Colorado-Medical-Marijuana-Blog

So much anger, volatility and controversy directed towards a simple and innocent entity. Illegality is a function of society, not morality (though the two are often intertwined). Somehow, opponents of Cannabis in Colorado believe that public acceptance of the herb is a sign of the degradation of society that will lead to crime, lawlessness and uncontrollable drug addiction. Arguably, one of the most peaceful societies in existence used marijuana regularly: Native Americans. American Indians were known for their acceptance of natural drugs and used them for both ceremony and enlightenment. Ironic that their culture was over taken by overzealous puritans. This is not to say that Native Americans were bereft of conflict; intra tribal fights were common. However, this culture was more in tune with nature and their surrounding environment. Modern society seems perfectly willing to trade in intuitiveness for the latest smart phone. Modern society is completely addicted to the internet and technology at large. One could argue that technology is responsible for many crimes and deaths. For example, texting while driving is practically an epidemic. Social networking has taken place of communication. Perhaps the decadence of society is uglier than the legalization of a naturally perennial plant. Perhaps those on their soapbox waxing the dangers of marijuana should take into consideration the accepted dangers of modern society and technology. Perhaps we, as a society, should step back and listen to nature instead of cultivating propaganda.

There is a bounty of problems facing today’s Colorado medical marijuana growers, but the main problem tends to be focused around caregiver rules and regulations. other isssues include legitimization and legalization. Although many growers follow state laws very closely, there are still those who use the cover of state laws to fund their own private marijuana growing and selling operations. States such as Colorado and California have strict state requirements for those who grow the substance for medical use, but even with these strict guidelines in place, there are still individuals who find their way around the rules. Locating these individuals from among the many legitimate growers is a full time job for law enforcement agents operating on both state and federal levels. Although medical marijuana is still considered illegal on a federal level, states such as Colorado allow patients to use the drug for medicinal use as recommended by a physician for physical and mental ailments. In the state of California last year, law enforcement officials pulled up 364,000 plants grown strictly for sale on the black market. However, officials did state that over 154 growers were left intact who were following the guidelines for medical use. The general consensus among people in the medicalmarijuana industry is that legitimate growers make Business more difficult and less profitable for the drug cartels south of the border.

Medical marijuana in Colorado is currently legal, made so by a voter-approved amendment to the state constitution. However, there are some who claim that the overall legalization of the drug could benefit the state in more ways that one. The biggest benefit is said to come in the form of lowering black market sales, most specifically to teens, by making marijuana more easily accessible. One theory is that by making the drug available, teens will not be pressed to seek out black market buying options, which tend to lead to the purchase of harder drugs such as cocaine.

In the Netherlands, marijuana was made available in coffee shops, lowering the tendency for teens to gravitate toward cocaine to one in one thousand. The rate among U.S. teens gravitating from marijuana to cocaine at the time of the study was 1.7%, more than five times as prevalent. This statistic is enough to give marijuana legalization further consideration.