Friday, August 27

Regulation reduces teenage access.

With MJ being on the ballot in CA for legalization there is going to be opposition to this law. Some of the strongest opposition will come from parents of children. They will sling comments about how legalization sends a bad message to children or use the tried and true statement "what about the children?". While many drug law reformers such as my self laugh in the face of the comment. I think we need to stop laughing about it and start teaching these parents the facts. Here is a nice fact about teenage usage. According to a 2009 survey called Monitoring the Future, about 7 percent of 8th-graders, 16 percent of 10th-graders, and 21 percent of 12th-graders had used marijuana in the month before the survey. Not to mention another survey that stated most High School Students found it easier to get MJ in less than an hour than it was to get alcohol. Whats even more interesting is that these numbers could be low people don't generally like to self incriminate themselves even in anonymous surveys.

With these facts in mind can you say that our current MJ laws work? Sure we arrested 849k people for MJ last year that's got to make a difference right? Well it doesn't arresting/ fining non violent users doesn't reduce the use . Arresting a MJ dealer will get that one off the street so another one can take his place. The war on MJ is an un-winnable war that has not even gotten close to accomplishing its task of creating a MJ free world. The worst part to me though is parents who blindly say lets keep pot illegal because its bad for teenagers or morally wrong etc.

These people keep it so that teenagers have access to MJ. You know why teenagers have access to MJ? Its because drug dealers don't ID. If we made MJ legal and regulated it similar to alcohol and tobacco i can with out a doubt say that teenage MJ usage would decrease. It won't go away but it can be decreased by simply legalizing it and regulating it. As for moral arguments against the use of MJ i say keep morals out of the law. When society regulates morality it creates a crime out of nothing. There is more to be said about this subject but now is not the time or place.

Hopefully one parent will read this article and change their mind if so then i did what i wanted. Some may read it and say just another dumb stoner wanting weed to be in the super market. I really just want people to realize that current laws don't work and that they create a crime out of something that harms no one else but the user. To allow for the pursuit of happiness as long as that pursuit doesn't tread on the rights of others thats what i want.

6 comments:

  1. Great article. I was particularly impressed with the point about how legalization and regulation would actually hinder underage use. When I hear these discussions my first thought is generally, "really, did we learn nothing from prohibition?"

    This topic is difficult because there is a strong and vocal opposition that doesn't care about facts, doesn't care about simple comparisons of alcohol related deaths vs MJ related deaths. These people appear without imagination and common sense, instead they cling to morality without a real explanation of what makes the act itself immoral.

    The big problem that we face in this battle is the stigma attached to those in favor of legalization. Phish concerts don't further the cause. Neither do hemp purses and tie dyed shirts. What does help is conscientious and measured discourse with the full weight of logic behind it. And it requires some level of commitment from those too frightened of the stigma to admit they've been part of it themselves.

    So, it's confession time. I've smoked marijuana, I'm not proud of it - but I'm not denying it either. I enjoyed myself when I did it and my life did not come to an end as a result. I'm thirty years old, a homeowner with a wife, 2 dogs and 2 cats. I enjoy a good book when time permits, good music, agreeable company, and of course World of Warcraft.

    Keep up the good work.

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  2. Well I currently don't partake i did when i was younger. However i graduated with honors from high school and my community college tech degree. So the people stating it makes you dumb cling to the refer madness. I also am a father and husband and the main provider for my family. I work full time and go to class full time. I have a great work ethic and usually early to work, and class.

    Whats funny is that most MJ smokers are like drinkers they only do it infrequently and normally to relax. Glad to see some of my readers enjoy the post. I personally would par take more if it were legal but it would not intefere with my job or school.

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  3. Nice topic.

    Legalizing it won't mean that every person will use it either, I'm from the Netherlands where it's 'legal', it all works really strange, but alas that doesn't matter.

    People who are against it still won't use it themselves, but will accept others are using it.
    It's a bit like alcohol used to be, bad for your eyes, brains, whatever excuse they used ages ago to keep people away from that devilish brew.
    This world has too much taboo in it, including nature movies/clips (porn or educational), soft drugs, discrimination (people don't want it to be there, but it's there, saying it's bad won't make it go away you know) and a lot other things.

    Most countries still cling to tradition and old fashioned thinking, but nothing will progress if you stick to old habits, you have to expand your imagination and innovate the good things into something better.
    The laws, regulations, policies, cooperation, you name it and it has room for improvement.

    No government or dictator can rule without the support of the majority, people can make a difference, stand up against these kind of imprisoned feelings and thoughts and improve your life and that of others.

    Most of us live in a democracy but we are afraid to say what we really want, not really democratic is it, almost feels like a republic with a dictator (can be a group too, aristocracy).

    Aah, I'm getting way of track, sorry, but you'll get the point, too much old fashioned thinking. The new generation thinks different about most things, but aren't vouching for their opinion in times when it matters most.

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  4. so lets see if you will post a dissenting comment... One your survey is fine for the locality and timing for which it was taken... it, in no way, is descriptive of MJ use in America... whilst a great data point, please try to use documented and peer reviewed statistics to make your point... but, I do have some other concern that I would like your thinking on...

    What do you mean by the term "non-violent"? Non-violent to whom? Have you considered the ancillary criminal activities that accommodate the sale and distribution of MJ to be non-violent?

    Society has placed a value to not allow drugs that can be abused or mind-altering or addictive on the open market... many countries have different standards applied, but all regulate drugs in some manner... MJ has a long term negative affect on reasoning and memory (double peer reviewed legitimate research) and continues in the body for up to six weeks... whereas 1 ounce of alcohol is metabalized in about an hour for a normal sized person in good health... how would you propose regulations to limit those 'under the influence' from operating vehicles, tools, and large machinery?
    Are you advocating that MJ be allowed to sold to teenagers? if so, at what age? Are they capable of making a decision that takes into account all of the consequences of that decision, both positive and negative...

    After using MJ during work evnets and consequently being fired (same as the alcohol drinkers during work)... who then will suppport these individuals? How will they be able to keep their houses, their marriages, their families together? If not in a relationship, how long should the family tolerate/support these individuals? When that support goes away, how long should the tax payer take food off of their tables to bay for this persons' support? Realizing that this doesn't apply to a majority of MJ users, using our national experience with alcohol prohibition and the consequential same argument used to legalize it... there will be a significant minority of folks that this will apply to... Why are you advocating taking money from hard working people to pay for the party of the serial MJ user set?

    There are many solutions here needed to eliminate the 849k of users arrested... as claimed by you... Do you have any other ideas than the legalization of MJ to solve this? Ones that take into account measures to decrease the use of mind-altering drugs vice change the location of where you purchase it?

    Whilst your idea sounds great, I don't believe you have thought through the second, third and fourth order of affects of your advocated decision, most of which are not pretty and are certainly not 'non-violent'... I await your learned response...

    I apologize for going with the anonymous choice here but I do not have any other of the profiles in the choices provided.

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  5. anon.

    I plan to adress your comment as soon as i find the time to do a litle more research and pull up some information and get everything ploted down nice and neat. Thanks for your comment though i don't mind disenting oppinons i would prefer more if those people are of a mind to share their view in such a way that it is polite. Thank you for the intellegent response.

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  6. what i wanted. Some may read it and say just another dumb stoner wanting weed to be in the super market.Buy LOL Elo Boost
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    ReplyDelete