What do you think of this issue, namely the legalization of cannabis? Is this a step in the right direction or the wrong direction for the people in Colorado and the US?
I would argue that this is a step in the wrong direction. I think the War on Drugs has failed and should be intelligently phased out, but we shouldn't fly to the other extreme and start selling more psychoactive drugs in stores. People should be educated about the effects of drugs as revealed by the latest science.
What do you think?
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Personally, I wouldn't touch weed, it's really bad for mindfulness especially, but I don't see why it should be illegal, considering that alcohol, which is at least equally as harmful, is legal and even promoted so blatantly.
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
One benefit is that there is a huge tax on it, and it could generate significant revenue for the state which could be put to good use..... Time will tell, though
Your question addresses a number of issues, many of which are multifaceted and not easily remedied.
There's plenty of educational material available, most don't care.
The average stoner just wants to get high. S/he gets busted, does jail time, mingles with hardened criminals, and gets a record that will affect future employment opportunities. The average drug dealer, on the other hand wants to make money. Lots of it. Often with violence ensuing. Treating them as equal under the law by providing equal punishment has resulted in prisons filled to capacity and increased criminal activity. The premise of legalization is that we ultimately create fewer criminals. Similar to the alcohol situation in the 1920's - if it's legal, the government can regulate it and make money.
However, under the "gateway drug" theory, more people will now try pot, decide they like the high, and move on to harder drugs. Most of our large cities have areas that are now effectively lawless, with drug gangs composed of unemployed youth shooting it out in turf battles daily. Young men with nothing to do will always find a way to get into trouble. Now, many of the blue collar type jobs this men used to find are now gone. The situation is pretty grim.
The so-called "War on Drugs" was a joke - mostly on the voters. Too many politicians, many of them closet users, too little understanding of drug culture and its causes, but it looked good on paper.
So, which is the "right" direction and which is "wrong?" Nothing is that clearly delineated when politics are involved.
Justsit wrote:The so-called "War on Drugs" was a joke - mostly on the voters. Too many politicians, many of them closet users, too little understanding of drug culture and its causes, but it looked good on paper.
Just to clarify, the War on Drugs is a joke. A bad one that hasn't ended and doesn't look like it will end any time soon.
Yours is a good analysis of the situation and I agree.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
It is not actually legal. It is still against federal law to buy / sell / possess marijuana in Colorado. The feds claim they are not going to fight the Colorado law, but they said the same thing about medical marijuana. There have been major crack downs when the feds are jonesing for a fix.
Sotthī hontu nirantaraṃ - May you forever be well.
manas wrote:Personally, I wouldn't touch weed, it's really bad for mindfulness especially, but I don't see why it should be illegal, considering that alcohol, which is at least equally as harmful, is legal and even promoted so blatantly.
I would say cannabis in small quantities has a faster and stronger effect then alcohol in small quantities.
http://www.dhammawheel.com/chat/
Unfettered at last, a traveling monk,
I pass the old Zen barrier.
Mine is a traceless stream-and-cloud life,
Of these mountains, which shall be my home?
Manan (1591-1654)
The local paper has reported that the rollout of "recreational" marijuana shops proceeded with relatively little drama, compared to some of the worries people have had about it.
The federal law against it is still on the books. Colorado is one of a few states that have put limits on what activities your employer can fire you for engaging in, but smoking marijuana is explicitly not protected that way. Even without that it would still seem like a bad idea to me. I think people underestimate the extent to which little impediments to mental functioning can interfere with your life.
I knew someone who experienced a lot of nausea while being treated for cancer. They gave her an extract from cannabis that contained some kind of anti-nausea agent, but not THC, but it was only of limited help. This has presumably biased me somewhat in discussions of "medical" marijuana. Using a less filtered form is not guaranteed to help people in her situation, but I'm inclined to accept some of the risks that come with allowing people to try.
I think it's not really obvious how as a society one should cope with things like this.
I think however for many of us there was a sense of frustration at the seeming indifference of those with any decision-making authority to the drawbacks of the way law enforcement was trying to fight it previously. People have looked to see whether the law was being enforced equitably, and although I suspect most of the people involved are decent, there seems to be this persistent bias toward engaging in raids on neighborhoods containing disadvantaged minorities and locking people up. Cocaine usage is allegedly similar all over, but in some places it results in a stream of imprisonments, while in other places it's just a little quiet secret. One also hears chronic horror stories about tactics like "civil forfeiture", occasional claims of people being framed as drug users and so on. If there is some change of strategy that would enable us to put a solid end to the struggle, nobody seems able to explain it. Meanwhile, some very violent people are profiting from the trade in illegal drugs. In the 1980s I heard people discuss how to reform anti-drug efforts. In the 1990s I heard people discuss how to reform the efforts. In the 00s I heard people discuss how to reform the efforts. If someone has a better idea of how to manage the situation, I'm glad to hear it, but for now we're going to give regulating it somewhat like alcohol a try.
If you ask me the taxes on pot in Colorado are ridiculously low, Marijuana costs about 1/4 as much to get wasted as it does to get drunk, why should alcohol cost 4 times as much, and pot be cheaper than a can of soda pop to get high, if you want to do drugs and f up your life you should pay for it, not bitch about the measly 20% tax you are paying.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John
If people are going to do drugs they will do drugs. With it being legal it's more controlled and more revenue goes back into the local economy. Tbh weed is no more evil than drink or cigarettes.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
clw_uk wrote:Tbh weed is no more evil than drink or cigarettes.
A friend of mine got addicted to nicotine through his use of weed so his use of it lead him to smoke cigarettes.
Not saying good or evil just simply what I have seen.
http://www.dhammawheel.com/chat/
Unfettered at last, a traveling monk,
I pass the old Zen barrier.
Mine is a traceless stream-and-cloud life,
Of these mountains, which shall be my home?
Manan (1591-1654)
clw_uk wrote:Tbh weed is no more evil than drink or cigarettes.
A friend of mine got addicted to nicotine through his use of weed so his use of it lead him to smoke cigarettes.
Not saying good or evil just simply what I have seen.
It does happen but from my experience drugs are far better when legalised
For example I have done weed through to cocaine and ketamine
I would have done this regardless of if it was legal or not
At least being legal it's controlled and the taxes help others. We don't need a nanny state when it comes to drugs, let adults make their own decisions.
I certainly don't agree with a Pot smoke or a coke user being condemned as a criminal like rapists and murderes
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
clw_uk wrote:Tbh weed is no more evil than drink or cigarettes.
A friend of mine got addicted to nicotine through his use of weed so his use of it lead him to smoke cigarettes.
Not saying good or evil just simply what I have seen.
It does happen but from my experience drugs are far better when legalised
For example I have done weed through to cocaine and ketamine
I would have done this regardless of if it was legal or not
At least being legal it's controlled and the taxes help others. We don't need a nanny state when it comes to drugs, let adults make their own decisions.
I certainly don't agree with a Pot smoke or a coke user being condemned as a criminal like rapists and murderes
Absolutely.
I would say prostitution is also safer when legalised. In both cases it is important to try to protect those who are vulnerable but driving it underground most likely creates more problems then solves.
Even if it were about equal it would free up capital through lower expenditure and tax to deal with rapists and murderers.
http://www.dhammawheel.com/chat/
Unfettered at last, a traveling monk,
I pass the old Zen barrier.
Mine is a traceless stream-and-cloud life,
Of these mountains, which shall be my home?
Manan (1591-1654)
wow, really? is it true? the point is not killing? So the animals who are on the dishes are served alive?
I agree, taking it out of the hands of the criminals and having it controlled is the most sensible way forward
Not that anyone here is advocating drugs or prostitution of course
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
