Author Topic: Grass (Read 428 times)

rpm · « **on:** August 22, 2003, 11:09:54 PM »

I watched this movie today and it really got me to wondering why marijuana has not been decriminalized. All the money that has been thrown at pot could have been used for something more constructive. I'm not saying let's legalize Heroin, methamphetemine and crack....but those certainly are no way the same as marijuana. I don't ever remember seeing a News report on anyone smoking pot then going on a killing spree or overdosing on pot. If you haven't seen the movie, watch it (even if you are anti-marijuana) it makes some very interesting points.

Erlkonig · « **Reply #1 on:** August 22, 2003, 11:55:04 PM »

I've noticed a lot more TV ads specifically targeting marijuana - the punch-line is something like, "Marijuana, it's worse than we thought." Is there some kind of marijuana epidemic that's killing off our nation's youth or some such? Cause I can't remember if there was ever such a focused propoganda effort against the drug on TV before.

rpm · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2003, 12:46:58 AM »

I'm getting my info from this movie, but it looks like EVERY study and report done by the government that concluded marijuana was safe to legalise was ignored and the opposite done. (i.e Nixon and LaGuardia) It reminds me of what happened locally. My county has been "dry" for decades. Police would wait near the county line stores that sold beer and stop those suspected of buying. Last month an election allowing beer sales in the County Seat passed and nothing horrible has happened. The county is bragging on Sales Tax collected and the buisnesses that will spawn from it. If it was so horrid before, why the sudden change of heart?

Raubvogel · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2003, 01:21:42 AM »

Everyone knows marijuana finances terrorism!

Sixpence · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2003, 01:48:35 AM »

After all the "sin" taxes, you'de be wishing it was illegal again.

Seriously, why make it easier for kids to develop another bad habit. And don't say it isn't habit forming, cause just about everything is, and smoking is a bad one.

rpm · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2003, 02:13:38 AM »

Sixpence, that is always the first arguement brought forth....the kids. Using alcohol as an example, it is already illegal for kids to drink, that does not stop it from happening. Whether your kids choose to use or not to use is a decision they must make based on how they were raised, which is a job for parents. Even if decriminalised it would still be illegal for kids, same as alcohol, as it should be. This is a morality issue.

Tarmac · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2003, 02:34:57 AM »

I'm all for decriminalizing it. That's decriminalizing, not legalizing.

Somebody's caught with a reasonable amount of it, they get a ticket. A civil infraction. Our prisons, and the people that come out of them, are the part of system that cannot bear the burden of criminalized marijuana.

I worry that someday I'll have to explain marijuana to my kids and they'll say something like, "Dad, if it were that bad, it'd be illegal."
And I'll say, "When I was your age..." and they'll zone right out.

Keep some legal consequences. I don't ever want to find out that my doctor, lawyer, or airline pilot goes home and has a joint or two every night and there's not a damn thing that his employer can do about it.

mora · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2003, 03:44:06 AM »

I couldn't care less what my pilot does on his free time. If he's not fit for his job he will get the boot.

Btw, I've heard of dry counties before...but is it really illegal to consume and hold alcohol in those?

flakbait · « **Reply #8 on:** August 23, 2003, 04:13:55 AM »

I dunno, mora. I know that the county where good ol Jack Daniel's is cooked up is a dry county, and they can't sell it to anyone directly in that county. They can, however, sell it to anyone outside the county. Dry laws make about as much sense as Blue Laws that say you can't sell a hammer on Sunday, but you can sell nails.

-----------------------
Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High

fffreeze220 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 23, 2003, 04:33:34 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Tarmac
I'm all for decriminalizing it. That's decriminalizing, not legalizing.

Keep some legal consequences. I don't ever want to find out that my doctor, lawyer, or airline pilot goes home and has a joint or two every night and there's not a damn thing that his employer can do about it.

Now they go home and have a beer or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 and get alcohol addicted. Thats by far worse then smoking Pot. By far.
There are more people suffering by alcohol then by smoking pot.

Leslie · « **Reply #10 on:** August 23, 2003, 05:14:58 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by mora
I couldn't care less what my pilot does on his free time. If he's not fit for his job he will get the boot.

Btw, I've heard of dry counties before...but is it really illegal to consume and hold alcohol in those?

That's a good question. Not sure, but my guess is the authorities look the other way pretty much if you have it in your house and aren't drinking in public. For one thing, there would be too many arrests...lots of drinking goes on in dry counties on private property.

Think the law restricts/forbids selling alcohol in stores. Folks go over to the next county and buy it. Don't get pulled over with it in your car though. I would like to think most county sheriffs would only confiscate it and let you go on your way, provided you haven't been drinking and driving. In some rural areas, if you live there and know the sheriff, he'd probably let you go on home with it if the amount is not excessive. But it is illegal in dry counties.

Transporting alcohol across state lines amounts to bootlegging here in 'Bama. The charge is possession of untaxed whisky, even if it's beer. (Say you and some friends get caught bringing back 30 quarts of beer and Malt Duck from Mississippi for a party, you're under the legal drinking age, and bought the beer there, where you were of legal age.) Charges are always maximum to start out with, and don't necessarily reflect individual circumstances or severity. Most of these cases are settled in court with a small fine, or outright dismissed, especially if the defendants are young folks and not actual bootleggers. The parents save your butt. If you're driving the car, boat, etc...you'd probably be in more serious trouble. Dunno know, but that happened to me one time, and the reason we got pulled over to begin with, was the guy driving just had to show us how some stupid old lady he saw earlier was driving. Just happened there was a police car behind us, and the policeman driving it was a hardcore Captain, hell bent on making a bust. Three police cars converged on us at the four-way stop and we pulled into a 7-11 with them following.

I think there were at least 6 cops there. Every one of them seemed sympathetic about our plight, because they didn't like that Captain either. They woulda let most of us go, cause they knew what we were up to, bringing back beer for a party. They seemed only interested in the driver. The Captain thought we were driving around drinking all that by ourselves (6 of us in the car.) We went to jail for the night.

This happened back in the early 70s though, and we got away with a lot of mischief back then.

Sorry for going off topic.
Carry on.

Les