I plan to vote Yes on Proposition 62.

I do not know even one person who thinks the War on Cannabis is successful, and it is time to end this silly prohibition. Please understand that I do not consume intoxicants of any kind, and I am not supporting Prop 62 out of any personal agenda.

Use money from taxing cannabis to educate, treat and prevent substance abuse, including alcohol.

Just saying,

Josey

And the absolute bliss one feels when sitting on your porch burnin’ a fat one with no fear of “police intervention”? Liberating isn’t definitive enough… I still find myself trying to hide it when a Klamath County Sheriff cruises by and I caused a laugh riot to break out when I staged the a-typical tight-ass Californian scared shitless dance routine trying to get rid of my pipe at Topsey Park when a State Trooper pulled in, I swear I saw the Trooper laugh too!

I grow my own by-the-way! That’s the way I fight “The War on Drugs”! The cartels hate states like Oregon and really dislike folks like me. That’s okay, California and those other states still stuck on “Just Say No” will keep them in the black with plenty of liquid assets to purchase more guns and ammo with….

The Evergreen State calls bull$#!t on so many levels.

Here in Washington there has NOT been an increase in, as you put it, ‘related crimes’. The REAL issue here, and I KNOW it’s a problem in SLO county, is meth.

Now our LEO has MORE resources to put into the fight against meth instead of wasting resources on pot.

You mention “dealers”…you know what, the dealers are out of business here. The criminal element is into meth, not weed. NO ONE is buying cannabis from “dealers”, and therefore do not support the black market.

“Crime spree”? Hahahahaha….you’re joking right? Again, tweekers…yes. Stoners…no.

Might I recommend something for your enlightenment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRBAZJ4lF0U

1) As a current resident of Washington state, I can tell you that you are misinformed when you state: “those legal states are not seeing the taxes they were promised. The money is going to the wealthy investors and not to society as projected.” Unsubstantiated hyperbole!

2) If you’d like to see a real documentary series about cannabis, view the CNN-produced 3-part series by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

3) Will you next attempt to scare people off alcoholic beverages that are of a higher alcohol content? Just like liquor, there is marijuana of varying strengths…and yet, we haven’t seen ONE documented overdose fatality related to cannabis…BUT, 6 people a DAY die from alcohol poisoning!
http://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/2015/dpk-vs-alcohol-poisoning.html

4) And finally, I’m curious who is funding your fearmongering. What a waste of your time and resources Ms Belsher. This is the age of the informed citizen…the populace is too smart to buy what you’re peddling.

Many (most?) of Ms. Belcher’s “facts” are either distortions, half-truths or completely false. It makes me wonder what her real agenda is that she is willing to go so far to deceive people. I also question how objective and honest the seminar she is promoting will be. I am usually willing to listen to both sides — but not when one is dishonest.

The long-standing scare tactics used by opponents of legalization have been widely rejected by a large section of the population that has tried marijuana. The credibility of those who keep making these arguments in the face of both facts and widespread personal experience is NIL.

You refer to the increased potency of pot today. That is true. It is very much like the difference between hard liquor and beer. What happens is that people using it adjust the volume they consume to get the desired effect. If they don’t need a lot to get high (or free of pain), they won’t use a lot. There is an economic incentive for this as well — just as there is for not downing a $30 bottle of liquor all at once if you get a good buzz on a couple of shots.

There is no credible evidence that either crime or accidents increase with increased pot usage. I believe it could be possible that the accident rate might go up but so far it has not in CO & WA. The crime rate should actually go down as the incentive for criminals to be in the business of selling drugs disappears.

This is not to say that marijuana use is generally a good thing. In some medical cases it is better than than the alternatives. For non-medical use it is no worse than alcohol and legalization is certainly better than growing the criminal class by outlawing it. Use by youth should remain illegal because not enough is known about the effects on brain development yet but the focus should be on education and treatment — not punishment. (My personal experience from 40+ years ago is that it does diminish drive and ambition.)

It’s not an opinion if someone states facts that are not true, it’s a lie
You are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts
“Additionally, those legal states are not seeing the taxes they were promised. The money is going to the wealthy investors and not to society as projected.”
.http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/08/oregon_collects_255_million_in.html

Oregon was projected to only get about 8 million, instead they get 25 million.

As for the rest of her “opinion” here is an article that actually has some direct information:

http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/06/oregon_marks_1_year_anniversar.html