# Republican dominated state legislature wants to outlaw successful enterprise: Medical Marijuana **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 5, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591 "2011-03-05T16:22:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/21 "2011-03-07T20:34:53Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > I couldn’t care less if montana turns into a hellhole. It isn’t already? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/22 "2011-03-08T01:07:47Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There are other possibilities: > > - It was voted in thru referendum, but a few folks (and it wouldn’t take many in MT) don’t like the way it turned out. > > - More people voted in the last election than voted in the one w/ the referendum, and the vote skewed more towards conservative. > > Even in CA, we’re seeing some negative reaction to the pot clubs popping up all over the place. I am all for legalization of weed, it isn’t any worse than having a beer and a cigarette in general, and seems to actually have some interesting medical properties. The problem is the medical weed community is trying to get it decriminalized for people who actually need and want to use it medically, and all the damned yahoos who want to use recreationally are going to doctors, lying their asses off, and getting recommendations, then all loud and out about how they scammed their way into a card, and how much fun they are having getting stoned. Totally fucking it up for those of us who want to use it medically … ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/23 "2011-03-08T01:13:57Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I am all for legalization of weed, it isn’t any worse than having a beer and a cigarette in general, and seems to actually have some interesting medical properties. The problem is the medical weed community is trying to get it decriminalized for people who actually need and want to use it medically, and all the damned yahoos who want to use recreationally are going to doctors, lying their asses off, and getting recommendations, then all loud and out about how they scammed their way into a card, and how much fun they are having getting stoned. Totally fucking it up for those of us who want to use it medically … I agree. I was going to add this to my post, but decided at the lat minute not to: I live in the Bay Area which has medical pot “clubs” all over the place. I can’t tell you how many people I know who have bogus cards that let them get pot from these clubs. It’s a total joke. All you have to do is shop around and it’s easy to find a doctor who’ll sign for you. A lot of people are all for legalized medicinal pot in theory, but then go all NIMBY when they see pot stores popping up in their own towns. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/24 "2011-03-08T01:23:53Z")
I think pot should be legalised for a lot of reasons (medical or otherwise), but it’s not really ideologically inconsistant for republicans to oppose it. Just because someone is small government, free market, or fiscally conservative doesn’t mean they have to just allow anything that can make money - for example, I don’t think they should be ideologically required to allow murder for hire, slavery rings, or sale of date rape drugs. Of course, pot doesn’t even come anywhere near these things in terms of social ills, but that isn’t the point. The point is that people can hold multiple beliefs and weight those beliefs against one another. Someone can say “I like small government, but I want a fire department” and someone else can say “I like the free market, but I don’t think people should be able to deal crystal meth.” Again, I think making pot illegal is incredibly stupid (by any political party), it’s just not hypocritical (for repubs, but it would be for libertarians). ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/25 "2011-03-08T05:15:01Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > The problem is the medical weed community is trying to get it decriminalized for people who actually need and want to use it medically, and all the damned yahoos who want to use recreationally are going to doctors, lying their asses off, and getting recommendations, then all loud and out about how they scammed their way into a card, and how much fun they are having getting stoned. Totally fucking it up for those of us who want to use it medically … Memo to Rip Van Winkle (if I may): Before weed was semi-legal, and before it was illegal, people got weed. They get weed from ‘pot shops’ these days entirely and only because they are there. Take them away and they will get weed elsewhere, like say armed Mexican drug gangs. See? It is medicinal in more ways than one. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/26 "2011-03-08T06:19:59Z")
This is what drives me crazy about Republicans - And Democrats. Both sides have strong beliefs that are simply correct and make complete sense - but then they have other beliefs that are idiotic. Or, they support issues that have wide public support - but once in office they can’t stop themselves from going to the loony side. Americans have to get over this fixation on pot. Just legalize the damned stuff already. You’re destabilizing Mexico by making the narco trade extremely lucrative, you’re jailing millions of your citizens, and spending tens of billions of dollars a year on a stupid ‘war’ you can never win _and shouldn’t win_. The whole notion that you should be going to ‘war’ on the choices of free citizens who aren’t harming anyone else is offensive. You don’t have the right. And neither do we in Canada. The rate of pot use in Canada is _significantly_ higher than in the United States. The 2006 World Drug Report showed that 16.8% of Canadians used marijuana in the previous year - compared to 12.6% of Americans. We proudly sit fifth in the world in per-capita pot consumption behind Zambia, Ghana, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea. Among the large industrialized nations, we’re #1. Does it look like Canada is suffering any particularly harmful effects from this? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/27 "2011-03-08T07:39:18Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There are other possibilities: > > - It was voted in thru referendum, but a few folks (and it wouldn’t take many in MT) don’t like the way it turned out. > > - More people voted in the last election than voted in the one w/ the referendum, and the vote skewed more towards conservative. > > Even in CA, we’re seeing some negative reaction to the pot clubs popping up all over the place. translation: old white people are getting scared again. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/28 "2011-03-08T07:55:12Z")
Americans need to get over legislating how other people live their lives as well. There are busybodies by the truckload here and if you’re having a good time they’re up in your shit. I’m tired of the pro-life crowd, the anti-drug crowd and a whole bunch of people. I’d rather live next door to potheads than evangelists. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/29 "2011-03-08T11:07:32Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Memo to Rip Van Winkle (if I may): Before weed was semi-legal, and before it was illegal, people got weed. They get weed from ‘pot shops’ these days entirely and only because they are there. Take them away and they will get weed elsewhere, like say armed Mexican drug gangs. > > See? It is medicinal in more ways than one. Well, there is still a good heavy black market in pot, but I agree that I would prefer to be able to go into some storefront and buy from a selection that has been tested for fertilizer or other contaminants/molds, mildews or funguses. There are a few dispensaries in Ca that actually have their supply lab tested that way. I would also like to be able to order a selection of different seeds from a nursery, or already started clones of plants that have the chemical profile I am looking for [heavy on the couch lock please, I am tired of hurting. This damned weather this past winter is killing me. I hurt where I didn’t realize I had places.] > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > This is what drives me crazy about Republicans - And Democrats. Both sides have strong beliefs that are simply correct and make complete sense - but then they have other beliefs that are idiotic. Or, they support issues that have wide public support - but once in office they can’t stop themselves from going to the loony side. > > Americans have to get over this fixation on pot. Just legalize the damned stuff already. You’re destabilizing Mexico by making the narco trade extremely lucrative, you’re jailing millions of your citizens, and spending tens of billions of dollars a year on a stupid ‘war’ you can never win _and shouldn’t win_. The whole notion that you should be going to ‘war’ on the choices of free citizens who aren’t harming anyone else is offensive. You don’t have the right. And neither do we in Canada. > > The rate of pot use in Canada is _significantly_ higher than in the United States. The 2006 World Drug Report showed that 16.8% of Canadians used marijuana in the previous year - compared to 12.6% of Americans. We proudly sit fifth in the world in per-capita pot consumption behind Zambia, Ghana, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea. Among the large industrialized nations, we’re #1. > > Does it look like Canada is suffering any particularly harmful effects from this? No, and you are extremely polite about it too LOL now stop bogarting the weed and pass some along to us … > [@anya\_marie](#): > > Americans need to get over legislating how other people live their lives as well. There are busybodies by the truckload here and if you’re having a good time they’re up in your shit. I’m tired of the pro-life crowd, the anti-drug crowd and a whole bunch of people. > > I’d rather live next door to potheads than evangelists. Hmmm, passing along a joint or passing along a chick tract … Well there are those of us who find chick tracts amazingly amusing, so that is a hell of a choice. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/30 "2011-03-08T13:00:20Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I think pot should be legalised for a lot of reasons (medical or otherwise), but it’s not really ideologically inconsistant for republicans to oppose it. Just because someone is small government, free market, or fiscally conservative doesn’t mean they have to just allow anything that can make money - for example, I don’t think they should be ideologically required to allow murder for hire, slavery rings, or sale of date rape drugs. Of course, pot doesn’t even come anywhere near these things in terms of social ills, but that isn’t the point. The point is that people can hold multiple beliefs and weight those beliefs against one another. Someone can say “I like small government, but I want a fire department” and someone else can say “I like the free market, but I don’t think people should be able to deal crystal meth.” Again, I think making pot illegal is incredibly stupid (by any political party), it’s just not hypocritical (for repubs, but it would be for libertarians). But they _don’t_ say that. They say “I want a small government”. They don’t say “I want government out of my life, except for the things that are obviously morally wrong to me.” Because if they did say that, they’d have to justify why a large government in one arena and not another. But by keeping the message small to only “I want a small government,” they are trying to use their philosophical opinion that small government is _always_ best to justify cutting spending in their pet areas without resort to further justification, but conveniently ignoring their “small government best” propaganda in other areas. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/31 "2011-03-08T14:24:41Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > translation: old white people are getting scared again. Actually, it looks like my speculation was wrong. I looked up some polls, and it’s still popular by a wide margin. Probably what happened is that it just wasn’t high on the priority list, and I doubt it’s something the Republicans actively campaigned to do. Still, you had to be an idiot to think it wasn’t a possible outcome of a Republican win. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/32 "2011-03-08T14:45:53Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But they _don’t_ say that. They say “I want a small government”. They don’t say “I want government out of my life, except for the things that are obviously morally wrong to me.” > > Because if they did say that, they’d have to justify why a large government in one arena and not another. But by keeping the message small to only “I want a small government,” they are trying to use their philosophical opinion that small government is _always_ best to justify cutting spending in their pet areas without resort to further justification, but conveniently ignoring their “small government best” propaganda in other areas. I think I’ll have to agree to disagree here. To me, they have seemed to consistently want to regulate vice and morals, since day 1 and I have never seen them deviate from that. Abortion, gambling, drugs, prostitution, religion, etc. I’ve never really seen them deviate from this - it’s always part of their campaigning. It’s why I never vote for them. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/33 "2011-03-08T14:50:54Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The rate of pot use in Canada is _significantly_ higher than in the United States. The 2006 World Drug Report showed that 16.8% of Canadians used marijuana in the previous year - compared to 12.6% of Americans. We proudly sit fifth in the world in per-capita pot consumption behind Zambia, Ghana, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea. Among the large industrialized nations, we’re #1. > > Does it look like Canada is suffering any particularly harmful effects from this? I thought you were burning it for warmth. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/34 "2011-03-08T15:05:30Z")
> [@Rex\_Goliath](#): > > And if it gets repealed, apparently they do not. Your turn. Let me get this straight: 6 years ago, the people of Montana, _by direct referendum,_ vote to make medical marijuana legal. Now, the Republican legislators, after running on a platform of smaller government, fiscal responsibility and jobs, have decided to change this legislation. And you call this latter action “the will of the people”? Are you high? ETA: Just saw your agreement in post #18. Guess you’re not high. Darn. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/35 "2011-03-08T15:08:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Still, you had to be an idiot to think it wasn’t a possible outcome of a Republican win. I think you’ve just explained many Republican wins. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/36 "2011-03-08T15:12:20Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I think you’ve just explained many Republican wins. Well done sir. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/37 "2011-03-08T15:28:41Z")
I am trying to get this through to our representatives here: you do not have our mandate to overrule our will. If the people vote it in on referendum, don’t try to override us. One of the bills in committee now would require a court order to get a medical marijuana card. That’s just stupid. You don’t need one for narcotic pain killers! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591/38 "2011-03-08T15:30:01Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I think you’ve just explained many Republican wins. I was expecting someone to key in on the “high on the priority list” part. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-dominated-state-legislature-wants-to-outlaw-successful-enterprise-medical-marijuana/573591.md?page=1)