# The supreme court decision



## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

The supreme court of Mexico just made the first step in the legalization of marijuana. Any thoughts? The war on drugs has cost thousands of lives and increased crime. I say legalize it and tax it like cigarettes or liquor.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

The oil has also proven to be highly effective in curing skin cancer and treating other cancers. But you cannot patent a plant so the big drug companies would rather keep pushing chemo and radiation.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> The supreme court of Mexico just made the first step in the legalization of marijuana. Any thoughts? The war on drugs has cost thousands of lives and increased crime. I say legalize it and tax it like cigarettes or liquor.





Andreas_Montoya said:


> The oil has also proven to be highly effective in curing skin cancer and treating other cancers. But you cannot patent a plant so the big drug companies would rather keep pushing chemo and radiation.


I was with you on the first post, but you lost me with the second. Pharmaceutical companies have always looked at plants for source or inspiration in building new drugs.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> I was with you on the first post, but you lost me with the second. Pharmaceutical companies have always looked at plants for source or inspiration in building new drugs.


Yes, but anyone can just make the oil. They don't need the drug companies. Applied topically it cures skin cancer.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

The drug companies do look to plants. But then chemists use processes to make them into useful compounds. With oil you simply put the plants in a bucket and add any solvent found at Home Depot, mash, stir and let the solvent evaporate. No special equipment or training is needed. The internet is full of stories of people who had colon cancer and were deemed incurable and written off who were completely cured with oil.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Marijuana oil seems to be the latest miracle drug, my neighbor brought us some for pain..jthen a worker brought us some oitment made with peyote and marijuana for joint pain so ..it is the latest thing , let´s see if it stands up to time.


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## mattoleriver (Oct 21, 2011)

citlali said:


> Marijuana oil seems to be the latest miracle drug, my neighbor brought us some for pain..jthen a worker brought us some oitment made with peyote and marijuana for joint pain so ..it is the latest thing , let´s see if it stands up to time.


Does anybody still remember this one?
Steve McQueen, Stricken with Cancer, Seeks a Cure at a Controversial Mexican Clinic : People.com
There's always some simple miracle cure just around the bend.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Yes I remember and that is what keeps people looking for new cures, some work and some do not but eventually the the one that works is discovered.


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## Waller52 (Jun 17, 2015)

citlali said:


> Marijuana oil seems to be the latest miracle drug, my neighbor brought us some for pain..jthen a worker brought us some oitment made with peyote and marijuana for joint pain so ..it is the latest thing , let´s see if it stands up to time.


Peyote/Mescaline? Keep your dosage down, the effects of mescaline are noticeable when 100 mg is taken. And I don't mean "pain relief" either.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> The drug companies do look to plants. But then chemists use processes to make them into useful compounds. With oil you simply put the plants in a bucket and add any solvent found at Home Depot, mash, stir and let the solvent evaporate. No special equipment or training is needed. The internet is full of stories of people who had colon cancer and were deemed incurable and written off who were completely cured with oil.


"The internet is full of stories". You could have quit right there. My pappy taught me to believe half of what you read and a quarter of what you hear. He didn't live to see the internet or he might have said: believe a tenth of what you see online.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> The drug companies do look to plants. But then chemists use processes to make them into useful compounds. With oil you simply put the plants in a bucket and add any solvent found at Home Depot, mash, stir and let the solvent evaporate. No special equipment or training is needed. The internet is full of stories of people who had colon cancer and were deemed incurable and written off who were completely cured with oil.


Internet is full of anything 
It is not that simple
Are you a Chemist? Biologist? Doctor?


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> The oil has also proven to be highly effective in curing skin cancer and treating other cancers. But you cannot patent a plant so the big drug companies would rather keep pushing chemo and radiation.


Although it's not a substance I personally have any interest in using, I agree it makes sense to legalize it, tax it, and control the sale and distribution of it, similar to alcohol (at least similar to the sale of alcohol in Ontario, where there are much tighter controls than in either the U.S. or Mexico). Taking it away from the criminal element will also take a bite out of the narcos' profits. 

In terms of harm vs. benefit there is potential for both. There are actually some mouse studies which show anti-tumor effect of cannabis for some cancers. If it is more widely legalized, it may be easier to have larger scale human trials regarding cannabis and cancer. In terms of possible increased risk of cancer associated with smoking marijuana, the results are somewhat contradictory and overall inconclusive to date. But there can be other health risks. I personally know three cases of adolescents with cannabis-induced psychosis, i.e. psychosis (hallucinations, paranoid delusions, etc.) which occurred only when they were smoking fairly regularly (but not just in the context of being high). One of these young men never managed to remain abstinent and did eventually develop schizophrenia. I don't think cannabis is generally advisable or innocuous for the developing adolescent brain. 

In terms of the big companies not wanting to look into the medicinal benefits because there aren't enough profits to be made, I have to disagree. Medical marijuana has been legalized in Canada. As a physician, in the past 1-2 years I have noted a proliferation of companies "pushing" their product to physicians. At a recent medical conference, I attended a dinner symposium about medical use of cannabis. While the other symposia at the conference were serving things like sandwiches and cookies, the medical cannabis symposium offered quite a sumptuous meal to attendees, reflecting a more generous budget. (No free product samples, though. The brownies just had chocolate... ) The early companies on the bandwagon know there is plenty of money to be made in medical marijuana. There are many strains, bred to have different concentrations of the active ingredients such as THC and cannabidiol, to tailor the product to various medical conditions and individual patients. 

I don't believe there are any "miracle" cures, nor one medication or treatment that will work all the time for everyone. I am glad to have one more option available, but like so many medical treatments, I recognize that it can be a two-edged sword. I still find myself chuckling when people ask about a given medication, "Does it have any side effects?" Every medication has potential side effects. Even ASA/ Aspirin can save your life or potentially kill you.

By the way ASA/Aspirin is a medication which does not necessarily garner a huge profit for drug companies, given that it is available in so many inexpensive generic forms. Yet it has been extensively studied, primarily for cardiovascular disease, because it clearly does prevent disability and death from heart attacks and strokes.


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## Belizegirl (Oct 21, 2010)

GARYJ65 said:


> Internet is full of anything
> It is not that simple
> Are you a Chemist? Biologist? Doctor?


Oh no, he is not. He is an interesting character though. Some days, in Playa he was a pleasure to know, other days not so much.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Internet is full of anything
> It is not that simple
> Are you a Chemist? Biologist? Doctor?




I'm none of the above but it is that simple. One does not need to be a doctor or a chemist to know that a product that can be easily made at home by anyone will not be a huge profit margin for the drug companies. Sure, there will be people who will buy it that don't have the means to grow or purchase it themselves, but if they can buy it a lot cheaper from a legal dispensary they will. According to BBC the drug companies make a larger profit that car makers, oil and gas companies and the media. Pfizer reported a 42% profit in 2013. I personally don't think they would waste a lot of time on such an easily made product.

Marijuana was not outlawed in the first place for any reasons of health or as a threat to society. In the early 1900's after the Mexican revolution a large number of Mexicans immigrated into Texas and Louisiana bringing with them their customs, one of which was smoking marijuana. The media began to play on the fears that the public had of these new citizens by falsely spreading rumors of “disruptive Mexicans” with their dangerous habits, one of which was using marijuana. The rest of the country did not know that this was a substance that most of them already had in their medicine cabinets as cannabis was widely used in American medicines, tinctures and such. The fact is it was made illegal to try to get rid of the Mexicans. Opium was also commonly found in medicine cabinets at this time, but after they didn't need the Chinese any longer as the railroad was finished they outlawed opium to try to get rid of the Chinese who smoked it. 

But the other benefits of legalization far outweigh anything negative that I can think of.

The police would be freed up to concentrate on truly violent, dangerous criminals. 

A lot of prison space would open up for murderers, rapists, child molesters and robbers that seem to just get released and rolled back into society repeatedly.

Instead of untaxed money going to criminals as pure profit, government and local municipalities would receive a profit from the taxes.

Larger human studies would be available to medical science to explore the possible benefits of cannabis. 

Prohibition did more harm than good in America, making a lot of people criminals that otherwise were law abiding citizens and opening up a lot of opportunity for the true criminals. 

I think the effect on the cartels would be negligible as Mexican marijuana has lost a lot of appeal north of the border and is considered “brick weed”. That is, it must be dried and compressed to be smuggled out of the country. With the trend of legalization and relaxed drug laws in America, fresh, moist buds are easily available and a lot more desirable. The cartels will continue to concentrate on meth and heroin and the violence there will continue as the turf wars go on. 

But overall I think the benefits far outweigh any evil.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

> I'm none of the above but it is that simple. One does not need to be a doctor or a chemist to know that a product that can be easily made at home by anyone .


Says you
I disagree


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> I'm none of the above but it is that simple. One does not need to be a doctor or a chemist to know that a product that can be easily made at home by anyone .
> 
> Says you
> I disagree


What exactly are you debating? That it can be made easily by anyone?
It is simple, like making coffee. A simple search shows step by step directions.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> What exactly are you debating? That it can be made easily by anyone?
> It is simple, like making coffee. A simple search shows step by step directions.


I am not debating anything
I disagree that it is a simple procedure and that the oil works, not if you say so, after investigating it over the net without any training in such areas
Medical research is not simple, really

Whatever


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> I am not debating anything
> I disagree that it is a simple procedure and that the oil works, not if you say so, after investigating it over the net without any training in such areas
> Medical research is not simple, really
> 
> Whatever


Well if your mind is made up and closed to the possibility that it works there is nothing I or anyone else can say to change it. But if you are willing to consider some facts you might first go to youtube and watch Rick Simpsons "Run from the Cure." Real people, real testimonies.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Well if your mind is made up and closed to the possibility that it works there is nothing I or anyone else can say to change it. But if you are willing to consider some facts you might first go to youtube and watch Rick Simpsons "Run from the Cure." Real people, real testimonies.
> 
> http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fQwwGPiyW9M


Real people, real testimonies, no serious research


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Let's do this, I know some cancer patients
You treat them with cannabis oil, they have nothing to loose
See what happens
Is that enough opening of mind?


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Real people, real testimonies, no serious research


Research and the medical community gave up on the people in this video. BTW you could have had the time to actually watch it between these posts.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Let's do this, I know some cancer patients
> You treat them with cannabis oil, they have nothing to loose
> See what happens
> Is that enough opening of mind?


If and when it becomes legal, send them to me. I have 150 acres and can spare 20 or 30.


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

Take for instance Marinol, I believe it's a pill that has one/a few cannibanoids.
Made by a drug company. Sort of expensive. (1.73 a pill? says Google…)
Or buy 2 oz of shake for 100$. Bam.

How Does the Cost of Marijuana Compare to the Cost of Marinol? - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Marinol is synthetic and you just made my point. The drug companies can't make any money off of marijuana, they would much rather sell expensive chemo drugs.
$100.00 for 2 ounces of shake? Where do you live? I know some gardeners who would love to meet you. The going price for prime bud in Mexico is 500 pesos.


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## Waller52 (Jun 17, 2015)

It's fun to watch old, dysfunctional arguments against the valid, well researched positive effects of cannabis set forth by those who fear change, loss of control and the changing of the guard.

Best get over it. Widespread use of legal marijuana is not an "if" but a "when".


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Waller52 said:


> It's fun to watch old, dysfunctional arguments against the valid, well researched positive effects of cannabis set forth by those who fear change, loss of control and the changing of the guard.
> 
> Best get over it. Widespread use of legal marijuana is not an "if" but a "when".


Indeed. I really don't know why some fear this so much. The video I posted was not hippies. It was senior citizens that had been given months to live by the doctors. I personally know a lot of older people who don't smoke it to get high but eat the cookies to relieve joint pain and sleep soundly.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Indeed. I really don't know why some fear this so much. The video I posted was not hippies. It was senior citizens that had been given months to live by the doctors. I personally know a lot of older people who don't smoke it to get high but eat the cookies to relieve joint pain and sleep soundly.


Hippies got old too, you know?


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Hippies got old too, you know?


Gary you have every right to oppose it. But perhaps you might actually watch the video before you judge those in it. The day will come when it is legal everywhere.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Marinol is synthetic and you just made my point. The drug companies can't make any money off of marijuana, they would much rather sell expensive chemo drugs.
> $100.00 for 2 ounces of shake? Where do you live? I know some gardeners who would love to meet you. The going price for prime bud in Mexico is 500 pesos.


How long would MXN$500 worth last someone using it medicinally in moderate amounts? I imagine different people will need different doses, but just a middle of the range guesstimate.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

ojosazules11 said:


> How long would MXN$500 worth last someone using it medicinally in moderate amounts? I imagine different people will need different doses, but just a middle of the range guesstimate.


If by "medicinally" you mean as oil, not long. Oil is generally made in 5 gallon buckets filled with buds. Add solvent, mash and stir with a board then filtered with a coffee filter. After a second wash you filter it again then cook off the solvent in a slow cooker with no lid. The oil at this point is very viscous making it easy to load in syringes. The oil gets thick when it cools so the syringe is placed in hot water for a few minutes.
If you bake it in cookies it will last considerably longer. If you use about a gram per cookie or about one cigarette worth 500 pesos worth will last quite a while. Eating it has a delayed reaction so people think they didn't eat enough and eat another, then both hit in the middle of a sentence and they can't tell where their sky stops and the head starts.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> If by "medicinally" you mean as oil, not long. Oil is generally made in 5 gallon buckets filled with buds. Add solvent, mash and stir with a board then filtered with a coffee filter. After a second wash you filter it again then cook off the solvent in a slow cooker with no lid. The oil at this point is very viscous making it easy to load in syringes. The oil gets thick when it cools so the syringe is placed in hot water for a few minutes.
> If you bake it in cookies it will last considerably longer. If you use about a gram per cookie or about one cigarette worth 500 pesos worth will last quite a while. Eating it has a delayed reaction so people think they didn't eat enough and eat another, then both hit in the middle of a sentence and they can't tell where their sky stops and the head starts.


I'm wondering how much would be needed in order to estimate how expensive medicinal use of cannabis is per month compared to average costs of long term medications. At least in Ontario, many brand name medications for chronic conditions are CDN $30-60 monthly - the generic formulations are significantly less, often in the CDN $10-$15/month range, + pharmacy dispensing fee (approx CDN$6-$11). 

For instance, Tamoxifen (which is given to women for 5 years following treatment of certain types of breast cancer) costs CDN$0.35 per day - or CDN$10.50 (US$7.50) per month + pharmacy dispensing fee. Hardly big bucks. 

I'm not disputing that there can be medicinal benefits to cannabis. I am disputing that the reason this has not been more fully researched is because the pharmaceutical companies don't think they can make enough money from it. I think it has not been widely researched because it has been illegal for decades. There was also scientific research into medicinal use of LSD back in the 40's, 50's and early 60's. It was actually first synthesized for potential use as a psychotropic medication. Criminalization brought that all to a halt as well. Recently there is renewed interest in the possible medicinal use of LSD (especially for psychiatric conditions). 

I believe once cannabis is more widely legalized, there will be increasing funding for larger-scale trials. Anecdotal evidence is great for the internet and for people who have basically been told nothing else can be done from them for a Western Medicine perspective. But as a physician, I can't ethically be recommending it for serious conditions without scientific/medical evidence quantifying both benefit and risk of harm/adverse effects. With that kind of data I can help my patients make informed decisions. 

Definitely there will be plenty of money to be made once it is legalized (I agree it is "when" not "if"). I think people who are using it specifically for medical purposes are mostly going to prefer purchasing it from a supplier who has quality control measures in place, including monitoring purity, strengths of various active ingredients, etc. rather than purchasing it from Joe Blow around the corner. 

I have a hunch some current growers will be none too happy to see it legalized, as it will be cutting into their profits.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Gary you have every right to oppose it. But perhaps you might actually watch the video before you judge those in it. The day will come when it is legal everywhere.


I saw the video, it is old, lacks of valid data and research.
Of course someday marihuana will be legal, but as far as to defend it because it cures cancer? Come on!
In that case, mariguana consumers would have a low low cancer rate


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> If by "medicinally" you mean as oil, not long. Oil is generally made in 5 gallon buckets filled with buds. Add solvent, mash and stir with a board then filtered with a coffee filter. After a second wash you filter it again then cook off the solvent in a slow cooker with no lid. The oil at this point is very viscous making it easy to load in syringes. The oil gets thick when it cools so the syringe is placed in hot water for a few minutes.
> If you bake it in cookies it will last considerably longer. If you use about a gram per cookie or about one cigarette worth 500 pesos worth will last quite a while. Eating it has a delayed reaction so people think they didn't eat enough and eat another, then both hit in the middle of a sentence and they can't tell where their sky stops and the head starts.


Have you ever processed some oil?
Somehow it seems to me that the info comes from another web site


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Have you ever processed some oil?
> Somehow it seems to me that the info comes from another web site


In my youth, yes. But I used a more efficient and complicated method of isomerization and reclamation of the solvent. I was giving a more simple method that is used on a larger scale.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

ojosazules11 said:


> I'm wondering how much would be needed in order to estimate how expensive medicinal use of cannabis is per month compared to average costs of long term medications. At least in Ontario, many brand name medications for chronic conditions are CDN $30-60 monthly - the generic formulations are significantly less, often in the CDN $10-$15/month range, + pharmacy dispensing fee (approx CDN$6-$11).
> 
> For instance, Tamoxifen (which is given to women for 5 years following treatment of certain types of breast cancer) costs CDN$0.35 per day - or CDN$10.50 (US$7.50) per month + pharmacy dispensing fee. Hardly big bucks.
> 
> ...


Intelligent response. An accurate cost comparison can't be done because the reason marijuana costs what it does is because it's illegal. I think once anyone with a yard or better yet a room with grow lights can grow it sales and therefore prices will plummet.
My thoughts for the drug companies lack of interest stems from the fact that used in it's current method as an oil it can't be patented as it is simply a plant. Perhaps once legalized drug companies will isolate and increase the potency of what in marijuana actually does the healing.
For anyone to deny so many people that were written off by modern medicine but were cured by marijuana is simply the sign of a fearful, closed mind.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Back to topic
My opinion would be to legalize it, in Mexico and everywhere
Consumers would consume, without risk of going to jail, the ones who don't care about it, would not buy and drug dealers would have much less business


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

The news here this morning said that President Nieto approves of the medical use but it still needs to go through the channels. If it is approved for medical use I will inquire about the permits needed to grow it and sell it to labs. It's long overdue and can help. The people we distribute food to live in bamboo huts with a dirt floor. I'm sure they can't afford drugs at any price.


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

ojosazules11 said:


> How long would MXN$500 worth last someone using it medicinally in moderate amounts? I imagine different people will need different doses, but just a middle of the range guesstimate.


If you're buying 500 pesos off the street. It's a modest amount. You can smoke your friends out for a weekend.

The 100$ (USD, should've clarified…) of shake for 2 Oz, that's southern california. I get those prices from a dispensary in Imperial Co. Lasted us like a month.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

WintheWin said:


> If you're buying 500 pesos off the street. It's a modest amount. You can smoke your friends out for a weekend.
> 
> The 100$ (USD, should've clarified…) of shake for 2 Oz, that's southern california. I get those prices from a dispensary in Imperial Co. Lasted us like a month.


No, not a modest amount. It's according to where you live and who you know. Sure it will be a lot higher in Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, tourist towns of cement. But in the mountains where it is grown things differ.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> No, not a modest amount. It's according to where you live and who you know. Sure it will be a lot higher in Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, tourist towns of cement. But in the mountains where it is grown things differ.


In Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and any other part of Mexico it is illegal to buy Marijuana


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> In Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and any other part of Mexico it is illegal to buy Marijuana


Of course it is Gary. But the recent supreme court decision may change that soon. That is what this discussion is all about, the pros and cons. 
Speeding is also illegal and we all know that no one in Mexico speeds.
Prostitution is also illegal, but any cop in Playa del Carmen can tell you what's happening at the Pink Pussycat Club or the Pleasure Palace.
Nieto said he is open for talks at the drug summit April of 2016. That way he can blame it on them if things get worse, or take credit for it if things get better.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

I don't think anyone should go to jail for smoking marijuana, but I've never understood its charms. Frankly, most of the people I've known in my life who were regular users were examples of why it is sometimes called "dope".


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Ditto that, Marsha !


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Of course it is Gary. But the recent supreme court decision may change that soon. That is what this discussion is all about, the pros and cons.
> Speeding is also illegal and we all know that no one in Mexico speeds.
> Prostitution is also illegal, but any cop in Playa del Carmen can tell you what's happening at the Pink Pussycat Club or the Pleasure Palace.
> Nieto said he is open for talks at the drug summit April of 2016. That way he can blame it on them if things get worse, or take credit for it if things get better.


When did prostitution in Mexico become illegal?


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

AlanMexicali said:


> When did prostitution in Mexico become illegal?


I stand corrected, thank you. It is merely regulated in 13 states.

I too have met many idiots who smoked weed but they were no more stupid than those who don't. Just tune in "The View." or watch adults being asked simple questions on "Watter's World" as he interviews people on the streets. Stupidity knows no social segments, it pervades them all.

I was once dating a lady who liked classical music so I went to Best Buy to get some. 

The young blond bounced up and said, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for some Mozart."
"Right over here." she said as she snatched CD, "This is like his greatest hits"
While I pondered Mozart's greatest hits she said... .
"But I don"t think it's really him playing. I think it's like other people doing his stuff."
I started to demand one with him playing, but I didn't have the time for she and her manager to look for it.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> I too have met many idiots who smoked weed but they were no more stupid than those who don't. Just tune in "The View." or watch adults being asked simple questions on "Watter's World" as he interviews people on the streets. Stupidity knows no social segments, it pervades them all.


My comment wasn't about idiots who smoke marijuana, it was more that my normally non-stupid friends became "dopey" when smoking it. Nothing more boring than a social gathering where everyone but you is sitting around getting high and having nothing much of interest to say.


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## dwwhiteside (Apr 17, 2013)

I know this thread has been going for a while but I thought I would weigh in. The main reason US pharma has not done more research / development on marijuana is that the US government has it classified as a schedule 1 narcotic, the same category as heroin, LSD, GHB, Ecstasy, etc. This means it is considered extremely dangerous with no medicinal benefits.

Now, I completely disagree with the US government on this (and many, many other) issue(s). But, most US pharmaceutical firms are not going to mess around with schedule 1 drugs. 

Also, as I understand it, the recent Supreme Court ruling currently applies only to the original 4 plaintiffs and no one else. Having said that, I also understand that possession of 5 grams or less of marijuana is already legal in Mexico. However, I don't believe it is possible to grow a hemp plant of sufficient maturity to produce THC that will weigh 5 grams or less. So, that still poses a bit of a problem for anyone wanting to "grow your own."

I do hope, however; that not only medical but even recreational use of marijuana is soon legalized EVERYWHERE. I grew up in the 70's and have known, over the years, many different kinds of people who were regular marijuana consumers. Some were stupid, lazy and often incoherent. Others were very bright, industrious, kindhearted and generally fun to be around. I do not believe that marijuana consumption causes any kind of specific personality traits but perhaps it does bring some to the forefront more than others.

Now, while I do not believe that marijuana is particularly harmful, I do not believe it is any kind of wonder-drug either. Maybe it can help restore appetite in folks receiving certain, more traditional cancer therapies and maybe it somehow helps people with glaucoma. But curing cancers? I am pretty skeptical about that.

I say live and let live. If someone wants to smoke pot, they should be able to do it without becoming a criminal. It cannot be any more dangerous than alcohol. And legalizing it would eliminate the black market. That not only means less money for criminal gangs, it also means that it would be HARDER for underage consumers to get. Someone making their living selling legal marijuana under license is much less likely to supply underage buyers than someone selling it illegally.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the impact on local families. Instead of growing cane at 3,000 pesos per ton, families could make a lot more growing marijuana. It will grow on the side of a mountain where little else will.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the impact on local families. Instead of growing cane at 3,000 pesos per ton, families could make a lot more growing marijuana. It will grow on the side of a mountain where little else will.


When it becomes legal, maybe it will be as cheap as cane


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> When it becomes legal, maybe it will be as cheap as cane


Perhaps, but I seriously doubt it. We have miles of cane, that's all they grow. But even if it does they at least be happier.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Perhaps, but I seriously doubt it. We have miles of cane, that's all they grow. But even if it does they at least be happier.


Happier, why?


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

Personally…
I liked how Marijuana stretched my income dollars.

By that… I mean…

When I was in San Diego, working 40-hours a week, making enough to pay my bills, and not much else… Having a beer after work was expensive. If I got together with my buds, between all of us, we'd spend a pretty decent amount of money on beer.

BUT!

If we got together and smoked weed, we'd all pitch in for a bit, smoke for about two weeks, and then pitch in again.

How was it different than drinking alcohol?
Mmmmm…
We all got together, got a bit silly, talked about the stuff most people who drink alcohol talk about.
Consume so much we'd fall asleep.

But next morning?
Woke up, not groggy, not hungover, just hungry.

Took a shower, and off to work, no harm done.

Plus, compared to how much it would've cost to drink, even casually, I was saving a buttload. A nice beer after a hard day of work, and 1.5 hour traffic? Mmm… a nice 22 oz Stone will run you anywhere from 7.5$+…

If I bought 20$ of some nice MJ, just for myself, it would last me a pretty good while.

(The great irony in this, is that I used to work at a drug testing laboratory, processing inmates/probation/private rehab clinic's drug samples.)


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> Happier, why?


Because it makes you happy. You can be dismissive about it all you want but the fact is that it will always be more valuable than cane. The people who live here live in a absolute poverty. If they can grow a crop that is a lot more profitable than cane they can improve their quality of life.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Because it makes you happy. You can be dismissive about it all you want but the fact is that it will always be more valuable than cane. The people who live here live in a absolute poverty. If they can grow a crop that is a lot more profitable than cane they can improve their quality of life.


My dismissive opinion has no impact on the way they live.
They are not doing very well now, they would not do well if they grow marijuana either
Other people, with some cash, will take over marijuana business and these campesinos will remain the same.
That is not the way campesinos will improve their living. I don't know the answer either


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> They are not doing very well now, they would not do well if they grow marijuana either


They will do better, of that there is no doubt


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> They will do better, of that there is no doubt


There is no doubt according to you. That's merely speculation
They have never been better.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

GARYJ65 said:


> There is no doubt according to you. That's merely speculation
> They have never been better.


Well I can see that I don't need Google anymore as you know everything. I'll just ask you from now on.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Never mind, I just discovered the "ignore" function.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> Never mind, I just discovered the "ignore" function.





Andreas_Montoya said:


> Well I can see that I don't need Google anymore as you know everything. I'll just ask you from now on.





GARYJ65 said:


> There is no doubt according to you. …


 Cool it both of you or there will be infractions.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> Cool it both of you or there will be infractions.


Maybe they both need to take something to calm down and stop their fruitless bickering  .


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

What did I say?
Just expressed my point of view

Idid not say anything about ignoring, or is it a forum's rule to not disagree?


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Maybe they both need to take something to calm down and stop their fruitless bickering  .


I"m cool.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

GARYJ65 said:


> What did I say?
> Just expressed my point of view
> 
> I did not say anything about ignoring, or is it a forum's rule to not disagree?


You are free to disagree, encouraged even. But when you added the "according to you", it made it an in-your-face taunt. I did not include your disagreement in what I quoted as objectionable.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Got your point


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

In reference to cane, cannabis and happiness...

For some of us, sugar makes us happier than weed. Especially when combined with rich, dark cacao.


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