You can also weigh in by responding to our poll. Some day it will be like alcohol.

I am sorry to have to report that many of our criminal clients who are/were drug addicts admit that. in retrospect, marijuana was a gateway drug.

Please also remember that even though a drug may be used legally, you still should not drive while your ability is impaired

It's already being accepted "like alcohol!" After past experience in visiting at drug rehab facilities and seeing how alcohol and drug addiction have destroyed peoples lives of all ages. I say "NO"!

The fact that it is illegal by Federal Law is absurd, legalize it, control the quality and tax it, stop wasting money trying to stop it and put those billions to work feeding children in our country, educate and create jobs.

A definitive "no". Whether its a gateway or not, legalizing it will only increse its abuse, especially among our youth.

So NOT an easy question to answer. I saw my aunt suffering years ago from end stage breast cancer who used it illegally to help her pain. And it did. But, I have also seen someone close to me use it as a gateway to other much more harmful drugs. I am really torn on this one.

Indeed a tough one. I say it should remain illegal. However, … MBernstein has some valid points (above). Although I will not be able to sway the tide of decision-making in this country, my only response would be to STIFFEN the penalties upon "users" when accident/injury is caused on others. And they should do the same with alcohol ...

… and those DWT (driving while texting) …

An easy question, but not without its costs: It should absolutely be legalized for medical purposes, and should also be fully legalized for recreational purposes. But the latter has some trade-offs. We don't have the resources to keep it from common motorists who are not subject to random and reasonably suspicion testing -- so, in truth, we need to create, for users with drivers licenses, some streamlined form of regular testing. As a drug any more than chocolate is (neither are physically-addictive), fortunately today's stronger drugs require less intake in smoking form. In my youth, one joint was equal to 10 cigarettes, and I smoked three or four joints a night for 20 years (much of it sprays with paraquat), and today suffer lung and esophagus problems as a result. So for recreational purposes, we must go the whole route: Produce it in multiple forms, as they do in Colorado. Thirdly, this is NOT a gateway drug -- pure bullshit -- and would siphon off drug-users from many more hard drugs. Plus it would eliminate an enormous criminal network, although some of that would translate into carjacking rings, burglars and worse. And we would need a formidable program to keep it away from schoolchildren, because of concentration and brain cell-related problems. But they manage to get it now. Nonetheless, the tax revenue should cover the costs of all the programs we need to address this latter need.

Years ago, visiting Amsterdam, where you could buy it, and hashish, in hundreds of stores, for every dope smoker, there were 1000 beer drinkers. Much of what makes pot usage high is the fact that it is illegal. Time for us to grow up. There is no intelligent reason not to legalize this substance, and I am ashamed to see our Network even engage in a debate over it.

Ned Einstein

I have a flight delay in Austin - beautiful city, my first time here - headed back to NY in 2 hrs.

Last spring I had just come from a random business meeting, arrived home in the UWS to walk my dog
still wearing my suit, as i was headed down broadway in the mid 80’s, a team of kinda’ giggly high school kids
approached me with a mini voice recorder in hand, introducing themselves as Calhoun students they asked
if they could interview me for their school newspaper - “cool” i thought, i wrote and illustrated for my high school paper,
and was happy to help. They asked what i thought about marijuana, should it be legalized, or rather “decriminalized.”

I took a deep breath and explained a few reasons why i felt it should be, briefly listed here.

- proven medicinal benefits, mostly related to appetite, comfort/quality of life while living in unfavorable conditions.
though there are chemical alternatives (marinol or synthetic THC drugs) Marijuana is natural, tested more objectively, in and out of laboratory settings
since (according to wikipedia) 3rd millennium BCE

- the fibers of the plant itself are extremely durable and have many commercial/trade applications
the strongest rope, whether you climbed it in gym class, or it tied a cargo ship to port, is made from hemp
the whole plant can be used to make things from textiles/clothes, paper products, to topical ointments, balms, cooking oils (all of which do not
activate the THC that makes a user “high”, and of course the psychoactive THC’s medicinal or recreational purposes
though under federal law, the cultivation, use, possession, fabrication of anything hemp related is considered a heinous crime!

- the plant itself is said to be our nations 2nd highest revenue generating cash crop, even as a controlled substance
apparently its market is tracked by our government and falls in second place to corn, beating out anything else grown on our soil
AND YET remains untaxed though it could be a huge revenue stream for the government and a safer, more ecologically sound and replenishable source
matter for many industries.


I went on a little bit more before letting these scholars know that 20 years ago, I penned my own High school senior thesis paper
on this exact topic… which to my peers and teachers may have just sounded like the “Legalize it” banter heard since the 1960s.
I’ve always felt that understanding the issue was a matter of educating or being educated, or seeking information - prior to judgement.
I felt really proud of these kids for taking it to the street and building a dialog on their own, it will shape their understanding or vision on the topic
or really any public discourse.

Over the past year specifically, Marijuana reform is sweeping the nation, I think its sensible.
Ironically for all of the long lost high school “friends” or acquaintances that found me on facebook, encouraging me to come back to
Ohio for a 20 year reunion, halfway through the summer i posted to the group “hey have you seen this, its happening, though 20 years ago it was
just another pipe-dream” Not a single person said “ i remember your presentation, or I agree, or i disagree” I had again outted myself to the online world as
a supporter, and was met with silence by the same mix of people that were sooo happy to reconnect.

There is a stigma attached to it, based on two likely things, misinformation, and fear.
If you’re going to spout off on it facebook or the web, its way easier to toe the line than convince that “change” is more appropriate.

There are many arguments against decriminalization, to examine just a few
“drugs are dangerous” - thought our government gives subsidies and tax benefits to the biggest gateway industries: tobacco and alcohol.
ever heard of lung cancer and many other diseases associated with tobacco use, - are there dangers to using alcohol on the road or workplace
alcohol basically shuts down your brain, thought we all use it (many of us even manage to use it quite responsibly!)


“its unregulated and dangerous, can be laced with heavier substances” - urban myth, its a substance that should always remain controlled becasue it alters your mind,
but it is grown by people who follow the craft with pride, and its a cheap drug, nobody laces marijuana with cocaine, heroin etc
If you have a few drinks, and use this drug, you will feel some strange effects, so it takes a responsible user, just like it takes a responsible person to
drive a car, use a gun, provide for a family, etc…

Smoking anything kills you, bad for body/lungs -Todays “pot” flower is much stronger to use/consume than ever before, it has greater potency, so less quantity is needed to ingest or smoke.
Ive heard you dont even need to toke a whole joint, and that effect of a single toke is equivalent to smoking a joint or two from 40 years ago.

Its also nerve wracking to learn that we waste taxpayer revenue to pursue and prosecute even the lowest level “offenders”
while also worth dividing society and communities through “stop and frisks”

“medicinal users just want to get high” - so what, what kind of argument is that?, I cant suggest any one of the above arguments is a reason to legalize or decriminalize
they are just “arguments” ….


The marijuana issue doesn’t cure cancer, and will not make world peace BUT IT IS A GATEWAY to these issues - to the chagrin of law enforcement and the big industry players
that are poisoning us with their crap products and lies. (ouch did i say that?)

Responsible, regulated growth, use, distribution will effect every industry from the arts /sciences to medicine, construction, textiles, transportation, cosmetics

Im not looking to convince anyone of anything, i just wanted to explain that ive take the time to consider all sides
and this is what i believe.

Marijuana (the flower), Cannibis (the plant), Hemp (the fiber) and the oils have many uses.

but our society is often mislead, or just lazy and stupid to call for change. How healthy is mining for and burning coal or oil? its just all we know
though the sun always rises and is an amazing source of energy, as is water. Im using these as examples to show that we often led to overlook logic and abundance.

It is a Gateway- thankfully, and someday we will all want to walk through it for one purpose or another.




Lastly, in my research decades ago i found this hilarious poem/song written by Shel Silverstein, author of The Giving Tree and a handfull of other requisite books
for learning about poetry, creative writing, American authors etc targeted primarily at young elementary school students
i recommend it for anyone who has “experimented” it will make you chuckle

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/shel+silverstein/the+smoke+off_20255165.html



Respectfully with an opinion- and if it differs from yours, maybe we can agree that variety is the spice of life
and that embracing our differences is the easiest, most effective way to repair the world.

Jason

JASON RULNICK, INC.
FINE ART DEALER AND ADVISOR
NEW YORK
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What I do know is the countries that legalize illicit drugs have markedly reduced addiction, drug abuse and zippo drug trafficking and drug-related prison sentences.
Put that one in your pipe and smoke it. :) Kelly

As I have said over and over, it is not the day of week or name of blogger, it is the subject!

I say legalize Pot but get the guns off the streets...the two will never mix especially in Florida which remains the last link to the wild wild west. I know some of you will not get the connection but murder in South Florida is on the rise and the laws are loose. Adding a drug, addtctive or not, to the scene will only add to the problem...and it's now on the ballot.

We've learned a lot about addiction and how the brain works when it comes to intoxicants. No one sets out to get addicted when using a drug, if it's legal or illegal. It is very individual how people will react to exposure to any kind of drug. Given the problems with addiction we already have with millions of people being addicted to
alcohol, cigarettes,prescription drugs, marijuana, JUNK FOOD and SUGARY FOODS.
According to Harvard School of Public Health, smoking a substance, like nicotine or THC, in marijuana, delivers the swiftest, most concentrated and reliable "hit" of dopamine (our feel good neurotransmitter) to the brain. In this freezing cold weather, we see all of those officer workers shivering while they hover outside to get those 'hits"
of dopamine. Smoking cigarettes is considered one of the hardest habits to kick.
Shooting up a drug intravenously is also correlated to high addiction rates because this also delivers the quick reliable charge to the brain and hi-jacks the reward center in the brain.

Legalizing marijuana will just enslave more people to a VERY potentially dangerous
health risks that often leads to poor judgement, underemployment and even outright disability.

Marijuana like any drug will affect people very individually. So it is really 'playing with fire" because a certain percentage of people that use marijuana who have a genetic predisposition to addiction or a poor ability to detoxify, are exposing themselves to a plethera of health problems. We can all think of people who lived to a ripe old age smoking Camels while someone else gets cancer from second hand smoke. Even caffeine,which is another legal drug, affects people very differently. If I have coffee after 4 pm-fuggedabout it- I'm going to have a hard time falling a sleep until about 1am or later. However, I have a friend who can have a double expresso after dinner and
then sleeps like a baby!

Both but I note the legality of alcohol, wine and beer. I also note that Colorado collected 3x what its budget projected from sales tax on the weed since it became legal. Imagine the NYC impact on the budget.

Marijuana is undoubtedly a gateway drug, I have heard it from so many people I know who have used. That doesn't mean I judge harshly people who have used marijuana responsibly. To make it legal tells kids it's alright to use. We currently have a massive and growing drug problem in our schools. There are no financial benefits that are worth destroying our children. You can do all of the studies you want, the truth is that people who use marijuana use it often in the course of their day-to-day lives...AND IT'S BIGGEST DRAWBACK IS THAT IS SUCKS THE AMBITION OUT OF YOU! This is a generalization and doesn't mean there aren't some people who don't succeed while using. However, anyone who denies this is lying. The biggest problem in our society is not what is officially legal or not (and I would support medicinal marijuana on its decency), the biggest problem in our society is that for some reason, we have stopped telling kids how bad drugs are for them. Somehow we have justified this concept that addiction is an uncontrollable disease, yet we don't on a daily basis tell kids that if they try drugs, even once, that it could ruin their lives or kill them. If you believe that addiction is a disease, then you have to agree with that fact, The idea that we as a society have become unwilling to inform kids of what we have concluded is comparable to the tobacco companies negligence regarding misinformation on smoking. I am so tired of seeing kids get buried because they have hit a rough point in their lives. You can do all of the studies you want, I know of no one who has died from alcohol and naming the people I know directly who died from drug abuse takes me two hands to count.

For sure it should be allowed for medicinal purposes any time a doctor sees fit. As for recreation, it has its drawbacks, but so does alcohol. I do not know how you distinguish it. I also do not fully buy the gateway stuff. How is it proved drug abuse is tied to pot as opposed to alcholol or any other factor? And how many upright citizens of my generation have used pot without it being a gateway to anything worse? I am sure the overwelming majority.

Uhmmmmm these comments are so long.... It's a drug that impairs you, still a drug.
Alcohol in my humble opinion albeit legal is far worse than all combined.
PSH recently said, "It all began with one drink." Every bad decision after that started with the first drink.

The comment above that marijuana "sucks the ambition out of people" is scientifically explained on how the Brain's Reward Center gets 'over taken' or 'hi-jacked" by marijuana in this article by McGill University http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_03/a_03_cr/a_03_cr_par/a_03_cr_par_cannabis.html#drogues

Legalize it, tax it and regulate it. Same for all drugs. Advantages: tax revenue, savings on prisons/police/judges/juries, put the Colombian cocaine dealers out of business and let that country be normal, legal jobs for low-skilled workers, and the list of benefits goes on. Look, people who want to get high are going to do so no matter what. So let's benefit from the "sin" tax, just as we do with alcohol.