cannabisnews.com: Decriminalize Pot










  Decriminalize Pot

Posted by CN Staff on March 28, 2009 at 12:19:59 PT
Editorial 
Source: The Day 

Hartford, C.T. -- Few people go to jail for possessing small amounts of pot, anyway, so why is the state spending millions to arrest and prosecute recreational users and give them a criminal record? The Connecticut General Assembly should follow Massachusetts' lead and change possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor to an infraction. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is looking for substantive ways to save money. Here is one.
According to the Office of Fiscal Analysis, there were 9,928 marijuana arrests in Connecticut in 2007, representing 7 percent of total arrests statewide, and about one-third of those involved possession of less than an ounce of pot. By making those small-possession incidents infractions, akin to getting a speeding ticket, the state could save $11 million in reduced police, court and attorney costs, the OFA concluded.And with fines ranging up to $121, it could generate $320,000 in revenue. A small-time marijuana user can now be sent to prison for a year and fined $1,000.In reality, few people caught with a little marijuana and guilty of no other crime get jail time, but they often get a criminal record. That is a harsh penalty to pay for recreational use.The more logical alternative is legalization, which would remove the criminal element from the marijuana trade, generate tax revenues and provide quality control to avoid lacing of the drug with other substances. But that option is not feasible as long as possession remains a federal crime.On this issue the public appears ahead of the politicians. When President Barack Obama conducted the first online chat by a president Thursday, he was surprised to learn that one of the top questions asked was whether marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated to end the massive black market supporting it.”The answer is no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow the economy,” said the president.In the nation's federalist system the states often serve as incubators of new and different ideas. Time will tell how decriminalization works. If it doesn't generate “reefer madness,” maybe then it will be time for a discussion on legalization.Source: Day, The (CT)Published: March 28, 2009Copyright: 2009 The Day Publishing Co.Contact: editor theday.comWebsite: http://www.theday.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/KCX35VVnRelated Articles:State Considers Decriminalizing Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24616.shtml Poll: Connecticut Should Legalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24563.shtml

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Comment #24 posted by Hope on March 30, 2009 at 09:20:15 PT
Comment 18
Ten dollars an ounce here in Texas throughout the seventies. At least until '79, when I quit.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on March 30, 2009 at 07:41:28 PT
Storm Crow
You make perfect sense to me. White Widow is the popular strain in and around this area. 
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Comment #22 posted by Storm Crow on March 30, 2009 at 07:34:28 PT
Misunderstanding, dear...
By kilo'ed, I meant from compressed cannabis from a kilo. It was often in hard chunks that needed to be broken up. It was one ounce of compressed cannabis that sold for $10- not the whole kilo! lol Should have made myself clearer. And we got the better quality stuff- the inferior pot was alway passed on to other states. (Sorry, guys) Paint- "plants that are grown for fiber are planted close together and are from a strain that produces taller less bushy plants." Yes, but there are also high THC sativa-type plants that have a different chemical profile than the usual "pot" indica-type plants. Sativas tend to be tall and thin with long, skinny leaves and long maturation times. It usually gives a "headier" high. The hemp fiber type plants (also sativas) often are high in CBD which has many medicinal uses. Fat leaved indicas are shorter, prettier plants that mature faster. Its high is more of a body stone, better for pain relief. Most "smoking pot" is either an indica or a hybrid between indica and sativa types, with most being indica dominant for faster maturing and hard,"good-looking" buds. There is no reason that multipurpose strains couldn't be developed. Medicines, seed and fiber from one plant isn't an impossible dream! "I have heard that a male fiber plant pollinating within a half-mile of a high-based crop can significantly lower the quality of the high-based crop."This is kind of a myth. Pollination, per se, will only lower the quality of a "drug" crop a minimal amount. The THC bearing trichs will still be there, but the weight of the bud will be mostly seeds. (Bad for sales.) Your "White Widow" crop will still be quite potent, but seedy- the plant itself is barely affected by pollination, however there will be less smokable pot by weight per plant and those seeds will produce inferior plants next year. And there is another reason for "specialty growers", FoM, the seed market. Farmer Joe's hemp crop may make the seeds in your homegrown White Widow fit only for chicken feed, so you may have to buy seeds to get pure strains. 
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on March 30, 2009 at 05:20:18 PT
Prices
I agree that exotic strains will be a little more expensive but not what they are now. I never heard of it being $10 for a kilo. Mexican dirt weed was so nasty and dusty. The cannabis of today has been perfected and is fragrant and very good. No stems, no seeds, nothing we don't need is an old expression. 
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Comment #20 posted by Paint with light on March 29, 2009 at 21:21:18 PT
Matchboxes
The first measurement I bought was a matchbox for $5.00.It was somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of an ounce.Then came 10.00 for a half ounce and 20.00 for an ounce, before the 3/4 ounce lid was introduced.Wholesale during this time was 150.00 cash and 135.00 fronted.There were further discounts for each 20 lbs additional.When Columbian hit, prices went to 35.00 an ounce and then to 40.00 an ounce.Pounds jumped to between 250.00 and 500.00.Prices stabilized there until some more exotic varieties such as the afghani strains began to appear.There was a certain taste and smell that both the coulmbian red tip and the columbian gold had that would be worth a premium should cannabis ever become legal.Let me correct that.When cannabis becomes legal, again.I think there will be a wide range of prices reflecting the wine market more so than the produce market.Strains that are never sold with seeds might become more expensive if they really have a desirale high or medical benefit.I always thought that plants that are grown for fiber are planted close together and are from a strain that produces taller less bushy plants.The strains that are grown for the intoxicating effects tend to be more bushy, shorter and have more branches.I don't know which is the more dominant trait, fiber, or fuel for the mind. I have heard that a male fiber plant pollinating within a half-mile of a high-based crop can significantly lower the quality of the high-based crop. Equal with alcohol is all I ask.
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Comment #19 posted by Storm Crow on March 29, 2009 at 21:04:45 PT
I grew up in San Diego....
I remember $10 ounces of kilo'ed Mexican dirt weed. Ounce and a half if it was leafy homegrown from Fallbrook! Fancier types- Columbian, etc ran up to about $35 for a (usually light) ounce. End of the 60s, I bought a kilo once from a friend for the $65 it cost him. (Thank goodness for the statute of limitations and California's present MMJ laws!) 
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on March 29, 2009 at 10:30:32 PT
Storm Crow
How much marijuana could people get back in the late 60s or early 70s for $10? I remember a $20 ounce. If so that might mean a half an ounce was $10.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on March 29, 2009 at 10:04:56 PT

Storm Crow
When a dime bag back then costs $10 like Willie Nelson said! LOL! I agree.
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Comment #16 posted by Storm Crow on March 29, 2009 at 10:02:26 PT

Why pay? 
Well, my hubby has a "black thumb" - no way he could grow his own. Others may be too frail to grow their own. Or they may lack the space or time (city folk, lol). Then there would be "specialty" medical strains- CBD is very useful medically, but is harder to breed for. CBD's noticeable effects are far more subtle than THC's. You can't just take a smoke of it and judge the level CBD, like you can with THC, you need a lab. High CBD strains will be in demand. And other cannabinoids have not been well studied yet to see what they can do! Strains would eventually be tailored for specific ailments. There is wide variation in the chemical makeup and effects of cannabis. (And dang, I wish scientists would start listing the strains used in their studies! Plain old "Cannabis sativa" just doesn't make it!) Most MMJ sites have a "What strain for what ailment" thread, and it's often "stickied". Lastly we have the "pot snobs", who will want that "exotic" variety- just like the coffee and wine snobs. And I must admit, there was once this beautiful Middle Eastern stuff that tasted like incense and flowers and "knocked your socks off".......But for the most part, I see a wild flurry of over-priced buying and selling at first, and then prices will fall like a rock as the clones and seed spread! Cannabis is just too easy to produce! I'm looking forward to seeing $10 ounces again. 
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on March 29, 2009 at 05:07:30 PT

Just an Excerpt: I See It This Way Too
Excerpt: There are, however, a few problems with these numbers. First, it is always tough to estimate what total sales are for any illegal substance. Good data just doesn’t exist in this area. Second, even if $14 billion is accurate, that’s the California sales total when pot is illegal. When a pothead scores a dimebag in Los Angeles, the high price is mostly a function of the illegality. He’s paying for the risks taken by the grower, the importers, and the dealers at each step of the marijuana process. Currently, dealers risk not only jail, confiscation of property, and the burden of a criminal record, but they also face violence from other rival dealers. That’s why the markup on pot is so extreme. Legalize pot, and perhaps 80% of its price vanishes. And since marijuana requires very little processing, unlike cocaine or heroin, the supply of pot could skyrocket if it were legalized, further driving the price down. Why pay for it when you can grow your own, tax-free? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20576_Page2.html
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 19:56:46 PT

konagold
It was nice having our little talk today. I like brainstorming. I didn't get back with you because I turned off the lights and computer for Earth Hour.
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Comment #13 posted by konagold on March 28, 2009 at 17:07:00 PT

perfume
when Ex: 30,23 calls for 8 pounds of Cannabis [Kaneh Bos]the further instructions call for it to be rendered by art of the apothecaryin pharaohic Egypt the apothecary were the perfumers so the pot was to be rendered into its essential and fragrant oils 
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 16:59:30 PT

konagold
Yes it would. I always thought a perfume would be nice too!
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Comment #11 posted by konagold on March 28, 2009 at 16:52:26 PT

stinkum
"It would be so pretty watching it grow."if it were grown for medicine as well as fiber it would be very fragrant too
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 16:29:15 PT

konagold
I agree with you. We drove down to the Ohio Hempery many years ago. It is about 60 or so miles from where we live. You have a wonderful climate in Hawaii. I've never been there but I know it is rich in volcanic soil. Hemp for bedding for horses could be grown where we live in the limited land we have. It would be so pretty watching it grow.
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Comment #9 posted by konagold on March 28, 2009 at 16:22:59 PT

FOM
Ohio Hempry was advancing hemp products in the early '90'syields in the Midwest would be lower than in Hawaii due to winter and less ultra-violet A&B however the attempt by so-called "hemp" advocates to allow low thc cannabis in 'hemp' fields as a way around pot laws always seemed to me cowardly and selfishthe plant is useful in so many ways that to exclude medicine in pursuit of fiber is shortsighted 
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 15:52:10 PT

konagold 
That is interesting. I never thought about how much would be made for growing cannabis-hemp. I do think more products made from cannabis-hemp would be developed. We are blessed with quality land in southeastern Ohio. It could help this whole section of our state that is very rural. Many states are like my state. Land not used could be used. I spend my life working with horses and using hemp as bedding would be something that I would like to learn more about. If it was allowed that's probably what we would want to do. Hemp insulation for homes is another area that I would like to see developed. Hemp counter tops too. 
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Comment #6 posted by konagold on March 28, 2009 at 15:40:39 PT

what is pot really worth
Aloharecently in a local paper blog I wanted to roughly figure what regulated medicinal Cannabis would provide in income to three profit sectors in the creation and distribution of medicinal Cannabis; to the farmer; to the government; and to marketing, wholesale to retail.if each of these got $10 per ounce, or $30 per ounce to the retail customer, what would 5 crop-acres of land in Hawaii potentially produce in a year?an acre is 43560 sq feet or 4840 square yards which divided by 1.196 equals about 4046 square meters per acre 5 crop-acres is about 20,230 square meters Dr Cronic.com list many seed providers and many 'boutique' seed descriptions claim yields of between 400 to as much as 800 grams per square meter.if ones choice of seed were to yield 600 grams per square meter then there is a potential of as much as 12,138,000 grams per harvest from 5 crop-acresif one allows for 120 days sprout to harvest time it is possible to harvest 3 times per year in tropical Hawaii[continual harvest are possible by starting plants each week and sizing the plants by controlling the light cycle]this is possible if one uses artificial lighting to extend day light hours during the winter short season preventing premature budding and the stunting of the plants near the winter solstice [I understand claims of as short as 54 days but I believe three harvest a year are more realistic outdoors]so three harvest per year equal a potential 36,414,000 grams per year from 5 crop-acresdivided by 454 equals a potential 80,207 pounds per year from 5 crop-acres or 1,283,312 ouncesso $12,833,120 would go to each, the farmer, the government, and the market, from the production from one five crop-acre farm in Hawaii per year at only $10 per ounce each [I realize that this is an idealized projection however if one were to only attain 50% of the potential not many crops produce six million gross a year from 5 acres by selling its crop at one tenth of what the current market bares]it is true that many have shown a willingness to pay $500 per ounce under current prohibitionso what is pot really worth in terms of produce level [corn, cabbages, carrots you know farm goods] prices??and just how ripped off are we cannabis consumers under the current scheme??would one rather pay 500 per ounce or 500 per pound??would the regulation of Cannabis result in a economic boon??if one wishes to examine the magnitude of the crime against humanity these racist sexist laws against the free will use of cannabis are one must step back and look at the enormity of the economic burden that prohibition places on citizensprohibitionist hate our freedomAlohaRev. Dennis ShieldsThe Religion of Jesus Church 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 14:30:05 PT

konagold 
I never understood why people got upset. Hemp and Cannabis are the same. We have different varieties of say tulips but they are all tulips.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 14:27:22 PT

jolinger 
It's good to see you and we will.
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Comment #3 posted by konagold on March 28, 2009 at 14:16:39 PT

decriminalization by states
given Obama's condescending comments on legalizing pot federally, combined with his statement that federal dollars should not be used to circumvent state law, it seems clear that the way to diminish the war on pot is to, state by state, decrim, advance medicinal cannabis and eventually regulatetherefor perhaps that is where the pro cannabis community should direct a laser like focus in efforts to evolve freedom in the land of the not so free and the barely bravein fact the expansion of medicinal cannabis is the water eroding the stone and is actually a evolution of regulation from prohibitionas to hemp there is no reason that medicinal grade cannabis can not also provide fiber and seedit may turn out that the pro non-psychoactive hemp, anti-thc tactic is the wrong way for fiber proponents to have gone after all
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Comment #2 posted by jolinger on March 28, 2009 at 14:01:12 PT:

Earth Hour
Let's not forget about earth hour tonight. At 8:00 tonight everyone needs to use as little electricity as possible. Thanx for doing your part.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 28, 2009 at 13:28:38 PT

Clio Looks To Ban Medical Marijuana Businesses

By Bryn Mickle, The Flint Journal Saturday March 28, 2009CLIO, Michigan -- Medical marijuana may be legal -- but don't plan on looking for it in downtown Clio.With the state getting ready to begin registering people to legally use marijuana under Michigan's new medicinal marijuana law, Clio officials are taking steps to snuff out any enterprising business owners from selling it. URL: http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/03/clio_looks_to_ban_medical_mari.html
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