Weed Goes Mainstream

[RainDog]

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/08/2944518/weed-goes-mainstream.html

As California voters prepare to decide in November whether to become the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, a new Field Poll conducted for The Sacramento Bee reveals that weed already is deeply woven into society.

...Historically, marijuana use in California remains lower than during peak years of the late 1970s. But voters' approval of Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act – which made the state the first to legalize medical marijuana – is changing the social dynamic, according to poll results and interviews with users in 15 counties.

...Nationally, more than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana, and 10 states – led by Rhode Island, Vermont and Alaska – have higher per capita use than the Golden State.

...According to the state Board of Equalization, California marijuana dispensaries – intended to serve bona fide medical users, including AIDS, cancer and chronic pain sufferers – produce up to $1.3 billion in marijuana transactions for people reporting a vast range of ills.


When I look at the arguments on the anti-legalization side, I see lots of stereotypes, lots of Reagan-era misinformation and a punitive attitude about an issue that is far more complex than those stereotypes admit.

What I also see left out of the debate on legalization that is going on in California at this time is that legalization of cannabis would, even more importantly, imo, be a step toward the legal production of hemp, or cannabis that is grown for industrial uses.

Oakland's recent decision to allow a proposal for an enterprise zone to grow medicinal and recreational cannabis in warehouses is only part of the way in which cannabis could be grown. Cannabis varieties that are low in thc content and that are grown to be harvested as an agricultural product for use as feed, biomass, textiles, oil - biodegradable plastics, car bodies - this is an industry that can and would help to revitalize the American economy, would provide competition for the oil industry and is a necessary supplement to the depletion of oil supplies across the world.

It's time for our govt to get smart about ways to limit damage from the shocks of a petrol-based economy.

[tridim]

1. No joke, legalizing hemp farming would solve thousands of major problems on day one.

And solve thousands more on the first harvest day.

There is NO downside. None.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. There are lots of downsides.

Mass unemployment in the DEA and the prison industry.

Fewer cops needed because of fewer domestic abuse calls.

A likely pepperoni shortage.

An epidemic of apoplexy among Republican politicians.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

[Ikonoklast]

15. Then again, Frito-Lay builds a new plant just to make Cheetos.

Staffs it with three shifts of new hires, and still can't keep up with demand.

[spanone]

5. you are 100% correct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp_oil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

[RainDog]

11. also, hemp does not require massive pesticide use

unlike the corn for ethanol schemes.

but the good news is that any region that successfully grows corn can successfully grow hemp - and did, in our nation's past.

of course, when people grow cannabis for medical uses, when the plants are grown indoors, the production and operating costs are higher and the problem of control of mold and fungus is important - but with hemp, these issues are negligible when grown as an outdoor crop for industrial purposes.

[Recursion]

17. Don't worry: Monsanto will find a way to make it need pesticides

And RJR will find a way to make it even more deadly than tobacco.

[RainDog]

20. tomannabis! like tomacco, only better...

honestly, being able to grow crops that are not heavily reliant on petrol-derived pesticides is a forward-looking position for farmers - in terms of cost, as well an environmental impact.

also, cannabis is useful for soil erosion - it's good as a cover crop to kill weeds and it can be rotated with nitrogen-fixing crops like legumes to replenish soil nutrients.

Farm animals can also use it for feed.

If we grew hemp on 12% of our farmland, it would replace our petroleum needs - that's not feasible but it does illustrate how useful this plant is.

it's also fast growing. it's also a replacement for logging trees for paper products. Hemp paper is the best and most durable paper available.

it's just craziness to continue to make it illegal in this nation.

[Erose999]

32. Consider how much of our farmland is used growing corn for ethanol. Cannabis would likely be a

better crop than corn when it comes to biofuels.

[RainDog]

35. here's a report on hemp for KY from 1996

...the same year that CA voted to make cannabis legal as a medicine - Hemp is still illegal.

http://www.hempfood.com/iha/iha03118.html

What just kills me is that every other western democracy has legalized and regulated the production of hemp. What's the problem with this nation?

It's like the people of this nation are treated like hostile enemies by our own government - we the people must be punished and denied for no logical reason - other than the mere thrill of creating an illicit substance, creating an "enemy" which to fight, even if it leads to a weaker nation. Politicians cannot and do not lead to overcome ignorance - but this is in part because they have been the chief cultivators of this same ignorance.

The same thing with the bullshit that passes for discussion of other forms of alternative energy. Germany set a goal of 30% of their energy from renewable sources years ago. They have windmill farms. They have hemp cultivation. They do not have to contend with idiots from the right wing who deny the value of science, or have media that promote stupidity for its own sake.

Germany is also a huge exporter of windmill technology. They make things.

The "good news," tho, is that, even in 1996, Americans were paid 50% less than their European counterparts, without the benefits citizens enjoy in those societies, for fiber production, so economic policies had already set us up, even then, to be a third-world economy for the production of things like linen for European markets.

those darn social democracies. Germany hasn't had near the hit that the U.S. has had in this recession. Amazing the difference good government makes in the lives of citizens.

[stevedeshazer]

3. We're #9!

See how your state ranks here:

http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_mar_use_in_the_pas_yea-health-marijuana-use-past-year

[walldude]

6. Beat ya! We're #7... Of course that might have to do with all the

medical dispensaries that are popping up all over the place. The first year they were non-descript, usually in office buildings, no signs or anything. Now they are everywhere, big neon signs and they are advertising on the radio.

The country may be going down the crapper but the weed just keeps getting better. :)

[stevedeshazer]

22. Happy to give it up for Colorado.

You have a mighty fine state there.

:smoke:

[XOKCowboy]

25. You gotta point there buddy!

I have to say the competition has made the product superior even though the price hasn't come down. Competition is a wonderful thing! ;)

[druidity33]

28. #5 here... unfortunately

there are no dispensaries and no pending legislation here in MA. Recently decriminalized possession ($100 fine, first offense), but no prescriptions in the near future.

:(

[RainDog]

9. Utah and Mississippi have the fewest users per capita

interesting.

Six of the 10 bottom states are in the south.

States on the upper northeast have highest consumption levels per capita - and, with western states, make up the entire top 10.

thanks for the link!

[greenman3610]

10. what's the relative education/prosperity of the "user" states?

[RainDog]

14. Only 5 of the top 25 states in per capita use went for republicans in the last prez election

The only red state in the midwest is Missouri. (14)

(Four midwestern states are in the top 25 - the other three are blue states.)

Montana and Wyoming are the only red western states - but Montana's citizens also voted for a medicinal cannabis law (10)

(Eight western states are included in the top 25.)

Alaska has decriminalized for private use in the home (1)
Hawaii is also one of the 25.
Both of these states are entities unto themselves, geographically.

The only southern red state included in this list is KY. (22)

Of all the states in the list, only 2 southern states are in the top 25.

The only southern blue state (as of last election) is FL (24)

The other 9 states are blue/northeastern states.

# 1 Alaska: 15.83%
# 2 Vermont: 14.9%
# 3 Rhode Island: 14.85%
# 4 New Hampshire: 14.6%
# 5 Massachusetts: 14.19%
# 6 Dist of Col: 13.81%
# 7 Colorado: 13.32%
# 8 New Mexico: 13.25%
# 9 Oregon: 13.18%
# 10 Montana: 12.8%
# 11 Michigan: 12.61%
# 12 Connecticut: 12.5%
# 13 Maine: 12.45%
# 14 Missouri: 11.93%
# 15 New York: 11.8%
# 16 Washington: 11.62%
# 17 Minnesota: 11.16%
# 18 California: 11.07%
# 19 Hawaii: 10.8%
# 20 Delaware: 10.78%
# 21 Wisconsin: 10.76%
# 22 Kentucky: 10.6%
# 23 Wyoming: 10.59%
# 24 Florida: 10.57%
# 25 Nevada: 10.56%

[Recursion]

18. Having grown up in Mississippi, that shocks me

Especially given that at the time the only legal patch was grown there at Ole Miss (it grows very, very well there and some stuff went feral in the 60s, and you still run across it out in the woods).

[RainDog]

19. The per capita usage reflects voter preferences for more lenient laws regarding medical marijuana

as of information from the Marijuana Policy Project from 2008 (their state-by-state report)

The states whose voters have chosen to allow medicinal marijuana (14 of them, plus DC, at this count) have higher (reported?) usage rates - except for NJ - which is still figuring out how to implement the law.

So, 14 of the 25 top tier states all have laws that protect certain cannabis users.

Of the other 11 -

Missouri has passed a non-binding resolution asking the federal govt to allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana (which would mean the federal govt would reschedule cannabis from Schedule 1 to a medically recognized substance.)

Of the top 25, only Delaware and Wyoming had no legislation on this matter as of 2008.

17 states have laws that recognize the medicinal value of cannabis - but do not protect patients from arrest.

Only 23 states, plus DC have the capacity to bring ballot initiatives before voters - direct vote on a subject.

The other 27 states have to rely upon their legislatures to create laws.

But, again, the focus is on the use of cannabis as medicine - or for recreational use - in these stats. Industrial cannabis, or hemp, has medicinal value (essential oils, treatment for eczema - its production and use is not about getting high or getting well or alleviating personal health problems - however, industrial cannabis could go a long way toward alleviating societal health problems - economic health, ecological health... and why states cannot get beyond the hysteria of reefer madness is beyond my understanding.)

[Starry Messenger]

4. k & r

[underpants]

7. Tax it and Social Security and Medicare will be taken care of

but they can't do that because mainly people would find out how many people smoke weed.

[ixion]

8. k/r. End the so-called 'drug war' now.

[Uncle Joe]

12. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, RainDog.:thumbsup:

[WorseBeforeBetter]

13. 'Legalize it, control it and tax the livin' hell out of it' (an oldie but goodie)

"Larry Campbell has seen the effects of Canada's marijuana prohibition laws first-hand, as an RCMP drug officer for eight years and as chief coroner of B.C. before his election as mayor of Vancouver in 2002."

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=cdf9aed6-718c-4991-8328-2475bfda76e6

[RainDog]

16. imo, there is no reason to tax hemp differently than any other industrial argicultural product

as far as it all goes -

if something is sold for recreational use - that should be taxed in the way that alcohol is taxed.

if something is sold for medicinal use - that should not be taxed any differently than, say, valium is taxed. I don't think there is a tax on medicine at this time.

if something is sold for agricultural/industrial use - that should be dealt with in the same way that other agricultural products are assessed.

[Wilms]

21. k&r n/t

[slay]

23. Yay - bout time

i'll smoke a joint to that!

[RainDog]

24. hey you darned stoner - get off my lawn!

:)

the THC content for cannabis bred for hemp cultivation is so low that even if ms sweetentertainment tried to smoke it she wouldn't get high.

...but you know that.

[slay]

27. yeah well

long as they make the WHOLE plant legal for all of us - i'm down.. heeheh.. no, i'm down with hemp either way - but it is time to end the hypocrisy and LEGALIZE IT TOO - all of it! :smoke: :smoke: :smoke:

[RainDog]

30. All the focus at this point is on recreational cannabis use in discussing Prop 19

and I just wanted to point out that there are agricultural uses for the cannabis plant - with its various forms bred for various purposes - that have nothing to do with cannabis as a medicine or intoxicant.

What's so sad is to know that America has wasted 70 years, untold lives, done harm to our environment, engaged in a propaganda campaign that has failed, wasted BILLIONS in dollars, lost BILLIONS in tax revenue...

all to make William Hearst a richer man.

[slay]

33. So true

ugh Hearst.. the things people will do for money and power.. sigh..

i was hoping he was gonna get killed off in HBO's Deadwood... show ended too soon..

[RainDog]

34. What a GREAT series!

I didn't even think I'd like it because I'm not too big on that whole Clint Eastwood thing (except for the jazz and creepy Play Misty and Beguiled moments) and thought it would be like that, but...

Deadwood was like watching Charles Dickens visit America.

Every time I saw Hearst, tho, I had to whisper, "Rose Bud."

[defendandprotect]

26. I agree -- but this isn't about government being "smart" ...it's about government corruption -- !!

[RainDog]

29. cannabis is the perfect example of corporations and politicians colluding...

and inciting the American population with fear stories about some scary "other" (Hispanics, blacks, cannabis v. booze) to achieve a goal of economic monopoly (petrol, wood pulp) in an unfree market - the only market that exists in the U.S. when a plant is made illegal that has no value as a drug but has great value as a competition for petrol-derived products.

There's no underestimating the value of creating fear in the American people when big biz wants to exploit it.

[defendandprotect]

31. Agree -- completely --