I have seen some movement in the legalization Marijuana.



Our forum has been debating what St. Louis City can do to

-Differentiate itself from other cities

-Get rid of the 1% earnings tax

-Lower crime



It seems the answer to ALL of this could be in being the FIRST to legalize Marijuana.



With president Obama now in office, I cant see the FED penalizing/taking away federal funding for doing something that the city needs to improve itself.



Now the question is, how many people would be in favor of legalizing this plant? Because I might be surprised that most people in fact DONT want it to be legal.



Edit: Once again, I messed up on the Poll, seems like everytime i add the last answer, it never gets posted.

The last choice was suppose to be "NO, Other"

It seems the answer to ALL of this could be in being the FIRST to legalize Marijuana.

Is that what we want to be known for? I don't know.



I personally don't care one way or the other if it's legal...i mean if alcohol is legal, why not pot...but I need more reason than that.



Exactly how would legalized Marijuana help St. Louis other than give it some kind of status as a place to get high?

A quick google search brought up these figures:



http://www.mpp.org/states/georgia/news/ ... tives.html

A July 30, 2008, online C.N.N. poll found that 76 percent of respondents favor the legalization of marijuana as opposed to 24 percent against. The Washington Examiner, in a July 31 online poll, found that 75 percent favor legalization, versus 25 percent who are against it.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/19561/Who-Su ... ation.aspx







Of course, you may have to take those results with a grain of salt as stuff like this can be wildly inaccurate, especially considering the vast difference of results in the CNN/Washington Examiner polls vs the Gallup poll. I can't help but think the Gallup poll is much more accurate.

olvidarte wrote:Exactly how would legalized Marijuana help St. Louis other than give it some kind of status as a place to get high?

I was thinking more broadly in tha St. Louis would be known as being a progressive thinking city and "first of its kind."



Think of all the initial companies that could call St. Louis their global Headquarter for this new legal product? The reason you want it to start here so these businesses can setup shop and perfect their marketing/product/business model. Otherwise Philip Morris (Or what ever they are called now) along with what ever city becomes first will just steal all the customers/businesses.

wow 5-1 in favor of legalizing the sticky icky so far.



Guess I know where you guys will all be in 6 hrs. and 39 minutes

zink wrote:


I was thinking more broadly in tha St. Louis would be known as being a progressive thinking city and "first of its kind."

We wouldn't the "first of its kind." Denver (whose region I'm originally from) legalized it a couple years ago. Of course, people are still prosecuted under state law. So even if St. Louis legalized it, it would still be illegal under Missouri law (not to mention federal law).



There are compelling arguments for both sides, but I don't think any changes in either city or state law are going to happen anytime soon.

Maybe this is our best shot at luring the hipsters away from Portland and Austin.

Some city is going to figure out how to keep the state and federal authorities off their backs and get away with this. Now that legal gambling is too ubiquitous to be any kind of tourist draw, marijuana is the next frontier in "sin" tourism. (No judgment implied - I hardly think it's a sin.) I like to think it'll be St. Louis, but I'm skeptical.

This is, like, the greatest idea ever bro. And I don't even smoke anymore but prolly smoked about a truckload back in the day. It would be a totally cutting edge move. Stoners don't bother anyone but they're kind of a drag to hang out with (pun intended). They like to get out in the streets, go see music and art, get drunk, read books, do weird things to their homes, etc. They also like to work and raise families. It would probably bring all kinds of totally awesome people to the city. Internationally, Saint Louis would develop a supercool rep. The Amsterdam of America! There all kinds of warehouses up on the North riverfront to use for production and storage. It's not like it would stop companies from locating in the city. They aren't coming here anyway. Dealing dope would be drastically cut down. Legalization will probably happen somewhere in the US but it will most likely be on the West Coast. Or Boston. There really isn't much to lose. If a vote were limited to the city I can see this passing handily.



But, seriously, does it have any chance at all? How do you legally usurp a federal law?



WHERE DO I SIGN UP AND HOW DO WE GET THIS DONE?

Just what we need, more Americans on drugs Like the prescription drug epidemic isn't widespread enough. Why main stream the pot subculture? Dope is phone call or grow room away, why change anything? And it's not like you can't smoke it just about anywhere without being hassled.



I also just don't think it's a good idea to legalize something that will likely make many americans even more lazy and obese! (hard to believe eh?)

Last year I was out in Los Angeles and there were senior citizens speeding down the highway smoking pot, but California should be its own country (It's large enough). This was before I went up to the Bay Area, where they said Los Angeles was full of conservatives. In San Fran and Oakland you literally have people walking up and down the streets smoking "cigarettes" in some areas.

I see that happen here as well, goat. Just the other day in the parking lot of the schnucks in RH. These two geezers in their big body benz. Happens all over if you know what to look (or smell) for.

Heh, it just won't happen. People would become too peaceful. The powers that be need the means of production to compete and be in conflict.

Moorlander wrote:Just what we need, more Americans on drugs Like the prescription drug epidemic isn't widespread enough. Why main stream the subculture? Dope is phone call or grow room away, why change anything? And it's not like you can't smoke it just about anywhere without being hassled.



I also just don't think it's a good idea to legalize something that will likely make many americans even more lazy and obese! (hard to believe eh?)

Honestly, if it were legal, we probably wouldn't have the prescription drug epidemic we have currently. People will flock to what is easier to get, and some of these scripts are far stronger that any weed out there. And as far as lazy and obese, alcohol does plenty to distract Americans from being more productive and adds on the pounds directly, not indirectly as you refer to it. I just don't see in the context of alcohol being legal why this ever was illegal. I think its just a matter of time (20 years still) that it will be legal in some aspect nationally. St. Louis on its own doesn't stand much of a chance up against the Feds though.

do it! its more of a nuisance to get caught with it these days. i am a smoker, and i go out exploring and have found construction workers and bums alike sitting out and taking a little toke break. its nothing terribly harmful...

thechariot wrote:do it! its more of a nuisance to get caught with it these days. i am a smoker, and i go out exploring and have found construction workers and bums alike sitting out and taking a little toke break. its nothing terribly harmful...

One of the dishwashers/busboys/something from the restaurant downstairs was smoking behind the dumpster the other day. I walked by to drop off my garbage and was like, hmmm, I know that smell. He looked a touch sheepish.

I really don't see why not.

I voted in favor although I'm pretty ambivalent about the idea. It reminds me of the concealed weapons issue. I choose not to carry a gun, but I don't care if others want to and if they feel safer by doing so. I don't smoke marijuana, but I don't really care one way or another if it becomes legalized at some point.



As much as I'd like for St. Louis to gain a true competitive advantage for once, I just don't think legalized pot is the answer.

I'm fine with legalizing it.

But I don't know that it will necessarily make us a hip city like Portland or Austin.

Didn't Alaska decriminalize marijuana a few yrs. ago. Last I checked Anchorage wasn't a particularly hip spot.



All I know is I'd need all kinds of drugs to last through one of those winters

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:Drugs are bad, mmmmm-Kay?

If you do them, you're bad.

So don't be bad.

By doin' drugs.

'Cause drugs are bad.

Mmmm-kay.

I think it should be legal but I'm wondering if that would make it easier to traffic through surrounding areas. I also think it should be illegal to possess it in a house with a child.

southsidepride wrote:I'm fine with legalizing it.

But I don't know that it will necessarily make us a hip city like Portland or Austin.

Didn't Alaska decriminalize marijuana a few yrs. ago. Last I checked Anchorage wasn't a particularly hip spot.



All I know is I'd need all kinds of drugs to last through one of those winters

I'd need drugs for a different reason (cough- Governor Palin- cough!) if I lived in Alaska.