Fresno Bee: “FRESNO, Calif. — The operator of Fresno marijuana dispensary is pledging to continue selling marijuana even after a being found guilty of violating a court order banning him from selling the drug.” – Personally I don’t use drugs, and yes, I include Marijuana as a drug. We have a strange system here in California that allows it to be sold for medicinal purposes, but some are obviously questioning that. I’m of two minds on this subject, here are two options to “fix” the problem.
Better control
Why are pot businesses allowed to exist? In California I can’t even buy pseudoephedrine over the counter, that’s right, it’s controlled because it’s used by knuckleheads to create meth. Why is it Medical Marijuana isn’t controlled like any other prescription drug? Look. If I go out and break an arm and the doctor decides to prescribe some sort of pain medication I have to have that prescription fill by a pharmacist, someone that’s spent many years learning about the effects, and interactions, of drugs on the mind and body. Why is it medical marijuana isn’t sold by pharmacies? If it’s such an important drug in the treatment of certain medical conditions why isn’t it better controlled? It should be, just like all other mind altering medications. That’s one way to solve the issue. Shut down the private pot distribution facilities and distribute through qualified pharmacies.
Just legalize it
I’d imagine the first, and best option, isn’t all that popular with a certain crowd. Lets face it, most of the folks visiting the medical marijuana shops probably don’t need it for legitimate purposes. I’d bet there just addicted and like to get high. The second option is for them. Let’s just legalize it and sell it through Government controlled distribution facilities. In California we have liquor stores, but in states like Washington you have to purchase liquor through a state run facility. Why not create a state run pot store, or how about the dope store, yeah, I like that name. So if you wanted to get high you’d go to “The California Dope Store” and purchase your legal pack of marijuana cigarettes. They could tax the crap outta these things because it’s addictive and the folks that use them are desperate enough to pay for their high. Lets say a pack has five cigarettes in it and it’s, I dunno, $40.00? How much would it cost the State of California to grow and distribute this stuff versus what they could make selling it? This could be a great way to get the state out of trouble in the short term, because in the long term we’d be in trouble because all the doped up folks would quit working and spend all their food stamp money on Cheesy Poofs and more weed, but I digress. I’m not sure if the state is actually considering legislation to make the stuff legal, but it might be worth a try if it’s tightly controlled via state run farms and distribution centers. Food for thought.
5 replies on “The great California Marijuana problem”
Medical marijuana is legal under California state law. However selling, trading, possessing is illegal under federal law. So most of those legal dispensaries are still getting the dope through illegal means. I mean to say its not legal as it sounds.
So making it legalize means changing the federal law. Which I guess will imply that all other states can make it legal or not. So, California might not get the financial advantage as it is projected.
It’s so strange. If it’s illegal at the federal level how can we have pot repositories in California? Puzzling.
Like I said, this debate doesn’t hurt or help me because I’m not a drug user, but it would be nice to see this addressed.
Then again, we have bigger fish to fry.
Why is it medical marijuana isn’t sold by pharmacies?
Actually it is. The active ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be purchased in a pill form with a prescription. Same high, just a lot cleaner and a lot less expensive but not as cool.
If it’s such an important drug in the treatment of certain medical conditions, why isn’t it better controlled? That just it. Its not an “Important drug” in the treatment of anything, other than an escape from reality. It is the option of many in law enforcement, that the law was changed because the 40-70 year old crowd got tired of being arrested for smoking it. Truth is that if you really are in pain, you will want something that works…and for 99% of the people out there, its going to in pill/liquid form from a pharmacy.
John,
This is good information, thanks so much for adding to the conversation.
Robbie,
the costs to grow and distribute if free from having to operate as outlaws would be incredibly low. i imagine even the govt could turn a profit 🙂
the argument that it’s any worse than alcohol or nicotine are spurious at best.
and, in fact, i would go a step further and say that the *physically* addictive properties of thc are lower than alcohol OR nicotine. so, people get addicted psychologically — so what, they get addicted psychologically to lots of things that are legal — shopping, video games, porn, the internet, etc. that said, i’m not an m.d. and don’t purport to be an expert on the subject of addiction.
as it turns out, the biggest problem, apparently, with growing the female plant with the intent of getting ‘high’ is the male plants fertilizing the female and making them go to seed.
since the male plant is very aggressive with its pollen dissemination (i hear) the people trying to grow the plant to get high would have a massive problem, but for, the ‘government’ going out of its way to make it difficult to raise hemp plants for other legitimate purposes.
..unintended consequences of trying to control the uncontrollable…
oh, and on that note, you raise perhaps two much more interesting point in the grander scheme of things in your post. and that is,
what are the rights of the federal government to rule over the states? and
what responsibility does the collective have to support the individual who is unwilling or unable to work?
i would argue quite a bit less than the majority in the US apparently currently assert.
there has been a dangerous, in my opinion, aggregation of power over many many things at the federal level — especially so in the executive branch.
if one goes back and reads the constitution — if you believe in such things — it’s incredible how far we’ve strayed in the last 100 years.
but, that’s just my devalued two cents.
r8r