Marijuana Legalization/Decriminalization Efforts

[Quixon]

I'm sure there will be a market for it. Weed grows much quicker and easier than tobacco, it's called weed for a reason :-p. Yes economies of scale are still huge when you are talking "big tobacco", but I do not see them pulling enough of the market away from the smaller growers to completely knock out competition.

It'll be just like alcohol.

Do you want the plastic handle of Bartons for $6.99, or do you want the Handle of Kettle One for $60.

[Roranora]

Imagine, generic mj cigs would be so bad. But yep, there'll be some new smokeshop market out there, especially for the states that may directly transition from illegal to legal in retail, without having years of medical marijuana across cities like Cali and CO.

Instead of the carton of Marlboro Ms for $89.95, I want the brownie mix for $45.

[djzombie]

The sad thing is from a lot of those comments is that's what certain potential consumers do want.

They don't want to buy it from a gardener/hippie with a huge electric bill. They want to buy Marlboro Ms, regardless of what chemicals that might bring along with it.

well I think we can all agree those people are fucking idiots.

[Kyreth]

Folks DO know the Phillip Morris post is a fake, right?

That being said, you'd likely have to see a national decriminalization on use before that big a company got into the market. If for no other reason than supplying that much weed to MAKE mass production happen.

[Roranora]

Yeah we covered it's fake. But it's relevant and not that unbelievable, except the stock price jump.. or drug lord talks, haha.

[djzombie]

here at work so didnt really get to read the article, saw a rriend posted it on facebook, not surprised at all its fake, I do thinks its just a matter of time before somethin like that happens though, so whynot discuss the possible shortcomings and intentional fuckuppery of something that works just fine without being altered from its natural state.

[toqabowl]

[SamanosukeShiva]

I LOOOOOOOVE this vid, the Deputy of Drug Policy got his ass handed to him.

[Tokitoki]

I LOOOOOOOVE this vid, the Deputy of Drug Policy got his ass handed to him.

How he can relate prescription drug abuse/addiction (oxy, vicodin, etc.) to medical marijuana at the end of the video is beyond me. There are 0 deaths due to marijuana OD (because how the hell are you doing to OD on weed anyway?), but there are plenty of deaths related to ODing on prescription drugs.

There is a large difference in the way these effect you. That he tried to say medical marijuana is even within the same realm as being addicted to xanax, oxy, vicodin, etc. is amazing to me. Yes, victims (whether they were addicted or a family member/friend/whatever) of prescription drug abuse will be wary of something new being passed out by doctors and hospitals that people could become addicted to, the type and possible effects of addiction are wholly different.

Well, maybe the type of addiction is not so different in that painkillers and the like are probably not physically addictive in the same sense as nicotine, but it is certainly not an addiction that will directly cause the death of a loved one.

[archibaldcrane]

Opioid painkillers (Percocet, Oxycodone, Codeine, Vicodin) can be physically addctive.

[Tokitoki]

Opioid painkillers (Percocet, Oxycodone, Codeine, Vicodin) can be physically addctive.

Thanks. I thought they were, but was too lazy to look it up.

[Roranora]

Title change to "Industrial Hemp and Marijuana.." ok not really but this goes here:


some random articles about obammer's signature and watch out for CannaVest Corp (CANV) and US Hemp Oil (USHO) apparently.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed...some-us-states
article

Spoiler: show

What kind of a country would prohibit cultivation of one of the most useful plants on the planet?

If you live in the United States, the answer is your very own homeland.

That plant is hemp, which has been used by civilizations everywhere since ancient times for such practical purposes as paper, rope, food products and more.

So why has growing hemp been a crime in the US for so many years?

Because hemp is another name for cannabis sativa, the scientific name for the plant commonly known as “marijuana.” Even though hemp was an important crop throughout much of American history, anti-marijuana hysteria in the 1930s led to it being outlawed.

After the 1930s, George Washington's advice to "make the most of the Indian hemp seed and sow it everywhere" was largely forgotten.

Government wises up

But there is light on the horizon. Finally, after several decades of ignorant, fear-based attitudes toward restoring legal hemp farming in America, Congress took a step in the right direction in passing the farm bill in early February.

President Barack Obama signed the bill Friday in East Lansing, Mich., making hemp farming legal under federal law at pilot programs across the nation in states that have already legalized the versatile crop.

As the Washington Post reported Wednesday, a brief section buried deep in the 959-page bill authorizes colleges and universities to be authorized to grow industrial hemp for research purposes if they are located in a state that allows hemp to be grown and cultivated.

At this point, nine states allow hemp farming, the Post reported: California, Oregon, Montana, Colorado, North Dakota, Kentucky, West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine. An additional 11 states have hemp-legalization bills pending this year, according to the Post.

The industrial hemp industry is now poised to become a major fact of American life, eventually bringing job growth to wide swaths of the country.

Hemp produces one of the most useful fibers known to man. HempHistory.org says it produces 10 percent more fiber than cotton or flax when grown on the same land. Hemp will become a common fiber for making all manner of textiles.

The hemp seed is packed with nutrition, including essential fatty acids and proteins. Nutiva.com provides this useful information:

A recent report funded by the Canadian government states that hemp protein is comprised of 66 percent high-quality edistin protein, and that hempseed contains the highest percentage of this of any plant source. Hemp also contains three times the vitamin E contained in flax. Unlike soy, hemp is not genetically modified, and it doesn’t contain the anti-nutritional qualities commonly found in soy.

Hemp’s uses don’t stop there. A 2010 article in USA Today called homes built out of hemp the “cutting edge of green building.”

Hemp is not a drug

Best of all, for those who erroneously believe that hemp is somehow going to get everyone who touches it high as a kite, there is absolutely no risk of that happening.

Just as an intoxicating drink can be made from, say, corn or apples, cannabis sativa can be cultivated in a way to produce buds packing psychoactive chemicals that will indeed change the perceptions of the users. But hemp cultivated for more practical purposes is not at all suited for recreational drug use. Just as people can eat corn on the cob and apple pie with no intoxicating effects, we can happily consume hemp seeds and keep a clear head, too.

In the space of a few years, we will come to realize that outlawing hemp was one of the most counterproductive measures in American history.

To put it as bluntly as possible, legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes is a completely separate issue from legalizing industrial hemp for the aforementioned uses and more. If you’re one of those people who is always complaining about Congress and the president, why not take the time to contact your congressional representatives and thank them for doing something right? And if you want to thank the man who signed the bill that legalized hemp farming, the president can be reached here.

It’s not every day we can say our government made a wise decision, but today – at least as it relates to the future of hemp farming – is one of those days.

http://globenewswire.com/news-releas...evolution.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pre...k=MW_news_stmp

[notorious bum]

Yeah, when I learned about the history of Hemp about 5 or 6 years ago through my own research and talking to folks about it, I realized it was just another huge waste of resources the govt had mandated to handicap overall quality of life for corporate benefit. Comes without surprise nowadays.

[BaneTheBrawler]

there was a documentary about it on history/discovery/whatever quite a few years ago. was fascinating stuff. i miss that sort of content from those channels.

[RKenshin]

Title change to "Industrial Hemp and Marijuana.." ok not really but this goes here:


some random articles about obammer's signature and watch out for CannaVest Corp (CANV) and US Hemp Oil (USHO) apparently.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed...some-us-states
article


http://globenewswire.com/news-releas...evolution.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pre...k=MW_news_stmp

I'd like to thank you for mentioning that...


I can't even believe it's still going up... has almost a $2bil evaluation right now? This just seems silly.

[BaneTheBrawler]

compulsive gambling.


ib4t hemp bubble pops.

[RKenshin]

[Roranora]

fuck you soybeans, cotton, wood pulp, and corn. and that's without super biofuel tech that can't be so far away. sigh, shrug, i dunno. i'll just get high

srsly tho, textiles and veggie foods


I've got a hemp expo I'll attend on April 5th, trying to network with and meet some of these first farmers planting fields of hemp again in the US. (*'-'); It should be interesting.

[Tarage]

http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/95...s-this-the-end

Turns out the government, even progressive ones, are still greedy as fuck.

[Roranora]

It'll be interesting to see how many states 'do it right' or whatever, and how many bottle all the revenue up neatly for themselves via ABC Liquors and things.

O/U @ 41.5 states go for the monopoly