[Newsbot]

Title: Pot crusader Marc Emery's farewell tour
Category: Misc CDN
Posted By: WDHIII
Date: 2009-07-06 08:28:40
Canadian

[G-prime]

the man's a tool, he shoulda kept his "crusade" in Canada. instead he ships seeds to the states, what did he think would happen?? Now Canada is under more pressure from the states about pot than EVER. He's done more to harm legalization than help it.

[poquas]

I’m certain that with Emery it’s not the fight, it’s the celebrity he has always craved.

There’s a guy in the Fraser Valley (I think Abbotsford) who is just like him. Runs in every provincial/municipal/federal election and generally makes a complete ass of himself whenever he can. Claims to want to “save the kids” by legalizing marijuana.

[GreenTiger]

It irritates the hell put of me that the US government is is issuing this "holy Cruuade" against grass. Some alcoholic jackass in the states come up with this notion that pot is a mind degenerating drug (daytime TV is).

Medical uses for this stuff for people in pain and with Glaucoma benefit enormously from this and there is a lot less damage from grass than booze.

Yet we want to play big bully boy against our friends to perpetuate this and cause even more problems for Canadians.

The American politicians need to get their heads out of there ass and look at this study scientifically and leave the moral majority type to bang on their tamborines.

I don't think medical marijuana is anywhere near the problem we make it, and I think the conclusion is that is should be decriminalized. Go after coke dealer, rock cocaine, extacy, heroine and the other drugs that do a great deal of damage.

Lets approach this as science not the historical claptrap we've been hearing for years.

[ridenrain]

Many states in the US already are closer to legalizing pot than Canada is. At least their states are talking about it but here in Canada, only the wckiest fringe parties will come out with a clear platform on it.
It's not the pot but the organized crime. The other thing is this retard was sending it accross the international border so they had to hammer him down.

[Scape]

If they legalized it organized crime would lose their market.

My MP Keith Martin has an interesting take on that but he just wants to make it decriminalized to deal with the real politic.

[ridenrain]

You can brew you're own beer, vint your own wine and even distill your own alcohol as long as it's for your personal consumption and not sold. I'd be happy to see the same extended to pot also.

Thing is, we need the political parties to come out with a clear stance on this. For example, I thought the NDP were pro-pot but when they had their falling out with the marijuana party, we saw a whole lot of dithering there. The Libs talk about legalizing but they've also been talking about national child care longer than most of us have been alive also.

[Wada]

Personally I've yet to see a government with the moral authority to tell me what I can or cannot do with a plant.

[poquas]

Scape Scape:

If they legalized it organized crime would lose their market.

I disagree.

Like cigarettes, the government taxes the hell out of them and now organized crime undersells the government.

You can be certain that for criminal profit, there is always a way to make it cheaper.

Then there’s the issue of detecting and proving someone is under the influence like alcohol (driving, workplace etc.). Right now it involves a blood test and doesn’t determine how long ago the pot was smoked.

Last is the elephant in the room south of the border. Until the U.S. legalizes it first or calls off the war on drugs, we can’t without jeopardizing our access to the American market for legitimate trade.

I don’t see any way out of this in the near future.

[Proculation]

ridenrain ridenrain:

You can brew you're own beer, vint your own wine and even distill your own alcohol as long as it's for your personal consumption and not sold. I'd be happy to see the same extended to pot also.

Thing is, we need the political parties to come out with a clear stance on this. For example, I thought the NDP were pro-pot but when they had their falling out with the marijuana party, we saw a whole lot of dithering there. The Libs talk about legalizing but they've also been talking about national child care longer than most of us have been alive also.

That's not true. You can't distill your own alcohol because you are evading taxes on it. You can brew your own beer and wine tho.

[Scape]

poquas poquas:

Scape Scape:

If they legalized it organized crime would lose their market.

I disagree.

Like cigarettes, the government taxes the hell out of them and now organized crime undersells the government.

You can be certain that for criminal profit, there is always a way to make it cheaper.

Then there’s the issue of detecting and proving someone is under the influence like alcohol (driving, workplace etc.). Right now it involves a blood test and doesn’t determine how long ago the pot was smoked.

Last is the elephant in the room south of the border. Until the U.S. legalizes it first or calls off the war on drugs, we can’t without jeopardizing our access to the American market for legitimate trade.

I don’t see any way out of this in the near future.

Well, as per what MP Martin was citing with the European studies when it was made legal/decrim the demand dropped. Contraband is very lucrative when demand is high but if no one wants it then the kickbacks to the middlemen which the profit from crime mainly depends is the 1st thing that gets drastically cut back. Cut that enough and they no longer have a market. Now with cigs when the taxes were raised in an attempt to fleece the consumer or get people to quit then what we created was a high demand which allowed that profit margin to re-appear again. Soon everyone and their dog was smuggling cigs to the point that the whole policy was a joke and it was collapsing the tax base so the policy was reversed.

For detection it will still be a judgment call by the police on scene. If in their professional judgment the person in impaired (can't touch their nose or can't follow a pen with their eyes or walk in a strait line) then the officer has the ability to arrest. No blood tests or breathalyzer, just simple common sense.

As for our markets being shut if we legalize now I think a tipping point is close or we have passed it where enough states are now passing laws bring MJ in a more legitimate light. Not all mind you but enough so that if we were to decrim it would not have the same repercussion as it would say 5 years ago.

There is a seachange when it comes to this issue and the demographics now have more people who see MJ as a health issue and not a criminal one and the laws will change to reflect that evolving social norm.

[ridenrain]

Proculation Proculation:

ridenrain ridenrain:

You can brew you're own beer, vint your own wine and even distill your own alcohol as long as it's for your personal consumption and not sold. I'd be happy to see the same extended to pot also.

Thing is, we need the political parties to come out with a clear stance on this. For example, I thought the NDP were pro-pot but when they had their falling out with the marijuana party, we saw a whole lot of dithering there. The Libs talk about legalizing but they've also been talking about national child care longer than most of us have been alive also.

That's not true. You can't distill your own alcohol because you are evading taxes on it. You can brew your own beer and wine tho.

I recall reading up that it was legal but was regulated and you needed a permit. I can't find the details now though.

The alcohol for beer is just the same as it is for wine or spirits, because the alcohol is made in the fermentation process not in distillation. Distillation just concentrates the alcohol.

[Freakinoldguy]

GreenTiger GreenTiger:

It irritates the hell put of me that the US government is is issuing this "holy Cruuade" against grass. Some alcoholic jackass in the states come up with this notion that pot is a mind degenerating drug (daytime TV is).

Medical uses for this stuff for people in pain and with Glaucoma benefit enormously from this and there is a lot less damage from grass than booze.

Yet we want to play big bully boy against our friends to perpetuate this and cause even more problems for Canadians.

The American politicians need to get their heads out of there ass and look at this study scientifically and leave the moral majority type to bang on their tamborines.

I don't think medical marijuana is anywhere near the problem we make it, and I think the conclusion is that is should be decriminalized. Go after coke dealer, rock cocaine, extacy, heroine and the other drugs that do a great deal of damage.

Lets approach this as science not the historical claptrap we've been hearing for years.

While your rant has some merit, you can debate the benefits of Marijuana till the cows come home, it does not defend the fact that Mr. Emery broke an American law.....knowingly and that's what he's being charged for.

[Proculation]

ridenrain ridenrain:

Proculation Proculation:

ridenrain ridenrain:

You can brew you're own beer, vint your own wine and even distill your own alcohol as long as it's for your personal consumption and not sold. I'd be happy to see the same extended to pot also.

Thing is, we need the political parties to come out with a clear stance on this. For example, I thought the NDP were pro-pot but when they had their falling out with the marijuana party, we saw a whole lot of dithering there. The Libs talk about legalizing but they've also been talking about national child care longer than most of us have been alive also.

That's not true. You can't distill your own alcohol because you are evading taxes on it. You can brew your own beer and wine tho.

I recall reading up that it was legal but was regulated and you needed a permit. I can't find the details now though.

The alcohol for beer is just the same as it is for wine or spirits, because the alcohol is made in the fermentation process not in distillation. Distillation just concentrates the alcohol.

I know because I was caught doing some moonshine while in college. They confiscated everything but since I was below 18, I didn't get a fine.

[GreenTiger]

Hey if this decreases some of the border gang violence that sounds good to me. If we can put some economic pressure on some the Mexican cartels great.