Comments on: High Stakes: A Call to Legalize Marijuana
California Desperately Needs Tax Revenue, Prompting Some to See Green in Making Grass Legal
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- Thank you for airing this segment. Our officials need to inject some common sense. Prohibition = black market. Tax it APPROPRIATELY, regulate it and certainly keep it out of the hands of our children - no argument there. Regulation and strict laws such as the ones used for tobacco, firearms and alcohol, which kill many more people than marijuana ever thought about harming, would be a good start- and certainly would help the ever suffering national deficit. The moneys being spend on the eradication and prohibition of it- are moneys that could be more wisely spend in other areas of our economy. If the Black market was loosing revenue left and right on marijuana- they would then remarkably loose interest in that source of revenue- and move on. There are also many people suffering horrible diseases and illnesses that medical marijuana has proven, without a shadow of doubt, is helpful in the ease of their suffering where other medicines have failed. It does not necessarily cure anything- but to ease suffering is more humane than to deny a human being the ease of suffering due to narrow mindedness.
Thank you for allowing comments on this topic. - Reply to this comment
- The Drug Cartels and smugglers have much to lose and eagerly pump millions of dollars to "neCON" campaigns fighting the legalization of hemp! Legalization of hemp would cost the real "crooks" billions! Legalize pot now!
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- I agree with you 90%, except for the legalization part. Decriminalization is a much better policy. The last think I want to see is Phillip Morris selling pot at my circle K.
- The first comment below raises an interesting question; just what WOULD legalization look like? I predict it would look a lot like the California wine industry. Phillip Morris WOULD sell packs of low grade, tasteless weed to most people, while those who have developed true skill over the past few decades will sell high grade, "boutique" herb to those who can appreciate it.
Another interesting thought: There is now a HUGE vested interest in keeping
legal for only medical purposes in California. For instance, there are the "pot-docs" whose only business is to write "recommendations" for cannabis. These guys are making $10,000 an hour EASY; that's money that disappears entirely once people no longer need a recommendation to grow or possess.
- JetRanger7? Don't tell me you fly helicopters! That is really SCARY. Are you as incoherent when trying to communicate with Air Traffic Control as you are in this email? Maybe you should try a little weed - the Sativa variety is best for someone like you - to calm your mind and bring you into focus.
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- Dgunner: Sorry about the nerve damage. Jumping rounds?
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- The War On Drugs must come to an end! Such strategy has only increased profitability of drugs, enabling producers and dealers. What is worse, The Drug War has corrupted our police, judges, prisons, The CIA, our military, The Fish and Game Commission and foreign governments. The Drug War is responsible for the gang wars currently being fought on our border with Mexico.
Misguided intentions of The Drug War have filled our prisons to overflowing and done more harm to the lives of those arrested than the drugs for which they were arrested.
The War On Drugs must be ended in favor of more pragmatic, cost effective methods of dealing with the human tendency to intoxication. Marijuana should most certainly be legalized. Mandatory sentencing should be eliminated.
Government has made a larger problem of drugs than they are. We must recognize our mistake and take corrective measures without delay.
END THE FAILED, FOOLISH WAR ON DRUGS! - Reply to this comment
- Illegal imigration is a Federal issue, not a State issue. Now run, keep runnin, see the cliff...JUMP!
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- Apart from the economic advantages of legalization, let us consider the savings of lives otherwise ruined by the legal outrages of prosecuting those who use this innocuous plant. Non-incarcerated marijuana users hold jobs, pay taxes and lead productive lives. Prohibition is nothing short of persecution. To what end do we allow hysterical prohibitionists to ruin lives and degenerate the economy with their moralistic fetish for punishment?
End the failed, foolish War On Drugs! - Reply to this comment
- I agree with ya DoubleHappiness88!!!!!
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- Jetranger7, your remarks are yet more proof that marijuana causes hysterical behavior in those who DO NOT smoke it.
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- I have impact nerve damange from over three hundred career jumps.When the VA told me the damage is done and will likely get worse.I decided to try marijuana the relaxation on my legs and hips begins almost immediately. The relief is so great . I would be willing to live in a controlled enviroment if allowed to smoke .Opiates are ok but eventually will stop working as the amount needed will become too large and too hard for my liver and kidneys.The halls of your VA hospitals are lined with people willing to lay down thier life for your freedom and rights, yet they hide in the backrooms of thier homes and garages to get relief from a plant that no other drug or thier pension can relieve.I live where I can grow it and over the past twenty five years I have become a expert . The sad part is if I dont keep filling the prescriptions from the VA they assume im well and will cut me off of certain services still needed. The tax payers are paying for the meds stored in my safe and the marijuana is free.
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- Dgunner....I am in a similar situation. I have diabetic neuropathy and fibromialgia. The VA was giving me massive doses of hydrocodone but it reached the point where it just didn't work any more. My lower body is in constant pain, sometimes I can't even walk, and my feet feel like they are on fire all the time. I decided to try some weed and was amazed at the relief it gave me. I'm not a hippie type, I'm a retired school teacher so this isn't an issue of being anti social. I'm not saying all hippies are anti social so don't jump on me about that. The problem is that I live in the buckle of the bible belt and if I get caught with even a quarter oz. I will be hauled off to jail and they will take everything I have. So I have to sneek around and live in fear just so I can get some relief from my pain. But the bible thumpers and the republicans will never allow me to grow a few plants in my back yard for my own use. I guess I missed the part in the bible where jubus tells us to not use weed.
- COPS SAY LEGALIZE DRUGS! Ask us why.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)
www.leap.cc - Reply to this comment
- This article is about CANNABIS not "the illegals." So stop complaining. And actually you can hold a job and smoke weed. Who are you to say that you can't? I have plenty of friends who have a job, smoke weed, BOUGHT THEIR OWN CAR and they can drive it fine and safe while high. Ignorant people like you is why cannabis is illegal! Take the time to learn about cannabis marijuana, read a book, so some research, I suggest reading "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" By Jack Herer. There's a lot of information in there about it and seriously need to learn. KAY THANKS.
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- The other alternative for cancer patients is OXY, a drug that not only gets you dope sick the next day but one that becomes extremely addictive. Come on lets face it, marijuana should be legal in the entire country for MEDICAL purposes.
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- They should legalize prostitution too. You cannot cherry pick your vices. We already have legal alcohol, gambling, and tobacco remains, but its on the way out. Money spent on police chasing vices is money wasted. You can legalize, tax, and get double your money back.
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- Alright so- lets say they do legalize it,, and those who use it smoke it, and Calif. puts a tax on it,, those who smoke it, still will NOT be able to get a job,, or hold a Job,, especially in the Transportation Sector , such as a Rail road engineer or Truck Driver or Airline Pilot, or the like,, what about Drug Testing and pre-employment drug Testing,, just because the state may legalize it,, doesn't make alright in the work place,,, so now, there will be those who are un-employeed, on assistance doing noting but laying around stoned on pot while the tax payers support it, those who work and pay taxes and those who are taking advantage of the syatem and think thats alright,,, now Imagine being on a public bus, and the Driver Stoned on Pot, or, in a Jetliner over Palm Springs to S.F. or whatever mode,, of transportation,, hell theres already a problem with texting, throw drugs in on top of that,, and WOW - Disaster is just around the Corner,, cALIFORNIA WANTS TO SOLVE ITS BUDGET PROBLEMS,,, THEY SHOULD think about getting out all of the Illegals out of the state immediately and ship them back to where they came from, not just Mexico either, elsalvador, china- tawain, russia,, if you in this country illegally,,, your goin home,,, end of story - enough is enough,, !!!!! Tax Payers should not be required to support those who are here Illegally and have no intention of getting legal, just excuses why their not, they knew this before they came here, and the excuses are running out !!!!! They've cost this country and California plenty in Revenue thru out the years and its time to STOP the MILKING or get out ~!!!!!
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- This article is about CANNABIS not "the illegals." So stop complaining. And actually you can hold a job and smoke weed. Who are you to say that you can't? I have plenty of friends who have a job, smoke weed, BOUGHT THEIR OWN CAR and they can drive it fine and safe while high. Ignorant people like you is why cannabis is illegal! Take the time to learn about cannabis marijuana, read a book, so some research, I suggest reading "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" By Jack Herer. There's a lot of information in there about it and seriously need to learn. KAY THANKS.
- Jetranger7, your remarks are yet more proof that marijuana causes hysterical behavior in those who DO NOT smoke it.
- Illegal imigration is a Federal issue, not a State issue. Now run, keep runnin, see the cliff...JUMP!
- JetRanger7? Don't tell me you fly helicopters! That is really SCARY. Are you as incoherent when trying to communicate with Air Traffic Control as you are in this email? Maybe you should try a little weed - the Sativa variety is best for someone like you - to calm your mind and bring you into focus.
- What do you have a brain jetranger7 I know many people who smoke it and hold great jobs also I know many who don't smoke it a don't hold jobs. Stop the lies and the madness of the right wing nuts.
Fist off how many bar fights have you heard about where you dirnks flow freely then ask yourself how many time does it invole pot.
I can answer that never!
Go back to your nonsense.
- People who consume cannabis already know how to deal with tests anyway. It also stands to reason that employers will not waste up to $300 per person to process a drug test to detect cannabis use especially in this economy. I can imagine plenty of scenarios but the only thing that proves is that I have an imagination. I choose not to live in the world of 'what if' in place of reality. There will be people who get in trouble and abuse it. Alcohol is abused and this results in a lot of deaths and violence. But you don't see any debate over initiating alcohol prohibition. As for the immigration thing.... you can't stop that either just like the Native Americans could not stop your ancestors. You sound like a racist.
- But it doesn't bother you to have A bunch of greedy, bribe taking, white collar , suit and tie terrorists running our country and handing billions of tax dollars to the same conspirators who paid them bribes,,,,,the same people who passed the laws that made all the loans that went bad,,,,,,,I bet you get all teary eyed when thos Washington hoodlums start waving the flag......Wake up.....our government is about the same thing as the crypts and the bloods compared to the Democrats and the Republicans,,,,,,all four groups are involved in organized criminal activity.
- It's hilarious how many people smoke pot... It's hilarious because you can't tell by looking at them that they are pot heads. You probably work with - and for - many "pot heads", but because they don't have long hair and speak slowly you don't realize it.
You can drink all you want, but that doesn't make it right in the work place. Same goes for pot. I doubt people will allow employees to smoke a joint during a smoke break, just like they don't let people take a shot of whiskey at lunch. Smoke (and drink) on your own time. If you get pulled over extremely drunk, you'll get taken to jail. If you get pulled over extremely high, you'll get taken to jail. Simple, isn't it?
If they legalize pot, people will be able to walk down to the pharmacy and buy an ounce without worrying. No dealing with shady drug dealers, you don't have to question the quality or if it's really an ounce... It will be a legitimate business, and they will have to follow the same laws as every other business.
- There's a reason why jobs such as commercial piloting require drugs tests. It's much easier to screen for THC than say, alcohol. Implicit in the argument that legalization of a a currently illegal will lead to pilots/doctors/drivers using said drug is the assumption that the ONLY reason such people do not currently use the drug is because it is illegal. Obviously, this cannot be true for all such persons and even if it were, airlines could STILL legally test for THC just as they could breathalize a pilot they thought was drunk. It has nothing to do with whether or not prohibition should have been repealed, and everything to do with common sense and safety.
- It is time for legalization. There are those who continue to support this dead horse of a policy. Often, they have a financial stake in doing so. Special interests such as the criminal justice/incarceration/treatment bureacracy have been built around fighting pot, and legal pushers do not want the competition. Does anyone seriously think that Anhueser-Busch wants to compete with pot?
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- DUMB AS DIRT! Freedom of choice is not your decision except for your own life! I hold down a very good, high paying job, get exceeds expectations on all my reviews, pay my taxs and have smoked "illegal" pot for 45 years (yes even the "potent kind ROFLMAO"). I would gladly pay a tax on it ... you are obviously just dumb as dirt
- This is what I am talking about! I've been studying all about this and I'm so glad that they did a segment about it. Marijuana should be legal! It could bring our economy up so much! Cannabis isn't addictive at all, and it was the most used medicine way back when. Marijuana has never killed anyone. Where to tobacco kills 340,000 to 450,000 a year and alcohol (not including 50% of all highway deaths, and 65% of all murders) kills 150,000 a year. Tobacco and alcohol are extremely dangerous, and it's hazardous to our health. Marijuana is good for our health, it won't harm you in any way what so ever!
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- Not true! I fully support legalization, but mj is NOT harmless. Like all other drugs, it's a poison. It just so happens that it's "poisonous" effects tend to be more subtle than others. Namely, that "amotivational" syndrome that heavy stoners tends to fall into. It's the very "near harmlessness" of pot that can lull one into using it too much and getting into the region of abuse. MJ should not be illegal, but neither should it be touted as a panacea/harmless recreational godsend. As with anything, it's the reality of the situation/substance that should be considered.
- Having worked in and around the medical field for many years, I was exposed to the onslaught of terrible disease processes on many people. Compazine and other anti-emetics and anti-nausea drugs can only help so much. They are not effective for the terminally ill as is seen with HIV/AIDS and many carcinoma's and/or chronic degenerative diseases.
California legalized pot to be used for medicinal benefits, and I support that. However, if they are looking to corner the 'black market trade' of marijuana as a revenue enhancer, I don't support that. Why? Because than 'they' are the cartel of a new paradigm. That is a road we do not want to venture down. - Reply to this comment
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- LOL, do you really think our government is not into "Illegal activities",,,,,,,Bernie Madoff PATTERNED his ponzi scheme after the United States governments own ponzi scheme,,,,Social Security,,,,,,,The ONLY difference between the two,,,,,, "We the people" don't have a choice like Bernie's victims did,,,ours is mandatory.,,,,,but just like Bernie's plan,,,,,a few get paid while the rest of us are robbed,,,,,,in the meantime they misappropriate that money,,,,and NEVER replace it....The way our country is run is a disgrace,instead of representing the people politicians look for ways to conspire with corporate America to defraud the people and make huge personal gains,,,,,to refer to ANYONE in Washington as a representative of the people is an out right LIE.
- Just watched the story, and I notice the opposition to legalization of marijuana always say the same misleading things. Look for these in future/other stories on this topic:
1. Marijuana today is MUCH STRONGER than it used to be. That's a good thing, it only takes one or two puffs to accomplish what twenty or thirty used to take. Bacardi 151 is stronger than beer, but people don't drink six cans of it!
2. Marijuana is addictive. Wrong. Tobacco is addictive, there are no physical symptoms in cessation of marijuana. It's proven, but the opposition will say it anyway. Pot is such a pleasant experience, it's only natural to want to use it often. P.S.< No hangovers!
3. Marijuana is a gateway drug to harder drugs. That's only because pot has been wrongfully lumped into the same category as heroin and cocaine for years. When kids find out how harmless pot is, they figure adults lied about all of the other stuff being bad too. Then there's real trouble.
Over the coming months, listen closely to the "experts" and you'll see these talking points over and over. It's time we stop criminalizing a substance safer than alcohol, that has been used by 80 to 100 million Americans and that includes the last three Presidents. - Reply to this comment
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- Good points. This was a really shallow report filled with cute puns even by CBS Sunday standards. Pitting medical pot against drug-war enforcers leaves out the larger point that some 75 percent of the Mexican drug cartel wars are about marijuana. And the fact that a majority of retired police chiefs and a large percentage of police officers (see www.leap.org) favor repeal of prohibition because all it does send money to drug lords instead of tax coffers. I'm not saying pot is so wonderful. It actually may contain more cancer-causing agents than cigarettes, but our national government has all but made research illegal. But one of our former Seattle police chiefs, Norm Stamper, is a bigshot in Law Enforcers Against Prohibition (LEAP), and the other is the new so-call drug czar, Gil Kerlikowski. So there is hope for sanity within our lifespans!
- I just find this entire webpage hilarious; all these potheads coming onto the internet to preach why weed should be legalized. In my opinion if you believe pot should be legalized so badly, so you can go around smoking with your friends, you are a dead beat loser and I look forward to your cavity searches at the airport. Stop crying like little babies and live in the real world. Your life must really suck if the only way you can feel good about yourself is to light up a plant and inhale the debris that are produced. I feel so bad for you, I am sorry and I hope the next stimulus package gets you your job back. *cries*
- Once again the corporate mainstream media, which apparently has an interest in supporting the black market, presents an inaccurate, biased account on marijuana. Quoting these idiots who say the war on drugs is a success, and even wrapping the report up with the idea that Oakland has "gone to pot," is just another panicked attempt to stop the movement. Well, the people won't be stopped by CBS or Obama or anyone else. Marijuana is a PLANT, with medicinal properties - where is the report on the study that marijuana may protect people against cancer? Come on, if you are going to report on marijuana stop spouting the pharmaceutical, corporate and prison-industrial complex LIES and tell the truth!
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- Don't bring your PLANT to my neighborhood...I consider putting it in front of my youth a shooting offense...
So if you want to be safe keep your druggie KRAP over in YOUR neighborhood with YOUR DRUGGED UP IDIOT KIDS~~~~~~~
- I thought it was funny nope. Right. Whatever. You are not going to shoot anyone because you wouldn't last a day in prison and you know it. You are nothing more than a angry and scared little man sitting at a computer typing out idle threats. Sad. You are the minority now. How does it feel? Things are going to change and that is completely out of your control. Deal with it with a little more maturity and reason. Maybe you can retain your dignity. Shooting Offense! What a loser.
- Don't bring your PLANT to my neighborhood...I consider putting it in front of my youth a shooting offense...
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