Jane, Mary

ehh...heres my post for the day, an old blog off my myspace page. LOL but its oh so truuuuee!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONT KNOW: Yeah, I smoke. Weed, pot, and bud, are all words that describe the cannabis plant itself. Pothead, fiend, immature, and irresponsible are words generally associated with those who smoke regularly. These words and judgements are predicated upon the unrealistic idea that everyone who smokes marijuana does nothing with their life. They're "going nowhere" or "wasting their lives away" by smoking. Now dont get me wrong, there are certainly people in this world who would prove such judgements to be truth.But as for me, honestly im damn tired. Tired of the accusations, tired of being judged, tired of police trying to enforce the distasteful laws against marijuana. It doesnt necessarily frustrate me, but im just tired of it all. All i can do is sit back, evaluate, smile, and roll another blunt.When are people going to take everything seriously?? People are ignorant. They need to open their eyes to the positive realities of smoking weed instead of just accepting what they assume to be negative and true. Marijuana is harmless. Do your research. No one has ever died from smoking too much weed. There's no such thing as a "marijuana overdose." But you can go to the liquor store, buy a $7 bottle of vodka instead, and die from alcohol poisoning, yet would be totally legal. (Stupid, but hey, thats just reality.) Marijuana is prescribed to those with psychological complications, cancer patients, and people who suffer with chronic pain. So why is it still illegal? Beats me. Isnt our country in an economic crisis? Heres an article I found on the internet:

CA NORML Analysis Finds Marijuana Legalization Could Yield California $1.5-$2.5 Billion Per YearWhile California gubernatorial candidates debate ways to reduce the state's budget deficit, legalization of marijuana looms as an attractive way of raising revenue for the state.California NORML estimates that a legal market for marijuana could yield the state $1.5 - $2.5 billion. A basic $1 per joint excise tax would yield about $1 billion to the state, while the state would save over $150 million in enforcement costs for arrests, prosecutions and prison. Additional benefits would accrue from sales taxes and spinoff industries. Total retail sales of marijuana would be on the order of $3-$5 billion, with total economic impact of $8-$13 billion including spinoff industries such as coffeehouses, tourism, and industrial hemp.Los Angeles NORML director Bruce Margolin, who is running for governor as a Demorat, is making marijuana legalization the centerpiece of his campaign. "It is time to take California's number one cash crop off the black market and tax its distribution and sale," he says. www.margolinforgovernor.comAmong the major candidates for Governor, while all have endorsed medical marijuana, only Green candidate Peter Camejo has proposed full legalization www.votecamejo.org. Other candidates advocating legal marijuana include independent BE Smith, the first Californian to serve federal prison time for growing medical marijuana, and former Green assemblywoman turned Democrat Audie Bock.California NORML's analysis of the benefits of marijuana legalization are as follows:An excise tax of $1 per half-gram joint of marijuana would raise about $1 billion per year, as much as the current excise tax on cigarettes.Retail sales on the legal market would range from $3 - $5 billion, generating another $250 - 400 million in sales taxes.Legalization would save over $156 million in law enforcement costs for arrest, prosecution, trial and imprisonment of marijuana offenders. Intrusive CAMP helicopter surveillance would also be eliminated.Based on experience with the cigarette tax, total revenues of $1.5 - $2.5 billion might be realized.Based on experience with the wine industry, the total economic activity generated by legal marijuana could be nearly three times as great as retail sales, around $8 - $13 billion. Amsterdam-style coffeehouses would generate jobs and tourism. If the marijuana industry were just one-third the size of the wine industry, it would generate 50,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in wages, along with additional income and business tax revenues for the state.Industrial hemp could also become a major business, comparable to the $3.4 billion cotton industry in California.

If all this is possible in the state of California alone, just imagine full legalization for our entire country. Crazy right? Think about it. Im a real people person. I like talking to people and hearing their personal opinions, as long as they can use logic and back up their ideas with actual facts. Dont just come to me and say, "smoking kills your brain cells." I laugh. The window of opportunity is slowly but surely closing in on those who oppose marijuana use. It will be legal one day. Just accept it...