MED MJ, Decriminalization and Industrial Hemp

(tu)

I'd like to see a real imporvement in arrests for all the drug, gun and violence related crime we have before proposing Decriminalization of any amount of marijuana. Northern CA. did this and they are experiencing related crime and criminal offenses because of this.
I don't think the VI is at the point where it is ready for this. I am not wholly against it, at some point, in the furture. Just not now.

Sorry Bombi. Not something I can get behind.
I think it shall create more problems than it solves.
Get crime down and the criminals behind bars, then bring it up.

I agree with Senator Nelson 100%

Why put a kid in jail for a bag of weed and give him a police record that will follow him and affect his opportunities for life? Abusers should get treatment, not jail

Why arrest a hard working man who pay his bills and taxes and smokes a little weed in the privacy of his own home.

Why deny all the science and research that has clinically proven that mj is a valid alternative therapy. MJ is clinically proven to reduce the pain and discomfort of muscle spasms and tremors. I can help with neuropathic pain associated with diabetes.A natural herb can do the same or better than most of the pharma drugs.

Have you read about the other compound in MJ called CBD? Although CBD research is relatively new it will prove to be a valuable tool as a medicine or a medicine delivery method. This explains the basics

http://projectcbd.org/

The VA is treating PTSD with cannabis and these conditions can benefit as well

Conditions Treatable By CBD/THC
AIDS
Wasting Syndrome
Arthritis
Asthma
Autism
Cancer / Tumors
Crohn's Disease / IBS
Depression / Mental Illness
Degenerative Diseases
Diabetes
Eating Disorders
Epilepsy / Seizure Disorders
Glaucoma
Harm Reduction
Intractable Breathlessness
Migraine
Multiple Sclerosis
Nausea
Obstetric Problems
Pain
Phantom Limb Pain
PTSD
Withdrawal

If you look at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition you can see fact and statistics that show that allowing medical marijuana and marijuana decriminalization does not increase crime or use.
http://www.leap.cc/

There are may reasons not to but they are outnumbered by the reasons to consider liberalization of the MJ laws

Why put a kid in jail for a bag of weed and give him a police record that will follow him and affect his opportunities for life? Abusers should get treatment, not jail

Politics aside. "kids" i.e. < 23 years should NOT be smoking pot. Effects nuero connection in the growing brain (frontal lobe). Also has negitive impact on teens/young adults ability to gain social coping skills. We must send a solid message to our teens that drug abuse is dangerous--not turn a blind eye to accomodate the habits of adults.

Why put a kid in jail for a bag of weed and give him a police record that will follow him and affect his opportunities for life? Abusers should get treatment, not jail

Politics aside. "kids" i.e. < 23 years should NOT be smoking pot. Effects nuero connection in the growing brain (frontal lobe). Also has negitive impact on teens/young adults ability to gain social coping skills. We must send a solid message to our teens that drug abuse is dangerous--not turn a blind eye to accomodate the habits of adults.

[citation needed]

For one thing, I don't think any "kid" needs a bag of weed.
For another, it could very well set him/her on the road to stronger and much more dangerous drugs.
This is a can of worms best left closed for now.

Why put a kid in jail for a bag of weed and give him a police record that will follow him and affect his opportunities for life? Abusers should get treatment, not jail

Politics aside. "kids" i.e. < 23 years should NOT be smoking pot. Effects nuero connection in the growing brain (frontal lobe). Also has negitive impact on teens/young adults ability to gain social coping skills. We must send a solid message to our teens that drug abuse is dangerous--not turn a blind eye to accomodate the habits of adults.

[citation needed]

some light reading....

S A Gruber (Harvard) is widely considered a expert in this area.

1. Age of onset of marijuana use and executive function
Gruber, Staci A.; Sagar, Kelly A.; Dahlgren, Mary Kathryn; Racine, Megan; Lukas, Scott E.
Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Nov 21 , 2011, No Pagination Specified. doi: 10.1037/a0026269

2. http://666.biologija.org/Popeetal2003.pdf

3. http://www.mclean.harvard.edu/news/press/current.php?kw=mclean-study-shows-greater-cognitive-deficits-in-marijuana-users-who-start-&id=162

Adults are free to make thier own choices. Kids (and thier growing brains) need our guidance. Honestly, does anyone think it's OK for kids to get high / drunk. Common sense folks.

For one thing, I don't think any "kid" needs a bag of weed.
For another, it could very well set him/her on the road to stronger and much more dangerous drugs.
This is a can of worms best left closed for now.

Tobacco should also be illegal as it kills over 400,000 people in the US each year.
How can you condemn MJ for leading to more dangerous drugs? What about alcohol? Is this hypocritical or not?

If you did a bit of research on the subject of decriminalization you would discover that in states that did decriminalize that there was no increase in use by young people and that MJ is in fact NOT considered a gateway drug

http://cqresearcherblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/does-decriminalization-encourage.html

On June 27 2012 this was reported on this site

http://the420times.com/2012/06/chicago-city-council-votes-overwhelmingly-to-decriminalize-marijuana/

Earlier today the Chicago City Council voted overwhelmingly to approve a marijuana decriminalization measure that is expected to save the city millions of dollars.

Supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and set to take effect in August, the ordinance would allow police officers to issue citations for possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana, with fines ranging from $250 to $500, but offenders won’t go to jail.

The Marijuana Policy Project put out a press release just minutes ago on what happened in Chicago today. It read in part:

Passage of the measure means that adults in possession of small amounts of marijuana will no longer be arrested or saddled with criminal records that can make it harder to obtain employment, housing, and student loans. The ordinance will also allow law enforcement to focus on more serious crimes, like the city’s soaring murder rate, while conserving limited police resources. Violent crime has become a serious concern in Chicago, with homicides up 38% over the last year.

“The change in enforcement policy is a smart one,” said Dan Riffle, legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project. “Because of the ordinance passed today, a lot of young people in Chicago will have college educations, fulfilling careers, and bright futures to look forward to instead of the job-killing scar of a criminal record. All the while, Chicago police can stay on the beat protecting communities from violent criminals and real threats to public safety.”

Chicago now joins over 90 other localities in Illinois and 15 other states across the nation in removing criminal penalties for low-level marijuana possession. Since enacting laws replacing arrest and jail with fines for such violations, there has been no appreciable increase in marijuana use in those areas, either among adults or young people. The move follows a recent trend in marijuana reforms, including a similar penalty reform in Rhode Island and medical marijuana legislation in Connecticut this May and June. Legislative chambers in New York, New Hampshire, and New Jersey also approved marijuana policy reforms in recent weeks. This trend reflects growing public consensus that harsh marijuana laws are ineffective, and scarce law enforcement resources should not be used to arrest adults for using a substance safer than alcohol.

This article addresses teen drug use and decriminalization. Decrim does not increase drug use by teens.

http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/library/Decrim_Teen-Use-Analysis.pdf

Honestly bombi...no judgement.

My point is MJ use is bad for "kid's" brains. The article you cited shows the per capita use by state among minors and nothing about the lasting effects of MJ use in teens. In fact the premiss of the cited article is that MJ is harmful to kids. Legal, criminal, or otherwise; pot smoking derails the the developing brain. This, to me, is the more important message to send to our youth. I have yet to read a legit study that finds MJ use is in any way benefical to minors.

Good luck with your political movement, just leave our "kids" out of the discussion.

The VA is treating PTSD with cannabis and these conditions can benefit as well

Conditions Treatable By CBD/THC...
....Asthma....Depression / Mental Illness...Obstetric Problems....PTSD...

Where did you read that the VA treats PTSD with MJ?

I would caution against the use of MJ for the four conditions cited above, especially Obstetric problems. Any OB reccomending pot smoking during pregnacy should have thier license burned

Really, who gives a hoot if adults want to light up at home? Isn't that the point? So, y'all can get high with no fear of criminal consquences.
Why try to make MJ seem harmless? Or even worse, pretend that MJ is some sort of super cure-all. Just sticking to the point of decriminalization, without all the phoney glorification, might get you further.

IT IS ILLEGAL for kids to use/buy alcohol and tobacco.
It is not for adults.
Why should it be any different for kids buying marijuana which I understand is considerably more expensive these days.
That's hypocritical.

Let just agree to disagree on this particular subject.

The VA is treating PTSD with cannabis and these conditions can benefit as well

Not true. There is a huge ongoing debate about this with some VA physicians actually cutting off all prescriptions to vets who are found to have marijuana in their systems and others completely in favor of its use for PTSD and helping their patients find sources of medical marijuana outside the VA system.

Previously, the VA could withhold RX / TX from vets who tested positive for illegal substances. This policy was revised in 2010, giving some docs room to evaluate on a case by case baisis and still maintain accurate charts. VA MDs are not authorized to prescrbie MJ. Maybe the VA is testing MJ...? But who's funding the study? and on what population? and for PTSD? Curious...? The VA is invoved in several on going mental health studies invovling PTSD TX and PTSD predictor factors (like early onset drug use). But MJ as TX for PTSD, depresion, anixety?
Addionally, most HMOs and other insurance plans do not cover Pot as a RX. I don't know one mainstream MD who will write a Med MJ RX. Sorry.

But, truthfully, I don't care if y'all want to indulge, just don't try to convince me that pot smoking is healthy. Eating green leafy veggies, walking, swimming, drinking H20, laughing, getting busy between the sheets--all healthy. Getting high/drunk--not healthy.

Previously, the VA could withhold RX / TX from vets who tested positive for illegal substances. This policy was revised in 2010, giving some docs room to evaluate on a case by case baisis and still maintain accurate charts. VA MDs are not authorized to prescrbie MJ.

My bad. Here's an explanatory link:

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2010/jul/29/veterans_administration_allows_m

I am not advocating that kids smoke pot, and realize that it could do them harm. My discussion pertains to adults.
I find the article about the VA but There is evidence that MJ can help with treating PTSD. MJ cannot be prescribed by a doctor only recommended.
If you bothered to look at any of the links you would understand that the documented effects of decriminalization are positive in regard to use and abuse of MJ. Also drug use and abuse counciling and treatment is way less costly than incarceration.
Decriminalization and allowances for med MJ have had positive effects in the state of Maine and other permitted states.
MJ has been used as medicine for 5000+ years, no one has overdosed, no one has died. The negative, distorted view began in the 20's and apparently is still here.
Then there is hemp. The seeds are a super food and sell for $10/lb. The oil is also valuble, so is the plant fiber. It grows in poor soil with little water just about anywhere.
Look at the positive from an economic and scientific perspective not from an old school paradigm.

If you can't support MJ and hemp then don't.

If you can't support MJ and hemp then don't.

My only reluctance to add my name to a list of proponents is that I'm not sure I have enough faith in the VI Government to implement such a policy and follow through on all the safeguards necessary to both license and protect licensed growers of medical marijuana. Most of the states which passed such legislation had substantial growing pains and our government has thus far proved over and over again that it's "growing pains" in most areas are proportionately enormous.

I understand OT. Should the law be modeled after the Maine law the changes would be nearly seamless without the nerd for another VI empire. It can be simple and it would have the effect of freeing up the VIPD to deal with crime involving victims and keep a few hundred people out of our jails and the associated costs. It just makes sense.

Sorry for the typos, typed on a phone and to late to edit

STX is getting some well needed rain, STT?

No worries. Your point is clear. Correct spelling, like cursive, is so pre-20th centrury. Take care.

As a Board member for USVI NORML, my views are well known...and, my personal opinion about the decrim/legalization/medic, is that education is the answer...the folk that are against it are mostly against it based on inaccurate information. When one is fully informed of what this plant can provide for our community, one usually agrees that it should be made available for it's many benefits. It is much safer that cigarettes or alcohol, in that not one instance of death has ever been attributed to it in the history of mankind (unlike cigs and alcohol). It's industrial usage is wide and varied, it's medical benefits are becoming more well known by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and it's economic impact for those States that have approved it have benefited far more people than may have seen negative impacts. When we finally get to vote on this issue, please educate yourself prior to voting. There are numerous places to do so on the internet. I recommend visiting www.norml.org and branching out from there. Another great source of information, both for and against, is Pro/Con

.... not one instance of death has ever been attributed to it in {MJ} the history of mankind (unlike cigs and alcohol)...

Really? Occassional use by adults -- like the occoasional cocktail or beer or Marlboro or bowl of ice cream or baccon cheeze burger --no biggie.

But, a host of potenially fatal conditions are rooted in cronic MJ use. Getting behing the wheel high is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Habitual pot smoking will damage your respitory system and cognitive function. Don't kid yourself.

Can we just stop pretending that Pot smoking is harmless? Let's just face the facts, move forward, and change the leagal penaties to suit the offiense. A joint in dresser -- not problem. Wasted while driving -- big problem. A plant on the deck -- no problem. Large scale distribution for profit-- very big problem.

Blu, I am basing my post on facts, not conjecture...look it up yourself...MJ has never been listed as a cause of death....

I have spent many hours over the past few years doing research on this subject...I am not voicing my opinion here, I am giving light to facts...facts can't lie....they cannot be swayed by public opinion. When the time comes for you to vote, all I ask is that you educate yourself prior to voting...there are many people, much more educated than the two of us, that are pro, and con...let the facts decide...you may vote as you wish, that is the beauty of being an American Citizen...but voting without knowing all the facts is not beneficial to anyone...

Best to you,
Marty