Freebase Dali

What makes you think there would be a vast expansion of the pot market?
The folks who are morally opposed to smoking pot will still be, regardless of legality. The rest of the pot-smoking population will just resume smoking pot but won't have to worry about getting busted for it and instead of dealing with shady criminals for obtaining their weed, they can just go down the street to a store for premium, guaranteed quality. You'll have to wait a couple generations for the morally opposed to filter out of society and pot to become as normal as alcohol is now.

You know what would have a vast market expansion? Potting soil, High-pressure-sodium light bulbs, Aluminum foil, plant nutrients, and the premium seed market... because every pot smoker with a brain is going to become doctor fucking greenthumb and grow their own pot because it will be completely free and completely legal.

You can't seriously believe that any self-respecting weed smoker is going to choose brown, crappy brick weed from Mexico when they can either grow their own hydro or Kind, buy it from a friend next door, or buy it from the 7-11 down the street.
Besides,
The reason there isn't a grow-room in every pot-smoker's house isn't because it's hard to do. It's not. It's because it's just too risky.

Come on, man.
If you knew the marijuana community, you'd know what I'm saying is true.
The stuff you're saying reminds me of how the media tries to speak for a subculture and completely misses the mark because they have no real experience with it.

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duga

I agree with your post...I just think it is interesting to think of pot culture as a "subculture". At least in the US, even in states like Indiana where it is still cracked down on and particularly risky to even use, it has gotten to the point where it is weird if someone does not smoke weed and completely disgusting if someone smokes cigarettes. I smoke both, so I get it coming from all sides.

I think at this point, even with its illegal status, weed is officially part of mainstream US culture...at least youth culture. It just so happens this particular cultural tradition could get you in trouble with the man. It's really interesting when you think about it.

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Confusion will be my epitaph...

Freebase Dali

I wasn't really calling the pot culture a subculture. I was using the subculture reference as a comparison for how often people who don't know the intimate details of things often get it wrong when they assume.

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duga

Oh yeah...I got you. I just kind of fixated on the "subculture" thing and felt the urge to write about it. I agree with your previous post.

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Confusion will be my epitaph...

Guybrush

I still believe there will be an expansion in the market and is brick crap really the only product coming out of the cartels? I'd think cannabis plants could thrive down south in the warmth.

Anyways, if you're going to legalize it, you have to assume that consumption will go up and that there will be more users. You might think it won't, but when you're dealing with laws that change a country in a profound way, obviously you make possibilities like that part of the equation.

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Something Completely Different

CAPTAIN CAVEMAN

because americans need to eat more shite food

Guybrush

Taxing something people are going to grow at home is gonna cause quite some headache.

In essence, legalizing it without taxing it doesn't make sense because then you only get the negatives related with marijuana such as marijuana related car accidents, mental health problems, social problems and so on. Legalizing and taxing will potentially make up for those negatives by bringing in cash to the government, but then the government is in a conflict of interest with users and homegrowers who want cheaper pot and that might well lead to criminalization for example in scenarios where they outlaw homegrowing or black market sales.

Actually, I'm loathe to get into this discussion again, but for those with an interest in the subject, there's quite a lot of interesting back-and-forth on the earlier pages with a lot of good points both for and against legalization.

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Something Completely Different

Cadrian

Fix the Bottom pic...

Ya I know about Decriminalization in some states and Ive attended some local NORML Meetings.

Yes you have some Decriminalization in some states but until the federal government acknowledge taking Marijuana off Federal charges and let states handle it on their own completely its pointless.

In South Carolina... Marijuana possession still can be a big thing here.... I am hoping that South Carolina follows after North Carolina in how they have decriminalization and are proposing a Medication law.

South Carolina had a few laws pro-pot going through our house but the guy who proposed them died so the laws died.

Thrice

Today I read an article about having to have nothing more than a verbal agreement with a card-holding patient to be a 'Primary caregiver', thus allowing the production, transport, and sale of marijuana to that patient. It makes absolutely no sense to me at all how one can become a self proclaimed/employee Weed MD.

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Lew Harrison, who looked like an anarchist with his red eyes and fierce black beard, had been writing furiously in one corner of the room. "That's good—happiness by the kilowatt," he said. "Buy your happiness the way you buy light."

OceanAndSilence

mmm legal or not it'll always be there and you won't stop anyone who's determined. munchies=barbecue rice crackers with philadelphia. ohhhhh man

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http://www.myspace.com/chrisneto - tune in to chill out