.

Then there’s the United States' international treaty obligations, chief among them the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which requires the criminalization of cannabis. In 2016, during the Obama administration, the DEA cited the U.S.’ international obligations and the findings of a federal court of appeals in Washington in denying a similar request to reschedule marijuana.

Down here in Florida there are two ballot initiatives that will be on the general election ballot. Both guaranteed to bring out the crazies. An abortion law and wait for it, a recreational marijuana one. Yay (sarcasm). More people using drugs in a society that picks who can and who will get fired. Stupid.

Like I said earlier, I have never done marijuana and don't want to either but the ridiculous dichotomy drives me crazy. Pick one. Just one. Legal or Not Legal, I can live with either.

I worked at a police impound yard and heard all the time about the stupid cops and giving them a DUI when they blew all 0's in the breathalyzer, but then you go to their car and you get high within 20 feet of it.

We had plenty of people that got alcohol DUIs too, but they usually knew they messed up. The weed people never thought they did anything wrong.

Now selling guns when people pull out their wallet and the first card in their wallet is their weed card or they just stink of weed I tell them I can't sell them a gun and they always seem to take offense to that. It's always funny when they are in a group and tell me its the buddy or whoever that stinks of weed. I don't care, when you and your posse came in my shop instantly stunk of weed so whoever it is made it so I won't sell you a gun. You can thank them

Can't stand the stink of weed and it seems to be everywhere now.