posted on May 17, 2003 11:42:42 AM new
Finally, a bill that was suppose to pass in the spring, is going to go through. A small amount of personal marijuana (under an oz., maybe as little as 15 grams) will be a ticketed offence and not a crime here in Canada. The only problem is that you'll still have to buy your pot from illegal dealers and this is where I have a problem with the whole thing. Big dealers, such as those in B.C., Quebec, California and Columbia, South America don't want pot to become legal and pay big money to side with politicians that are against decriminalization or legalization, so cultivating your own is still illegal. How can a person have an oz. of pot on them legally, but not be able to buy it or grow it legally? Where are they suppose to get it?
posted on May 17, 2003 01:27:09 PM new
Ah, that is the question. My son, the little sneak, got caught driving in a car with a small amount of pot and a pipe. For the pot he got nothing. For the pipe he got 30 days house arrest and a 90 day suspension of his driver's license. The trick, in the US, is to make a small amount of pot a ticket or a reprimand and make the paraphernalia the big offense. So, just how are you supposed to smoke it? Seems like the US and Canada are finding ways to keep the people wanting legalization of marijuana off their backs for the short term while still keeping it illegal in one way or another. How does the saying go? You can't have your cake and eat it to?
posted on May 17, 2003 02:52:00 PM new
Some revolutionary law eh? The older I get, the more I realize that people with senses of logic are a small minority.
Cheryl, that's exactly what this bill is for - to curb the costs of jail time and court fees, nothing more. At least your son knows that pot is way better than alcohol and he deserves a pat on the back imo.
posted on May 17, 2003 02:59:06 PM new
kraftdinner
Normally my son, Mike, smokes pot up in his room away from prying eyes. The stuff he was caught with actually belonged to a friend who was in his car at the time. My son deliberately took the fall for him. Thankfully, my son doesn't like to drink. He suffered his first hangover a couple of months ago and that is all it took. He's 19 and doing just fine. I smoked up a storm back in the 60's and 70's. I survived and went on to get married, raise two children, become a grandmother and have a nice career. So did a vast majority of my smoking buddies. Could I have said the same thing had I spent the 60's and 70's drinking? Don't think so. Now, if we could only get the conservatives to pay attention to the facts. You gotta love the new anit-marijuana commercials. Now they claim they cause about as many fatal car accidents as alcohol. Give me a break.
posted on May 18, 2003 08:35:48 AM new
are you saying people who drink stay faithful and keep drinking more of the same??
both are bad,i sometimes wonder if the potheads who claim they only smoke pot is telling the truth??
posted on May 18, 2003 08:51:04 AM new
That's an important observation to make, stopwhining. Pot users are likely to stay happy with the status quo when that status is not very attractive.
posted on May 18, 2003 09:04:04 AM new
Alcohol has already a bad track record, but it is legal. But it is also has alot of "law" regarding it.
Pot smokers have so many excuses why it should be legalized but anytime something comes around as to why it shouldn't the "Give me a break" people come out...
Pot should remain illegal and I hope Cheryl knows that law enforcement loves people who allow drug use in the homes... those homes soon get confiscated.
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
[ edited by Twelvepole on May 18, 2003 09:05 AM ]
posted on May 18, 2003 10:28:47 AM new
Some of your posts are uneducated. There are lots of reasons why pot should be legalized and it has little to do with whether pot is good or bad for you. It's the amount of money that's spent on prosecuting and jailing these people. Nobody's ever died from smoking pot, nobody's gotten sick from it, it's not addictive and it causes no long term problems. I've smoked pot regularly since I was 19. I worked for the University, bought my own home, furniture, cars, etc. without any effects on my life. I've had a cold 3 times and the flu twice in my life. I've never been sick. I eat right and excersize. I live in the country and sometimes I even smoke a joint before I go on one of my walks. I'll be 48 in 2 weeks and I'm non the worse for smoking.
Maybe it's an age thing. Not many people I know drink but have chosen pot for their 'entertainment' because it's safer. Keep in mind though, that a lot of the propaganda against pot comes from the growers. I say it's safe and won't be convinced otherwise unless I get sick from it.
I don't support pot in the manner you are suggesting. Neither do I condone my son smoking it at home. If I know about it, I raise the roof. More often than not, I don't know about it. Just ask him how I awoke him yesterday morning. Screaming is not a good way to be risen out of bed on a Saturday morning. On the other hand, I would rather have him do it here than out on the street or in his car. He's an adult.
Sure, alcohol is legal. However, it is just as bad if not worse than marijuana and is socially acceptable. Case in point. The people across the street are constantly having a party for one Hispanic celebration or another. Can you say that at 3:00 a.m. a majority of the 50 people leaving the party are sober and driving? Think again. No, I don't think they smoke any pot over there. But, I'd rather be driving around someone who has just smoked a joint than someone who has just downed a six pack.
And, by the way, your home doesn't get confiscated because you smoke pot in it. It gets confiscated if you SELL drugs out of it. Huge, huge difference.
Edited to say:
Kraftdinner
There was a recent study done that shows that pot is actually good for your eyes. They should have studied me. I had two eye surgeries before the 1st grade. I wore glasses all the way up to high school. Is is a coincidence that by the time I was in 10th grade (and smoking pot for over a year), I no longer needed glasses? Or, that now when I no longer smoke it, I'm in bifocals?
posted on May 18, 2003 10:55:01 AM new
How educated do you have to be to know that pot is illegal?
Side effects are coming out everyday about pot, whether you believe it or not, it does impair your judgement just as alcohol and definately should be punished for using while driving.
Why would anyone that doesn't smoke cigarettes want to smoke pot? Kind of a double standard I would say...
Do you know why Canada is having such a hard time legalizing pot there?
Look to the South and you will see the GREATEST country in the WORLD and we just say NO!
posted on May 18, 2003 11:30:14 AM new
Wrong Twelve!! Some of the best marijuana grown comes from your great country. Did you know that 50% of Americans have tried marijuana? Wonder how many in that poll were afraid to say yes? You are a victim of propaganda.
As far as why Canada is having a hard time legalizing... yes, it's because of the U.S. and the fact that we are bombless. It's call black-mailing. Funny how the U.S. doesn't mind it's pocket pal, Tony Blair, having legalized pot.
Not all people that use marijuana smoke it Twelve... they bake with it. Think of medical users, some who are on oxygen.
I don't know, if I had a choice, I would rather live in a country that outlaws gun ownership and people smoked pot than one that was gun-loving with people that drank alcohol. The times are changing. Alcohol has been the downfall of many while pot has proven to be safe. One of the great benifits of pot too, is that pot smokers never get angry. Can you say that of an alcohol consumer?
As for Cheryl's son, thank God there are people like her actually PARENTING. Way better than having him lie to her and smoke it behind her back. It sounds like a very healthy relationship other families would be envious of.
posted on May 18, 2003 11:57:26 AM new
::Look to the South and you will see the GREATEST country in the WORLD and we just say NO! ::
Twelve - Nancy Reagan just says no, but she is far from representative of this country. This greatest nation in the world is also one of the largest consumers of recreational drugs. If American were just saying no - what would account for some of these seizures?
- May 06 CBP inspectors make record drug seizure at El Paso dedicated commuter lane (340lbs)
- May 01 CBP Inspectors Seize 5,031 Pounds of Marijuana in Commercial Shipment - Seven large drug seizures made at El Paso cargo lot in the last month
- May 01 CBP Agents Foil Narcotic Efforts along our Nations Borders - Three day period nets over 10,000 pounds of Marijuana, 1,000 pounds of Cocaine and 11 pounds of Heroin with an estimated value totaling over $51 Million
- April 30 CBP Inspectors Seize Marijuana Load Valued at Over $3 Million at Blaine, WA, Port of Entry
- April 23 CBP Inspectors in Laredo Seize 5,090 Pounds of Marijuana
- April 18 CBP Inspectors in South Texas Seize $5.5 Million in Marijuana, Cocaine This Week
- April 17 Federal Officers Arrest Six, Seize Over 6,000 lbs. of Marijuana
- April 08 CBP Inspectors Discover 3,458 Pounds of Marijuana in a Shipment of Tar
- April 04 CBP Inspectors Seize 3 Tons of Marijuana - Drugs Hidden in Tile Shipment at El Paso Port
- March 12 CBP Inspectors in Laredo Seize Their Largest Load: More Than Five Tons of Marijuana
- March 10 CBP Inspectors in South Texas Seize $2.9 Million in Marijuana, Heroin Over Weekend
- March 05 CBP Officers at Tecate Seize Over 7 Tons of Marijuana
posted on May 18, 2003 12:01:12 PM new
I didn't say we didn't grow it or even export it, what I was saying is that Canada can't get their laws passed because of US
If it were to be legalized here in the US, it would be so legislated that people would still piss and moan
posted on May 18, 2003 12:09:33 PM new
How many people have been shot by others under the influence of alcohol?
How many people have been shot by others under the influence of marijuana?
How many innoccent people are killed by drunk drivers every year?
How many innoccent people are killed by stoned drivers every year?
How many people die each year from alcohol-related health problems?
How many people die each year from marijuana-related health problems?
Which one is BY FAR more dangerous?!?
How much money does the Alcohol industry give to political campaigns?
How much money does the Marijuana industry give to political campaigns?
Guess which one is legal and which one is illegal?
'nuff said
A politician will call you intelligent to keep you ignorant. I tell you that you are ignorant so that you may want to be intelligent - Eugene Debs
posted on May 18, 2003 12:18:56 PM new
Twelve - the pieces I listed were headlines from the US Customs & Border Patrol press releases. Those are not exportations .... those busts were of drugs being IMPORTED into the US.
posted on May 18, 2003 12:40:22 PM new
Again Twelve, this issue is about choice. By outlawing something that has been proven safe, you are telling your country that its citizens aren't smart enough to make their own decisions regarding using it. But beyond that, look at who benefits by keeping this illegal and you will start to understand what all the hoopla is about.
posted on May 18, 2003 02:31:33 PM new
You're not listening Twelve. These coalitions are funded by private organizations that have nothing to do with wanting to truthfully inform. Links like yours are full of disinformation and false facts...
"According to a study from Family Planning
Perspectives, teens who use marijuana are more
likely to take risks that can negatively affect their
lives and the lives of those around them. This
study has found that students were 2-3 times
more likely to be sexually active if they drank
frequently, smoked cigarettes, or used marijuana."
How ridiculous is that statement? Cigarettes?? Ahahahahhahahaha!!!! That's just on the first page!
Logically, if pot was so devasting, you'd see the carnage in hospitals and mental institutions, but it's not happening, so either the information out there is false, or millions of pot smoking people are lying about their mental health.
My main question was, how can a government decriminalize pot but still condone you buying it off of dealers? Do you see what I'm saying?
posted on May 18, 2003 03:49:33 PM new
Wonderfully naive of you to list that web page 12pole. Probably put out by the same people who originally put out the teen documentary "Reefer Madness". I notice their trademark bias and total lack of factual information.....
You probably are also naive to believe the commercial where pot smoker support Columbian Drug Dealers....lacking the fact that marijuana is not grown there as a cash crop.......
posted on May 18, 2003 04:01:09 PM new
Put aside recreational use of drugs momentarily. In my state the majority of voters chose to allow the prescribing of marijuana by licensed physicians when medical necessity is indicated based on valid diagnosis.
Although qualifying through the initiative process and passing in the general election the Federal Government under the direction of John Ashcroft has chosen to prosecute those who have attempted to make use of this law.
A number of cases are presently in the appeals process.
[ edited by davebraun on May 18, 2003 04:03 PM ]
posted on May 18, 2003 04:16:48 PM new
I should have guessed that Jonh Ashcroft had something to do with the confusion.
From the article that I posted above....
But that left Mr. Cauchon without an excuse for the delay and strengthened suspicions that he is bowing to pressure from the United States.
The U.S. has repeatedly expressed concern over Ottawa's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot.
U.S. director of national drug policy John Walters has said that decriminalization could cause snarls at the Canada-U.S. border as customs inspectors would have to step up their searches for drugs.
With no sense of irony, Mr. Walters characterized Canada's drug problem as "out of control" and expressed concern about the large amount of British Columbian marijuana that makes its way to the U.S.
Those concerns led Mr. Cauchon to meet with U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft on Tuesday. Mr. Cauchon would not discuss the meeting other than to say that it was "cordial."
Cordial or not, the meeting produced howls of outrage from opposition members of Parliament who accused the justice minister of contempt of Parliament for consulting with U.S. officials before discussing the bill with his fellow MPs.
Mr. Cauchon countered by saying that MPs have been consulted in that a parliamentary committee reviewed the bill. And Speaker Peter Milliken said he found no breach of the privilege of Parliament.
Nevertheless, given that Prime Minister Jean Chretien admitted Ottawa is concerned about Washington's threats, and given that Mr. Cauchon decided to delay introduction of the bill the day after meeting with Mr. Ashcroft, it's entirely reasonable for MPs to be concerned that the U.S. is interfering with Canadian drug policy.
posted on May 18, 2003 05:01:52 PM new
Thanks for that article Helen! It's difficult when you live next to the most powerful nation on earth.
There's big money in drugs, especially mj because it doesn't need any processing. If it became legal, people could grow their own and billions would be lost. That's why it's a big problem with the goverment. If pot could be controlled by the goverment, it would've never become illegal to begin with.
