First state east of the Mississippi

[o hey tyler]

This morning I awoke to find that Portland, ME legalized marihuana for recreational use by a bit of a landslide. Proud day for me as a Mainer. It's nice to be in a forward thinking city and state.

 

[runnah]

Good. I see a tourism boom.

 

[Steve5D]

Good. I see a tourism boom.

Nah, when I lived in Portland, Washington State legalized it. The only practical effect it seemed to have was that cops stopped citing people for having a joint...

 

[runnah]

Good. I see a tourism boom.

Nah, when I lived in Portland, Washington State legalized it. The only practical effect it seemed to have was that cops stopped citing people for having a joint...

I guess it's in a tricky spot now. State law still trumps local so who knows.

 

[pgriz]

What's eminently rational from one point of view, is a sure sign of moral degeneration, and descent into hell from another point of view. So much of what passes for public discourse and debate these days is the loud repetition of a set of mythologies that each group (and on this there are more than two sides) holds dear as the gospel truth. Inconvenient facts are dismissed as unsubstantiated, or even manufactured. Harm and benefits are exaggerated, to the point that they often lose any link to the underlying experience. All of which is a shame, for as any psycho-active drug, there are both pluses and minuses; issues of potency, purity and individual reaction; short-term action and long-term habituation; questions about the dosage, delivery methods, and side-effects. It seems hypocritical that tobacco (as a nicotine delivery system), alcohol (ethanol delivery), and coffee (caffeine delivery system) are accepted by our society as "normal", each of which comes with a host of issues that are pretty well documented, yet are allowed to be freely available. If the same rhetoric (and fear-mongering) was applied to these as is applied to marijuana, then these would all be schedule 1 drugs.

In Canada, the use of marijuana for pain relief is more or less accepted, requiring a certificate from a doctor that such a use is medically-approved. The current legislation allows individuals to either grow their own or to buy it from designated sources for that purpose. Trafficking, is still prohibited and has criminal penalties. Recreational (as in non-medicinal) use is also prohibited, but the enforcement and prosecution is somewhat inconsistent. The law is being changed by the Federal government, to remove the "right" of an individual to grow their own, and to allow designated suppliers to produce it in the model of production of drugs by pharmaceutical firms, ostensibly for the purpose of controlling potency, purity, distribution and dispensation. However, this is seen by many as a way for the current government to tax the product, and promote the large pharma industry, with the consequence that prices are going to go 'way up. One of the current issues for the medical profession that is still expected to issue prescriptions for marijuana, is that there are few (if any) extensive double-blind studies that allow the calibration of potency, dosage, short-and-long term habituation, side-effects, biochemical basis of action, individual variation, specific contra-indications, and degree of effectiveness of various delivery mechanisms. Yet without the availability of some kind of standardized dosage and delivery mechanism, it is very difficult to conduct a serious, scientific study. These measures do not deal at all with the issue of recreational use, legality of possession of small amounts, cultivation of the plant by individuals, effects of long-term use and the quality of the supply.

Perhaps this measure in Maine will help to reduce the fog of misinformation surrounding marijuana, and allow a more nuanced and informed discussion about the effect and consequence of the use of this product, whether it be as a drug, or as another ingredient that interacts with the central nervous system. One can hope.

 

[runnah]

One can hope.

Indeed. I would like to think that if 1/16 of the "enforcement" budget was spent on education and help it would have a more positive effect than the "war" on drugs. Criminalizing people with addiction issues is no way to solve a problem.

 

[ratssass]

....another bonus is they're making twinkies once again.

 

[The_Traveler]

Tyler, why are you wasting time here when you could be getting the fields ready for a new crop?

 

[o hey tyler]

Tyler, why are you wasting time here when you could be getting the fields ready for a new crop?

That is a very good question, Lew.

 

[cbarnard7]

I hope every state legalizes weed so I can live out my fantasy of The Walking Dead! Except, instead of brains, I can get by with dropping a bag of Cheetos and the new Call of Duty.

 

[o hey tyler]

I hope every state legalizes weed so I can live out my fantasy of The Walking Dead! Except, instead of brains, I can get by with dropping a bag of Cheetos and the new Call of Duty.

Strange. I've never been into either.

 

[runnah]

I hope every state legalizes weed so I can live out my fantasy of The Walking Dead! Except, instead of brains, I can get by with dropping a bag of Cheetos and the new Call of Duty.

Strange. I've never been into either.

Sweet 360-no-scope-headshot brah!

 

[robbins.photo]

Good. I see a tourism boom.

Or at very least a doritos shortage

 

[runnah]

Good. I see a tourism boom.

Or at very least a doritos shortage

haha, pot users get hungry! hahah lolz.

 

[o hey tyler]

haha, pot users get hungry! hahah lolz.

uber lolz bruh!