>>231939
I know one of the "few" people that are true addicts and suffered both from self medicated mental health issues and severe, and I mean raging, break stuff, pretend to drink bleach because he couldn't have his weed, SEVERE addiction. This isn't a complete derailment of the thread for weed. It matters in that Democrats actually want weed legalized for a host of reasons that include additional government treatment, after gaining the weed is good votes. And taxation, certainly, of a product that creates a bunch of dopey easy keepers.
While doing a ride along with Honolulu PD, prior to it being legalized by a few years, we pulled up next to a hot boxing car at a stop light, and I thought, Oh Boy, my first drug bust!
Neauw! The driver rolled the window down and offered it to the officer I was with, who laughed it off and just let them go. I was shocked. When I asked him why not, he said it's because very few people rob the AM/PM for weed money, and for the most part, never leave the driveway. They just hang out and let life go by. It was the other manufactured products that were kicking their ass.
I wasn't shocked a few weeks ago when the letters asking for people with med cards to turn in their registered weapons (they cross referenced the state database) It was a set up to failure for conservatives or 2A folks in general. Just like anti depressant use, etc. It was essentially an excuse to take their weapons, and I thought back to that ride along and wondered why bother if they are all such easy keepers? Too feel good and lazy to go get their guns, shouldn't they be? Yeah - no. Getting a card doesn't restrict people to the correct strain or potency. Bad things can happen to people that are prescribed the drug and use it incorrectly, just like anything else.
Weed was used as a replacement bad guy back when prohibition was ending, and they needed a reason to keep all that federal law enforcement ability in place, sure enough. For anyone with a card, legitimately obtained, not just the fake get of of jail free card, or even anyone that smokes it illegally, I would ask: If they offered you THC reduced versions, or ones that didn't get you high but have all the other pain fighting, or what not abilities, would you still want it?
And last, big money really matters. Adleson gave millions to Florida and other anti MJ props, under the guise of calling it terrible and evil, but he is a major stakeholder in a big pharma racing to harness the properties of weed so it can come out via pill mill. So he is a liar. Its about patents, control and cashing in.
Look at how many of these people are invested in start ups, corp farm ventures, etc. As always, its about the money.
The only other reason weed matters to our research is mostly about the loss of inhibitions and controlability of minors and women. In that one circumstances, yes it is a gateway drug, but a forced one, used under the guise of low level entry point into their psyches.