Idaho officials approve anti-marijuana resolution
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Senate State Affairs Committee approved an anti-marijuana resolution after two hours of competing public testimony on the pros and cons of pot.
More than 150 people - including teens sporting red "Don't let Idaho go to pot" t-shirts - packed a Capitol auditorium Wednesday to weigh in on a resolution affirming the state's position against use of marijuana in any form. The resolution doesn't create any new state laws.
But Boise Republican Sen. Chuck Winder says it sends an important message urging the federal government to enforce existing laws.
Opponents including the American Civil Liberties Union and Compassionate Idaho say the resolution adds barriers for people using marijuana for medical purposes.
But law enforcement and doctors backing the measure decried pot as a gateway drug that dangerously impairs users.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
They're rather be known as the Idaho POTatos.
just like kissing is a gateway to rape
@iamright555Â Â
Or...having sex organs is a gateway to rape.Â
Who had a drink before there first puff
Marijuana as a gateway drug? I bet you can find connections between people who drank milk or ate peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches who used 'hard drugs'. Such rubbish.
@StonedRanger By the same token, I bet you'd be hard pressed to find a drug addict of any type that didn't smoke pot first. To be fair though, they probably did drink milk and have a PBJ prior to getting high. Makes perfect sense.
@Janusfree @StonedRangercorrelation doesn't imply causation
Well...that is just another in a long list of reasons to avoid IDAHO. Â
"Stop; shhhh, you had me at Sandpoint neo-Nazi survivalist training camp."
Good job Idaho.
Wow..if ever there was a state that needed to collectively get high..it's ____ing Idaho. I mean, the biggest things they're known for is growing spuds, harboring nazis, and being the home of some drunken baby slapper. Seriously, how many more spuds would they sell to McDonalds and Burger King, if they legalized pot? Are fries not in the top five of all munchables? Can I get an "Amen" or for all of you Battlestar Galactica fans out there "So Say We All?" Â
@STDFlorist You seriously think the people of Idaho are rational enough to help themselves?  A better question is how many tons of spuds are sitting in cellars alongside the 2,000 MRE's and the end-of-the-world arsenals.
@ThoseWhoKant @STDFlorist Be interesting to know how many of those "MRE's" and" end of the world arsenals" were purchased with food stamps and/or welfare checks though, wouldn't it?
Should run the same sex marriage fiasco by them, bet things would REALLY interesting then.Â
The biggest joke in the world besides the belief of god is marijuana is a gateway drug and also users will eat all the Oreo cookies and Doritos.
@swimbad Cheetos, dude.  Jeeez.
The biggest joke in the world besides the belief in God..? Really? Prove that God does not exist, or never existed. You cannot prove that any more than anyone else can prove the opposite. The correct answer to that age old question always has been, is today, and always will be..I..don't..know. Now, as far as the argument about MJ being a gateway drug? How many people bypass pot, and go right to coke, ecstacy, meth, heroin, or anything else? Not saying that pot is the reason. At the core of all drug use is each individual's "self II" saying it's all right to try. If one will try pot, there's a greater chance that at some point, they may try something stronger. Â
And if one takes a 1st drink they may take that 1st cigarette, & then of course go to some other thing.....so what was really the culprit or gateway? Few go from zero to pot & on up. I stopped at pot because I saw no reason to go to chemicals vs. A GOD given plant.
@STDFlorist First google scholar result:
http://www.nspb.net/index.php/nspb/article/view/83/75
TL;DRÂ correlation doesn't imply causation (I will leave you to google that one.)
@STDFlorist There is a 91% chance they will try nothing else.
@ThoseWhoKant @STDFlorist Did Santa Clause bring you those figures? That would make it more believable.
Well i will use the NRA argument in favor of pot.Â
If you make pot illegal, only criminals will have it.
Well that's what we have; people who have/want pot and therefore are criminals. Just like alcohol prohibition before, we can see that what results from this is an industry whose sole goal is to keep pot flowing even tot he otherwise non-criminal element. Thus making everyone int he system a criminal and lowering the overall acceptance of other criminal behavior. Again this is what was prevalent during alcohol prohibition and exists with pot as well.Â
I don't advocate for smoking pot. I think it's stupid, but I think alcoholics are stupid too. What we need to do is lift the "casual" pot smoker out of the criminal world to better choose who we want to focus our law enforcement energies. This would undermine the large criminal organizations who gain billions a year in money and just like the end to alcohol prohibition; a regulated industry will end much of the criminal element in the current industry.Â
@Repoman "If you make pot illegal, only criminals will have it."   There it is. You'd think people would be able to figure that out.
@Playanekes @Repoman Murder is illegal and only criminals do that too, what's your point?Â
@Janusfree @Playanekes @Repoman If you can't distinguish between gun ownership and murder, please just listen before you speak.
When idaho comes up with a resolution to stop "wide stance bathroom hypocrites" and "airplane passenger baby slappers" I'll take them seriously !
""""" urging the federal government to enforce existing laws""""""
Ya, like that'll ever happen.... thats going to take another president to even have a chance of that happening......
@kramr
Well it wouldnât be a "Clinton", while he may not have "inhaled" he certainly had some in his hands. He won't be a "Bush II", he smoked, and likely not an "Obama" because he did as well.Â
So you will have to go back to a "Bush I", or maybe even a "Nixon" to get a president willing to spend millions more stopping pot. No âKennedyâ, or âReganâ will do it. You will need a âJohnsonâ or âTrumanâ.
They seem to have a hard enough time keeping prisoners in the pen to even bather tackling more pot users to put in there.Â
Everyone can vote their conscience on this. Â I'll vote mine with my wallet. So, when I spend my hard-earned income at the grocery store, I will be checking labels to ensure nothing from Idaho gets into my cart. Â I will instead purchase produce from elsewhere, especially potatoes.Â
Looks like they want Washington and Colorado to get their tourism dollars too. It's right to leave it up to the states, and equally right for people to refuse to do business with them because of their behavior towards their fellow citizens. Â
Cheers!
@ThoseWhoKant Theres always Mal-wart I guess, buying chinese potatoes should send them your message loud and clear! *eye roll*
@Janusfree @ThoseWhoKant I am very fortunate in life.  I can choose to also avoid Walmart, and do so.  Potatoes grow everywhere, just like cannabis.  Billions up for grabs for states that embrace it.  Those that don't?  Enjoy whatever prosperity you can scrounge together.
This is a shining example of contented ignorance causing leaders to blow off their own foot and that of their citizens.
Washington and Colorado are cheering right now and laughing at Idaho. Â Much of the nation will be too as the news drifts across the net.
Are you saying that those of us over 50 are old potaholics? I may have used it when younger, but instead of abusing LEGAL chemicals ie: pain meds, sleeping aids, or migraine meds I choose pot (on the recommendation of our fine Fibromyalgia clinic and pain clinic). And no I have NOT gone back to the huge side effect chemicals OR crack...cocaine. Legalize it & tax it. Then every legal user will donate to what? Like cig. & alcohol.
@Janusfree @Playanekes @ThoseWhoKant Congratulations! Many of my pot-smoking friends are wealthy, too. "Freedom is what we reap from this way of life, my friend." -Agesilaus
I think you should have probably learned somewhere along the way the difference between a LOAN and a GIFT. It involves DEBT, which, curiously, Americans don't seem to understand these days. Yourself, Dubya and Nancy Pelosi are three examples; all of you also have wealth in common.
See, the problem with the America right now is the idea that if somebody LENDS you money, there's no expectation that you'll have to PAY it back.
@Playanekes @Janusfree @ThoseWhoKant Self employed actually, I didn't need a gov't funded student loan to GIVE me a living, I did it the old fashioned way, I EARNED it. I agree totally with the last part of your post though, not a big gov't fan myself either.
@Janusfree @ThoseWhoKant Congratulations and I can see why you would be proud of your accomplishments.  You can and should be a mentor to youth everywhere.
Unfortunately, the fact remains that society pays for all those costs without regard to whether a substance is legal or not. Â The law serves merely to enrich criminals and bloat government budgets, with no resulting impact on supply or demand. And the stigma associated with illegality results in people not seeking treatment when they become addicted, and the drug courts force many people into treatment when they don't need it.
Liberty is, at it's very core, personal sovereignty over one's own body and life. Â Just as you made choices that worked well for you, others can and do make choices different from you that work out well also. Â The past three presidents all used cannabis. Â It certainly didn't impede their ambition, nor did it seem to be a factor one way or the other in their success.
There is not now, never has been, nor will there ever be a drug-free society.
So, we have a choice: pay the costs and collect no taxes for it, and continue to pay goons with automatic weapons to find a small percentage of the supply and the criminals who are enriching themselves. OR, we could legalize, tax and regulate, and just like the end of Alcohol Prohibition end the violence, death and suffering associated with it...while we collect taxes that can fund education and treatment.
@Janusfree @ThoseWhoKant "potaholic."
That's like woraholics who are addicted to workahol.
If you work for any sort of union or government office, I think we understand how you managed to retire comfortably at 50.
Most importantly, a conservative government should not declare a right to dictate people's personal choices or habits, lest they wish to eventually revisit the Tree of Liberty themselves. It's a duplicity that has no place in a liberty-based America.
@ThoseWhoKant @Janusfree Billions up for grabs alright, but at what cost? Doesn't seem like such a bargain when you factor in all the lost ambition and productivity associated with most "stoners". Is it coincidence that the vast majority of OMMP card holders are the very same people that smoked "recreationally" through most of their teenage, and adult lives? I think not, I find it more akin to alcoholism myself, it's the rest of the world thats crazy, right? Pot is already de-criminalized for personal use amounts, nobody but a drug dealer or a "potaholic" should or would need any more. It's not difficult to equate the small fine associated with using pot, when you get caught, as the tax you pay for a the life style choice. After all, alcohol users pay a hefty tax for their life style choice, don't they? I'm very fortunate in life as well, I didn't waste a lot of time being stoned and making excuses for my lot in life over poor life style choices. That enabled me to retire rather comfortably at 50, I was able to focus on that goal just fine without being stoned all the time. Coincidence? I think not.   Â
Idaho should do the anti-pot head thing and also be like Missouri and propose that lawmakers go to jail for trying to mess with the 2nd amendment.Â
@TimBurr Are there any stories you don't bring guns into?  And why on earth, what Godly reason would any state want to be like Missouri???
So much anger for a pot debate.
Shadow is just angry because potheads performed better in school.
@JGalt Link? As I recall, most of them dropped out of school.
@Janusfree @JGalt Well, the pot head who lived across the hall from me at OSU dropped out, but, he's been living in Cedar Mill for the last 12 years working for Sun Microsystems out of his home office.
The other one is a programmer at Apple...he dropped out... and a third didn't drop out, but is now a Sociology and Criminal Justice professor who owns a goose-hunting outfit.
A fourth--I don't know if he even went to college--makes jewelry and sells it at high-end jewelry stores in Cannon Beach and elsewhere up and down the coast.
The problem I have is the disconnect between the reality which I have observed, and the propaganda as presented by Nanny State anti-marijuana faction. I'm tired of people telling Americans what they can grow, drink (the absinthe ban is gone), smoke, drive, fly, f--k or marry as long as they're not hurting anybody.
@Janusfree @Playanekes @JGalt Actually you do NOT know what you speak of. Most dealers (who are too lazy to work) are not users. To make money selling pot would be far too hard for a "lazy" person. There is far too much work & money involved with growing, cure, weigh, package, & etc. So unless you are a small time user & sell some to recoup some money, it is no different than the thousands of drunks that work, drink, get up, work....every day for years on end. The best thing said so far is..." it is far less dangerous than our Legal Vices so let us each decide for ourselves how we choose to medicate or relax after work. It doesn't take pot smoking to give a truly lazy person an excuse not to work." The previous quotation marks were a summary of several replies.
@Janusfree @Playanekes @JGalt I've never actually watched blind squirrels seek nuts, but, I'll take your word for it.
Regardless of what you and I think about pot users, the principle remains: Liberty. What right do I have to tell you not to brew beer and give it to your friends? What right do you have to tell a farmer in Corbett that he can't grow hemp? What would have happened if you'd have told George Washington that?Â
Why are you seeking to put those people in prison? Is it the same way that they used to put gay soldiers in prison, or harass black people for being on a date with a white woman?  Is it because it's the jazz drug?
@Playanekes @Janusfree @JGalt Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again, thats a fact. My personal experience with stoners includes a few like you mention as well, the vast majority are quite the opposite though, including a few family members. Pot has already been de-criminalized for personal use amounts, its not like people are going to prison for smoking a joint once in awhile. It's the one's that are too lazy to work and too nervous to steal so they turn to drug dealing that do.Â
Go Idaho! Â Don't get sucked in on the "we will make tons of money off taxes" BS. Â It won't happen because the potheads, who are already growing it illegally will continue to do so. Â Besides since most potheads are deadbeats, they wouldn't have any money to buy the crap in the first place. Â Â These druggers need pot because without it they don't have a life. Â When high, they think they do. Â Wrong!!! Â
@Shadow Wow, What a pot bigot? Who pi**** in your Wheaties? Most potheads are otherwise law-abiding, tax-paying citizens that want the freedom to grow their choice of whatever. My friends (and many, many others out there) have hobbies not involving Pot. My friends are into: hanggliding, flying (their own built) planes, watch repairer, cabinet maker & owner of their large company, mothers, teachers ( very good ones), inventors, millionaires and most of them owners of their own companies and owners of their hobby equipment. Self growers buy all their supplies somewhere...therefore they do pay taxes, they do support local commerce. Quite frankly I have never been around nor heard of a violent, thieving Pot user. Other drugs, or alcohol I cannot say the same, would you honestly say so you can?
@Shadow How come you so many deadbeats?
All of the pot-smokers I know own homes, have jobs, aren't convicts, don't have DUIIs, don't smoke cigarettes in the house around their kids or pets.  It's funny that people who will take their children from them because they smoke pot on Saturday nights when the kid's at the sitter, will tolerate an adult smoking and drinking in the house with the kids.
Which, as I believe it's LEE will tell you, is known to cause asthma and alcoholism.
@Playanekes @Shadow   " It's funny that people who will take their children from them because they smoke pot on Saturday nights when the kid's at the sitter, will tolerate an adult smoking and drinking in the house with the kids."
WOW..... Sadly, all the pot smokers I knew were just the opposite of the fairy tale you describe. I can HONESTLY say I've never met ANYONE that took their kids to a baby sitter on Saturday night so they could get high and had their kids taken away for it. Keeping it real for a change would better contribute to a real debate.
@Janusfree@Playanekes@Shadow "I can HONESTLY say I've never met ANYONE that took their kids to a baby sitter on Saturday night so they could get high and had their kids taken away for it."
You can go to freakin' jail in Mississippi for possession of a used implement, but DUII is a misdemeanor. Come out of your little suburb.
didn't they ban black people there too?
@Phuzz Trivia. The neighborhood off of 223rd and Stark, built circa 1950, has a white-only clause in the original land deeds. Much of Portland's original land deeds are that way.
Oregon banned black people here, too.Â
@Phuzz
Well in some places like Sand Point yea. But Biose allows them to stay as long as they clean houses real good.Â
Oh and don't go to Fernwood either. Those folks are NUTS!
@Phuzz  I smell a rat....