Marijuana Has Come A Long Way Since Last 4/20

What a difference a year makes. From April 20, 2013, to April 20, 2014, marijuana has taken big steps out of the shadows of the black market and into the light of the mainstream -- from record high popular support and the first legal recreational sales, to an entire country legalizing marijuana.

Here's a look at the last 12 months of marijuana milestones.

Comments

[Sevo]

This is certainly better in that the governments are not forbidding people from smoking something they please.
But it's a long ways from 'good'; look at CO's 'legalization', for pete's sake!

[Irish]

But it's a long ways from 'good'; look at CO's 'legalization', for pete's sake!

That's what happens when the people spearheading a legalization movement are such authoritarian bootlickers that their slogan basically amounts to "Tax us! Tax us! PLEASE, PLEASE TAX US!"

[Episiarch]

It was the only way to not have the politicians fight it tooth and nail. Now that the dam has been breached, if (when?) more states fully legalize, it will become commonplace. Already here in WA, people smoking in public, or carrying and talking about it, has become much more commonplace and it's starting to become "normal". The removal of any fear of legal trouble has a liberating effect.

Give it some time and it will eventually become like alcohol, and then people can get pissed at the taxes. Also, for instance, I pay no taxes and don't intend to. I'll still get it from an "illegal" dealer and the state can go fuck itself.

This is a transitionary period, is all.

[Cytotoxic]

There is no reason the word legalization should be in quotes there. There are restrictions but it's still legalized and a huge improvement.

[Some call me Tim?]

Under Sevo's definition, everything is "legalized." After all, working in the US isn't really legal since there are huge taxes involved.

Sure, the cannabis taxes are punative, but clearly not to the point that they prevent the action from occurring.

[wareagle]

in the overall scheme of things, I still feel like we're being tossed half a bone, the modern-day version of bread circuses: "give them weed and maybe they'll stop noticing the continued intrusiveness of govt in so many other areas."

And it's not like weed is legal and that's the end of it. Oh, no; in the few places where it's no longer criminal, the govt has simply found news of keeping its hand in the game.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

I sometimes wonder if drug legalisation is going to eventually take on something of the character of Jerry Pournelle's Falkenburg's Legion books where they are subsidized by the taxpaying class to keep the welfare class pacified. It's a bit of a dystopian thought but I can certainly see an economic collapse scenario where the Top Men grasp at that straw to keep the free shit army mollified when the free shit starts to run out. I doubt it would be an outright government provided thing, but maybe limited legality with loopholes enough to still be able to use their police power when they feel the need to use the stick rather than the carrot.