Legalectric

There’s been lots of talk about legalization of marijuana in Minnesota, though it’s not clear to me exactly what’s being proposed

Walz wants state to be ready to roll on legal marijuana

Minnesota Democrats make push on recreational marijuana, Senate GOP pumps the brakes

Makes me wonder where these folks were in the 80s when chronic use started catching up with people? This has been a topic on a yak-yak list here in RW, and Alan Muller and I have been talking about this off and on lately. It seems there are at least five distinct issues here: 1) decriminalization v. legalization; 2) gov’t regulation; 3) taxation; and 4) physical and mental health issues; 5) expungement of prior convictions. What exactly does “legalization” mean? Are there more than these 5 issues to consider? Probably…

I can see medicinal benefits, but “recreational” use, I’m not a fan of legalization. Decriminalization, yes.

Hazeldon’s site has a page, but it’s extreme, not that far from a “Reefer Madness” mode.

From Hazeldon’s page:

A number of studies link chronic marijuana use and mental illness. High doses can produce a temporary psychotic reaction in some users. Use of the drug can also worsen the course of illness for patients who have schizophrenia. A series of large, longitudinal studies also shows a link between marijuana and the development of psychosis.

Marijuana abuse has also been associated with other mental health problems, such as:

Depression
Anxiety
Personality disturbances
Suicidal thoughts (among adolescents)
Lack of motivation to engage in typically rewarding activities

More research is needed to better understand these mental health links and ramifications.

It’s this chronic use and correlation that I’m referring to, and have observed. I would guess that there’s also an association between age of first appearance of schizophrenia/bi-polar and/or psychosis and age of initial chronic use (late teens-early 20s), and I think there’s a chicken/egg issue, and again guessing that the chronic use is self-medication (that doesn’t work) for the underlying mental condition. Again, strictly opinion based on observation and not studies or experiments. I’ve seen folks waste away their life, doing nothing; I’ve seen folks using constantly, masking, self-medicating serious mental illness; I’ve seen folks using regularly enough that their wasted behavior affects their primary relationship and it’s off to D-I-V-O-R-C-E court. I have no interest in being around wasted people, whatever the drug of choice, and I don’t want to see our society enabling chemical use. I don’t want to see folks using and then heading down the highway, though they’d probably be doing 25 in the right hand lane!

Bottom line at this time (and I’m just starting to seriously mull it over), I really don’t want to see governmental encouragement and enabling of a more passive population. I’m a supporter of broad decriminalization and expungement of those convictions. I’m not a supporter of government regulation and taxation, that is yet another regressive tax, and avoids the necessity of restoring more progressive corporate and individual income taxation. “Legalization” (whatever that means) is one of the least pressing issues I see that need to be dealt with NOW! Perhaps even a distraction.