Poll: Marijuana Law Reform

[_CY_]

old lies die hard .. it's hard for the folks that still believe pot is a schedule I drug, bad as heroin with no medicinal values ... to wake up to states all over legalizing pot or that pot actually has proven medicinal properties with life changing help for some.

or that Colorado is experiencing a dramatic drop in highway fatalities after pot legalization. on top of raising millions $$$ in new taxes, along with driving one of the fastest growing economy in USA, etc. etc. etc.

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New DEA Head Believes Medical Marijuana Should Remain Schedule I
Sep 10, 2015

Although a nation of marijuana reform advocates had hoped that former DEA director Michele Leonhart’s successor would be more progressive in his or her approach to the drug war, a recent interview with Chuck Rosenberg, the man now overseeing the DEA’s daily operations, proves that our wishes have not come true.

Last week, while sitting down with Fox News to discuss the heroin epidemic currently sweeping the United States, Rosenberg said that although he doesn’t feel marijuana is as dangerous as heroin, he also doesn’t believe it deserves to be reclassified under the Controlled Substances Act.

“Marijuana is dangerous,” Rosenberg said. “It certainly is not as dangerous as other Schedule I controlled substances; it's not as dangerous as heroin, clearly, but it's still dangerous. It's not good for you. I wouldn't want my children smoking it. I wouldn't recommend that anyone do it. So I don't frankly see a reason to remove it.”

 

[otis147]

 

[_CY_]

Ask anybody with a criminal record what it's like trying to find steady employment or fair respectable wages. It's virtually impossible. Once you are stuck with a criminal record, you will be forever trapped in a downward cycle that few manage to escape. In most states you will NEVER be allowed to do anything that involves being licensed or bonded. So what aspirations do you have left in life? Considering how many career options can't even legally hire you with a criminal conviction (not to mention the untold number of careers that can but won't even consider a criminal), you are now faced with trying to rebuild your life with a huge handicap.

The United States has the [highest incarceration rate in the world](us has highest incarceration rate in the world). Higher than China, Russia, North Korea, or even almost all of Europe combined. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons over half of the entire US prison population is in prison for drug related offenses. This combined with other programs including mandatory minimum sentences and the three strikes have resulted in a system that permanently entraps people into a life of crime and poverty.

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

Chart Label Offense # of Inmates % of Inmates
a Banking and Insurance, Counterfeit, Embezzlement 668 0.3%
b Burglary, Larceny, Property Offenses 8,077 4.2%
c Continuing Criminal Enterprise 442 0.2%
d Courts or Corrections 816 0.4%
e Drug Offenses 93,262 48.3%
f Extortion, Fraud, Bribery 12,183 6.3%
g Homicide, Aggravated Assault, and Kidnapping Offenses 5,569 2.9%
h Immigration 17,653 9.1%
i Miscellaneous 1,575 0.8%
j National Security 73 0.0%
k Robbery 7,119 3.7%
l Sex Offenses 14,074 7.3%
m Weapons, Explosives, Arson 31,648 16.4%

 

[_CY_]

Canada to become first G7 nation to legalize marijuana: government

Ottawa (AFP) - Canada will next year become the first country in the G7 bloc of leading economies to legalize marijuana, the government said Friday in a speech by the governor general.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised the move during the recent election campaign that swept his Liberals to power, after two previous administrations failed to follow through on a similar pledge.

 

[_CY_]

In a nationally representative sample of US high school seniors, 3/4 of high school heroin users started with prescription opioidsSocial Science (psypost.org)

http://www.psypost.org/2015/12/stud...users-started-with-prescription-opioids-39687

 

[CHenry]

http://www.thelostogle.com/2015/12/...lman-knows-the-best-place-to-buy-glass-pipes/

 

[Raoul Duke]

States with Medical MJ show reduction in obesity rates:

Abstract
This study is the first to examine the effects of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on body weight, physical wellness, and exercise. Using data from the 1990 to 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a difference-in-difference approach, we find that the enforcement of MMLs is associated with a 2% to 6% decline in the probability of obesity. We find some evidence of age-specific heterogeneity in mechanisms. For older individuals, MML-induced increases in physical mobility may be a relatively important channel, while for younger individuals, a reduction in consumption of alcohol, a substitute for marijuana, appears more important. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that MMLs may be more likely to induce marijuana use for health-related reasons among older individuals, and cause substitution toward lower-calorie recreational ‘highs’ among younger individuals. Our estimates suggest that MMLs induce a $58 to $115 per-person annual reduction in obesity-related medical costs.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.3267/abstract

 

[CHenry]

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2015/12/17/77478662/

 

[Frederick]

I don't think any type of medication should be off limits to a physician if the medication is scientifically proven to be beneficial.

That being said, my brother is addicted to marijuana and i don't think we as a society should look kindly on such things.

 

[CHenry]

I don't think any type of medication should be off limits to a physician if the medication is scientifically proven to be beneficial.

That being said, my brother is addicted to marijuana and i don't think we as a society should look kindly on such things.

Pot is not chemically addictive. Period. Psychologically maybe but there are no withdrawals when one quits or goes without for a period of time. Its in his head.