Right before the five pages of sex and call-girl ads in the LA Weekly, I noticed a full page dedicated to medicinal marijuana clinics and pharmacies–13 ads, to be exact. I noticed that at Organic Caregivers in West LA, for example, they have a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Heaven on Earth Healing has a deal going: $20 for a 1/8. Now that’s a ganja ganga.
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
Now, let’s get serious. If Gov. Brew and her crew want to look at ways to boost our economy, perhaps giving MJ a try is the way to go. It might behoove the state government to get a little high right now, and perhaps it could help our lack of funds. A green stimulus.
After all, the Obama administration looks like it’s taking our country in a new direction. The AG’s office announced this month that the U.S. Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana distributors, like our friends in LA.
And now a California lawmaker is trying to get his Golden State to legalize, not penalize I heard that at a protest once. He says marijuana adds $14 billion to the state’s economy.
Wow, sounds like something we could use here, too. Just think what our ad department could do with all those marijuana clinic ads? This could save the newspaper industry, too.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2009.
Legal marijuana. Okay, cool. Our workforce is already getting stupider and lazier anyway. Might as well accelerate the process.
The newspaper industry could turn to locally grown hemp paper, a much cheaper source of paper. I love the theory that if pot was legal, EVERYONE would be smoking. Really, are you that ignorant? Booze is legal. I rarely drink. My parents will never smoke the weed no matter how cheap or legal it is. Cigs are legal, I don’t smoke cigs. Prozac is legal, I’m not doped up on it. If heroin was free? A controlled substance, like alcohol, is a CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE. Pot would be a CS, with rules and laws regulating it’s use by minors and bus drivers. Substance abuse is substance abuse, and the substances are readily available already. Spray paints are legal, I’m not a huffer. What’s the matter DuhDuh? No self control? If prostitution were legal you’d be nailin’ the pros on the regular. You strike me as the kind of person that buys Budweiser cuz it makes you sexier, just like in them commercials. Or maybe you’re the kind of person that though criticizing George Bush a few years ago was un-American-unpatriotic, and now you want the president to fail. You ain’t THAT person are ya?
I never said “everybody” will use drugs. Nor was that my argument. Nice comprehension skills. Clearly you’ve smoked too much dope and turned into one.
Seems to me the above argument by Taquitos DeLoins contains numerous fallacies: (1) Straw-man argument: “I love the theory that…”. (2) Anecodotal evidence to counter a statistical argument: “Cigs are legal, I don’t smoke cigs.” (3) Ad-hominem: “You strike me as the kind of person who…” (4) Misdirection: “…now you want the president to fail.”
Is there really any question over whether legalizing a substance will lead to a statistical rise in the use of that substance?
REASONS NOT TO SMOKE POT:
— acne (especially if teens smoke pot while smearing butter on their cheeks)
— the munchies (Americans are already overweight)
— memory loss (can’t remember where I heard about this)
— carcinogens (cancer spliffs?)
— decreased lung capacity (never toke up before a swim meet)
— lowered sperm count (never toke up before procreating)
— rise in profits of pizza chains (and the owners of Domino’s are anti-abortion, which balances out the lowered sperm count problem)
— diminishing returns on “deep thoughts” (like, “What if you trained your pet cats to perform in a theatrical production of ‘Cats’? That’d be awesome!”)
— directly funding crime cartels and their hired killers (and pot consumers delude themselves into believing they’re peace-loving! Oh, the delusionamity!)
ARGUMENTS FOR DECRIMINALIZATION
— fewer people in prison (not to mention fewer people graduating high school)
— B-b-b-but alcohol! B-b-b-but Prohibition! (nevermind the numerous differences between the two drugs)
— Pot helps people relax (plus who needs the stress of junk like “drive” and “ambition”)
— Pot aids creativity (because nobody could ever be creative on their own — it’s too haaaard)
— Pot is natural (just like cyanide!)
— Pot has medicinal value (a bud a day keeps the doctor…from passing his MCAT)
— Pot could be taxed and then the taxes could aid the economy (which would largely consist of pizza and donut sales)
— Pot culture has always been stylish (dreadlocks = dreamy, patchouli = primo)
— Legalization works well in other countries (like Holland, with the highest crime rate in Northern Europe! But at least it’s fun!)
Hey man, just messin’ around. If there’s a way to make decriminalization work, I am all for it. But it will have to happen at the grass roots level (pun intended), and be a joint effort (pun intended) between the community and government. Otherwise it’s just a pipe dream (pun intended).