California Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

[Il Duce]

i have also never met a violent pothead. i cant say that for alcohol though

[vontar]

i have also never met a violent pothead. i cant say that for alcohol though

Same. We are talking straight up pot, not someone that smokes a little weed and mixes in some other drugs that causes unknown effects.

[Mike.357]

Growing harsh low potency schwag is easy. Growing good smooth smoking KB is hard.

not so much really.

[Garufa]

All this talk is making me think like it's gonna happen. Now stop it.

[Guest jackdm3]

All this talk is making me think like it's gonna happen. Now stop it.

It IS gonna happen. In Calif.

[Oh Shoot]

NM.

Edited October 6, 2010 by OhShoot

[eapking]

First step towards Cal legalizing it. Once legal and taxed, some claim it will take them out of the red very quickly.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That's always the claim. It always ends up being the big whopper by the ones

collecting the money.

[Guest mosinon]

First step towards Cal legalizing it. Once legal and taxed, some claim it will take them out of the red very quickly.

Here's the rub. You legalize pot and tax it you take away the incentive to sell it. Since it is legal it will command much less of a markup than when it was illegal. If I were a california pot grower I'd be working on connections in states where it was still illegal. I'd be able to sell pot there for much more than in California.

I think the drug laws are crazy anyway so I hope more states follow Cali's lead on this. I'm a little more worried about those like 6.8 who worry more about the government taxing this than letting people do what they want. If you're about freedom then having an option is "freeer" than not having the option. If something isn't illegal then the government has less control. But less governmental control is a hippie/anti american ideal anyway right?

[Red9MM]

Hi guys, Wow.

I've read thru most of these posts not all, but I've been provoked to throw my 2 cents in.

First of all a bill for the "decriminaliztion" of simple marijuana (MJ) possesion is what was signed in CA. Not a Legalization bill.

MJ IS A DRUG and because it contains an intoxicating chemical, THC, which affects and modifes your ability to make sound judgemnts, impairs motors skills and modifies normal behavior patterns access to it must be controlled. So far the methods applied to control access to it have miserably failed for the most part.

Making posession of small amounts a jailable offense is ridiculous. While its still illegal to posess that small amount, and until a sensible enforceable fair and responsible solution is in place, we should continue to develop and enforce fair laws that fit the crime and are not a tyrrany to people, but still protects citizens.

Let me start here: On REDUCING the penalty for simple possesion < 1oz/28gm of MJ for PERSONAL use. I say yes.

Use a Hefty fine. I think $100 is not enough especially in CA. $250 would sound fair to me.

• Make it a ticket/citation civil class of offense/charge.
  
• No court appearance if you pay and choose not to contest the charge, 1st - 2nd offenses only.
  
• Appear before a judge/majistrate for civil hearing on 3rd offense or after.
  
• Escalating scale of penalty 2d, 3rd, etc... offense greater fines penalty.
  
  • 1-2 offenses : $250 + "administrative costs" + 20 hrs Mandatory Community Service on 2nd offense.
    
  • 3rd ,, : $750 + drug/drunk driver school, posting of offense to credit reporting agencies for 3yrs., manadatory 50 hr. Community Service.
    
  • 4th - 5th ,, : $1500 + loss of state issued privileges as a habitual offender i.e "not in good standing with the court and community", loss of HCP, Hunting, Fishing license, etc... for 5yr. (how many of the people here would want to trade those for a few puffs of pot?) possible loss of state benefits, unemployment pymts., etc... (not housing,foodstamps, or tenncare)
    

Notice I didn't put in any Jail time for Simple Posession of MJ for Personal ONLY.

If caught in posession of MJ in a POV vehicle add penalties to include points against/ supension/ revocation of Drivers License. Severly stiffen those if person is caught in posession of MJ in a commercial /company / govt. vehicle since use of those vehicles implies business or commerce and hence the posession for PERSONAL use does not apply. Same applies to posession in the workplace or Public buildings or property because they are not your personal areas and violate public safety.

If in posession of during other crime, DUI, criminal tresspassing, shoplifting, burgulary, assault, etc... standard penalties used today can apply to the posession charges.

Make Simple MJ posession penalties equivalent too alcohol or other drug impairment offenses.

i.e simple posession for personal use on the same level as open container, public intoxication, public drunkeness, type of penalties. Notice I didn't say you have to "be stoned" to suffer the same penalty. If an open container fine is say $250, caught having a baggie of 6 joints of weed, same same. If fine for PD is $300, busted with a bowlful on the bong is $300. Again I'm saying a simple posession charge alone. If the person is intoxicated or under the influence then those charges are in addendum the simple posession charge.

Make it like speeding tickets, You get ticketed for driving 48mph in a 35mph zone because you violated an ordinance defining the limits for safe driving. Not because you are in posession of (and operating) a car capable of violating the ordinance. but because you made a stupid choice while driving and got caught doing so. You don't go to county lockup for 11mos. 29 days for that speeding ticket do you?

Drinking a beer, wine or whiskey is not illegal in most (but not all) jurisdictions providing you meet the requirements for purchase and posession and consume the product responsibily.

RESPONSIBLY, meaning there are boundaries established by society and your community and limits enforced by laws. Because of the effects of the Drug Alcohol in said products. Violate these and suffer the consequences for your irresponsible actions.

It's the same with firearms. Use a gun irresponsibly, violate the laws pertaining to the use of firearms and suffer the consequences. I believe everyone here supports the responsible purchase, posession and use of firearms. That makes us law abiding, safe operating, shooting/hunting enthusiasts who choose to do it right. Do it wrong and you may become a criminal.

On the arguments about legalizing MJ for General public consumption and taxing its production and distibution as is done with Alcohol.

I think that ship has sailed long ago. On bringing it back into port to inventory, regulate, and control its voyage and destination... Yeah, good luck with that.

What's the best answer to fix this ? Damned if I know.

Here is what I KNOW. MJ is a drug. People abuse drugs because they they want to change the way they "feel" about their life situation what ever that might be. They want to get happy, or just relax, or take the edge off this stress, to send a big FU to "the MAN" or "the WOMAN" who is keeping them down and pissing them off, the list of reasons and excuses vary from one person to the next and is endless.

I know this too well, I'm a recovering substance abuser who's been clean and sober since 87.

Me: "Hi, my screen name is Red9MM and I choose to shoot targets today instead of drink or use."

TGO: "Hi Red!"

Drug access MUST be controlled by a reponsible society. Failure to do so leads to rampant abuse by people who willingy choose to reject their responsibilities to themselves and others and naively expect the problems they create to be tolerated and overlooked and subsidized by others. The effects on society are stresses on Law enforcment, courts, jails, health care resources, poor productivity in the workforce, apathetic economic contribution, stress on the family and community trying to cope with people who demand to "just be left alone" yet are constantly requiring the help they angily reject.

Once again I've posted excessively. I apologize for this to all.

But I guess you've surmised by now that "I've got words in my head so I say them".

Cheers

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Freer? Degrees of freedom. Now there's a rock solid concept. I don't really care what

someone uses for their personal recreation as long as it doesn't affect me. The drug laws

are crazy, just like the gun laws. I hear most on here in support of legalizing pot, and

when I mentioned the gun laws like just about everything the BATFE is in charge of, it's

almost dead silence. That's pretty telling. It's also very concerning where this country's

priorities are. Like TGO David's recent avatar concerning the google man, some might

consider taking theirs out of that cavity.

Yes, Mosinon, I do take freedom seriously. The government isn't about giving 'us' options.

That should be the other way around. If you let the bar keep on being raised, while

worrying about something like legalizing pot as a higher priority, you need to check your

own premise.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

i have also never met a violent pothead. i cant say that for alcohol though

I'm very ignorant of the topic but know a little bit from working in substance abuse counseling a few years long ago.

In countries where cannabis is more available, have read about incidences of cannabis drug-induced psychotic rampages. The kind of thing PCP sometimes causes. If memory serves, this might be for instance a large dose from a fellow eating several grams of hash. In the USA not many people would eat several grams of hash because it would be too expensive. Just sayin-- If this actually can occasionally happen, and pot becomes truly cheap and plentiful in USA, then you would occasionally expect to see it in the USA as well.

A good friend was a cannabis addict for over 20 years. A joint right after waking up, joints thru the day, and at least one doobie before going to bed. It didn't seem to slow him down or make him incredibly stupid. On the other hand, he was a very bright fellow who never rose very far in life or made much money. He was bright enough that one might have expected him to be more successful.

He spent a lot of money on the stuff. Had to make accommodations in life. For instance, his dad died and he inherited a couple of perfect mint-condition ancient single-action revolvers, but he sold them off, not for the money, but because he knew that if he ever got busted his sentence would be a lot worse if there were any guns in the house.

One day there was an accident at work. Friend was not directly involved, but it was company policy to drug test everybody in the vicinity of an accident. They told him his drug test had a higher concentration of THC than any they had ever seen. It takes months for THC to completely leave the system, so if somebody routinely smokes, they are always slightly stoned for a long time, regardless if they have smoked recently that day.

Faced with losing his job, he quit smoking and amazingly enough didn't replace it with another substitute bad habit, which is the most common path with addicts who quit. That was about 10 years ago and he is at least as happy now as before. So he would have at the very least had a lot more money in his pocket if he hadn't been addicted for so long.

On the other hand, our war on drugs didn't keep the guy from being an addict. It just made him pay more money for the privilege. And a lot of that money likely went to bad dudes.

I burned out on substance abuse counseling because drugs, alcohol, gambling, whatever-- No one can control it except the individual. It is kinda like a Darwin award. You can't make em quit. Some of the best-behaved counseling clients couldn't drop the habit, and some of the most ornery clients were successful, when they got good and ready to quit. They were too mean to die. Some folks are survivors and some are not. I don't want it to be that way. But that is just the way it is.

[mikegideon]

How the hell do you know the sex of a plant?

One has nuts, the other doesn't

[mikegideon]

Freer? Degrees of freedom. Now there's a rock solid concept. I don't really care what

someone uses for their personal recreation as long as it doesn't affect me. The drug laws

are crazy, just like the gun laws. I hear most on here in support of legalizing pot, and

when I mentioned the gun laws like just about everything the BATFE is in charge of, it's

almost dead silence. That's pretty telling. It's also very concerning where this country's

priorities are. Like TGO David's recent avatar concerning the google man, some might

consider taking theirs out of that cavity.

Yes, Mosinon, I do take freedom seriously. The government isn't about giving 'us' options.

That should be the other way around. If you let the bar keep on being raised, while

worrying about something like legalizing pot as a higher priority, you need to check your

own premise.

Are you kidding? We ALL whine about gun laws constantly. Talking about pot laws in a thread about pot laws doesn't make us activists.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Are you kidding? We ALL whine about gun laws constantly. Talking about pot laws in a thread about pot laws doesn't make us activists.

Only a handful, Mike.

[mikegideon]

Only a handful, Mike.

Let me clarify my position. I think most of the gun control today is stupid, and it's the same kinda stupid as pot laws. Throw in Tennessee's liquor laws while we're at it. Then, for the Extra Special Gold Star stupid award... an old fart like me having to show ID when I buy a pack of cigarettes.

[Oh Shoot]

...

First of all a bill for the "decriminaliztion" of simple marijuana (MJ) possesion is what was signed in CA. Not a Legalization bill.

....

Prop 19 comes up on Nov.2 out there, and looks like it will pass, and it IS legalization.

- OS