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NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

theguardian.com

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Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#81

Post by victorf »

verbin217 wrote: post #46
threeseed wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Give us all a break. 'Technical people' are just as (if not more likely) to be biased than ordinary people. Marijuana is safer than cigarettes and alcohol but it is hardly harmless and we definitely don't know enough about its effect on the brain especially amongst younger users. But of course you will often see such concerns dismissed.

> 'Technical people' are just as (if not more likely) to be biased than ordinary people. True but they at least have facts ready to support their biases. ;) So many nerds assume they're above confirmation bias without considering the sophistication effect.

Which study on technical people having facts to support their biases are you referencing? :)

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#82

Post by victorf »

threeseed wrote: post #35
smewpy wrote: post #23

Yet another datapoint that marijuana vaporizers are a great bet for a hardware startup.

Any basic hardware like this is quickly commoditised by the China manufacturing machine. So no. It isn't a great bet for a hardware startup.

Until the next lead paint or tainted milk scandal, when Chinese vaporizers will have a massive stigma.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#83

Post by ck2 »

Most neighborhoods I've lived in my life, people drink too much. Every six months or so, there is a DUI arrest where a cop has actually followed the idiot all the way home at (and I've seen people get into/out of the car so drunk they go to the bathroom on the side of their car).

I don't care if people smoke pot in their apartments. But once it's legal, it's not going to stop there and I am not sure what can be done about respecting others, if anything, since that is probably a core problem of personality far beyond pot smoking.

I worry if everyone is going to be walking around everywhere smoking it because they don't think anyone is going to stop them. I personally don't care for it and I suspect my right to not be bothered by it is not going to be respected in the least.

If there is a solution to making others respect smoking only in their homes, I'd love to hear it.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#84

Post by moocowduckquack »

jlgreco wrote: post #76
bdcravens wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm only responding to the article, and the comptroller's proposal, which is independent of actions taken in Colorado. 4th paragraph: under my proposal, only adults age 21 and over would be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana – which would be grown, processed, and sold by government-licensed businesses for recreational or medicinal purposes. As written, this seems to imply those licenses won't be issue ar…

I am not familiar with the Colorado system, but that sounds similar to the Washington system. In order to grow or sell you need to buy a license (available in November I believe). This system is not going to restrict strains or products in any meaningful way. No more so than government issued licenses for medical grow ops have restricted strains... As most here are probably aware, the existence of government licensed…

As far as I am aware, Colorado has not changed the law on anything commercial, so there is no commercial growers license yet. I think they are intending to though from what I have read.

edit - on the other hand, after reading zevyoura's post, evidently I may be talking rubbish.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#85

Post by tomflack »

ck2 wrote: post #83

Most neighborhoods I've lived in my life, people drink too much. Every six months or so, there is a DUI arrest where a cop has actually followed the idiot all the way home at (and I've seen people get into/out of the car so drunk they go to the bathroom on the side of their car). I don't care if people smoke pot in their apartments. But once it's legal, it's not going to stop there and I am not sure what can be done…

It's effectively the same problem as smoking cigarettes and "respecting others."

The gentlemen who live next door to me love to chain-smoke on their balcony. It annoys me but I have no legal recourse. I can only ask them nicely to please not smoke when I have washing on my balcony, or I'm sitting out there enjoying the sunshine, or I have the door open to air out my apartment.

Replace cigarettes with marijuana, heroin, alcohol, cocaine, loud music or any other substance people use for enjoyment and it's the same story. You're 100% right in saying it's a problem of people respecting others.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#86

Post by zevyoura »

jlgreco wrote: post #76
bdcravens wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm only responding to the article, and the comptroller's proposal, which is independent of actions taken in Colorado. 4th paragraph: under my proposal, only adults age 21 and over would be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana – which would be grown, processed, and sold by government-licensed businesses for recreational or medicinal purposes. As written, this seems to imply those licenses won't be issue ar…

I am not familiar with the Colorado system, but that sounds similar to the Washington system. In order to grow or sell you need to buy a license (available in November I believe). This system is not going to restrict strains or products in any meaningful way. No more so than government issued licenses for medical grow ops have restricted strains... As most here are probably aware, the existence of government licensed…

There's an excellent overview of Colorado's system in this Fresh Air interview: http://www.npr.org/2012/11/13/164981433/legalizing-and-regul...

Colorado has the most strictly regulated system anywhere, including the ability to trace all retail sales back to the plant they were grown on, 24 hour video surveillance of all legal growers, and background checks that should eliminate most of the criminal element in the trade (which is a huge problem in California).

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#87

Post by zevyoura »

ck2 wrote: post #83

Most neighborhoods I've lived in my life, people drink too much. Every six months or so, there is a DUI arrest where a cop has actually followed the idiot all the way home at (and I've seen people get into/out of the car so drunk they go to the bathroom on the side of their car). I don't care if people smoke pot in their apartments. But once it's legal, it's not going to stop there and I am not sure what can be done…

The solution is the same as alcohol: ban smoking in public, then ticket violators. This kind of relatively minor negative effect is a silly objection to a proposal with so many potential positives.

Also, if you've ever visited Venice Beach or San Francisco, you'll know this is not a problem that's solved by prohibition.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#88

Post by oleganza »

ck2 wrote: post #83

Most neighborhoods I've lived in my life, people drink too much. Every six months or so, there is a DUI arrest where a cop has actually followed the idiot all the way home at (and I've seen people get into/out of the car so drunk they go to the bathroom on the side of their car). I don't care if people smoke pot in their apartments. But once it's legal, it's not going to stop there and I am not sure what can be done…

Insurance.

If you buy a house in a district, you may or may not buy an insurance against neighbour's misbehaviour. But the first condition of the insurance is that you respect your neighbours yourself according some existing arrangements (specified in your insurance). Now if anyone is too loud when not appropriate, or drunk as hell, or peeing on your lawn, the insurance company will:

1. Pay you a compensation.

2. Make investigation.

3. Penalize the neighbour by raising his insurance fees (or via his insurer as they'd have some mutual agreements) or demanding a compensation from him. If he does not pay, his insurance is simply cancelled without cops and jails.

4. For ugly cases when neighbour is misbehaving too much (killing pets, breaking windows etc.), insurance company may have also agreements with water supplier's, wifi supplier's etc insurance companies that supplier cuts water/wifi/etc until the guy pays a compensation. Again, without cops, laws, police.

And if the guy goes to journalists and alternative insurer to whom he'll prove he wasn't that bad, just someone is exaggerating, then that insurer will make a good PR case and steal customers from abusive insurers. Or highlight the whole neighbourhood as a weird place to be or something.

The main point is, it's all done without guns and jails. This way every party has voice and can communicate their position any time they want to anyone. And insurers would have to strike a good balance between protecting customers and pissing them off. Like any non-monopoly business is doing already anywhere in the world.

So in one district it could be 100% okay to smoke and get drunk, while in another people would prefer less loud activities. The idea of a regional law just does allow this to happen.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#89

Post by coreyja »

dalek_cannes wrote: post #69
corporalagumbo wrote: post #59

Looks like the tide is really turning on legalisation - more and more political rats are turning over and claiming they have always been in favour of legalisation. Tacky, but still a sign of progress.

But will it bring back hemp? America lost a billion dollar crop when it lost hemp: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp#Uses

In colorado with Amendment 64 there is a distinction between Hemp and marijuana. So one can safetly grow hemp for use in papers or bracelets or whatever else you want. It isn't regulated like Marijuana will be.

For those who are unaware, it is possible to grow hemp that does not contain the THC that gives people a high which is found in marijuana. Though I suspect most people here already know that.

Re: NY Comptroller: Legalise marijuana, tax it and end wrongheaded war on pot

#90

Post by ollysb »

ck2 wrote: post #83

Most neighborhoods I've lived in my life, people drink too much. Every six months or so, there is a DUI arrest where a cop has actually followed the idiot all the way home at (and I've seen people get into/out of the car so drunk they go to the bathroom on the side of their car). I don't care if people smoke pot in their apartments. But once it's legal, it's not going to stop there and I am not sure what can be done…

Doesn't this argument apply just as much to smoking cigarettes? They're banned from pretty much anywhere they might disturb you, transport, restaurants, bars etc. It seems the balance is pretty good between allowing you to smoke and preventing it from disturbing people that don't want to smell it.
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