Comments on: Swiss Nab Pot Farmers Using Google Maps

By: JNovak

JNovak — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:54:15 +0000

I personnaly believe Marijuana should be decriminalized and controlled in the way alchohol is. Millions of people all over the world use it, why not benefit from taxes on it. Have you ever heard of anyone getting high on pot and robbing some one on a street corner so they could get ttheir next fix? I think Alaska has the right approach, personal use amounts are considered legal. Think of the economic boost the tax would provide as well as opportunities in growing. The government doesn't want it legalized because there is too much illegal profiting. A vast majority of our penal systems are filled with small time users, not the big time sellers and smugglers.Lets move into the 21st century

By: dXm

dXm — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:55:34 +0000

@jdavis- I, as a scientist, challenge your claim to be an MD. While I agree that the stereotype of the couchpotato pothead doesn't hold up in todays professional population, which was recently yesterdays pot smoking college kids. Like many have mentioned, many professionals smoke _occasionally_. In moderation, few psychoactives are very harmful. In excess, all have deleterious effects- some worse than others, and pot does fall on the fairly innocuous end of the curve. A trained physician would never use the fallback position of (paraphrasing) "meds made of chemicals, and alcohol, are far worse than pot". In fact, ethanol, in moderation, reduces CV events and has a positive effect on health. If it's made from the fermentation of certain fruits and/or grains it can gain further health benefits. Many medications are results of taking a naturally occurring substance and making it safer by targeting it's actions and reducing its effects on unwanted organs/organ systems (aspirin vs white willow bark/extract being the first of MANY examples).
I have nothing personally invested in the pot argument. It happens to give me a blinding headache (so does ethanol), so I couldn't care less if it was more easily available to me.
For those of you on the "pro-pot crusade"- some hints for strengthening your position and/or avoiding irritating the people who may have a say in legalization (such as scientists/MD's/etc): NEVER use the "it's safer cause its natural" bs. The most dangerous substances in existence are almost all natural; cyanide, ricin, plutonium, cone snail venom, sea snake venom, thallium, arsenic, botulism- the list goes on for quite a while.
Appeal to the God of todays world- the economy. If marijuana, even if it was given CII control substance classification and legally prescribed, would regenerate a lagging economy, and would taxes. If it was legalized like alcohol, America would be out of debt in short order from the sales tax.
Don't buy everything you read in pro-pot propaganda; Smoking anything horks the lungs, even pot. Being high does screw with your reflexes, and high people DO drive sometimes. It does screw with some bipolar and GAD psych cases.
If you want to win this war you'll need to do it with intelligent reasoning, and critical thinking- not with poorly thought out, oft regurgitated flaky propaganda and urban legends.
(my only post here on this subject. I've got other things to do than get dragged into a legalization debate)

By: j davis

j davis — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:31:35 +0000

Of course it is easy to say people who smoke marijuana are all potheads, have no life and no job. I am a M.D. in california and have been prescribing marijuana for years to normal people that need help. The rest of the world (including the US Federal Gov) need to wake up. Pills made of lab chemicals destroy organs and can be more addictive than alcohol, what can be worse for a human body?

By: MakeMoreThanYouCanDream

MakeMoreThanYouCanDream — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:11:22 +0000

I find it interesting that the only thing people can say bad about pot is that it “makes you lazy”. HAHA. Notice how you don't mention “maybe you should get off the couch, get wasted, black out, kill a homeless person, and get in a drunk driving accident all because of alcohol.” When was the last time you heard of someone being in any kind of serious accident because they were “high driving”? All the haters out there need to just sit down, smoke a fat one, and chill out.

And yes, I do take offense to those that assume that every pothead is the stereotypical long-haired, slow talking, bumbling idiot that they've seen on TV. I for one happen to make very good money as a web developer at 25 years old, and I probably make more than most of you chump haters out there will ever make your entire life. Just like you stuff your face with McDonalds and drink ungodly amounts of alcohol gives you no room to bash on us. Keep it going, and you're going to see us stand up for a different cause: MAKE ALCOHOL ILLEGAL. Then we'll see what you have to say then. You'll be the outlaws, the criminals, and the shunned ones, but you know what – instead of trying to beat you down like you all do, we'll offer a hand and a doobie for you troubles, and then we'll sit back and “pontificate” about how stupid you all really are!

By: Etrit

Etrit — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:36:38 +0000

Supertorqued, DAman is correct. The vast majority of Lawyers, Doctors etc smoke Marijuana.

I have lost track of how many times I've been invited to a party with the above and seen them break out a pipe. Or even walk into a doctors or lawyers office and catch a very faint wiff of Marijuana on them. (I have an insanely sensitive nose).

Your comment about just slumping on the couch and doing nothing is true for SOME people. But then there are people with very high paying and high power jobs that work REALLY hard and smoke Marijuana.

What it boils down to is - how you react to it. Marijuana makes some people totally lethargic and makes others energetic and very focused. (Same thing with Anti-Depressants and ADD Meds)

I don't think it should be illegal but it should be controlled in some way. (Pretty much on the level of alcohol, you should have to be 21 to get it unless its prescribed to you).

Actually make that 18, and alcohol should also be 18. (We would have a lot less problems with it)

By: supertorqued

supertorqued — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:46:36 +0000

A couple of comments from pot heads. Go back to puffing on your weed, and don't bogart the Doritos man! Sitting on your slumped couch, pontificating about the world while playing XBox and sucking hits off the doobie doesn't do anything to benefit the world. Get a clue, get a life and get a job…

By: DAman

DAman — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:11:25 +0000

You people around the globe really need to grow up. Stop arresting, seizing, incriminating anything that has to do with Marijuana. It is not a drug just because a government says it is. If it grows on the land of a country that says it is illegal then by all means police it in a way to make a profit you jealous governments. No one in the history of this natural plant has died from anything related from it, not to mention the fact that it also has medicinal purposes as well. It is all natural, nothing is added to it. Funny how you legalise Tobacco and Alchohol because you profit from it but when it comes to Marijuana, Oh NO!!! Never!!! Get real people...

Again Grow up or go ahead and make Oregano and Basil illegal because we all love it in our itallian food.

The truth that governments will not face is that despite testing 95% of all doctors, lawyers, judges and policemen ect... all smoke weed.

Life is hard enough, Money is tight, let people enjoy freedom if that is really what you stand for.

By: Da Man

Da Man — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:11:25 +0000

amanabala@m3-consulting.com

By: Dale DeWitt

Dale DeWitt — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:19:26 +0000

The troubled ethics of prohibition continues while death awaits my tired thinking. Grow plants. Grow everything that can be grown. Shut up cartels and legislatures. The silly human drama. Fear of an honest job.