There’s nothing toxic about weed - that’s true. That’s why no hangovers - and no ODs ever. Not one.
@mrf - well they did pull in billions that first year. I know part of it goes to the schools - and the schools really do have more than they can spend.
And New Mexico could sure use drug rehab money since the problem here is heroin and prescription drugs. And both are about out of control.
Marijuana should be legal for “recreational” purposed nationwide, with reasonable regulation befitting a substance that, used in moderation, is basically a mild euphoric with real but generally quite moderate side effects. I’d tax it at levels similar to alcohol, perhaps a bit less given the lower social costs compared to alcohol abuse.
And as far as cannabis-based medicine goes, it should be legal for medical providers to prescribe cannabis or cannabis-based medicines for any bona fide medical condition for which it has been shown to be effective. Whether it’s the best treatment for an individual patient should be up to the doctor and patient, within the normal bounds of professional practice.
I would argue for this medical cannabis to be tax free (as an incentive for people with bona fide medical needs to go the supervised-by-a-doctor route rather than self-medicating with recreational product), and for it to be covered by insurance for any conditions where it is likely to work as well as, or better than, other available treatments, and/or with fewer side effects.
As far as pain relief goes it sure makes a hell of a lot more sense than presctiption opioids.
And as far as a sleeping aid goes, it has none of the wacky side affects all those prescription sleep drugs have.
And by the way, with all the current concern over opioid use and abuse, there may be a very significant role for cannabis and cannabis-based medicines to reduce the use of opioids for pain management. As I recall there has been some very promising research findings that suggest that chronic pain sufferers can get the same level of pain relief with significantly lower doses of opioid painkillers (and in some cases get off the opioids completely) when the patient is given cannabis or cannabis-derived medicine as part of their treatment.
And the fact that the main “side effect” is mild euphoria doesn’t seem like such a bad thing for someone in chronic pain. Having been in chronic pain for some long stretches myself, I can assure you a little mild euphoria is likely to be more than welcome.
Awesome. He’s treating something as serious as cancer relief and PTSD care with the sense of humor of an eighteen year old high school drop out. Way to go.
Ha, you beat me to it. And much more concise. Anyway, yeah, I agree, and on the sleep drugs too. Ambien, for example, can really scramble people’s minds in a way I’ve never seen marijuana do.
He may not be aware of it (though he could very well be fully cognizant), but this may be the biggest step so far toward removing it from Schedule 1 - no small thing.
I’m convinced that all those sleep meds like Ambien are doing damage over a long period of taking them - they are strange drugs. They actually scare me.
And I’ve taken ayahuasca in dmt form. And would again every day from now on if I could ever find it again.
Cannabis should be legal, safe, and common. Cannabis is a public good. However, additional taxes on cannabis should only be used for cannabis research and to pay for regulation. The reason is that the government should not be in the business of selling cannabis. This creates a fiduciary incentive for the government to promote product sales, not product safety.
I say the above being from a state that makes a great deal of money from cannabis. The money makes for bad policy, for example the heavy handed way we ended the medical marijuana shops, to promote more business and tax revenue at the recreational shops.
Legalizing and regulating like they do liquor and cigarettes, would take it out of the hands of minors. Like liquor and cigarettes.
Right now it’s easier for an 11 year old to buy pot and heroin than a package of cigarettes.
HA! 'cause I am a HOP HEAD fanatic. It was never ‘just a passing phase’ for me!
I don’t drive high. I can drive high just fine, but I don’t do it because the consequences are too much if I am caught. The laws against driving under the influence in my state are intended to get votes for bills and initiatives, not based on research or public safety or sanity.
Yes, exactly. I remember being 19 and having no problem buying pot, but liquor was impossible to get. This was a while ago… Clinton was president.
hahahahah Well I’m both a hop head and a hip hop fanatic then I guess.
I started in 1967 - this is my golden anniversary year of turning on.
Ever been to South America?
A college acquaintance has gotten deeply involved in the ayahuasca movement, there are groups (his is on MyFace (sic)) online that advocate it.
No I haven’t but I’d advocate for it myself.
His group is very much in the shamanistic vein, and they facilitate for folks from other countries.
I’ve got you beat by a year—started as a junior in high school. Haven’t ever considered stopping, either.
Long ago, I located in Oregon, slogged my way though the communes and the shopping center parking lots to canvass and sign up to change the MJ laws. We were getting no where until the Medical angle was introduced, and though it was treated in some circles (like Climate Change, now) the Medical angle saved the day. I wish you swift passage of the Federal Law, sweet Tena, so you can get some well deserved peace with your medication.
Merle