How to make pot legal (hypothetically)

[idontgivenames]

I'm sure many of you want to see marijuana legal in the U.S. or what ever country it is you're from. Politics are one way to do it. But I think the easier way to do it would be more in the hands of the dealers. I am no dealer, but if I were to sell 8ths of chronic for 25$-30$ which are typically 45-60$+ on the street, people would smoke more. Normally, the average 60$ an 8th weekly smoker would buy a quarter for say 60$ of some dank (assuming that's the price being charged for a quarter of good stuff being reduced from the original higher prices of 80-120$).

So, the cheaper you sell bud, the more people would buy. Leading to larger consumer demand. Not only that, but more people would likely begin smoking. Say an 8th of chronic can be bought for 25$, that could last a conservative smoker well over a week. So, more people would be like "Hey, I can buy pot and not spend all my money on it just to keep blazed. So, I think I'll get an 8th this friday."

Eventually, as more people began to consume more and more and the prices went down, so would the penalties because more people would be getting arrested. Eventually, people would get tired of tax money going towards incarcerations and unnecessary law enforcement. Pretty simple really. Also, as the usage among the masses increase. So would activism.

It's a chain reaction. However, dealers are typically very selfish when you consider a pound of mexican can be acquired for 100$ or so if you have a good hook up. Then an 8th of that same mexican can be sold for 15-25$! It's all about profit. But once people stop trying to make profit of it, and start selling it cheaper, the laws would change because more people would use. Just like any other business, the cheaper you sell, the more people buy.

 

[facelift]

Dealers do take a lot of risk to keep your ass stoned. Most of them if not all are looking at hard time. So if the dealer is looking to make it worth his time, potentially, who's to complain. The best way to make it legal is to grow your own in private and keep you trap shut. Keeping your trap shut is the hard part. Even I like to discuss my activities from time to time.

Not being trollish, just spicing up an average post.

Keep it cool.....

 

[Guest]

Good idea, but like you said..it's hypothetical. That's like telling the dealers that they're going to take a 40% pay cut. Personally, I feel that the quickest way to make weed legal is to educate the public, but the only way to really do that is to "fight fire with fire" and go on a huge propoganda run. NORML is good, but still plays the sidelines. If there was a "truth" moverment like the one for anti-tobacco(but MUCH less annoying), I feel that more people would be educates and open minded. This would make way for pro-pot propositions to be passed from state to state. Eventually a regulated legalization. It's not like we're going to wake up one morning and it'll be legal. But once the prohibition becomes less & less with anti-pot bills..even though it's still illegal, it'll be tolerated alot more.

 

[mriko]

I don't give a shit about cannabis becoming legal in my own country. This situation must change at global level to be worthy and realy bring in some positive change.
Tell me, what the fuck if US (or France, my country) legalizes cannabis inbetween its borders, but keeps on pushing for other gov. for them to eradicate. That would be fucking bullshit !
Must be done at international level by the UN. THey have pretention to control drug trade aound the wolrd, so they must start to really do the job they're claiming (they don't control anything, except morphine and pharm products trade). Take in chage international trade of hash and ganja. Producing and consuming countries are free to settle their own regulation own pricing system.
when legalised it would be big mistake to treat cannabis as any other product submissed to bloody WTO rules. THis market is worth hundreds of billions $ and if this money is reinjected from criminal pockets to were it is really needed for this or that society, then legalisation could improve the life of many many around the world.
If we treat like any other commercial product then just a bunch of people will get benefit from it, and in the end it won't change anything. It could even make the situation (for the plant) worse than it is today.

Irie !

 

[Pythagllio]

Try dealing for a while, get busted, then you'll understand that in reality, cannabis is seriously underpriced wrt a reasonable risk premium. god bless you if you end up getting to keep the money you thought your were making. But for better odds play Powerball to win.

 

[Mr. Nevermind]

Try dealing for a while, get busted, then you'll understand that in reality, cannabis is seriously underpriced wrt a reasonable risk premium. god bless you if you end up getting to keep the money you thought your were making. But for better odds play Powerball to win.

Herb isnt underpriced. COnsidering the amount of cash it takes to grow a pound of herb ( food ,lights, genes and dirt) is very low. You can grow a pound of herb forless than $40 a month. Nevermind if you are growing outdoors. So actually MJ is quite overpriced and always has been. Look at any grower. Any grower can sell an oz for $350 or more and that is an atsronomical profit margin.


I wouldnt look to dealers to lower prices to help MJ be legal. A dealers purpose is to sell a product and make a profit on it, not to save the world. Plus with MJ legal the dealer is putting himself out of business, so there is really no reason to think a dealer would help.

Honestly, its all up to growers. If each grower can teach a friend how to grow and have their own herb, it will put dealers out of business. The more that grow the more supply there is. The more supply the lower the price. the lower the price then the lower the reward for dealers. Once you lower the reward for dealers MJ will not be sold much on the street since it wont be very profitable. Then people will see MJ isnt a problem nor is growing it. Only growers can help.







Nevermind

 

[naga_sadu]

I'm sure many of you want to see marijuana legal in the U.S. or what ever country it is you're from. Politics are one way to do it. But I think the easier way to do it would be more in the hands of the dealers.

MArijuana became illegal due to the criminilisation drive started by Hearst, who was supported by companys like Du Pont as well. It was to keep industrial hemp out as a competition using extra economic means. HEmp was gaining prominance as a substitute for paper and chemicals DU Pont ws making. It was also a subsitute for alopathy- pharmaceutical copanies. Globally, the "war on drugs" went on to become an excuse to sustain near cold war spending.

I think a better way to do it is if everyone interested, contributed alternatives to whatever the agents interested in keeping it illegal- provide as products to consumers. Example, you can grow many medicinal plants that do a much better job w/ pills. We can perhaps expand our growing and give people subsituttes to those fucked up pills. As much as we can, even if in the short run, itwon't mean much.

The war on drugs has many direct & well as indrect contributors. IT's important we identify them, and refuse buying from them. That's something practical we all can do, as a start, I think & see where that goes. As long as the ones who promote its criminilisation (pharma industries, supporters of drugs war such as the private prison biz & corporates who invest in them maintain their stranglehold over all walks of peoples' consumption choices, legalisation will be very, very hard to foresee.

Depriving those fuckers offa consumer base, is the best we can do as people from the world. Not just dealers, but it's more of a p-p thing. Ok. I know that the pharma corpos are involved in marijuana's continued illegal status. But most people buy shit like pills w/ side effects for MANY things that can be naturally provided. Introducing these substitutes, that can be grown, is like depriving them offa thing that sustains them most- consumer base.

However, dealers are typically very selfish when you consider a pound of mexican can be acquired for 100$ or so if you have a good hook up. Then an 8th of that same mexican can be sold for 15-25$! It's all about profit. But once people stop trying to make profit of it, and start selling it cheaper, the laws would change because more people would use. Just like any other business, the cheaper you sell, the more people buy.

Honestly man, having a very large consumer base is very risky in countries such as the United States. And the highest number of dealer busts in the US in my exp. were from snitches. So, a dealer in these circumstances will find it VERY difficult not to do business w/ profit as the primary motive.

I can't comment on the US, but in South Asia, people involved in large scale dealing in cities, towns usually aren't in it for the cause or for preservation of quality. They're in it as risk takers in an "underground" business. The question the larger scale pusher guys have is "is this biz more profitable than running a moonshine liquor shop" rather than "will my efforts contribute to eventual legalisation?" Here's a perfect example in the UK.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=42251

Illegalisation kinda forces that kind of thinking, making the main agenda of pushing very profit centric and a few who are principled large scaler pushers are very few and indeed far inbetween.

 

[1TWISTEDTRUCKER]

Mr.Nevermind is absolutely right.Share the knoweledge and do all we can to help trusted friends get started & We will eventualy OVERGROW the World.

Spread the Love;1TT

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Weed is not overpriced, when you buy bud you are buying a service from a criminal. I don't personally think Herb is a crime, but the powers that be do.
Any service you pay a criminal to do is overpriced cuz they are selling you the fruits of their risk.

Compare it to prostitution. Sex is free for the average person, but if you want it no strings attached on the spot, its gonna cost ya.

The best way to get it legal is to spread the seeds, and the knowlege to grow them.

 

[fr33th3w33d]

the major fatal flaw in your plan is that dealers sell illegal marijuana. why would a drug dealer drop his prices and lose money to make weed legal so he could no longer sell it and make money..

 

[naga_sadu]

the major fatal flaw in your plan is that dealers sell illegal marijuana. why would a drug dealer drop his prices and lose money to make weed legal so he could no longer sell it and make money..

Yea. At least in places like Kullu the major problem is that competing pushers use the ongoing illegality of mj as a part of their business plans. As in, when a pusher wants to expand his "territory", they use their racked up $$$ to backsheesh the LEO to attack his "rival" pusher thru raids. If the "rival" has lesser $$$ then he's fucked + gets busted. But supply of produce in the marketplace never goes down. And, another problem w/ commercial pushers (at least the ones in S. Asia) is that they never lay emphasis on quality of product. The authentic + pure native Ghats highland sativas are nearly extinct, for instance nowadays.

And commercially pushed mj leaves alot to be desired in terms of quality by and large....

 

[Ohh.Word]

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Mr. Nevermind again."

Great post either way

 

[Mr. Nevermind]

Weed is not overpriced, when you buy bud you are buying a service from a criminal. I don't personally think Herb is a crime, but the powers that be do.
Any service you pay a criminal to do is overpriced cuz they are selling you the fruits of their risk.

Compare it to prostitution. Sex is free for the average person, but if you want it no strings attached on the spot, its gonna cost ya.

The best way to get it legal is to spread the seeds, and the knowlege to grow them.

Sorry bro, weed is way over priced. It costs a few bucks to grow a pound of herb that can be sold for over $4k. Anything you can put less than $300 on and sell for $4k is over priced. You say paying for risk? Life is a risk, buying a bag is a risk. So should med card people charge $40 an oz since they dont have the risk of an illegal grower? cuz it dont happen. Weed is over priced due to demand for quality herb and lack of quality imported herb. So growers in the states fill a hole that needs filled and charge a great deal cuz they can.

If each person that grows teaches a friend how to grow in a few years dealers will be left holding bags of shitty weed while we all will have quality herb to smoke on ourselves without risking our security with the black market.

Change how herb is aquired and you can change teh perception of it to the masses. If peopel just mind their own business and grow their own herb and dont sell it then media will have nothing to say about it negative. Peopel already knwo weed isnt bad for you ( like alcohol and tobacco) but the media can still use the whole " if you smoke weed you support terrorism" fear campaign. So if we grow our own then people will see thru that media lie and we will be one step closer.

That and if we all would gather up some serious cash and get some lobbiests on our side on Capitol hill. A few hundred grand can get some votes.






Nevermind

 

[IdntknowMarlbro]

give lots of money to mpp. to help pay lobbyist.
thats how you get things done in america.

once you get that done in america the whole world will change also because thats the only reason everyone else still has pot illegall.

 

[IdntknowMarlbro]

or we can overgrow the world!!!!!!

no but seriously, on overgrow there was an idea about everyone planting seeds.
its a very good idea and i think if we do it every year, after a couple its going to get to the point were the government cant control it. weed will be everywhere, like it should be.

 

[mriko]

So, the cheaper you sell bud, the more people would buy

Nope, people would rather buy MORE WEED each time.

Eventually, as more people began to consume more and more and the prices went down, so would the penalties because more people would be getting arrested. Eventually, people would get tired of tax money going towards incarcerations and unnecessary law enforcement.

Definitely not, everyyear more and more people consume, and I can garantee you that here in my country it doesn't make the prices to drop. Street weed is the very same price (if not more expensive sometimes) than 10 years ago. But 10 years ago it wasn't adulterated with this damn powder...

Are the penalties going lighter in US ?

Eventually, as more people began to consume more and more and the prices went down, so would the penalties because more people would be getting arrested. Eventually, people would get tired of tax money going towards incarcerations and unnecessary law enforcement.

MArijuana became illegal due to the criminilisation drive started by Hearst, who was supported by companys like Du Pont as well.

Right, "New Billion-dollar Crop" was a real threat for the petro-chemical industry. But let's not forget the awfull Anslinger to complete the trio.
We should not forget as well that the repression against Marijuana had also strong racists connotations, as it was introduced my migrants from Mexico or Caribbeans sailors who spread its use.
Actually one of the very first country to push for some international prohibition of cannabis was actually South Africa. It was an important cultural tool for the populations they wanted to subdue (and also great for going to war). Still, they allowed its use for people working in mines.

And, another problem w/ commercial pushers (at least the ones in S. Asia) is that they never lay emphasis on quality of product

Heheh, last time I Was in Kullu valley, when I bought some charas the hotel keeper had three kind, Malana Cream, Malana regular charas, and "business quality". That business quality was absolutely unsmokable, yuck !

once you get that done in america the whole world will change also because thats the only reason everyone else still has pot illegall.

yup, but I sincerely hope it doesn't start with the US. Be sure that big-toothed sharks will grab the market and in some ways could make the things worse than what they are today.

By the way, why "hypothetically" ? Damn won't get us very far, definitely. not far than just thinking and sorting out hypothesis and other suppositions. you just can't consider it through ideas like "more people smoking = good reason to legalise" or "more people growing their own = less money for criminals = good reason to legalise". It goes much further than that, and I would even say that it is a mistake to advocate for legalisation in one's own country. It's like everyone is doing their own thing in their own corner instead of joining all together, to face the ugly monster (all with different reasons to get the plant freed) and eventually get rid of it, for the good of the most !



Why cannabis should be legalised ?

Because its prohibition creates corruption and feed the crime
Because its prohibition has its roots in colonnialist and racist thinking
Because the money ending up today in criminals' pockets could revive the economy of many country
Because it is a source of food for many, and could be for many more
Because it is a medicine for many and could be for many more
Because it can provide work to many people in many countries
Because it could help to fight at some scale wild immigration and terrorism
Because today's street-products are heavily adulterated and dangerous for health
Because lobbying for environment protection on one side, and planning the eradication of one (and others ) plant species on the other side is a hypocrisy that cannot be accepted
Because the fight against cannabis has proven to be totally ineffiscient and cost every year billions of $/€/£ to the society
Because everyday people are jailed, and sometimes even executed, because they have a few plants in the garden, or a handfull of flowers in their possession
Because the UN and all government applying cannabis prohibition are making themselves the accomplises of criminal, as they favour their activities through the laws they try vainly to apply.
Because people need to be truly informed about cannabis and its uses, and it needs to be legal for that.
Because dozens of underdevelopped countries have a natural ressource which costs high prices on international market, but are denied the right the trade it by western countries, which is totally unjust
Because these countries could earn large amonts of money thanks ot the hashish/ganja trade, could develop and become more stable as well in some cases
Because cannabis prohibition equals to imposed aculturation, ethnocide in many countries were cannabis, from the status of a sacrament has been put down to that of a poisonous drug nocive to society.
Because thousands of innocent peasant around the world are made criminal because they grow the only plant that can bring them enough money to house and feed their family, buy cloth to children and send them to school.
Because it could be a source for local sustainable development
Because cannabis is one of the very few last natural ressource that is widely underused and under estimates
Because fighting cannabis is a waste of time for police forces who could focus on more serious affairs
etc., etc.


Irie !

 

[9Lives]

Overgrowing is a pretty good option..and im not only talking about educating people through sites like these. There should be a tradition in planting cannabis in public places...plant a 100 seeds every spring. Or more..

Then people will see what a waste of money the war on cannabis is...

 

[naga_sadu]

give lots of money to mpp. to help pay lobbyist.
thats how you get things done in america.

The folks (corpo class) who have vested interests in keeping mj criminilised directly + indirectly have lots more $$$ than both you or I, which is why a "democracy" run by party politics is nothing more than a different type of a tyrannical dictatorship...the amount of $$$ needed to influence lobbyists on the national level is WAY too much for the citizenry in general...

once you get that done in america the whole world will change also because thats the only reason everyone else still has pot illegall.

I for SURE would like to see American smokers smoke freely w/o fear, but I sincerely do hope that America becomes a PART of the change, and not the main spearhead in this change, whatsoever. For one, you'll have the very same corporate class try and consolidate and solidify their grip on marijuana. Not a good deal at all. A series of grass roots change in the global level is a far more viable option for all of us here.

Some countrys (outside the EU) have already begun the process of decriminilisation.

or we can overgrow the world!!!!!!

no but seriously, on overgrow there was an idea about everyone planting seeds.
its a very good idea and i think if we do it every year, after a couple its going to get to the point were the government cant control it. weed will be everywhere, like it should be.

I am in agreement here, but again, on the side, we should also offer as many people we can, alternative solutions, products and services. We can find many substitutes for pills thru many naturally grown medicines (including mj). We can stop eating in corporate fast food joints, ex: KFC, which invests in private prison building (priv. prisons became very lucrative after the drug war, which mj is a part of) and instead eat in family run local joints. Or at least encourage more ppl. to eat in local run family joints. SHit like that...

 

[1TWISTEDTRUCKER]

Naga Sadu in 08!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No,,Seriously folks listen up.

1st get rid of the politicians,then WALLMART,hehehe. well we can only hope.

 

[naga_sadu]

IN party politics, the politicians usually dance to the tunes played by the ones who have the most $$$. If the "corporate culture" goes, so will party politics and all the bs that comes w/ it. Gettin' rid of the entire "corporate culture" gulag isin't easy, but it HAS been done in 20th century in other parts of the world, WITHOUT VIOLENCE.

Most people simply retreat behind this "the pharma corporations are too powerful and have 5 billion people as a consumer base" and do nothing. 4.99999999 billion is still better (for us) than 5 bil flat. GLobal level changes like this will take time, but will SURELY succeed!!