Cannabis

[sacolton]

It's a win-win for everyone to legalize it. It can be a major commodity crop to help farmers. The government can tax it. Cafe shops can sell it as a edible "magic brownie" (cookie) or joint. It's less harmful than alcohol. It can be used as a medical aid. There's tons of things you can make with hemp.

LEGALIZE IT ALREADY!

[Bunty]

It's a win-win for everyone to legalize it. It can be a major commodity crop to help farmers. The government can tax it. Cafe shops can sell it as a edible "magic brownie" (cookie) or joint. It's less harmful than alcohol. It can be used as a medical aid. There's tons of things you can make with hemp.

LEGALIZE IT ALREADY!

Ha, ha, try telling that to an Oklahoma Republican legislator. To name one of them--former OSU president and now State Senator Jim Haligan. He won't even support so much as legalizing medical marijuana, because he's afraid it's a gateway drug. But that notion has been largely discredited. If true, there would be a lot more people using harder drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

[Maynard]

I agree in p. rinciple, but who? Which Democrats are ranting and raving about keeping pot illegal? I would guess that the two or three people on this thread who seem opposed to the idea of legalization are Repubs, based on their posting history here. It was the 'Pubs that initiated the "war on drugs." It was the 'Pubs who brought mandatory minimum sentencing to our legal system. I'm all for being nonpartisan and such, but I don't see a lot of elected Republican officials promoting any kind of cannabis legalization -- even of the medical variety.


I would be interested to hear someone from law enforcement add to the discussion. It's been my theory for some time that LE wants to keep it illegal because they get lots of nice toys to use and federal money to go after it.

"Raving", perhaps not -- but, Councilman Dr. Ed Shadid, purveyor & slinger of synthetic narcotics, is quite opposed to medicinal & recreational marijuana use. Don't take my word for it though, drop a dime -- he's happy to discuss the issue.

"Okay. Your agency [DEA] has established abuse of prescription drugs as its top priority, you've indicated as much to us. Does that mean that abuse of prescription drugs is a greater threat to the public health than marijuana?"

June 20, 2012

So, maybe Shadid would love to see tobacco and alcohol banned.

He's not the only democrat...

In Making Case For Drug Prohibition, Obama Administration Claims Alcohol Prohibition Worked - June 23, 2012

If history doesn’t support your agenda, then change history. That’s how the Soviets did it.

[OKCTalker]

I don't see how legalizing another impairing substance is a plus for individuals or society. Quantifying impairment is an altogether more difficult issue to legislate and enforce.

The legal threshold for a DUI in Oklahoma is - I believe - 0.08%. For a pilot to operate an aircraft, the FAA has its "eight hour bottle-to-throttle" rule. Both are measurable. But how much pot is that? What strength? What if he consumes __ alcohol + __ pot. How does the motorist/pilot know how much is too much? How can authorities measure it? Whole new can of worms.

[onthestrip]

I don't see how legalizing another impairing substance is a plus for individuals or society. Quantifying impairment is an altogether more difficult issue to legislate and enforce.

The legal threshold for a DUI in Oklahoma is - I believe - 0.08%. For a pilot to operate an aircraft, the FAA has its "eight hour bottle-to-throttle" rule. Both are measurable. But how much pot is that? What strength? What if he consumes __ alcohol + __ pot. How does the motorist/pilot know how much is too much? How can authorities measure it? Whole new can of worms.

I thought I heard in Colorado that they were in the process of coming up with a level of THC in the blood system that they would consider someone to be impaired.

[Larry OKC]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1651922.html

A 3-year-old boy slept for three days after accidentally eating his grandmother's pot-laced cookies.

But wait, it gets better…it was medical marijuana

The indica incident happened Friday night in Murrieta, Calif. Authorities said the grandmother, who has been diagnosed with cancer, had a doctor’s recommendation for marijuana to treat her pain and to help her sleep.

[Maynard]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1651922.html


But wait, it gets better…it was medical marijuana

Probably a good thing the child didn't find grandma's pills, either -- just might've killed him.

[Dubya61]

I recently read an article on Doug Dawg's blog written by Jim Kyle regarding how Governor Edmondson came into office to both enforce and end prohibition in Oklahoma. I don't mean to draw Doug or Jim into this discussion, but the article is good to read. I was struck by the similarities in the way that prohibition was enforced and the way our current "war on drugs" is being conducted. I don't know if I'm ready to abandon my current opinion about the matter, but it's easy to see that the current "war on drugs" ain't workin'. Maybe we need to take a serious look at what we want to call dangerous (cigarettes? alcohol? marijuana?) and whether it needs to be made completely illegal or simply controlled. I look at some in my family and see their life is hopelessly ruined and I've always blamed drugs, but to be sure, they are also digging deeper holes for themselves with (or have died from) alcohol and cigarettes. I can hardly say that marijuana or other drugs were the sole problem. Maybe some people are simply wired for addiction, and too much of anything is a bad thing. I don't know. In light of the points made above, I would say that we're well on our way to not solving a damned thing and we need to re-examine what the goal is and how to get there.

[Kokopelli]

The 40 + year war on drugs has failed. The lose of lives in Mexico now over 50,000 is approaching the number America lost in the Vietnam war. It is time to look at alternatives. It is time to legalize marijuana.

By my conservative estimate Oklahoma could generate over 50 million a year in taxes by legalizing marijuana.

Here is how I came up with that number. My estimate is based on a state population of 3.5m with 6% of that population being marijuana users. That would equate to 210,000 users if those 210,000 users were spending $100. a month on marijuana that is monthly sales of 21 million a month. A 20% tax rate would thus return 4.2m a month to the state for a total of 50.4million a year.

The 50.4million in taxes would be the most obivous benefit but what about the impact that local growers would have on our state. Because if you have an agriculture product that has 252 million in annual retail sales, why would you want to import that from another state or country when it could be grown locally.

It is time to legalize marijuana.

[Jim Kyle]

I recently read an article on Doug Dawg's blog written by Jim Kyle regarding how Governor Edmondson came into office to both enforce and end prohibition in Oklahoma. I don't mean to draw Doug or Jim into this discussion, but the article is good to read.

You didn't draw me in; I've been lurking on this thread since it began. The big difference between the "war on drugs" and Joe Cannon's enforcement of our state's prohibition laws is that Cannon enforced the law across the board with special emphasis on the "movers and shakers" of our society, such as the Petroleum Club, the Beacon Club, and Dick Dolph's hangout for the legislators and lobbyists. Our current "war" on drugs applies only to the "lower" elements of our society, who are least able to defend themselves.

In my reporting days, I briefly experimented with stay-awake pills such as dexedrine, which were very close relatives to what we now know as meth. I never used them to get high, merely to stay awake and reasonably alert so that I could function at both my day job and my moonlighting -- and I cut them off cold turkey after becoming aware that the physical abuse they enabled was having bad effects on my health. Nevertheless, while I was using them, my source of supply was a friendly pharmacist (now deceased) who didn't require a prescription to dispense them, and who gave them to me at his cost.

I have no doubt that similar situations still exist, in addition to the physicians who write prescriptions in wholesale lots, and this is a large part of the reason that abuse of prescription drugs is one of our major drug problems today. If anyone in a position to do so would adopt the Edmondson-Cannon approach and fully enforce existing drug law, across the board but with emphasis on the movers and shakers involved, I think we would see a most significant shift in public opinion.

Of course, nothing is going to stop the hysterical from continuing to scream about "gateway drugs" -- but establishing and then enforcing prohibition rules against all physically addicting substances, specifically against tobacco, would go a long way toward drowning out their cries. (And I was a heavy smoker for 40 years; I was fortunate enough to escape physical addiction to it but did witness its effect on someone very close to my heart!)

[Dubya61]

Our current "war" on drugs applies only to the "lower" elements of our society, who are least able to defend themselves.

Couple that with the treatment that these people get (and by that I really mean "correctional" treatment, not medical treatment) and I think we are destroying much of our society. Not the dregs of society, either. Our "war on drugs" isn't so much chlorine in the gene pool. It's a rough and tumble segregation along class lines that does nothing to improve our society. Add any remaining family left around to cope with the correctional segregation and you're poisoning even more of our society. I am very heavy-hearted in my concern for the victims of our "war on drugs." Our prosecution of this "war" is clearly misguided or incompetent.

[Bunty]

In my reporting days, I briefly experimented with stay-awake pills such as dexedrine, which were very close relatives to what we now know as meth. I never used them to get high, merely to stay awake and reasonably alert so that I could function at both my day job and my moonlighting -- and I cut them off cold turkey after becoming aware that the physical abuse they enabled was having bad effects on my health. Nevertheless, while I was using them, my source of supply was a friendly pharmacist (now deceased) who didn't require a prescription to dispense them, and who gave them to me at his cost.

I have no doubt that similar situations still exist, in addition to the physicians who write prescriptions in wholesale lots, and this is a large part of the reason that abuse of prescription drugs is one of our major drug problems today. If anyone in a position to do so would adopt the Edmondson-Cannon approach and fully enforce existing drug law, across the board but with emphasis on the movers and shakers involved, I think we would see a most significant shift in public opinion.

Of course, nothing is going to stop the hysterical from continuing to scream about "gateway drugs" -- but establishing and then enforcing prohibition rules against all physically addicting substances, specifically against tobacco, would go a long way toward drowning out their cries. (And I was a heavy smoker for 40 years; I was fortunate enough to escape physical addiction to it but did witness its effect on someone very close to my heart!)

Your comments remind me of a lawyer who said if you really want to get something done about the state's drug laws, then launch drug raids against the sororities and fraternities of OSU and OU.

[Jim Kyle]

Absolutely! Actually Joe Cannon didn't even go that far in '58 and '59; he didn't have to as the raids on the high-society clubs and the roadblock searches on major highways at the state line did the job...

Selective enforcement doesn't work; it just perpetuates the status quo.

[jmpokc1957]

Here in Oregon we've had medical marijuana since 1998. It was instituted by initiative petition/ballot measure. A person may become a registered user by a doctors prescription. There are also registered growers who can grow for someone who is not physically able to grow their own. There are about 50,000 registered users in a state of about 3.8 million people.

It hasn't caused any great problems that I am aware except for some confusion on the part of law enforcement. Before arresting or raiding someone they have to check if a permit has been issued. It turns out you have a better chance of criminals breaking into your house looking for pot than the police if they( criminals ) know you're a user.

Having grown up in OKC in the 60's and 70's and observing the debate over the years what surprises me is that no clear consensus, either pro or con, has been reached. I would of thought some sort of conclusion would of been reached by now.

My guess is that more and more of the states will be begin to allow it's use and that it will likely begin with the medical marijuana. If enough states are allowing its usage, and perhaps taxing it, the federal government will have to eventually accommodate it in some way. The US Attorney in Oregon has issued reminders that it is still a violation of federal law, but they don't have the resources to deal with it.

As an aside, back around '75 or '76, my friends and I would go shooting at a range at Lake Stanley Draper. The woods there were full of a plant that sure looked like marijuana and sure smelled like it when it was burned. We thought we had hit the jackpot! Turns out it was just Locoweed. Absolutely worthless!

Finally, summer in Oregon. Always starts July 5th.

Mike

[jett713]

Probably a good thing the child didn't find grandma's pills, either -- just might've killed him.

Maynard you are correct. Cannabis is just going to make him sleep it off. If he had got a hold of his grandma's pills, most likely he would of had an early death. There is not one documented case of anyone OD'ing on Cannabis.

[sacolton]

Maynard you are correct. Cannabis is just going to make him sleep it off. If he had got a hold of his grandma's pills, most likely he would of had an early death. There is not one documented case of anyone OD'ing on Cannabis.

... I bet he had a serious case of munchies too.

[White Peacock]

Finally, summer in Oregon. Always starts July 5th.

What part of Oregon are you in? I used to live in Tigard.

[kevinpate]

... I bet he had a serious case of munchies too.

Possibly, though he may not have been too concerned about it.

[BAreteH]

I support the decriminalization of cannabis but I'm not completely sold on legalization.

[BoulderSooner]

Here in Oregon we've had medical marijuana since 1998. It was instituted by initiative petition/ballot measure. A person may become a registered user by a doctors prescription. There are also registered growers who can grow for someone who is not physically able to grow their own. There are about 50,000 registered users in a state of about 3.8 million people.

It hasn't caused any great problems that I am aware except for some confusion on the part of law enforcement. Before arresting or raiding someone they have to check if a permit has been issued. It turns out you have a better chance of criminals breaking into your house looking for pot than the police if they( criminals ) know you're a user.

Having grown up in OKC in the 60's and 70's and observing the debate over the years what surprises me is that no clear consensus, either pro or con, has been reached. I would of thought some sort of conclusion would of been reached by now.

My guess is that more and more of the states will be begin to allow it's use and that it will likely begin with the medical marijuana. If enough states are allowing its usage, and perhaps taxing it, the federal government will have to eventually accommodate it in some way. The US Attorney in Oregon has issued reminders that it is still a violation of federal law, but they don't have the resources to deal with it.

As an aside, back around '75 or '76, my friends and I would go shooting at a range at Lake Stanley Draper. The woods there were full of a plant that sure looked like marijuana and sure smelled like it when it was burned. We thought we had hit the jackpot! Turns out it was just Locoweed. Absolutely worthless!

Finally, summer in Oregon. Always starts July 5th.

Mike

so 50k people in oregon could be arrested at any time by the feds

[OKCTalker]

...observing the debate over the years what surprises me is that no clear consensus, either pro or con, has been reached. I would of thought some sort of conclusion would of been reached by now.

As is the case with many things. Taxation, education, religion, gay marriage, immigration, abortion...

[BoulderSooner]

maybe we should just replace all the medical marijuana with this http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/0...ess-marijuana/

[jett713]

Looks like Arkansas got their signatures for the ballot initiative. They are counting and validating the signatures. I hope they succeed.


http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext?nxd_id=347122

[Snowman]

So, maybe Shadid would love to see tobacco and alcohol banned.

He has already stated that he would like to see more restrictions on where you may smoke, I don't remember anything on alcohol offhand.

[OKCTalker]

Where is the US Surgeon General on this? If the government legalizes pot, then a health warning will certainly be required on every baggie. That is, unless someone has proof that smoking pot ISN'T harmful to your health.