urbanSTL

Yes, it should be legalized. In St. Louis City, possession of small amounts of marijuana usually does not result in harsh punishment, according the Mayor Slay’s blog. People caught with small amounts were more often fined and not given jail time. Washington state also legalized marijuana sales last year, but has not yet started selling the drug.


Portland Oregon Dispensaries

jakep14 wrote:Yes, it should be legalized. In St. Louis City, possession of small amounts of marijuana usually does not result in harsh punishment, according the Mayor Slay’s blog. People caught with small amounts were more often fined and not given jail time. Washington state also legalized marijuana sales last year, but has not yet started selling the drug.


Portland Oregon Dispensaries

WA started sales in July. Things have gone swimmingly there and in Denver.

Right on! Although i don't smoke i actually like the smell of it & to me people seem so much more at peace just my little observation!

I'm not a gambler, but I'm glad we have casinos here. For many, marijuana is in the same boat. It would be great for tourism and our region's economy.

I see many of our vacant factories and warehouses becoming grow-ops, their deteriorated surrounding neighborhoods once again having a major employer to anchor them, with a bunch of out-of-state people coming here to work in the burgeoning green rush.

At this point it's hilarious to watch people attempt to argue for continued criminalization of weed. It's time to legalize it. It's no different from booze and is arguably less harmful to society.

Could the City legalize this without the approval of the state? Has anyone researched what the consequences of that would be?

onecity wrote:One would think the nullification-happy state would be happy to see STL nullifying state law in the name of local control, because small gummit.

Small gummit is the main reason republicans should embrace legalization, but many still won't. :'(

realclear wrote:Could the City legalize this without the approval of the state? Has anyone researched what the consequences of that would be?

Would love to know this as well.
1. Would it need to be on a ballot?
2. Seems like we have two tasks: A) Remove all prosecution of the drug. B) Allow the sale of the drug.

I would think eliminating all prosecution could be done rather easily?

Aren't states that legalize marijuana doing so without the approval (and in direct contradiction to the laws of) the federal government?

Maybe we should just go for it.

When dispensaries are finally opened I'd like to see them in concentration. Maybe they're limited to Laclede's Landing, east loop, koscuisko, or south broadway for example.

"Oregon, Alaska and D.C. vote tomorrow on legalizing recreational marijuana. Will Missouri do the same in 2016?"

Show-Me Cannabis plans to file paperwork this week for a ballot initiative that would ask Missouri voters to legalize the use and sale of marijuana. The filing with the Secretary of State's Office is just the beginning of what's expected to be a costly and arduous two-year campaign to get the issue on the November 2016 ballot.
This past February Show-Me Cannabis abandoned a similar ballot initiative scheduled for tomorrow's mid-term elections after polling indicated that 51 percent of Missouri voters still opposed legalization compared to 45 percent in favor.


John Payne, executive director of Show-Me Cannabis, tells Daily RFT that his group now believes it stands a much better chance of passing the measure in 2016, a presidential election in which younger voters tend to show up to the polls in greater numbers. In addition, Payne's marijuana-reform organization believes that within two years the majority of Missourians -- not just younger voters -- should be in favor of legalizing pot.

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyr ... ballot.php

^ Agreed. Especially because enforcement of marijuana laws are ridiculously disproportionate racially, like this recent study shows in NYC-- http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default ... t-2014.pdf I bet the stats would be similar in St. Louis. Police/courts already have enough ways to lock up black people; marijuana should not be a priority.

I don't see Missouri legalizing for at least 10 years. Has there been any polling on it?

also I looked up at the thread poll and it's pretty funny (maybe sad) that some people still believe in this "gateway drug" nonsense. Really? I thought all that 80s DARE bullsh*t had been discredited, at least to rational people. You know what's actually a gateway drug? OxyContin, Vicodin, etc.--but the pharmaceutical industry happily churned those out and doctors prescribed 'em like candy, and now many states are reaping the consequences, namely a massive rise in heroin addiction. I'd argue that Adderall could be considered a gateway drug to methamphetamine since they're practically chemically identical, but same thing: legal, produced and prescribed like candy, widely abused. Same thing with prescription benzos like Xanax.

but weed is the problem... OK.

^ The article linked and quoted a couple posts back shows polling last year that had 51% against and 45% in favor with the belief that that is quickly shifting to being in favor.

My gut feeling is this passes in 2016, and that will be great.

As others have said here before, one thing that legalization has in it's favor in Missouri, is that while a lot of the voting base is conservative, many of those same people could stand to gain from legalization because it is a crop to be grown, produced, and sold.

CAN St. Louis legalize pot? Pot is illegal for everyone everywhere in the U.S. it's just been decriminalized by some states. It's not legal anywhere.

dweebe wrote:

MatthewHall wrote:CAN St. Louis legalize pot? Pot is illegal for everyone everywhere in the U.S. it's just been decriminalized by some states. It's not legal anywhere.

From what I've read I don't think so in Missouri. Cities can ease down on the fines and enforcement: but for the whole legal sales and dispensaries I thought that had to come from the state.

I wonder what makes that the case? If states are defying the feds, why couldn't a city? I'm sure there's a reason, I'm just not sure what it is.

MatthewHall wrote:CAN St. Louis legalize pot? Pot is illegal for everyone everywhere in the U.S. it's just been decriminalized by some states. It's not legal anywhere.

Wait, what? I'm sure you know about Colorado and Washington? Sure it's still federally illegal but the Obama admin has rightly decided to let it play out without any intervention. You can't get more "legal" than having it sold over the counter and taxed. It's effectively legal in California too, what with the ease of getting a medical card. What an odd post.

Maybe a GOP presidency/Congress would use the DEA to enforce the CSA and crack down on states legalizing... but that would be so hilariously contradictory to the conservative "states' rights" and limited government ethos. Unless they only mean that when it defends things they like.

The issue of the city legalizing doesn't really make much sense to me, though, considering how tough MO marijuana laws are. If you're contradicting state law I would expect big problems. Especially how STL city is such a small part of the metro sprawl, it would be really odd for it to be legal in a 66 sq mi zone and nowhere else. I don't see it working; has to be on the state level.