Comments on: PLP Table Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 14:38:03 +0000

Exactly, so can caffeine, sugar, video gaming, watching tv, and gambling. All of these can be addictive but yet they are all legal.

By: Come Correct

Come Correct — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 11:03:31 +0000

I smoked for 12 years, I quit. I sleep and avoid irritability by exercising daily, sometimes twice a day.

By: Come Correct

Come Correct — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 11:00:14 +0000

Cheese burgers can be addictive in the same sense.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 13:11:16 +0000

Great, then you understand that the less than 10% of marijuana users that can become mentally addicted to marijuana is no justification for keeping it illegal.

By: Think

Think — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 10:28:39 +0000

Give a date or advance notice.
Current dealers must be given enough time to off load the current stock they have at decent price.

we dont want to create finacel problems

By: Chronicle AM--February 17, 2014 - 420 News Wire

Chronicle AM--February 17, 2014 - 420 News Wire — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 08:06:49 +0000

[...] Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Filed in Bermuda. Members of the opposition People’s National Party filed a marijuana decriminalization bill Friday. The Decriminalization of Cannabis Act would remove criminal penalties for the possession of up to half an ounce, but Attorney General Mark Pettingill seemed quite perturbed by it, accusing the PNP of coming “swashbuckling in” with a “very badly thought out” bill. [...]

By: sage

sage — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 04:34:27 +0000

Are you an expert at concluding someone’s not an addict by simply knowing them? Denial is the hallmark of addiction. http://www.aa.bm. And you are glad to see the admission? Who ever denied cannabis is addictive to a single digit percentage of people at a far lower rate than even your legal drugs? I’m just glad I set you straight when you were spreading your BS about herb giving Bob Marley cancer. Thankfully we will be able to use your posts at the Museum of the War on Drugs to show the future generations just how ignorant the prohibitionists were so they will respect the struggle.Maybe we can have you mounted (after unwisely refusing to try cannabis) and displayed in a glass case with a couple of your more ridiculous assertions on a plaque.

By: Looking in

Looking in — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 01:30:04 +0000

DECRIMINALIZE IT!

By: Really?

Really? — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 01:01:35 +0000

I totally agree with you. Something tells me that we will not see legalization until those in power have set in place the proper infrastructure to ensure that it is only their own who benefit. One possible way of doing that would be to allow dispensaries based on the California model or coffee shops as in Amsterdam, but set the licensing fee out of reach of the average person who would be interested in running such a spot. On the surface, they would appear to be giving the people what we want, but deeper down, they would still be maintaining the divide between the “haves” and the “have nots”.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 01:01:35 +0000

Mental

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 01:00:37 +0000

Science says differently. Physical and kenatal addiction are different and that is why they are not called the same. Look it up please.

By: Really?

Really? — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:42:59 +0000

As a former smoker myself, I call your claims bogus and misleading. I made the decision to quit smoking weed years ago, with none of the physical or mental effects that you describe. Got up one day, decided that I had better things to do with the money that I was spending, and that was the end of that, no cravings, no loss of sleep, ate just fine, etc, etc.

Coming up on two years ago, I made the same decision about smoking cigarettes, well, let me tell you about physical and mental addiction… I remember having dreams about smoking cigarettes, waking up sucking on my pillow looking for that relief from the cravings. It was over three months before I even began to see any relief from the awful cravings that I experienced. Even now, just shy of two years from quitting, I every so often have an impulse to strike one up every so often, though not nearly as often as previously. Ironically, when I was smoking weed, I did not crave or desire cigarettes as much. I was normally a pack a day smoker, however, on a trip to Amsterdam, I had one pack last me the entire trip of about a week, while only smoking maybe three joints a day. Please enlighten us all as to where you come by your “facts”.

By: Sandy Bottom

Sandy Bottom — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:21:56 +0000

I know plenty of people who drink alcohol who are not addicted.

Glad to see the admission that cannabis is addictive. That’s progress.

By: Sandy Bottom

Sandy Bottom — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:20:10 +0000

It’s the PLP that changed from 20 to 14 grams. No idea why. Looks like they got it wrong first time, maybe? Maybe it was a typo? Maybe they changed their mind in the past three weeks?
You’d think they would think a bit more carefully before tabling a bill.

By: Keepin' it Real...4Real!

Keepin' it Real...4Real! — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 23:24:53 +0000

Forget the Govt…WE The PEOPLE Speak.
Like for Legalize>>>Dislike for NO.
im jus curious…

By: Keepin' it Real...4Real!

Keepin' it Real...4Real! — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 23:18:40 +0000

You people make me tired…all your distaste and fear of Cannabis, blah blah blah blah bla! the people that make the laws don’t give two fox about your health or well being…GEEESH…IT WILL BE FULLY LEGALIZED AS SOON AS THE CORPORATE REGIME FINALIZES THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO COLLECT EVERY DOLLAR POSSIBLE FROM THIS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR TEXTILE…sorry but reg. citizens not included. Bermudians in a Bubble…tsk tsk.

By: pabear

pabear — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 22:33:08 +0000

what’s stopping your kids from being sold CANNABIS now

By: Gotham

Gotham — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 21:46:57 +0000

This sudden burst of PLP activity these past few days suggests somebody is becoming very uncomfortable. I think once the real story breaks, and especially once the international press runs with it because it is together big, these guys know deep down inside that it’s Sayonara. Better to try and create chaos and anarchy now than face up to the rule of law is the Old Man’s strategy.

By: Just Wondering

Just Wondering — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:08:23 +0000

Because the last time they brought the bill up it was 20 grams, so perhaps he didn’t notice the small change but if thats is all that changed then he is still very right about it needs more work.

By: Paradise Reclaimed

Paradise Reclaimed — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:07:08 +0000

Portia – Have you not seen the effects of 40 years fighting the war on drugs and how it has fueled organized crime in Bermuda?

Please have a look at Portugal, they decriminalized all drugs 10 years ago. Marijuana use among 13 to 15-year-olds is down 25%!

Again I ask, How can you possibly control or regulate anything that is prohibited?

Just as the Women of Temperance yelled at the tops of their lungs in the 1930′s – Save our children, end prohibition.”

By: Just Wondering

Just Wondering — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 20:03:31 +0000

If they were tired of talking and wanted to make progress they would have tabled a clear and proper bill. Instead they bring this which is a far cry from what is needed and will force the OBA to knock it down which will make the OBA look like the bad guys in this.

By: foolishness

foolishness — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:45:08 +0000

Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.

The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You’ll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.

You’ll also see that the history of marijuana’s criminalization is filled with:

Racism
Fear
Protection of Corporate Profits
Yellow Journalism
Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators
Personal Career Advancement and Greed
These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.

By: Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:38:42 +0000

Sara, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Weed, herb, spliffs, are addictive, mentally and Physically, the difference is that you will not go kill or steal from someone to get it, like the addiction to Heroin or Coke can create. You go find someone who has smoked for three to four years and ask them to stop and see what happens, they can’t sleep, or eat, that’s physical, and they can’t go through a day without being miserable, that’s mental. It’s addictive, you better believe it.

By: Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:31:34 +0000

Good, price needs to come down!

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:30:23 +0000

Cannabis vs Cancer meeting at 7.00 tonight.

By: Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:29:11 +0000

Totally agree with you. The OBA have been the ones talking about this for the last few weeks, not the PLP. Aren’t they kinda jumping the gun here? Trying their hardest to make Brownie Points. They had years to do this but never did, so why now? Hope these Plp voters can see that this new PLP bunch aren’t really doing this country any good.

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:23:07 +0000

Over regulation, and 75% tax has ensured problems will occur but greed and paranoia are the root, not the herb. Hence the need to get it right, at least the Coloradans have the guts to do something even though it may take time to get right. Washington has set it’s tax rate at 10%, but doesn’t allow home grown, so no one’s got it right yet. We could, with open minds design a model that could be trendsetting, and be adopted elsewhere, dealing with the issue in a sensible manner, or we could just do the same thing we have been doing over and over, and expect a different result.

By: Betty Dump

Betty Dump — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:22:29 +0000

Portia… I can buy bootleg rum for half the price of Goslings… but I pay the higher amount because… drum roll… its safer… regulated… I know what I am getting.

By: Dominque

Dominque — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:20:52 +0000

Maybe in the short term but just look at liquor. Are people still going to underground/illegal places to buy liquor or from legal established retailers?

By: more than enough

more than enough — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:17:17 +0000

weren’t they saying 20 grams at first?
i think if there was to be any change in the amount it should’ve been adjusted to a bigger amount not a smaller amount.
as you would have to injest over 1500 lbs for it to have any detrimental effect, it will be hard to define a safe amount being any less than this.
after all i can legally purchase enough alcohol to kill my entire parish.
decriminalization is a term used only in reference to herb. it will only enable the failed drug war to continue, with certain parties(the same ones that are involved now) being the only ones benefiting from it. can any one tell me if anything else has ever been decriminalized?

By: Chingas

Chingas — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:09:33 +0000

@Portia, I completely agree. One other element is the reticence of some to put their name on a register. Uruguay addressed the issue of price by legislating the selling price and made sure that it was lower than what the cartels could offer so as to drive them out of the country.

By: Betty Dump

Betty Dump — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:09:32 +0000

I am a marijuana addict. My life is great! I wake up early everyday and exercise, make fruit smoothies and healthy breakfast & lunch for my family. I head to my technical job where I also assist people all day. When I knock off I go home and help my kids with their homework, have a little healthy family recreation and then we eat together as a family. Once my kids are in their beds sleeping… I pull out a fat joint, watch a little telly, and then go sleep and do it all again the next day. I have been doing this for 15 years. So if that’s what being a weed addict is… then sign me up! Compare that to being a cigarette addict… I see em… so addicted to their product that they will go in the pouring rain just to get that nicotine fix. C’mon Portia… put down the booze and have a draw… it’s quite nice!

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:06:43 +0000

No, he is coming to the realization that decriminalization for small amounts is a ridiculous,ill conceived and hypocritical concept which can’t stand up to intelligent scrutiny. More like clearing confusion, as a lawyer I’m guessing he knows the difference, it’s you who ain’t sure.

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:06:42 +0000

Smartest post ever on this topic. Anyone commenting on this board that can’t answer these questions needs to leave the conversation and go do some research then come back to the topic so you can be in reality.

By: GTA

GTA — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 19:05:29 +0000

Incorrect in assuming everyone would prefer to deal with illegal drug dealers over legal weed in a store just based on a price difference, especially if the quality and variety will be much greater on the legal end. You can purchase a plethora of items on the black market for cheaper prices, but it comes with less variety and lower quality items, with possibility of jail time. I would say most people would prefer the legal route and pay the higher market prices, just saying.

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:59:33 +0000

Well said.

By: Betty Dump

Betty Dump — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:57:36 +0000

Soooo… the police and customs having the ability to redirect their resources from petty marijuana cases, to serious crime is not doesn’t make Bermuda better? The ability to reduce gang funding through controlled marijuana distribution is a waste of time? Having regular law abiding citizens not being made criminals isn’t a priority? Unfortunately, many people have been fed false propaganda for so many decades, they actually believe it. Yes, Bermuda has some serious issues to deal with. Many are more important than marijuana laws, I will readily admit. However, this too is a very important issue that needs to be resolved.

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:56:54 +0000

Since it already is “fully illegal” and this folly has been declared a complete failure in every sense of the word, there is only one sensible option.

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:54:28 +0000

Suzie, do you know of anyone that drinks alcohol and isn’t addicted? Alcohol can be mentally and physically addictive and as we see abundantly in Bermuda it can be a horrible problem. Marijuana can be mentally addictive in some users but is far less harmful than legal alcohol.

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:53:20 +0000

Compare these numbers to legal drugs to put it in context. Cannabis “withdrawal” is nowhere near comparable to nicotine which is commonly known to be as hard to kick as heroin, but still allowed in “treatment” situations like Dr. Drew’s place among others. Alcoholics can die if forced to go cold turkey, so those stats don’t justify prohibition of herb in the slightest.

By: Betty Dump

Betty Dump — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:49:12 +0000

That argument just doesn’t hold water. Slavery, segregation, and Apartheid were also law, but that changed. As society progresses, laws change… it’s that simple. We are at a time where world attitudes have changed toward marijuana… that is why it is completely legal in the US states of Colorado and Washington. Most pot users are regular law abiding citizens, but because of antiquated laws that were introduced purely for racist reasons, are currently considered criminals. Criminals just like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks…

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:47:59 +0000

It CAN be mentally addictive. Suzie, I have stated this all along and specifically to you so why are you acting like its the first time you have hear this?

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:46:28 +0000

This is all mental addiction. It is not physically addictive.

By: Standing wrong for Bermudians

Standing wrong for Bermudians — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:44:49 +0000

Let me get this right – with all of the troubles in Bermuda – people out of work, banks taking peoples homes and less people in Bermuda our Opposition party (yes “party) have spent time and money to bring a such a bill to pass??? Rather than bringing ideas to the table to better Bermuda and it’s people they spend their efforts on this.
Please for the betterment of Bda can someone talk some sense to the PLP!!!!

By: sage

sage — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:43:19 +0000

The man said he’d met with Eric Holder and discussed moving in line with changes in the US, Holder just cleared the way for banks to deal with all the money legalized herb has generated, if that’s the OBA’s official position, they should stop living in the past and try keeping up with the developments, by the way they are there to serve us, so when the majority call for legalization (like in the US) they would be well advised to listen.

By: Portia

Portia — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:29:31 +0000

Legalizing the drug will NOT take power away from the gangs and organized crime – it will only fuel it. This is exactly what Colorado is battling now, because the price of the black market weed is much cheaper than the legal weed. To make weed legal to sell, it has to be licensed. People will not leave their “regular” supplier to walk into a store and pay twice as much. Thus, the street dealers still ensure their cash flow continues.

By: Portia

Portia — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:19:57 +0000

It seems to me they are choosing to ruin their own lives, when they decide to do something that they know is against the law and is going to get them not only in jail here, but also on the U.S. stop list.

By: Portia

Portia — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:15:30 +0000

That is completely false. According to the U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse, it IS physically addictive:

“It is estimated that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it.10 The number goes up to about 1 in 6 in those who start using young (in their teens) and to 25-50 percent among daily users.

Marijuana addiction is also linked to a withdrawal syndrome similar to that of nicotine withdrawal, which can make it hard to quit. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeping difficulties, craving, and anxiety. They also show increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately 1 week after they last used the drug.”

By: claudio

claudio — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 17:50:50 +0000

What people should be asking “Has making marijuana illegal had a positive effect on society?”

Why was it illegal in the first place? Do people actually know the real reason why the US outlawed marijuana?

By: Pay Attention

Pay Attention — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 17:46:47 +0000

Seeing that the OBA doesn’t support legalisation, you may be arguing against yourself.