A beer or drink at Lunch, a warming shot on the Lift, a sip in the Woods. Do you?? Don't you?? How far have you seen a person drink and Ski or ride??

[deadheadskier]

I'd argue that it was the alcohol and pharmaceutical lobby that has kept cannabis illegal this long. The government has known for years how much money they could make off of taxing it. But much of it comes at the expense of taxes from booze. Unless of course someone grows their own. Then the government gets nothing except taxes on utilities.

I'd argue that taxes from cannabis sales should be eliminated all together. I don't pay taxes on my Advil or BP medication. Why should I pay tax on an edible with melatonin I take before bed to help with sleep?

There's another difference between alcohol and thc. Alcohol use is 100% about pleasure. THC is for some, but for many others it's no different than a cup of coffee like Krusty points out.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Amen DHS. But the fact that it 'took this long' ( for government purposes) is only, and always about money. Between alcohol, gambling,( lottery especially ), cigarettes, and now weed, the amount of cash flow to local, state and federal governments is astronomical.

Sin tax? Sure, a good excuse. keep everything legal, but stay out of our collective pockets? Never happen.

Meanwhile Kusty might be practicing law, but he should be compensated for the entertainment value on this board. Marvelous Ms Maisel? Maybe not, but Klowning Kernal Kusty could be made into a great series . . .

i'm admitted to the new york bar but i haven't practiced since 2018. practicing law made me want to fucking kill myself. i work in legal tech.

 

[1dog]

I'd argue that it was the alcohol and pharmaceutical lobby that has kept cannabis illegal this long. The government has known for years how much money they could make off of taxing it. But much of it comes at the expense of taxes from booze. Unless of course someone grows their own. Then the government gets nothing except taxes on utilities.

I'd argue that taxes from cannabis sales should be eliminated all together. I don't pay taxes on my Advil or BP medication. Why should I pay tax on an edible with melatonin I take before bed to help with sleep?

There's another difference between alcohol and thc. Alcohol use is 100% about pleasure. THC is for some, but for many others it's no different than a cup of coffee like Krusty points out.

 

[Kingslug20]

Sugar...the actual bane of the human race...

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Sugar...the actual bane of the human race...

my one true addiction. i have been in the gym almost every day since may doing strength training and cardio, and while i moved a lot of gut weight to muscle weight, my weight stayed pretty constant around 200-205, and i attribute this largely to a crippling addiction to cola and ice cream. i have mostly shook the soda addiction when i am at home. I'll get a coke at a restaurant or at work with lunch. the ice cream is a nightly issue. i crush a pint of ben and jerry solo every 2-3 days. i have finally broken the 200 barrier and am down to 195. chasing 185 which was my pre-covid weight. tho i am definitely healthier and in 'better shape' now because of aforementioned gym attendance and quitting cigarettes in April 2020

 

[SenorQuesadilla]

I'd argue that it was the alcohol and pharmaceutical lobby that has kept cannabis illegal this long. The government has known for years how much money they could make off of taxing it. But much of it comes at the expense of taxes from booze. Unless of course someone grows their own. Then the government gets nothing except taxes on utilities.

I'd argue that taxes from cannabis sales should be eliminated all together. I don't pay taxes on my Advil or BP medication. Why should I pay tax on an edible with melatonin I take before bed to help with sleep?

There's another difference between alcohol and thc. Alcohol use is 100% about pleasure. THC is for some, but for many others it's no different than a cup of coffee like Krusty points out.

If the weed is prescribed for that case then that's one thing and I'd tend to agree, but if people are treating themselves then I don't really get why one person taking an edible to help them get to sleep shouldn't be taxed but someone drinking a glass of wine to get to sleep should.

 

[Kingslug20]

Quitting sugar has had a huge effect for me.
No more aches and pains..blood sugar levels out...
Try it for a few weeks. I was a big cookie addict..and peanut butter cups.
Sugar probably kills more people than anything.

 

[deadheadskier]

If the weed is prescribed for that case then that's one thing and I'd tend to agree, but if people are treating themselves then I don't really get why one person taking an edible to help them get to sleep shouldn't be taxed but someone drinking a glass of wine to get to sleep should.

What about Advil? No prescription there.

Alcohol is biologically proven to be harmful to sleep. So, the wine example doesn't work. Alcohol in general is absolutely terrible for you, even in small amounts. I say this as someone who loves wine. But there are absolutely zero health benefits to it.

 

[cdskier]

What about Advil? No prescription there.

FWIW, over half of US states do tax OTC drugs.

 

[SenorQuesadilla]

What about Advil? No prescription there.

Alcohol is biologically proven to be harmful to sleep. So, the wine example doesn't work. Alcohol in general is absolutely terrible for you, even in small amounts. I say this as someone who loves wine. But there are absolutely zero health benefits to it.

Advil isn't used by 90% of people for fun though so you're not risking opening what would would amount to a billion dollar loophole for people to jump through by claiming they're using it for medicine. If we were talking CBD then I'd see it as more of an apples to apples comparison.

Your logic for why the wine example doesn't work would imply that there isn't plenty of evidence, including peer reviewed studies, that marijuana also has negative side effects for sleep. Also, I know you mentioned edibles in referring to your own specific use, but we're referring to weed in general being tax free. A huge portion smoke it, which has legit impact on oral and lung health.

Why does the current widely-adopted system, which is really targeted at exactly your concerns, not seem fair? A parallel system where you can buy recreationally and pay taxes, or visit a licensed medical practitioner who can sign off on a medical license allowing you to purchase without paying sales tax.

As a regular smoker, non taxation would benefit me, I just don't see the arguments making a whole lot of sense. How much it's taxed, on the other hand, is an issue that I'm much more willing to lend an ear.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm not sure that 90% figure holds up in legal states, but I agree that it's high. I'm just saying it shouldn't be viewed equally like alcohol and a "sin tax" product. I'd be fine with the delineation between rec and med in regards to taxing it.

Studies on the impacts on sleep are mixed with cannabis. Alcohol not so much. Most sleep focused cannabis products have a low dosage of THC combined with melatonin. Some are entirely CBD plus melatonin.

I guess what I'd like to see and I think we will see as a society as time marches on is that cannabis is viewed as a far more benign and beneficial drug than alcohol. For decades cannabis users have been labeled burnouts and druggies. Yet, alcohol use is almost always celebrated and accepted. It should be the opposite knowing what we do now.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

the best/worst thing about cannabis and sleep is the dream suppressant effects. its why its so useful for ptsd people. but i havent had a dream in decades.

i have no problem with cannabis being taxed. its a windfall to our state governments who can put the money to good use. and its a vice and vices get taxed. but i'm a whole lot happier when i am in colorado or washington where the base price is stupidly low. east coast needs to get on the same page.

 

[Abubob]

Lot of folks still guilty of falling for the reefer madness propaganda unfortunately.

It's the reason it's taken THIS long to reach legalization. Yet alcohol which has a massively worse impact on society is constantly celebrated by almost everyone. It should be common knowledge for everyone that alcohol is far worse for you and society than THC. It's really not debatable.

Respectfully disagree. Everyone is different and reacts differently to certain stimuli. That being said, cannabis isn’t good for me. I smoked pot and hashish for ten years but I found I could do less and less. I didn’t like driving under the influence because it played on my eyes, especially at night. Couldn’t ride a bike or play tennis stoned - couldn’t ride a straight line or get my racket on the ball. I didn’t like the feel when I was skiing because it made depth perception difficult. It came down to only three things I could do stoned: drink beer, play frisbee (somehow it made my throws and catches really flow) or watch TV. I had to give it up. That was over 37 years ago. Good thing because I don’t think I could afford it now. Prices are crazy.

Speaking of prices, I can’t afford to drink in a bar let alone a ski area bar. Prices are bad enough in the stores but prices at bars are ludicrous.

 

[deadheadskier]

Respectfully disagree. Everyone is different and reacts differently to certain stimuli. That being said, cannabis isn’t good for me. I smoked pot and hashish for ten years but I found I could do less and less. I didn’t like driving under the influence because it played on my eyes, especially at night. Couldn’t ride a bike or play tennis stoned - couldn’t ride a straight line or get my racket on the ball. I didn’t like the feel when I was skiing because it made depth perception difficult. It came down to only three things I could do stoned: drink beer, play frisbee (somehow it made my throws and catches really flow) or watch TV. I had to give it up. That was over 37 years ago. Good thing because I don’t think I could afford it now. Prices are crazy.

Speaking of prices, I can’t afford to drink in a bar let alone a ski area bar. Prices are bad enough in the stores but prices at bars are ludicrous.

My point was how much worse alcohol's impact on society is vs THC; not one's individual experience with the drugs.

 

[SteezyRob]

the best/worst thing about cannabis and sleep is the dream suppressant effects. its why its so useful for ptsd people. but i havent had a dream in decades.

i have no problem with cannabis being taxed. its a windfall to our state governments who can put the money to good use. and its a vice and vices get taxed. but i'm a whole lot happier when i am in colorado or washington where the base price is stupidly low. east coast needs to get on the same page.

that's kind of crazy, didn't know about that. Does it damage the part of our brain that makes us dream or something?

 

[JimG.]

that's kind of crazy, didn't know about that. Does it damage the part of our brain that makes us dream or something?

I think it's more a biochemical reaction than tissue damage.

I clean out for a month every 6 months or so and that side effect disappears.

 

[1dog]

the best/worst thing about cannabis and sleep is the dream suppressant effects. its why its so useful for ptsd people. but i havent had a dream in decades.

i have no problem with cannabis being taxed. its a windfall to our state governments who can put the money to good use. and its a vice and vices get taxed. but i'm a whole lot happier when i am in colorado or washington where the base price is stupidly low. east coast needs to get on the same page.

zTold my buds who toke, never give up your dealer, cheaper, no tax, and generally fresh. I've not experienced the multiple times concentration of THC I'm told about and have read about in commercial grown weed, but they have all reverted to the underground dealer, from pot shop buys.

I do love this line tho Kusty 'its a windfall to our state governments who can put the money to good use.' it appears the cannabis is working.

Pregnonolone works much better than melatonin in my experience for sleep. I had't dreamt in years - probably from too much weed - do now with the stuff.

 

[SenorQuesadilla]

zTold my buds who toke, never give up your dealer, cheaper, no tax, and generally fresh.

not for long...

 

[Granite1]

I don't care if people do weed... don't smoke it anywhere near me. If I fail a drug test I'll lose my job

I'd rather it be legalised so I don't have to worry about things like that but that's the way it is for now.

I am also terrified of some dope giving me an edible without warning.

I'd be afraid of weed being laced with fentanyl.

By the way, driving when stoned should have the same punishments as driving drunk. When you are stoned-you are impaired-and you shouldn't be driving putting the lives of others at risk. Drunks and stoners should stay off the ski slopes too. If you can't go skiing for a day without getting drunk and doing drugs, you have a problem.

 

[Mainer]

Granite reminds me of a lady that rode the gondola with us at snow basin. The gondola smelled like herb and she went on and on about how she couldn’t believe people would smoke weed and ski. Lasted the whole ride. Super annoying. She didn’t figure out it was the weed in my pocket that was stinking it up. Had to wait until the next ride to burn one.