one.sixoneeight
Member
Perhaps the record levels of poppy in afghanistan will ease the rescheduling pain.
If you think that level of control is unattainable, it exists for pretty much every prescription drug already, so why would cannabis be treated differently? In fact, it is exactly what big Pharma wants, so you know they will get it.
On medical, it will become more specific as to who can prescribe it, the dosage, the specific cannabinoid combinations for which conditions, what form the medical cannabis will take (plant, pill, oil) how much a medical user can possess, etc.
If you think that level of control is unattainable, it exists for pretty much every prescription drug already, so why would cannabis be treated differently? In fact, it is exactly what big Pharma wants, so you know they will get it.
Dr. Gupta is perhaps the most influential person currently promoting the benefits of marijuana. His words have already had an impact around the world. The fact that he's a convert, and is now proselytizing for it, adds even more impact to his position.
It appears his focus is now on getting marijuana rescheduled or removed from the schedule of restricted drugs.
As I've pointed out b4, doing that would have the biggest impact on law enforcement across the country, as they could no longer justify all the money going to marijuana suppression, nor the forfeiture laws that motivate LEOs to bust and confiscate personal property. Plus states would have trouble justifying all the harsh laws against marijuana on their books. You'd probably see lawsuits everywhere until new legislation is passed.
Indeed the biggest change would happen internationally. How could the DEA continue to justify it's war on marijuana in other countries once the US reschedules marijuana as not so dangerous? They'd have to rein in all the pressure they've put on foreign gov'ts to toe the DEA line on cannabis.
The question then becomes whether to reschedule or just remove cannabis completely from the schedule. That is the debate we should be having on the national level.
Thoughtful & well said. Thank You.
I like this proposal-
http://polis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=318723
Well, better than anything else that even has a prayer.
I sincerely believe, however, that the Colorado legalization experience will utterly discredit prohibitionists. All we've ever needed was the chance to show that legalization is sound policy, and now we have it. Not utterly repressive & controlling "legalization" that the WA legislature seems to want, but something open & easy going, where we can buy it, grow it, share it & enjoy it responsibly. And that's just what's happening. Now that the "New" is wearing off, we need to make it as normal as beer at a Bronco game- accepted, respectable, just part of life, no big deal to non-participants. So far, so good. There was a piece on the news a while back about not letting your pets get your edibles which was actually rather neutral about it all. I think it's great that's all the news they can come up with about legalization.
A big part of the strength of prohibition was in the fact that it was universal in this country, a solid wall, unblemished. I like to think of what's happening as a slow motion version of snapping a spring loaded center punch on a piece of tempered glass. Once flawed, cohesiveness collapses completely. Colorado is the point of impact. It'll just take awhile, I'm afraid.