Last week, Alaska’s esteemed lieutenant governor, Mead Treadwell, ordered state officials to put a citizen initiative on the ballot for Aug. 19 to legalize marijuana in the State From Which Sarah Palin Can See Russia.
Treadwell didn’t ask or advise those officials to add the measure to the ballot. He didn’t suggest it. He ordered it, because about 45,000 voters up that way decided the other voters should join them in a vote on the issue. So they ordered the good lieutenant governor to order the state to let the voters decide. And odds are good they’ll decide marijuana is maybe a tiny bit more dangerous than dust mites, and they’ll start selling it to us adults as they should, openly and freely in stores right out in the open. I support legalization in Alaska and elsewhere, even here. Or I did, anyway, when we passed it.
Wait … what? Arizona passed marijuana legalization?
Yes, we did. It’s a little something called the “Arizona Medical Marijuana Act,” and it allows us to freely buy and own and carry around in our pockets, if we want to, up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. We can walk right into stores and plop down cash and walk away with cannabis brownies or suckers or bags or jars full of flowers. We are allowed to have a fuck ton of medication in our little stash boxes and on the trays under the couch—more than most of us would ever need. Maybe you can’t, because maybe you don’t have a medical card, and if you don’t have a medical marijuana card, then you’re kind of half-assing your support for legalization.
Because medical marijuana is legal.
Right now there are about 40,000 medical cardholders in Arizona, which is far, far fewer than the number of people who qualify and are already using cannabis. I’ve met dozens of people who say they support legalization, but have no medical card. They all have reasons, most of which don’t fly.
It’s too expensive: Getting a card costs roughly $250 the first year, then $215ish for renewal years. Trust me, I understand being broke. That sounds like a lot of money to me, too, but not in the scheme of things. I spend much more money than that on PBR every year, so much more I think I’d be afraid to see the numbers. Add Cabernet, and it’s ridiculously more than $250 per year. I spend more than that on coffee. Many of you probably spend wildly more than that on coffee. So it is expensive, but if you support legalization, you should support the legal system we already have.
I don’t qualify: You might be surprised to learn how easy it is to qualify for a medical card. There are more than a dozen qualifying ailments, including chronic pain. Chronic pain is the simplest entrée. It’s basically defined as pain that last three months or more and keeps you from doing things you want to do. That’s a pretty low bar, and if you’ve been in a car wreck or work at a desk or are older than 40, you probably qualify. Most people have some chronic pain. And don’t be scared by the word “debilitating.” You don’t have to be disabled to get a card. If your pain prevents you from doing things you want to, it’s debilitating.
My pain keeps me from a long list of hobbies. Can I get out of bed and go to work every day? Yes. Can I do it without pain? No. I shy away from rock climbing, because it completely fucks my neck for a week every time I go. I skip the lat pull-downs at gym for the same reason. That’s debilitating, according to my doctor.
I get a little weary listening to people who refuse to be part of our legal system complain at length about their dream of legalization. They point north to Colorado and Washington and soon Alaska, and they say, “Jeez. I wish we had legalization.” They rail against the man, claiming the medical system is costly, that it’s too restrictive, that it’s unfair. They stubbornly refuse to support it. These are the same people who will complain about prices, even after legalization.
Maybe you do have a good hookup now, folks, and maybe your pot dealer is a great guy with great prices and convenient hours of operation. But if it isn’t a legal hookup, if your pot dealer isn’t a medical hookup, you’re not a real supporter of legalization.
You’re just talking smack at the bar.
This article appears in Mar 6-12, 2014.
The “War on Marijuana” has been a complete and utter failure. It is the largest component of the broader yet equally unsuccessful “War on Drugs” that has cost our country over a trillion dollars.
Instead of The United States wasting Billions upon Billions more of our tax dollars fighting a never ending “War on Marijuana”, lets generate Billions of dollars, and improve the deficit instead. It’s a no brainer.
The Prohibition of Marijuana has also ruined the lives of many of our loved ones. In numbers greater than any other nation, our loved ones are being sent to jail and are being given permanent criminal records which ruin their chances of employment for the rest of their lives, and for what reason?
Marijuana is much safer, and healthier to consume than alcohol. Yet do we lock people up for choosing to drink?
Let’s end this hypocrisy now!
The government should never attempt to legislate morality by creating victim-less “crimes” because it simply does not work and costs the taxpayers a fortune.
Marijuana Legalization Nationwide is an inevitable reality that’s approaching much sooner than prohibitionists think and there is nothing they can do to stop it!
Legalize Nationwide! Support Each and Every Marijuana Legalization Initiative!
There IS a movement afoot in Arizona to put personal (not necessarily medical) use of marijuana on the November 2014 ballot. For more information, check out:
http://SaferArizona.com
Don’t need no stinking $250 card every year plus paying for a semi-bogus medical evaluation before buying a $3+ bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s. That’s a big difference, and why we need full legalization. Then no special permission or fees for anyone to deal with, and prices will drop dramatically as many more stores open and the market expands.
I voted to make medical marijuana use legal, but I won’t go as far as making it legal for recreational use. Why not make all prescription drugs recreational? Why not make harder drugs recreational? There needs to be some line, and medical marijuana is where I personally pick it.
I do support decriminalizing possession and making it more like a civil infraction if caught with it in your car. Where we do not put people in jail for simple possession of it.
I guess I am a little bias on this issue. I feel if you are over 30 and still feel like you need to be under the influence of marijuana, I personally think you look like a loser. You probably have children and a family and should be using your money to take care of them and give them a better life. I feel the same way if you are getting drunk every day with children. However, if you are single and nobody is dependent on you, I guess it is your personal choice to waste your money on a plant….
It seems like I am on the wrong side of the momentum of this issue in this country. It they make it legal in United States, I will not lose any sleep over it. I think state and our country have WAY bigger issues than legalizing marijuana. Plus, I just do not like the direction our society is taking with glamorizing drug use.
Let’s add the social costs of alcohol to the price you pay for your cabernet and see if you still feel the same way. By the time we add all the costs of drunk drivers, domestic violence, medical costs, etc associated with alcohol, you’ll wind up paying the same 400 for your bottle of wine that I do for an ounce of MMJ.
How about that JM?
So lie (yes misrepresenting yourself is lying) to your doctor to get a Medical Marijuana card in order to show your support for legalization? I don’t mind people smoking pot if they want. I do mind people who lie.
I am quite “debilitated” at times. I often cannot walk more than around the inside of my house, if I’m lucky. The pain is mind numbing at times. However, I get my healthcare from the VA. If the weed showed up in my blood, I’d be out on the street as far as healthcare goes.
Marijuana may be “legal” in Arizona, and certainly the ability to have acess to it is better than not, however, it is way too expensive and the “legality” is only partial at best. Other states (including California) have many more choices of the way this product can be used. In AZ it is “flowers” or “candy” of one sort or another, but there are many more choices that should be incorporated into this “legalization”. When one can purchase a marijuana product without interference (as in Colo./Wash., etc.) then, and only then, will we be able to say the product is legal in the state of Arizona. I sincerely hope this matter can be voted on and settled in the November elections. Don’t let the label of “mid-term elections” keep you from voting on this very inportant subject.
I absolutely agree with you, Bob Regan! The ratio of marijuana-related DUIs is extremely minimal versus alcohol-related DUIs. Alcohol is a MUCH bigger problem in our society for a variety of reasons (i.e. car accidents, domestic violence, anger issues, death, rape, and numerous medical issues (including, but certainly not limited to Cirrhosis), etc.
There’s nothing about pot that says, ‘I want to get behind the wheel and drive;’ on the contrary, pot makes you laugh, is a relaxant, helps with insomnia, makes you more philosophical, combats nausea, and has countless other positive effects. Most people who smoke are aware that they’ll most likely get ‘the munchies,’ so they plan ahead and have food and snacks on-hand; in addition, they don’t want to drive impaired. In actuality, pot smokers don’t want to do much physical exertion at all because they want to enjoy their high, be artistic and creative, and simply veg. There are a multitude of successful people who smoke pot on a daily basis, so it’s far from a ‘Hippie’ issue these days. I know many people who are doctors, attorneys, professors, executives, and so on, who smoke pot. I’m actually shocked myself at times because I catch myself thinking, ‘Wow, I’m shocked that he/she smokes pot because they don’t look like someone who would!’ Well, my friends and I don’t look like we would either, but we do, and it’s great that society is finally realizing the many benefits of marijuana. I, nor any of my friends, have or would ever smoke pot before or during our work day; there’s a time and a place for it.
Regardless of your vice (i.e. alcohol, pot, food, etc.), if it’s gotten out of your control, you need to address the issue and seek help from friends, family, and/or professionals. As with everything else in life, it’s all about balance and making responsible choices.
Whatever happened to all of the people who have cancer or major diseases who need to get the weed? Looks like a LOT of people have the “pain” to be able to get the weed.
So many in my opinion false and inaccurate definitions in the story that I believe Mr. Smith is talking smack at the bar.
1- The dispensaries in Tucson are FOR PROFIT don’t for a minute believe they are not
2- The edible’s are made in Health department standards not medical standards a lot of pieces put in PHX or Tucson.
3- Staff in ALL the dispensaries I have been with one exception where not medical knowledgeable.
4- Legalization is not for the medical user they will have to compete with simply the most THC strains.
5- The street Dealer is more honest than these dispensaries they have more to lose
6- I have seen the so called AZ tested meds and what a JOKE! most I see is a report of what the strain is capable of not what the WHOLE plant tested at. They take a sample and send it in, lets bring out the lab to the location and have them take the samples and quantify the results as done with every other Government testing requirement. I have sent in for$35.00 and had a sample test not even close to what was stated as top shelf.
7- Simply put if you are going to make a product under the term MEDICAL it has to follow all the medical guidelines of testing research distribution. Since the FEDS wont allow this it is up for grabs and this BS card situation is going to lead to another Kemper Marley Don Bolles in the future
more proposed money grab from MMJ
http://www.azleg.gov//FormatDocument…Ses…
I firmly believe that MJ should be legalized because it doesn’t cause half the problems as alcohol, but when you begin your article with a lie based on a statement that was concocted by someone to disparage another person as an attack on someone you obviously don’t like then anything you say becomes suspect and irrelevant.