The Best Argument Against Marijuana Legalization

[bobandtorey]

What if Big Marijuana behaves like Big Alcohol and Big Tobacco?

With marijuana legalization now voter-approved in four states, a new major industry is beginning to form around selling legal pot for profit. But as more states consider whether to take on legalization, the rising industry has become the main target for opponents of legal pot.

"If we're not careful, the marijuana industry could quickly become the next Big Tobacco," warns the website for Grass Is Not Greener, a campaign launched by the anti-legalization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM).

 

RelatedBig Marijuana is scary. But not as scary as continuing prohibition.Imagine if the media covered alcohol like other drugs

There are many, many layers to marijuana laws and legalization. There are still major questions about the risks of teen use, whether marijuana really needs to be rescheduled to allow research into its medical use, and how legalization will ultimately affect rates of drug use.

But groups like SAM appear to have settled on a prominent target in their anti-legalization efforts: the marijuana industry. The big concern is that the drive for profit could encourage inappropriate marketing that leads to increased drug abuse.

The commercialization of pot creates bad incentives for for-profit companies

 

Read more here

 

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/23/6218695/case-against-pot-legalization-big-marijuana

[t-pain]

wheres big marijuana? another stupid myth from SAM.

[trichcycler]

whew....glad I didn't post that

[Chauncy Gardner]

I think that they have a point here. "Big Alcohol" pushes their product in order to increase sales. Why do this with marijuana? I don't know. Maybe it's no big deal, but I think that people would be more willing (considering the current attitudes about cannabis) to go for legalization if the drug wasn't "pushed" in public. Keep it low key. Grow your own or get some from a friend who grows. Keep big money out of cannabis. Alternatively, let the State grow and distribute it and keep all the profits to use for public works projects. That would be a win-win for everybody.

 

The reality TV show "High Profits" depicts a dispensary owner's problems trying to go mainstream in a small town in Colorado.  Recently the town council made the dispensary move out of town because they believed that the dispensary tarnished the town's image. The town voted for this despite the fact that 70% of them agree with marijuana legalization and the mayor shops at the dispensary. They just didn't want tourists to "get the wrong idea" about the town. Go figure.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Chauncy Gardner

[t-pain]

State growing sounds pretty dumb. They don't even grow crops.

[medmanmike]

State growing sounds pretty dumb. They don't even grow crops.

And if it's anything like the NIDA farm in Mississippi - fa get about it!

[t-pain]

It would be a good investment, if the state grew crops though. Also state credit card for the people. Why pay visa 30 percent Apr when that could be going to Michigan?

[AmishRnot4ganja]

State growing sounds pretty dumb. They don't even grow crops.

 

 

They would have to contract it out. Maybe from South America?

 

The State used to sell all hard liquor through State run stores and made good money doing it.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

It would be a good investment, if the state grew crops though. Also state credit card for the people. Why pay visa 30 percent Apr when that could be going to Michigan?

 

 

I don't think the Republicans would agree to that.

[zachw]

 

 

Smart Approaches to Marijuana envisions a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana’s harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more.

Our mission is to educate citizens on the science of marijuana and to promote health-first, smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and its consequences.

 

That's their mission statement; align policies with the understanding of marijuana's harms! So a priori they don't acknowledge any scientific understanding of marijuana's benefits.

[t-pain]

http://statenews.com/article/2015/05/marijuanafollowup-pxa-052715

 

Harsher Punishments

 

This symbolic amendment seems to create a situation that is worse for those charged with possession or use of marijuana, since being arrested or cited under state law, rather than the previous local city ordinance, carries potentially stricter and more costly punishments for offenders of the state law.

 

Jeffrey Hank • 16 days ago

 

It would have behooved the state news to contact me, since I organized the petition, and I could point them to legal authority which proves the city and the oppressor mayor Nathan "Vampire from Virginia Avenue" Triplett are lying and totally full of BS-- the ELPD is not required to enforce state marijuana laws. Just like Ann Arbor, they could choose not to, but the new Jim Crow types like Triplett love oppression, and they have contempt for voters, so they are openly thumbing their noses at the citizenry. The same goes for council member Boyle, a real enemy of freedom, and a stunted thinker. The people have spoken and the mini-me tyrants of EL government have once again shown they love the police state, and hate American freedom. Reminder that adultery and blasphemy laws are still on the books-- but never enforced….because of course, both the police and prosecutors have discretion. In this instance it is the choice of the powers that be to disregard the will of the people and continue a war of terror against the people. Vote for anybody but Triplett in November. We know too much to be fooled by the Vampire from Virginia, whose fangs are in the neck of Sparty, sucking the culture of this city.