Pot should be legal.
Look, I’m sure I am going to lose lots of readers and twitter followers and shit over this, but I think the cool people will stay and agree. (And, um, you guys are obviously more fun to party with, anyway.)
I rolled read a big fatty huge article in the New York Times yesterday about California, and all their woes with the fact that pretty much the corner of every shopping center looks something like this:
“Yeah, I’ll take a McCannibis with a side of Hash Brownies, dude, and can you supersize that?”
So the article was about like how they’re going to enforce the non-profit aspect of the selling of the marijuana for medicinal purposes (like hangnails and stubbed toes) and how they’re having general enforcement issues because too many ‘outlets’ have opened. Apparently, since marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in Cali, the Doctor Is very much IN on every corner. (Lucy would make a ton of money with her little Charlie Brown “Doctor Is In” stand…) In other news, California has also had to tear down the redwoods to make more paper for prescriptions, so this is a concern for the environment as well.
It’s not just California. A bunch of other cool-ass states have legalized reefer for medical use. Here’s a list of where we should live and immediately develop tennis elbow: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland (holycrap where I’m writing from right now, so off to the doctor I go! Effing migraines!), Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico (duh), Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. These states shall hereafter be referred to as The Cool United States. (Places to avoid: East Asia, where you can be executed for selling pot. Note to self, no vacations to East Asia…)
If drinking, which fucks up families and kills people and gives you a hangover is legal, why not a dried flowering herb that just makes you happy? Come on, America. Lighten up. We look like a bunch of hypocritical, uptight assholes being douchebags about this. Gateway drug, my ass. If it ain’t broke, we wouldn’t need to fix it.
Now, I am ALL FOR moderation. Of course, lawmakers could stay busy and happy and anal about writing lots of laws about making the legal age 21, and how you can’t charge too much for crappy herb, can’t sell it out of your Mystery Machine at soccer games, whatever. But if backyard growers in the U.S. are starting to put Mexican cartels out of business, our country really needs to get a clip grip and deal with the issue in a reasonable manner.
Photo courtesy: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (www.NORML.org)
I am thinking that this pot-smoking thing isn’t going away anytime soon. We could wipe out the national debt with the “high taxes” (snort) our nation could collect from legalized weed. Plus, people would be less cranky, have better sex, and health care costs would be reduced because of the lowered stress levels across our anxiety-ridden, depressed sea-to-shining-sea.
There’s a health care plan we can all believe in, yes?
P.S. Haters? THC-ya.
But America's tax base would be greatly reduced, because everyone would be sitting in their mom's paneled basement watching re-runs of Bob (Bill?) & Ted's Excellent Adventure instead of going to work…
or Cheech & Chong….
this is good shit–what is it?
It's Doberman, man….
I really like this post. Cannabis has incredible medical purposes, while legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco do not. Here in California, I've met a ton of people who are able to live better and more productive lives because they have a medical marijuana card. I've met people who have a MM card for medical conditions ranging from severe anxiety to MS to cancer. I also think it's ridiculous that we have legal drugs that kill users and other people around them while cannabis is much, much safer and has been deemed beneficial for medical purposes. It can still impair people if used incorrectly but, just like anything else, education and moderation are key.
I totally agree that it should be legal. It makes no sense how tobacco and alcohol are legal and marijuana is not.
I have used marijuana less than ten times in my life, liked it some of the times, hated it others but honestly, alcohol is way worse.
I think this is the only post you've every done that I haven't been totally on board with. Wow. A first!
But I am the daughter of a cop, sister of an addict and friend to many who began their downward spiral with "just a little pot." So obviously, you know where I am coming from, right?
i'm a little bit torn on this issue, probably because:
1.i am a parent…
and
2.i can absolutely see where marijuana use could be beneficial in many circumstances, from anxiety to arthritis to cancer.
as a parent it frightens me to think that my children would feel more relaxed and free about the use of recreational hallucinogens.
because kids are stupid.
we all know that children experiment, and i know firsthand (as the parent of a teenager) that you can't educate your child enough about responsible drinking and drug use because they WILL try it anyhow. i've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and am lucky to have been able to re-direct my child towards a more positive outlet.
how hypocritical would i be if my kids saw ME smoking a fatty to stave off anxiety attacks or to relax at the end of an especially hectic day?
the happy grass of today is NOT the same as that from our generation. it is more potent, more harmful to developing brains, and often has goodness knows what added to it for some extra "hee haw".
i believe that adults have the ability to decide what they want and need.
children do not.
just like there is a legal drinking age, so should there be for self medicating and/or indulging in the use of marijuana.
so i guess i just lean a little bit more towards the "no" side because i've seen with my own eyes the easy access a child can have already to drugs WITHOUT them being legal. if we were to legalize marijuana, there would be no stopping back room manufacturing of unsafe and toxic substances that would cause more harm than not.
respectfully waffling on the issue,
andrea:)
I agree with you. I live in MA, and there was talk about decriminalizing carrying small amounts of pot. I think it passed, and I'm all for that. I'd much prefer the cops to be chasing pedophiles and dangerous people than those who want to unwind and relax without hurting a soul…
Absolutely agree!
I'll make a confession here, AND ONLY HERE!
I used to be a smoker (tabacco) BEFORE I decided to get pregnant. Never smoked pot because it's illegal and I am terrified of going to jail (i wouldn't last a day in the big house and I'm afraid of butch lesbians… sorry). Maybe if marijuana had been legal and tabacco wasn't i would have been puffing the ganja (is that right?) instead of smoking cigs…
Anywho, many people do benefit from the medicinal properties of marijuana and many states could benefit economically from the sale of marijuana. So I say let's legalize it! We need all the help we can get.
Also, i do agree that alcohol kills more people than pot. people drive while drunk all the time! but a dude that just smoke a joint is too lazy to get his ass up from the couch and drive anywhere!
To those who say the street marijuana today is much stronger and/or if it were legal there would be a lot of back-room pot businesses, you're right. But the whole purpose of legalizing it is to sell it opens, regulate it and tax it. No one is going to go to an illegal dealer and risk getting God knows what, if they can find it over the counter at the local 7-11. 40 years ago tobacco companies copyrighted names such as "Maui Wowie" and others anticipating the day it would be legal. Any kid today can get already get it illegally. If it were legal, it would be safer. The only down size is that it gives you the raging munchines and we already have an obesity problem. So the day it becomes legal, I'm buying stock in Sara Lee. Great post MaryMac.
I have to agree with ya Mary! I live in California, and if it ever goes to a vote, I'll be voting yes! I had cancer when I was younger, and believe it or not, they talked to my Dad about giving me a scrip for weed. Dad said no, so instead I got massive amounts of (legal, might I add) Morphine. Go figure. Now… I've smoked some weed, and I will say right now, the high from Morphine (mind you, given to me legally in a hospital) was waaaaaay beyond any high I've ever got from marijuana. And a little scary, lol. So if I ever am faced with having to start chemo treatments again, I'd much perfer a scrip for marijuana than to deal with Morphine again… Just sayin!
I have always been for the legalization of pot. I think they should do it and tax the crap out of it the way they do cigarettes then use the tax money to pay for schools because then the kids would be paying for their schooling!
That's my crazy person answer.
My sain person answer still thinks that yes we should legalize it because of all the reasons everyone else and you have said.
AGREE!
You never hear things like "I was sooo stoned last night I beat my kids!" or "Man I smoked a big fatty and then robbed a bank!" That's because people are too slow and hungry to be violent while smoking pot! I say legalize it! I bet our crime rate would drop:)
Love Tawnia
P.S Andrea pot is NOT a hallucinogen. Acid, muchrooms and PCP are.
Ahem… speaking as a member of the law enforcement commnuity (and therefore not cool), and as the brother of a now-deceased addict, my answer to this is always a resounding no.
My second thoughts always lead me back to the fact that tobacco is legal, and so is booze. Further, I am all about expanding the tax base for vice items, so my more thoughtful answer is legalize pot… and prostitution… tax them to death (which won't hurt the business) and you have some really great benefits: More revenue; An incredible growth in the ranks of the taxibly employed; and Fewer people crowding the prison system for midemeanor crimes.
First off, Love your Scooby Doo reference! I live in Michigan where I did not know that it was legal for medicinal purposes. But it gives me a migraine. LOL. So I am screwed. But I am all for collecting tax money on it. Get my state out of financial ruin!
i won't clutter your space with nit picky definitions after this mary, i'm enjoying reading both sides of this debate.
the following is only because i have an insane fear of looking like i don't know what i'm talking about.
sorry tawnia.
this is not intended to be an "i'm right, you're wrong" thing…but take it as it is:
Marijuana and hashish, two substances derived from the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa), are also considered natural hallucinogens, although their potency (power) is very low when compared to others. Marijuana (also called grass, pot, tea, weed, or reefer), a green herb from the flower of the hemp plant, is considered a mild hallucinogen. Hashish is marijuana in a more potent, concentrated form. Both drugs are usually smoked. Their effects include a feeling of relaxation, faster heart rate, the sensation that time is passing more slowly, and a greater sense of hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
Read more: http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Enz-Ho/Hallu...
andrea
I'm from Seattle, so I didn't even know this was a controversial topic.
(I'm sort of kidding… but not really. We're pretty pot friendly around here.)
Yes. Legalize. Duh.
I am so totally with you on this! And I'm a freakin' grandma! But it makes sense. Alcohol is legal and has RUINED many, many members of my family and my husband's. Not so with weed. Legalize it, tax it!
I'm 100% behind you on this one Mary. I don't smoke it personally, but I have done in the past, and I have friends/family members who indulge recreationally.
I don't drink alcohol because someone very close to me is an alcoholic, and I don't have to tell you how destructive that can be for family/friends. It's left me very wary of alcohol even though I know it isn't 'bad' for everyone.
However, I'm not wary about pot, and I know plenty of people who smoke pot and nothing else. They have smoked pot for several years, and don't have any desire to move on to other drugs, so I'm not really buying into this whole 'gateway' scaremongering malarky we read about.
Of course, this is just my personal viewpoint, and everyone else is entitled to theirs also. I respect that.
But, Marymac, I fucking love you for having the balls (so to speak!) to post this on your very public, very popular blog.
It always amazes me that people don't look on alcohol with the same horror. Somehow because it's always been legal (well, almost always) they forgive the awful things it does.
If alcohol was illegal, then IT – and not pot – would probably be the first step along that downward path. And considering how much more pain alcohol causes – whether from the actions of someone drunk, or the resulting health issues. It's a more dangerous thing.
I am sure that if pot were legal, and therefore more people using it then the statistics would reflect incidents and health effects. But unless it was legal, there is no real way to weigh up the long term effects of alcohol versus pot.
The bottom line is that all drugs are perception altering. And alcohol is a drug too. And yet it's legal. And I'd be quite happy to have a nice little friday night spliff while the kids were off at Grandmas.
Great post and I agree totally.
I can honestly say that every single regrettable sexual experience that I have had can be directly related to tequila. And yet, tequila is completely legal. So, if I can go to a bar tonight and have a 2 or 3 or 10 shots and end up in the men's room with a bar back, then I can't see why a person can't smoke a blunt if they want to.
Nuff said.
I've never had pot before so I really can't say a thing.
Actually, I haven't done any drugs before, never smoked and the first time I got drunk I think I was 23 or 24.
Yeah. I was sort of a goody goody. Only I did get knocked up at 19 so there's something…
Agreed. I would love to be able to head over to the corner pot store and pick up a pre rolled joint and spend a quiet evening at home with my husband.
However, I would get HUGE. The munchies. The damn munchies.
Great post & debate.
I'm with you – legalize it and call it a day.
I'm married to a cop and he too thinks that it should be legal. He often thinks that he wastes a lot of time writing up petty marijuana charges and that he could be putting his time and the tax payers money to better use.
It would definitely help the economy too – tax the sale of it – and snack food sales would increase too. Cause like Amanda said – munchies!
I'm so glad you spoke out! I don't smoke pot (used to when i was young tho lol) but just think about how richer the U.S. would be if they just legalized it!! Each state would take in milliions of extra revenue each month. Open up stores like liquor stores or smoke shops and sell it. Legalizing pot is going to be no different than it was when they finally legalized alcohol, I mean come on…we're all dying on the vine here, the states need the money.
Thanks!
http://www.homespunheartscandles.blogspot.com
I do believe it should be legal. If alcohol is legal, I don't understand why pot isn't. The effects of alcohol and alcoholism are devistating. People attack cigarette smoking? The same people that have a couple of glasses of wine or a few beers and then get in their cars and drive home.
Where's the logic in all of this?
nice work, Mary.
I have glaucoma and left CA right after it became legal to purchase. doesn't make sense, I know.
america – let's legalize it & tax it. it's really not as groundbreaking as it sounds. it's not that big a deal!
Right on, Mary. I agree with you 100%. I don't want to talk about a touchy subject, but "addiction" to weed, for the most part, is completely psychological. Basically, if you are some addictive personality basket case, you need to put that joint down. People don't become physically addicted (like they would to heroin, a totally different kind of drug), but rather feel the need to feel high, and get baked all the time. They already probably have some mental problem that should otherwise be addressed. I feel the same way about the whole "gateway drug" bullshit. Way to make an excuse for your addiction. "weed made me do it!" sounds just like a drug addict to say that, huh?
And don't even get me started on the reason it's illegal. Let me just say this- it was illegalized in a time when people said this,
Again, racism was part of the charge against marijuana, as newspapers in 1934 editorialized, “Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.”"
Seriously!? The illegalization of weed was strongly racist against both African Americans and Hispanics. It's practically racist NOT to smoke.
Rock on, Mary. I love your blog and think it's awesome you don't give a shit what these conservative-ass prudies say. They need to smoke more than the liberals!
This post was awesome.
I wanted to comment on Grace's comment about addiction to pot being psychological. I used to have a bit of a problem with pot myself, but I wouldn't say it was psychological, per se. I think my main problem was just ME…I would say that I have a bit of an addictive personality, I think.
That being said, although I am a parent, a Christian, and a "recovering addict" (I still find it hard to call myself an addict when it was just pot), I'm all for the legalization of marijuana. Taxation ftw!
Oh, and to the people who say pot is a hallucinogen, I can honestly say that I have smoked copious amounts of marijuana and have never hallucinated. But of course, I've done mushrooms and acid, and never hallucinated. Huh. Maybe it's me, but I HIGHLY doubt it. Heh.
And although I completely agree with your point of view, I think it would be silly to stop reading you just over a difference of opinion. And if so, THC-ya later, indeed.
I can't imagine why you thought this might be controversial…
I agree with you. (sorry, no juicy controversy here! lol)
I don't smoke anything & never have, but I have found myself wishing I did on several high-stress occasions. And I know people who I think REEEALLY need to smoke and freaking chill out.
Also, DON'T tell my kids, but I wouldn't freak out if they did it when they were old enough. But I'm not going to openly encourage it either. I'm not THAT cool.
Being the daughter of two recovering alcoholics that are very active in AA and have been for over 30 years, alcohol was never a big part of my life growing up (I'm 29). I've never seen my parents drunk. I mention this because, when I got busted back when I was a teenager with a joint, my parents said this: "Well, we don't condone you smoking pot, but if you're going to do anything we'd rather you do that than drink." Then they made fun of my badly rolled joint.
In all seriousness, though. I take a drug for chronic pain that is a sort of synthetic version of pot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabilone) and it costs over $400 a month. I'd much rather be able to safely use marijuana with a vaporizer than take yet another pill. Medical marijuana is available here (I'm in Canada), but the hoops you have to jump through to get it are ridiculous, and from what I've read, "government grown"? Is not the good stuff.
The reality? Unless "big pharma" can get their hands in the pie, legalizing pot will never happen. There are too many conditions and diseases that can be helped by cannabis that are currently being treated with pharmaceuticals.
I misread- I thought you were saying it should be illegal- good thing I reread- I was about to unfollow. Pot is good. That is all.
And I totally wasn't high when I wrote that or read it, even though it may seem so.
It's not legal?
Damn, I'm hungry
I know in Michigan if you have a prescription you can grow like 10 plants. Your caregiver (nurse or whomever) is also allowed to grow for patients with a Rx. The police will still arrest you despite the legality. I've never been a fan of the herb, it makes me really jumpy and hyper-vigilant, which for anyone else has to be a total buzzkill.
THC-ya cracked me up though.
Canada my friend. We are definitely pro-legalized pot up here in the great white North
Ok, I really don't want to lose followers, cause I only have 14, but I'll comment anyway.
Even though my lovely state of Washington is on the cool-ass list, get this: it is legal to use marijuana for medical purposes (with appropriate prescription, blah, blah) but it is illegal to grow it, possess it, or buy it. Go figure.
And I can think of a million uses for the money our government spends to "crack down" on marijuana. Please. Do something useful, government people.
***Ally
I lied. Well, I was misinformed. To clarify, in Washington State it is legal to possess a 60 day supply of medical marijuana (with prescription, yada, yada), and you may grow a 60 day supply (15 plants) but illegal to BUY it. Or SELL it.
***Ally
I strongly believe in the possibilities that marijuana offers, both medicinally and industrially. I think the difficulty in America is that we're so deeply ingrained in a (totally BS and super conflicted) culture of chastity that it's hard for most people to get over the whole "dude, I'm getting high legally" fetish.
Maybe it's just a matter of working that stoner-ideal out of our system in the process. Probably. So we just have to try it out for a good period of time, growing pains and all. Kinda sorta like healthcare reform. Ahem.
In short, many American folks tend to feel more comfortable with the devil they know than the devil they don't, no mater how backwards it is.
Someone take away my Internet access. I'm rambling.
Obviously, I'm a little behind in my blog reading, but I just wanted to say, "amen, sister." I had no idea that many states had legalized it. And I could get a prescription for migraines? Hmmmmmm….
Anyway, rock on. You're one cool lady.
Not everyone feels the same about the legalization of cannabis in the USA. I personally believe that cannabis should be legalized for those that require a prescription for problems like back pain and depression. People that genuinely benefit from using medical marijuana should have access to it without being criticized. Patients who are using cannabis already have enough turmoil in their own lives that they should be allowed to make their own choices without fear.