Marijuana activist Emery awaits extradition

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Bingo... not to mention the taxes you'd be paying when purchasing it would go right into the government's pockets.

1. Government legalizes marijuana
2. Government stops spending money enforcing marijuana laws
3. Government imposes taxes on the sale of marijuana
4. Profit!

Sure, and as I've stated in the past, I'm all over decriminalization with conditions.

But first and formost, if you legalize dope, you don't think that the people that are subsidizing their income are just going to shrug their shoulders and say "Aw hell it was great having that money while it lasted". They're going to find other products and other markets.

Plus in terms of conditions, if the government legalizes that stuff, that means that the guy who grows his own stuff and sells it to his buddies is still going to be illegal, decriminalization just means that possession is ok, growing it and selling it is probably still going to be illegal as the dope business at least initially is going to be government controlled, the free enterprise aspect is going to be illegal as hell.

If someone is smoking grass and gets in their car and drives, its still going to be operating under a controlled substance, if someone is doped out of their mind and acting like an a$$ in public they're still going to be charged for being under the influence.

I highly doubt that they're going to treat dope like smokes, they're going to treat it like liquor, which means you're not going to be allowed to hoot and drive, or have it within easy access in a motor vehicle. And if you do get pulled over under the influence or you do hit someone while high they're going to treat it the same as doing those acts while drinking.

The biggest market impact is that possession is probably still going to be illegal for minors just like liquor, they won't be able to buy it, or consume it in public, or walk around with it, so where are they going to get it? You want your illegal for profit market, thats where its going to be.

I really have my doubts that decriminalization is going to change things all that much. The drug runners will work harder at getting harder drugs out there, the gangs are going to find a way to replace their income somehow, but I do like the taxation increase, but this shouldn't be about money.

If the police want to solve the problems, then ignore the penny ante stuff and go harder after the supply lines and the producers, go after the jokers who sell this sh%t to kids to make money, in otherwords, instead of a blow torch use a precision guided missile.

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

This is a common attitude, but it never made sense to me. It's basically saying "yeah, weed ain't that bad, and we shouldn't be punishing people who just like to smoke a joint, but the people that sell it -- we should hunt them down and lock them up".

If what they are selling ultimately isn't all that bad, why spend all this time and effort stopping people from selling it?

And a lot of attention is being paid to the fact that this guy 'made millions'. Well, so what? What are we, communists? He's pretty stupid for making noise about all that money, but I don't really begrudge him for it. He was breaking a law that shouldn't exist, and selling a product most of us don't have an objection to.

Fair enough, but this makes no sense either, it's the law, that is why he is being charged...it doesn't matter if it shouldn't exist, it does!

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The biggest market impact is that possession is probably still going to be illegal for minors just like liquor, they won't be able to buy it, or consume it in public, or walk around with it, so where are they going to get it? You want your illegal for profit market, thats where its going to be.

Kids still drink, and their booze comes from the same liquor store yours does.

If weed gets the same treatment as liquor, it isn't going to start an underage weed selling industry, it'll start a "we gave Dave's older brother 5 bucks to buy us some weed at the weed store" industry. It'll be the same as booze -- all those old tricks like fake IDs, older kids, asking some guy in the liquor store parking lot, stealing from parents. That's how you get booze, and that'd be how they'd get weed.

[Thor]

Prohibition doesn't work, that should be the starting point of a legalize pot topic

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Kids still drink, and their booze comes from the same liquor store yours does.

If weed gets the same treatment as liquor, it isn't going to start an underage weed selling industry, it'll start a "we gave Dave's older brother 5 bucks to buy us some weed at the weed store" industry. It'll be the same as booze -- all those old tricks like fake IDs, older kids, asking some guy in the liquor store parking lot, stealing from parents. That's how you get booze, and that'd be how they'd get weed.

Great, then you go after Dave's older brother.

You also introduce far heavier fines to stores that sell dope that get caught selling it to youngsters.

I'm really against underaged drinking, just like I'm really against introducing dope to young minds.

I don't care about us older folks, we're already brain damaged as it is. but there has to be some limits.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Sure, and as I've stated in the past, I'm all over decriminalization with conditions.

But first and formost, if you legalize dope, you don't think that the people that are subsidizing their income are just going to shrug their shoulders and say "Aw hell it was great having that money while it lasted". They're going to find other products and other markets.

We don't really know if this is true. Basically it assumes that a weed dealer, upon finding weed legalized, switches over to meth, crack, coke, or other illicit drugs. I don't see this as likely. Selling crack is not like selling marijuana... I'd be hard-pressed to find a drug with a social-scene as mild as marijuana. I've never dealt with a marijuana dealer who didn't have a day-job or go to school, personally. Crack dealers? No idea... but I'm doubting they spend their days going to Business School

Plus in terms of conditions, if the government legalizes that stuff, that means that the guy who grows his own stuff and sells it to his buddies is still going to be illegal, decriminalization just means that possession is ok, growing it and selling it is probably still going to be illegal as the dope business at least initially is going to be government controlled, the free enterprise aspect is going to be illegal as hell.

Why? People can make their own wine/beer right now... I don't see the difference between brewing your own booze and growing your own weed. It's a huge pain in the ass, and much easier just to buy ready-made stuff. The government won't be growing weed, just like they don't brew booze. They'll just regulate and collect.

I'm talking about legalization/taxation here... not just decriminilization.

If someone is smoking grass and gets in their car and drives, its still going to be operating under a controlled substance, if someone is doped out of their mind and acting like an a$$ in public they're still going to be charged for being under the influence.

Sure, no debate there.

I highly doubt that they're going to treat dope like smokes, they're going to treat it like liquor, which means you're not going to be allowed to hoot and drive, or have it within easy access in a motor vehicle. And if you do get pulled over under the influence or you do hit someone while high they're going to treat it the same as doing those acts while drinking.

That's fine, I don't see why smoking & driving should be allowed. I personally don't think it's that dangerous, but I also don't support being able to drive under the influence of any drug/liquor. No issues there.

The biggest market impact is that possession is probably still going to be illegal for minors just like liquor, they won't be able to buy it, or consume it in public, or walk around with it, so where are they going to get it? You want your illegal for profit market, thats where its going to be.

Where do they get their booze now? It's not exactly a public health disaster that underage kids are finding older siblings to bootleg booze for them. I'd be a lot cooler with my 16 year old smoking weed than drinking, but that's my own opinion. I think good parenting has more to do with preventing minors abusing these substances (just like booze now) than petty drug dealers.

I really have my doubts that decriminalization is going to change things all that much. The drug runners will work harder at getting harder drugs out there, the gangs are going to find a way to replace their income somehow, but I do like the taxation increase, but this shouldn't be about money.

The drug runners and gangs will be shoved out of the industry by big-business. It's not just about the money, it's also about the horrendous injustice of charging/convicting people for possessing marijuana.

You seem to be talking about both 'decriminilization' and 'taxation' at the same time, though I think their mutually exclusive. Taxes can't be collected without full legalization.

If the police want to solve the problems, then ignore the penny ante stuff and go harder after the supply lines and the producers, go after the jokers who sell this sh%t to kids to make money, in otherwords, instead of a blow torch use a precision guided missile.

As long as there is demand, you can arrest every dealer/grower/supplier you can find and 10 will replace them. Unless you can eliminate the demand (impossible, I'd suggest), you'll spend the rest of your life and all your money going after dealers/suppliers that are instantly replaced by... more dealers. The US has been busting the hell out of low and high-level dealers for decades, I don't see a shortage.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Great, then you go after Dave's older brother.

You also introduce far heavier fines to stores that sell dope that get caught selling it to youngsters.

I'm really against underaged drinking, just like I'm really against introducing dope to young minds.

I don't care about us older folks, we're already brain damaged as it is. but there has to be some limits.

Of course there have to be limits. Far as I'm concerned it should be treated exactly like booze. Hell, they could even sell it in a liquor store for all I care.

The thing about this whole debate is that it's meaningless, in the end. The people who want to smoke weed do it already, and they aren't scared of getting caught. Nobody doesn't smoke weed for fear of prosecution. If you want it, you get it, you smoke it, nobody cares.

I swear, on Friday there was a guy sitting in the shade right across the street from the new police building just north of the Saddledome, and he was smoking a joint. If he had a good arm, he could have thrown a rock and hit the police station.

Why don't we just end the charade? If they spent all that money on education instead of chasing and housing pot offenders, drug use in the United States would actually go down.

[Flames_Gimp]

what an injustice this is. it's laughable that someone has to serve time for selling seeds.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

Didn't Chong go to jail for the same thing?

Sort of, but he was clearly set up. There's a documentary on it.

I tend to look down on marijuana use, I've seen too much damage from it, but it's time to rethink it's criminalization in the US.

As for this guy, if he's dumb enough to send marijuana seeds over the border he deserves to go to jail.

[PFUNK]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Fair enough, but this makes no sense either, it's the law, that is why he is being charged...it doesn't matter if it shouldn't exist, it does!

In Alabama it's illegal to play dominoes on a sunday.

Point being it's a dumb law, and very loosely enforced. It's time to get with the times. If Police would actually enforce marijuana laws then there would be a backlash. You only hear about the odd drug busts in the city just to keep a more anti-pot smoking crowd thinking that the police are doing their job. The only problem is that it is technically illegal and it's being used to appease the USA in some kind of plea bargain. This man is being made a cruel example.

[Thor]

Dumb enough? he's an activist, thats the idea he wants to draw attention to the cause.