And Look For The Silver Lining...
And Look For The Silver Lining...
The failing economic scheme that our government and Big Business has foisted upon us is also very responsible for the weed changes nationwide. No agency has enough money to go after it like days past.
The DEA is giving it one last push. Imagine trying to convince judges that they're using their agency budget and resources wisely when meth, coke, pain pills, and H are flooding the streets. Sure the law is the law, however in this economic climate every agency has someone judging their effectiveness and how well they are serving the nation.
Sure, there is always a secret agenda involved and you can rag on the Chicago Daley machine about their love of $$$ and control. It's been that way since the first Daley became mayor when I was a kid there. There will always be deals behind the doors. Still, every step toward acceptance helps. Sooner or later one state will float the ballot, my guess is that it will be Colorado first, and legalize in some meaningful way. The dispensaries will become the equivalent of liquor stores, open for business for anyone over 21.
Smart local governments realize how wasteful it is to give police such an easy, meaningless job: busting weed smokers, growers, or even dealers for that matter. If police had to concentrate on Victim Crime where innocent people are hurt or injured by others, they'd have a much more difficult (and meangingful/useful) role in our society. Instead they, and the Federal DEA, Customs, etc have been able to chase easy targets. Would they rather spend their time after weed-related targets (peaceful people generally) or meth heads (not as peaceful)?
Taking the easy way out has been their charter since victimless crime and enforcing morality took precedence over seeking out real criminals. The complexity of their enforcement scene gives way to the simple answers when you take away the mirrors. Now even Big Pharma is under the gun as the DEA has been given the mandate to stop the intense spread of pain pills in society. Clinics, doctors, and hospitals are being forced to be much, much more careful in their prescription of long-term pain management with Oxy, Hydro, and Morphine. Even short-term prescriptions are leaning toward NSAIDs and over-the-counter treatments.
It's again another enforcement of morality rather than the more realistic approach of treating all of these victimless "crimes" as a medical and social issues. But at the end of the tunnel the light I see is weed being released. And we're moving through the tunnel quickly, finally.
Peace,
MJ
And Look For The Silver Lining...
The failing economic scheme that our government and Big Business has foisted upon us is also very responsible for the weed changes nationwide. No agency has enough money to go after it like days past.
The DEA is giving it one last push. Imagine trying to convince judges that they're using their agency budget and resources wisely when meth, coke, pain pills, and H are flooding the streets. Sure the law is the law, however in this economic climate every agency has someone judging their effectiveness and how well they are serving the nation.
Sure, there is always a secret agenda involved and you can rag on the Chicago Daley machine about their love of $$$ and control. It's been that way since the first Daley became mayor when I was a kid there. There will always be deals behind the doors. Still, every step toward acceptance helps. Sooner or later one state will float the ballot, my guess is that it will be Colorado first, and legalize in some meaningful way. The dispensaries will become the equivalent of liquor stores, open for business for anyone over 21.
Smart local governments realize how wasteful it is to give police such an easy, meaningless job: busting weed smokers, growers, or even dealers for that matter. If police had to concentrate on Victim Crime where innocent people are hurt or injured by others, they'd have a much more difficult (and meangingful/useful) role in our society. Instead they, and the Federal DEA, Customs, etc have been able to chase easy targets. Would they rather spend their time after weed-related targets (peaceful people generally) or meth heads (not as peaceful)?
Taking the easy way out has been their charter since victimless crime and enforcing morality took precedence over seeking out real criminals. The complexity of their enforcement scene gives way to the simple answers when you take away the mirrors. Now even Big Pharma is under the gun as the DEA has been given the mandate to stop the intense spread of pain pills in society. Clinics, doctors, and hospitals are being forced to be much, much more careful in their prescription of long-term pain management with Oxy, Hydro, and Morphine. Even short-term prescriptions are leaning toward NSAIDs and over-the-counter treatments.
It's again another enforcement of morality rather than the more realistic approach of treating all of these victimless "crimes" as a medical and social issues. But at the end of the tunnel the light I see is weed being released. And we're moving through the tunnel quickly, finally.
Peace,
MJ
