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Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.
Another view?
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Seventeen states have legalized medical use, and two states have legalized adult recreational use, of the non-narcotic, controlled substance marijuana. Nevada could benefit by adopting Colorado and Washington laws.
The greedy pharmaceutical companies will no doubt protest as the drop in sales of drugs will eat into their multibillion-dollar profits.
They fail to tell you that misuse of nearly every narcotic and controlled substance that they sell via prescription can kill you, except nonaddictive marijuana.
The deadliest “controlled substances” in our country are alcohol and tobacco, which kill more people than all diseases combined. But the government says that’s OK because the multibillion-dollar alcohol and tobacco conglomerates pay taxes.
Public approval of legal adult recreational use of marijuana has been expressed by many Nevada voters.
Legalization will not change a thing because adults wanting to are doing it now and will continue to do so!
Nothing will change except the significant cost of enforcing antiquated pot laws, freeing up our police to thwart more lethal illegal activities and violators. It will free up the millions spent on imprisoning thousands of minor violators of present marijuana laws.
The legal sale and distribution of marijuana will not only give us control of an already-formed and thriving multibillion-dollar industry, it will provide sorely needed jobs for thousands of Americans.
And lastly, if we can keep the politicos away from the proceeds, our teachers and school systems could benefit from taxing the licensing, production, distribution and sale to the tune of untold billions.
What a pleasant thought. Smelling marijuana smoke in casinos, walking the strip, downtown and outside the airport/movie/restaurant/mall entry points. My cloths and hair would have that wonderful smell as well. Can't wait Frank.
Nice try at justification, but outside of medicinal marijuana, I don't see a true benefit to humans or society.
One marijuana cigarette is 16 times a regular cigarette in effects related to causing cancer.
If it is non-addictive, why does a chronic marijuana smoker go through withdrawal when quitting?
I wouldn't want to be driving on a road or freeway with a bunch of pot smokers in cars around me. Many have slower reaction times and perceptions are different. Pot smokers would deny that, which proves my point.
I can just see auto insurance companies doing testing and premiums high enough to make it an expensive practice.
Why does one need to smoke a joint? It is the reason that needs to change, not escaping into a different reality.
How can we better our society or world if we don't make the necessary changes because we numb down on marijuana.
Decriminalizing marijuana might be possible, but it could also require a bunch of other costly restrictions.
So the government says smoking is bad for you - causes cancer and labels smoking is bad for you
But smoking marijuana is okay
For those of us who do not smoke now we have to seat next to the marijuana smoker and are forced to get high
This is wrong to force this on us
Federal law says marijuana is illegal. 17 States, and all the other 33, can make it illegal, but the Feds still preempt it [legalization] and them [States].
PS: Don't forget to tell Santa not to eat the brownies in Oregon and Washington states.
CarmineD
Mea culpa: I should have posted "legal" in my second line above.
CDF
I'm with you Frank except for the use of "greedy" in referring to pharmaceutical companies. They have their self-interest; you have yours. Using terms like "greedy" when referring to legal companies doing business and watching out for their employees and stockholders is just another way to use the "divide & conquer" agenda of the far left. Other than seeing to it that they do not use methods in their manufacturing or services that may harm, kill or defraud their customers, businesses have no obligation to see to it you get the lowest price. Quite the opposite. That's for you to do by shopping around and for robust & honest competition in the marketplace to help you get it. Chevy too expensive? Shop Ford or Mazda. The price of eggs too high at one grocery? Shop another. Get the picture,Frank? You're free to make your own decisions. At least as of today.
Hey Carmine it's the State of Washington and Colorado not Oregon. Great post. Haha
I support the legalization of weed.
But I don't think it is a win.
It is more of a waving a white flag to another damaging vice that Americans insist on doing.
There will be more people that will get addicted to this drug.
There will be more people that will get addicted to harder drugs.
I believe it is a national security issue. Tons of weeds get ran up from Mexico into USA. That has a corrupting influence on Mexican officals and citizens and the same on USA officals and citizans.
Legalization will crub that.
But there will be a cost.
We need to accept that cost.
peacelily please provide links for the statement that pot causes cancer. I do believe that there is zero evidance of anyone dieing of lung cancer from smoking pot. Also I'd much rather be in traffic with a pot smoker behind the wheel than a drinker.
I support legalization of weed but it does have its cost.
Studies on weed use show.....
1) Double the odds of young men getting testicular cancer.
2) Teens who smoke marijuana frequently are more likely to experience a long-term drop in their IQ/
3) Using Marijuana before driving double your odds of being in an accident
"Hey Carmine it's the State of Washington and Colorado not Oregon. Great post. Haha" @ Tick
Thank you. I shouldn't post and smoke at the same time!
CarmineD
Nevada needs the money that would come from taxing marijuana. It needs the money bad! I worked a narcotics desk in LA for many years. There is probably more recreational marijuana use that takes place in Las Vegas than any other city in the United States. Walk through the hallways of any casino in town and you will smell marijuana.
Much of the drug money ends up in Mexico.That money facilitates unbelievable violence which spills back into the United States.
The Sinaloan drug cartel is operated by a guy named "Chapo" Guzman. It's estimated he employs 500,000 people world wide, making him one of the world's biggest employers. He employs thousands in the United States. Vast amounts of his wealth come from marijuana.
Americans love ethical pharmaceuticals with 4 billion prescriptions written a year. We are also the world's largest consumer of illicit recreational drugs. Americans are going to get their drugs whether we like it or not. The government might as well get some money out of it.
The letter writer is correct. Substance abuse kills about 900,000 people year according to the American Medical Association. That's life in America.
Frank Muscajuana...what are you smoking?
I have no interest whatsoever what someone eats, smokes, drinks, injects - so long as their doing so has no impact on others. Smoke pot? Drink a quart of whiskey? Swallow X? Shoot H? No sweat. Drive after doing so? Hang up there beside your car keys. Actually damage someone? You will be treated in the very same manner as your victim(s). Example - hit a pedestrian with your car at 75mph? You will be held in the center of a roadway to watch a car come toward you at 75mph - and will be denied any treatment for the period of time your victim was untreated. Kill your victim(s)? After being hit, you will just lie there. . .
Author, were you high when you wrote this article? Grass is really bad for you. Severe long term effects on your health. But pot smokers just ignore the facts.
Cigarettes and alcohol are much worse than marijuana. Nobody ever smoked pot and beat their wife or kids. Pot smokers do tend to drive slowly but so do senior citizens. People who have never tried it are telling those of us who have what the effects are.
antigov....You are absolutely correct.People equate marijuana with cigarettes. Potent marijuana is taken in very small quantities. Heavy smokers have a cigarette in their hand every moment they are awake.
In cities like LA you get more lung damage from smog than you would ever get smoking grass a few minutes a week.
I lived in Maine back in the late 80's, it was decrimalized so law resources could be put to better use. In the small towns it seemed as if as many smoked pot as drank, some did both. There was no deaths I ever heard or read about becuase some one smoked. Like booze and tobacco pot smoking would have to be regulated the same way, the danger to society is probably less then it is now under illegal use. I knew many people who made a living from growing, the money paid for housing, food, clothes, oil for heat, cars, etc, most stayed in the local comunity. There were no drug lords, just good ol country boys. The money wasted on fighting this activity could fund a huge amount of good elsewhere, tax it and legalize it.
I'm not opposed to the legalization here in Nevada. However, I seriously doubt we'll see it here in Nevada in the near future.
It's doubtful the tourist industry would support such a measure...IMHO.
Perhaps the USA can't deal with two illegal drugs at the same time: Alcohol and marijuana. And alcohol was first.
CarmineD
Mr. Crumpley.. The bulk of our tourists come from California. I can assure you Californians would love it. I lived there from 1961 until 2005.
I guess it's safe to say the country is going to Pot.