The New York Times calls on US to legalize marijuana

[Growcephus]

I wonder who PAID them to run that piece?

Here's the way this works folks...

The public gets pissed the fuck off because the limp-wristed cowardly corrupt politicians REFUSE to legalize cannabis out of fear of reprisal, so CITIZENS legalize it in their states. (see Colorado, Washington)

Meanwhile, large scale companies with fat ca$h have been waiting in the wings for their opportunity to capitalize on cannabis, and seeing the public support, launch operation "obtain monopoly". This is where they begin to bribe the "mainstream media" to produce pro-cannabis "news" coverage.

Once they get the "pro-cannabis" message out in the public, they'll start fishing for cowardly corrupt politicians to bribe, which they'll find in DROVES, mind you, and from there it's just a matter of providing enough bribes and kick-backs to the right people to obtain the favorable legislation they want to secure their cannabis monopolies.

In the end, citizens will STILL be criminalized for producing their OWN cannabis, and fat ca$h companies and cowardly corrupt politicians will get richer than they already are on the outrageous taxes they'll impose on our favorite plant.

/shrug

Reckon it's better than it was, but not as good as it should be.

 

[FunkBomb]

Great post Growcephus. Spot on.

-Funk

 

[Jellyfish]

Wish I had a copy of the NY Times, I'm out of toilet paper.

 

[dddaver]

Now USATODAY publishes a piece today a direct counterpoint to this that is just full of innuendos, lies, and just reefer madness bullshit. I'd paste it here but I won't give any credence to such horseshit. As somebody mentioned, it's just about the bucks. It all bullshit. All the media. I tend not to believe ANYTHING them assholes say.

 

[resinryder]

Sure just like with beer or wine, people make it at home and so no one makes any money from it? Except for Budweiser and Gallo?
The problem is that few drinkers make their own beer or wine, in the near future the same will be for legal Cannabis, everyone will just pick it up at the 7-11 with a bag of chips, ice cream, some beers, and a box of buds or pre-rolled joints. Should people that spend years to create a new variety and offer seeds or clones make any money for their years of work? Or do you really want to "take the monetary value away so no one makes a cent off of it."??
I think you will find more then a few growers would object to that!
It is fine with me, I would love to see great Cannabis at a hundred dollars a dw Kg by the whole plant, then it is cheap enough to use as raw materials for dry sift hash. But I know a whole lot of people are still depending on the income from Cannabis. Work is worth a return, it is just the return not be so absurdly high if legal. Compare to other greenhouse grown crops and you get an idea of the net profit per square foot per year in a green house for various crops. That % profit is normal in the veggie greenhouse industry and they get by year after year. Cannabis could be grown in the ground in greenhouses or outdoors and sold so that large fresh plants that yield 1Kg dry weight were self picked at christmas tree style farms. Pick your own plant and take it home to dry, $100. The future is clear....
-SamS

Sam I agree with a large part of what you're saying. But maybe I should have been more clear with what I originally posted.
I have no problem with growers profiting off their work at all and am full aware that a lot depend on the income and never meant to offend anyone that chooses to do so.
Here's my concern.
Washington just opened their first legal shop. The are selling for $22.00 a gram-$616.00 a oz-$9856.00 a lb plus tax. They are wanting to do away with the medical aspect and force everyone into the recreational side. That is what I'm hearing is the long range plan in Nevada as well. Doing so will force those that can't afford it, since they can't grow their own, into a high dollar state run monopoly. So it's legal for you if you can afford it. From what I'm reading and hearing more states are looking at the same model.
If more states decide to go with this model and allow recreational use where only state approved grow ops are allowed, who's to say that eventually there wouldn't be, in the grow ops opinion, no need to look for or search out further genetic diversity? If you're the only game in town and even if it's "legal" but end users can't grow their own and face stiff penalties for doing so as it is now, where is the incentive for them to try and do better. At what point would the shop owner when asked if they have anything stronger simply say, buy what we have or do without and leave plenty more customers are happy with what we have. No need to look any further.
If it reached the point where you could walk into a 7-11 and pick up a 6pk of red stripe, a hustler, a can of cheese whiz, and a 20 pack of pre-rolled Legend OG fine. Would love to see it and the price would come down by a huge margin. But being from the US yourself you know that's not the way our gubment works. Max profit for the few off the backs of the many should be out national motto.
Currently the world wide marijuana market supports itself with the ingenuity of a handful of people actively looking to improve the gene pool and rightfully being compensated for the work and effort. You know yourself that finding that special plant is a lot easier said than done. Not all crosses that sound like they would produce the next big thing on paper translates success in the bloom room. Amongst other things, it takes planning, genetic selection, patience, experience, space to do it in. A lot of time. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.
In for profit state approved grow ops, a breeding program, likely run by a fucking idiot, would take up valuable money producing space. To change it would really take some time. It wasn't that long ago that a beer cooler wouldn't take up that much space in a 7-11. Now with the craft and micro brews and popular brands they had to expand to the point where entire walls are beer coolers. It's a process.
Let Phillip Morris and other big name cigarette producers get into the game maybe things would change but not unless sales of their brands began to suffer.
I would like to see marijuana legalized, sold in stores, ordered on line from retailers, and users allowed to grow their own if they so choose. The end user in their effort to have the prime sack amongst their circle of friends would more than likely be the ones to put in the time and effort to do some small scale breeding programs. In my opinion, the worst thing that could happen to it is legalization of the federal level with so many restrictions that the gene pool stays where it is now, no breeding programs and placed into a system where people get so lazy and complacent that new flavors and searches of increased potency levels are a thing of the past.
1 example of what I'm referring to is this- Everclear(alcohol) is made in 2 strengths, 151-proof and 190-proof. In some states both can be sold, in others, such as Nevada, only spirits up to 151 proof can be sold. If it become legal on the fed level with states left to implement their own laws, they, the states, could theoretically limit potency to say, no higher than 15% thc.
My statement about taking the monetary value out of it was primarily about legalizing on a much larger scale, allowing end users to do their thing as they see fit, and keeping the state/fed gov from stepping in and fucking it up like they do with everything else they poke their noses in.
You referenced beer and wine. If a single bottle of beer cost $22.00 and a 6 pk cost $132.00 a lot more would be brewing their own, but with a 6pk costing around $7.00 people still have the option to brew enough for themselves for the year if they so choose. It's affordable and within reach of most. Not the option that is being suggested regarding marijuana.
If it's legal it should be legal in all aspects not just legal for purchase at 4-5 times street prices in a "legal" pot shop where the ONLY motive is profit.

 

[RetroGrow]

These high prices, and excessive regulations, will only serve to feed the black market, and we will be right back where we started.

 

[resinryder]

Pretty much. But with even more laws making aspects of legal activity illegal.

 

[Sforza]

Sure just like with beer or wine, people make it at home and so no one makes any money from it? Except for Budweiser and Gallo?
-SamS

Perhaps a better analogy would be tomatoes?

You can buy all you want for very little money at the store, but a lot of people still grow tomatoes at home in their gardens because they enjoy growing them and they think that home grown tomatoes taste better than store bought.

 

[Sforza]

Federal law makes no distinction between medical and recreational cannabis.

What does that have to do with a president deciding which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore?

Doesn't that undermine the Constitution and thus all of our rights?

When a President in the future whom you detest fails to enforce laws that Congress passes are you going to be OK with that?

 

[Sforza]

It all bullshit. All the media. I tend not to believe ANYTHING them assholes say.

Seen.

Any time you read or watch a media report about something that you happen to know a great deal about, you realize how stupid, ignorant, and shallow they are.

If you don't know anything about the topic, they seem knowledgeable but if you know the topic or if you were at the scene when the event happened, you realize that they are just lame.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

Allow people to grow it themselves. This takes the monetary value away so no one makes a cent off of it. Not a damn thing complex about that!! The only thing people would be able to purchase would be different strains in seed form just like buying cucumber seeds out of a gardening catalog. That probably makes to much sense and the rich wouldn't get richer from it so I'm guessing it wouldn't be an option.

I'll figure out how to make money off it anyways. Lol

 

[armedoldhippy]

I'll figure out how to make money off it anyways. Lol

there will always be those too busy, lazy, or incompetent to grow their own, but well off enough to buy good weed/hash.

 

[RetroGrow]

Perhaps a better analogy would be tomatoes?

You can buy all you want for very little money at the store, but a lot of people still grow tomatoes at home in their gardens because they enjoy growing them and they think that home grown tomatoes taste better than store bought.

Exactly!
Tomatoes, carrots, corn, etc.

 

[Jhhnn]

What does that have to do with a president deciding which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore?

Doesn't that undermine the Constitution and thus all of our rights?

When a President in the future whom you detest fails to enforce laws that Congress passes are you going to be OK with that?

Clinton, Bush & Obama all chose not to enforce the same federal law that covers both MMJ and recreational cannabis. The law makes no distinction in that regard. So you have to figure out if you're more interested in the player or the play. If you didn't decry the non-enforcement of the law prior to the Obama presidency, you lack legitimacy in doing so now.

I detested GWB, but I'd have cheered had he done what Obama is doing now, which is granting the same legitimacy to recreational cannabis as to medical. It actually reduces inequality of enforcement.

 

[Sam_Skunkman]

Perhaps a better analogy would be tomatoes?

You can buy all you want for very little money at the store, but a lot of people still grow tomatoes at home in their gardens because they enjoy growing them and they think that home grown tomatoes taste better than store bought.

I grow my own tomatoes but don't know a lot of other people that do.
While veggie growing at home is popular it is a very small % of the tomatoes consumed in the USA, same as Cannabis will be when fully legal. I just assume that most people will drop by the 7-11 and pick up their Cannabis. That is how America lives.
-SamS

 

[Jbomber79]

how many of us could make our own beer, but choose not to?

 

[ElusiveQuark]

What does that have to do with a president deciding which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore?

Doesn't that undermine the Constitution and thus all of our rights?

When a President in the future whom you detest fails to enforce laws that Congress passes are you going to be OK with that?

As Jhhnn pointed out, the President is actively engaged in not enforcing laws on the books. Every president does what he can to avoid enforcement of laws adverse to their cause. Arguably part of checks and balances of govt. Executive controls enforcement.

I would like to hear peoples' take on what steps, if any, the Feds are going to take in the near future beyond issuing memos from the Justice Dept. A meaningful outcome would be the repeal of the whole Controlled Substances Act and replace it with a more enlightened strategy to dealing with substance abuse and how we view nonviolent drug related activity. Probably not going to happen but I thought I'd toss it out there. Does pot get rescheduled soon or decriminalized? Just status quo to remain flexible?

 

[ElusiveQuark]

I grow my own tomatoes but don't know a lot of other people that do.
While veggie growing at home is popular it is a very small % of the tomatoes consumed in the USA, same as Cannabis will be when fully legal. I just assume that most people will drop by the 7-11 and pick up their Cannabis. That is how America lives.
-SamS

I grew up in the rural Midwest, and while not a huge portion of the population, there were significant numbers of people growing the own vegetables. Nearly 100% of homes in small towns had gardens w corn, tomatoes, green beans and the like. I haven't been back to the Midwest since 1980. Is it still the same?

 

[Sam_Skunkman]

I grew up in the rural Midwest, and while not a huge portion of the population, there were significant numbers of people growing the own vegetables. Nearly 100% of homes in small towns had gardens w corn, tomatoes, green beans and the like. I haven't been back to the Midwest since 1980. Is it still the same?

No problem, but what % of tomatoes consumed in the USA are home grown? I would say less then 1% but I do not know this for sure. In cities where all the people are, the % of home grown veggies is much less then in the countryside where the people are not. The number of people growing a garden in Amsterdam is less then 1% for sure, virtually everyone that I share my homegrown heirloom tomatoes with can't believe how good they are, they all said they have never ever had a tomato so good, but they do not want to grow them, maybe just a few did take tomato starts from my wife and grow them. Most just wanted more tomatoes or sweet corn that I grew, from us. No one has ever grown any of the sweet corn seeds I imported from the USA except for one employee that wanted them at home, tomatoes and corn.
People all left the farms, mostly they do not want to go back, they like shopping at the store, so convenient year round.
I like to feel the soil in my fingers, I like gardening, my wife likes to freeze all the extra tomatoes and make tomato sauce for pasta. It lasts a year easy in a deep freeze ziplock frozen away.
In the countryside in Santa Cruz I had a small 2 acre farm that produced 47 kinds of fruit and veggies for home use. At one point we hardly bought fresh food, I don't do that anymore but if I had the land somewhere I could, I would. The weather there was a lot better then here. Thats why I use a greenhouse here for corn and tomatoes.
-SamS

 

[armedoldhippy]

As Jhhnn pointed out, the President is actively engaged in not enforcing laws on the books. Every president does what he can to avoid enforcement of laws adverse to their cause. Arguably part of checks and balances of govt. Executive controls enforcement.

I would like to hear peoples' take on what steps, if any, the Feds are going to take in the near future beyond issuing memos from the Justice Dept. A meaningful outcome would be the repeal of the whole Controlled Substances Act and replace it with a more enlightened strategy to dealing with substance abuse and how we view nonviolent drug related activity. Probably not going to happen but I thought I'd toss it out there. Does pot get rescheduled soon or decriminalized? Just status quo to remain flexible?

if the numbers from polls etc can be believed, & the politicians reaction to them is followed through on, they will have to re or de-classify pot in order to be legitimate. in all fairness, it should not be classified as ANY schedule of drug. poppies are not classified as a narcotic, and folks make opium out of them. morning glories are not listed, but you can hallucinate if you eat the blue heavenly seeds. when weed was first placed as a sch. 1 drug, it was done with the caveat that it would be re-scheduled soon in order to get the support of the AMA, who was going to challenge it in court for fear of losing what they saw as an important tool in their toolbox.