@ Br. John
“Jedi are aware of the future impacts of action and inaction and of the influence of the past, but live in and focus on the Now.” While your article has a lot of merit it is an article written over forty years ago and Carl Sagan undoubtedly had a positive experience. The marijuana Sagan speaks of most likely had around 6% THC. Sage writes, “I think the ratio, R, of the time to sense the dose taken to the time required to take an excessive dose is an important quantity. R is very large for LSD (which I’ve never taken) and reasonably short for cannabis. Small values of R should be one measure of the safety of psychedelic drugs. When cannabis is legalized, I hope to see this ratio as one of [the] parameters printed on the pack.” Reading this I see Sagan foresaw an issue with overuse. I think to say, “That anyone could possibly be persecuted by a government (or anyone else) because they grew, possessed or used a plant is a crime against humanity and fundamental human rights.”, doesn’t speak to the greater need of regulation. There-in lies the problem with marijuana, how do you regulate it so that it is safe? Colorado has no regulation at all when it comes to THC content. One of laws Colorado does have is that it is illegal to consume THC in public but as Rick D points out that law is not being followed and law enforcement I have spoken to find it very cumbersome to enforce. A picture taken on April 20, unsure of the year but believe it was the year it became legal for recreational use, shows a very large crowd publicly smoking marijuana. Is it a fundamental human right to do whatever you please if when it affects others? If this movement truly wants to be taken seriously then the laws they helped create should be followed, not take a mile when they are given an inch.
I think that just because it’s a plant does not take it out of the reach of the government whose role is supposed to look to the greater good of all, even though it hardly does that anymore. Without laws there is chaos. I do see a shift happening in this country regarding the government but we do need to be careful not to swing too far one way or another. But I digress, that discussion is for another time. Tobacco, opium poppy, and the coca plant are obviously plants. All three plants used to be used properly by native tribes. It is our current times where they are used improperly by too many and is a clear detriment to our society, heroin. Even the Dutch who have allowed marijuana use for a long time see the dangers of high potency THC.
http://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-and-old-amsterdam-308218
As Jedi we need to contribute to a discussion that speaks to a safe means of allowing personal choice to a degree. When an idea is too rigid, it will break under weight. When an ideal is too flexible, it will not be able to hold any weight.
