4-20-20 Let's talk about....
6Adoloph Hitler’s birthday
Columbine
Deep Water Horizon
Nah, screw it… let’s talk about POT! (Didn’t see that coming, I bet!)
As a child of the 70’s I had my share of exposure to ‘whacky tabacky’, whether it was in High School tokin’ up before going to gym class… I took night classes for one semester to get my mandatory gym requirement out of the way so I could escape graduate HS early. The other kids in the class were all taking it to get the needed credit made up due to having failed PE. About the only way to fail PE was to not dress out, so needless to say these were not the jock set. As I have mentioned before I was a nerdy kid, and not at all PE “A student” material. Another guy who was getting out early and I would light up on the way to class at night, and since we
a) dressed out
b) participated
c) showered after class
we were the top students in the class. It was a fun time, and made the drudgery of PE more bearable. BTW, I got a C in the class that met during the day.
… or during College, living in the Mile High State. I had two roommates that were both Dutch and we kept a communal stock of all the necessities of life. Each week we took turns shopping. One would go to the grocery store, one to the liquor store, and the other would have the week off. The next week we would rotate thru the list… It all worked out well, we each spent about the same amount of $$ over all and once in a while we would all pony up come cash and buy an oz or so and split that which got us some volume discounts that would not have been possible otherwise.
Now I am an ER nurse, live in a state that frowns on all things herb related (though you can at least find CBD oil for those that benefit from its use), and don’t want to jeopardize my freedom, livelihood or potentially my life dealing with dealers.
I have travelled to several states with “relaxed” pot laws, but as of yet have not made the effort to partake, especially since SWMBO is not a big fan. My fond memories of lighting up all involve others around me, and I really can’t remember smoking all alone. Wait… NO, I DON’T mean I have no memory of those episodes, but rather that they very rarely (if ever) happened.
So, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Do you think marijuana should be decriminalized and routinely available?
Do you live in a state with relaxed MJ laws?
TL:DR Cannabis… HELL Yeah!
- 8 comments, 10 replies
- Comment
This state has not done so, and my friend found out the hard way how they try to make it a felony if caught. I also seriously doubt they will do that here.
I don’t smoke, but one of my friends does. She used to grow a small amount of weed in her back yard, hidden from other houses by the U shape of her house (along with the privacy that comes with living on 1.5 acres), along with cherry tomato plants and strawberries. I’d water the lot of the plants, eat the ripe tomatoes and strawberries (with permission) when she’d go out of town, and feed her two horses and 4 cats.
Then one day a neighbor got pissed at her and turned her in. In this state, or at least her town, they weigh the entire plant, including roots without shaking out the soil to try to make it heavy enough to be a felony.
I seriously doubt this state will ever legalize it if that behavior is common in all jurisdictions here. It they do legalize then, at least to me, the issue for all these folks who were arrested and convicted, is then what happens now that something no longer illegal. Yes they broke the law of the time, but then if the law was changed what they did wouldn’t be illegal anymore. So do they all get out of jail or off of electronic monitoring, do their records get then get expunged?
@Kidsandliz
Not with Moscow Mitch packing the courts with white privileged male uber-conservative (PC for
racist“good ol’ boy” Christo-fascists) judges for the next few decades.In California, no surprise, it’s been legal for medicinal purposes for quite awhile and at the recreational level as of April 2019 (quite a 4-20 celebration last year). Most counties are also expunging previous convictions for possession.
This year, the
dealerslicensed dispensaries are offering curbside pickup and home delivery during the stay at home orders, especially for today.Amazing how fast marijuana went from illegal to essential in states that have legalized it for medical and/or recreational use.
In my younger days I partook but it was only in social situations. I do wish they would legalize it for recreational use throughout the country to allow our law enforcement to concentrate on more serious matters.
About the author: Hugh was busted for conspiracy to import and distribute 12,000 pounds of marijuana. He spent 5 years in Federal Prison for this indiscretion and learned quickly that he was not suited to that way of life. He has since mended his lowdown ways. His ways, but not his beliefs. The biggest lesson he learned while ‘vacationing with the Feds,’ was just how ludicrous our laws against marijuana truly are. A crime involving marijuana often earns a much longer prison stay than does armed bank robbery. Is there a problem here? What do you think?
@callow yeah, that is crazy. It is a fact that criminal penalties for some crimes don’t really ‘balance out’ with other crimes that most people would consider more onerous. Maybe some day we will see MJ legalized across the board and we can move on to other more important issues…
When I was 19 I was arrested for possession of marijuana along with 3 of my friends. We had left the bar (I had a fake id, they were all over 21) and went across the street into the apartment complex to smoke. The cops completely tore up my car, they ripped my back seat up so it no longer attached and would slide around, they took my school homework and emptied all the papers out of folders, it was a disaster. Anyways we all bailed ourselfs our and I used my 7411. (plead guilty, did the probation, jams, community service, etc and it was erased from my record.) but those if you who don’t know about 7411 it’s specifically for drug charges and you can only use it once.
So now almost 20 years later live in the same state and recreation use is legal. I really hope they go and take that off my record (even though it’s erased from my record the courts can still see that I’ve used it). Not that I do any other drugs, I really don’t even smoke anymore. I just don’t wanna be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be shit out of luck, I like to have options.
@star2236 Well THAT sux. Unfortunately I don’t see a relaxation at the FED level anytime soon. At least now you have the option of smoking/eating or whatever if you so desire. Locally (Alabama) I don’t see that coming at the state level, but I hope I am wrong.
I live in Oklahoma. This is the last place one would expect to find it legalized at all, but we apparently have one of the most lax medical laws in the country.
I’ve spoken to several people that have their cards. One of them told me that when he did got his, he was in a room with several people and they passed a phone around with the prescribing doctor on it and they all got their cards.
For myself I haven’t ever touched the stuff, but I think it should be fully legal and taxed - just as long as the taxes actually go to something other than lining pockets (see the promises made for allowing the lottery in Oklahoma).
@jst1ofknd Yeah, though I don’t know if I would smoke anymore, I think the option should be available if you so desire.
Here in Ohio it has been decriminalized for smaller amounts (not legal, mind you, just a ticket-able offense) for quite some time, but our medical laws are so stupid most people buy it out of state or find black market ways of procuring it. Back in my day, you couldn’t get federal student aid if you had a drug conviction. Nothing like keeping someone down for a plant.
Just so you know reading your title I heard…
@tinamarie1974 Damn… I still got it!
/giphy whoohoo
@chienfou
@tinamarie1974 I love it when you giggle…
It’s legal in my state but I really wish the rest of the country would get with it and legalize it because we get young transients moving here for it. They even hold signs blatantly begging for handouts specifically for pot.
@Kyeh yeah, I refer to my time in Colorado during my triage assessments in the ER.
Q: Do you do any drugs… pot, coke, etc? Been to CO or OR lately?
If they say “no” and look shocked I mention the fact that pot was everywhere in CO in the 70’s so I wonder how they get anything done now…ya know, the capital is not the mile high city for nothing!
@chienfou @Kyeh Ha ha
That’s a lot like joining an online shopping forum to ask for handouts.
@chienfou @therealjrn
Well, you can always channel your inner Nancy Reagan…