Viewpoints about marijuana

Here is a report that I use for a two hour presentations I do.



I spend my time during the presentation educating the public and helping them decide if legalization is right for my state. Full disclosure I am a law enforcement officer and assigned to a drug task force. The idea that drug units would lose grants from the government is false. My position is fully funded by my department. Legalization of marijuana would not change my position for the better. In fact if what is happening in Colorado is an indication it would create additional work. One person correctly posted on this thread, CBD is what is being used medically and I am in full support of research of it's medical uses. I am also in full support of decriminalization of personal use as well but in my area that has already occurred. As a society we need to weigh the benefits vs the cost of full legalization of marijuana. Marijuana has become a dangerous drug because it has been commercialized and THC concentration has increased, in some cases ten fold. The days of six to seven percent THC levels are out the window. As Jedi I encourage you to analyze the above report and think about the impact it has had and will have on our society.

http://www.rmhidta.org/html/2015%20FINAL%20LEGALIZATION%20OF%20MARIJUANA%20IN%20COLORADO%20THE%20IMPACT.pdf

Sorry here's the link

@Anubis

I mean no offense (and yet I write these words as I fear i may do so! Sorry in advance)

I don't know if you yourself are part of the RMHIDTA which provides the report that you gave, but I checked that report over briefly before searching on google for more information about teh RMHIDTA. What I found was not very warm or positive about the report I regret to say. It's from a well read internet and magazine source- FORBES. After reading that article the reputation of the RMHIDTA has suffered in my eyes and I'm sure many others. The reports that they release should be unbiased and clearly checked against other sources to verify their ideas and honestly that does not seem to be the case. Again- no offense to you personally but that report that you posted leaves me a little sour...

Here's the article from Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobsullum/2015/09/17/supposedly-neutral-federal-report-stacks-the-deck-against-marijuana-legalization/

OB1Shinobi wrote: basically, its a different mindset from weed to meth and alcoholism

weed wont replace any other substance for those who want to do the other substances, in my experience and opinion

Yeah I know, and agree. Depends why its being used I guess. They are all different, that much is for sure :woohoo:

Adder wrote:
Yeah I know, and agree. Depends why its being used I guess. They are all different, that much is for sure :woohoo:

I wonder what good reasons there are for using cannabis other than chronic disease and structural hemp?

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I find cannabis quite nice. I'm surprised others here have witnessed addiction to this substance as I have not, even though it is rather commonly consumed here. The only negative trait I've ever suspected is poor quality produce seems to make people with anxiety issues more anxious, and all we get is skunk (high THC strains). The locals grow better stuff in their attic than you'll ever taste at a cannabis cup, and it keeps the legal economy afloat. It has become so visible I think the police ignore it all because a crackdown would kill the town: the only legally-funded businesses that manage to survive are tax-exempt charity shops which sell donated stuff. I guess it helps the town's called "Stone" too.

Khaos wrote: Here's How Many People Fatally Overdosed On Marijuana Last Year

lol@Khaos true ....

As you might know i am from a very liberated country where Hasjies is condoned , there is however a small chance that children use this drug as stepping stone to the chemical drugs and even hard drugs , now i see cigarettes as hard drugs but that aside.
The thing is , every addiction starts somewhere , some people are sensitive to it some are not , where you can get CBD medicine everywhere , you can only get Spiffs in a highly controlled aeria , everything else is Illegal, if Hasjies were as innocent as is claimed in the article that would not be nescessary. Sigarettes will be taken from public view aswell , pubs are smokefree so is every public place now.
The next restrictions will be on the fat factories that are known as Mc Donalds and KFC , ..the bioindustrie is taking a deep fall here ...so really we dont worry to much about a strung out mother who smokes a spiff to relax . but we do worry about our kids untill they are 23 years old , we think their brains are fully grown then.

There is so much shit out there and it is not the Marijuana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7fa4gV06pg

Entropist wrote: I wonder what good reasons there are for using cannabis other than chronic disease and structural hemp?

if i took the time to explain the reasons that i know of, and i have a lot of personal experience as well as research of academic and legal articles, would you just argue and try to tell me they arent the "real" reasons or that they "good" reasons?
or would you be like "oh, those are some of the reasons. now i know, cool, thanks" ??

Vasuki, no offense was taken. For future reference it takes a lot, and I mean a lot to offend me. I am not associated with any HIDTA group.

I found the article you referenced also a little misleading. The author uses words like "which could indicate" "That could reflect" throughout the article which is basically saying I have no proof I just don't agree. Also stating "But even if we take it as a given and include all 165 “traffic deaths related to marijuana” (which may or may not actually be related to marijuana) in 2013 and 2014, the death toll attributed to cannabis pales beside the thousands of alcohol-related deaths in Colorado during the same period." So their deaths have no meaning or cause to be concerned? Are we to look only at the greater of the two evils? As a person trained to read between the lines I find this article does nothing to support the other side in a constructive manner but to cast doubt and minimize any concern. I agree we always need to be careful of what we read and vet the information the best we can but that means both ways. The report I cited clears says we need to gather "meaningful data" which will take years. I always caution people that the data for complete legalization is really only a few years old in the United States and could easy swing one way or the other over time. The United States if very different then other countries because of the way we consume and our inherent desire to do what we please. Democracy is always an experiment and walking the line between personal freedoms and social harmony is a tricky line to walk.

As someone who has been in law enforcement for almost a decade I know that I personally have dealt with numerous people who are under the influence of marijuana and have been involved in traffic crashes. And when I say under the influence I mean marijuana has effected their ability to drive in such a way it is dangerous for them to be on the road. Marijuana does impair and the main problem with testing at this point is the only test available is a blood test which if you do not take the blood sample within an hour of use it will not accurately show what the levels of THC were, it will show far less. I also see the addiction in marijuana and the problems it can bring. As with any drug including alcohol it really is dependent on the person. Data collecting is always a fun task. My unit has only been involved in one investigation centered on the selling of marijuana. We focus on heroin and meth as chief concerns but at every, and I do mean every, search warrant we find marijuana. So if you take data of our marijuana arrests, because it's still illegal here, our unit makes a lot of marijuana arrests. Take away marijuana arrests and the number of people we would have arrested would only go down by four out of over one hundred and fifty (I've been on vacation so I'm sure it has changed). It's just most people would have one less charge that almost always gets tossed anyways. The reason I point this out with any data you can turn it anyway you like but you must look at from multiple sides. the reason I'm against higher amounts of THC is the edibles. If you google edible THC I would be surprised if you could tell me that most don't look like candies or normal bake goods. It makes me think of Joe the Camel. Adults certainly don't need colorful looking product if they are after the effects. Commercialization of any product always makes me cringe because the main goal is money. Not quality or safety.

I say this at the end of each of my presentations. "This is one report, as citizens I encourage you to find sources on both sides, analyze what you find, and decide what is right for you. To be informed is to make you a better decision maker. Law enforcement does not make the laws, we just enforce them, citizens influence and make the laws."