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| Letters have been edited for length and clarity. | | | | Legalization is about stopping arrests — not making money | I don’t care who profits from marijuana legalization nearly as much as I care about who does not get arrested! A lot of people have lost sight of the fact that legalization is about stopping arrests, not making money. [Missouri’s initiative] Legal Mo 22 will allow everyone over 21 to grow up to 18 plants. It allows giving away up to three ounces to others who are over age 21. It doubles the number of patients for whom a caregiver can grow cannabis. It gives patients protections against employment discrimination, and against discrimination in family courts in custody disputes. Dan Viets, Chair, Legal Mo 22 Advisory Board, Coordinator, MO NORML, Columbia, Missouri |
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| | Reconsider “recreation” | I have never believed smoking and possessing cannabis, or indeed supplying it, should be against the law. However, as a long-term daily user, I am appalled at the idea of treating its use as “recreation.” It is a powerful and effective means of altering your state of consciousness, and can be terrifying for inexperienced users. John L., London |
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| | Who should profit? No one | Of all the things this country needs, another way to get stupid isn't one of them. There is no "safe" usage and this is not a benign drug. Taxation [on cannabis] could bring in profit for the state, but at our peril. There is no one who "should" profit. This isn't something to profit from. Betsy H., Orlando, Florida |
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Trivia teaser Which is the oldest-known treatise that refers to the use of medical cannabis? Write to us with your answers at OzyCommunity@ozy.com. We’ll share the answer and callouts to those who get it right in an upcoming Daily Dose! |
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| | | Small growers will get cut out of the deal | Supporters of [Missouri’s] legislative bill have every reason to worry. I am in Oregon, and the small farmers were eliminated [from the cannabis market] from the get-go. If you did not have at least $1 million to invest in a grow facility in 2014, then you were finished. The small farmer deserves [the chance to profit]. Marijuana has always been grassroots, and should always be that way. In the end, the corporations will take over. Good luck Missouri! Karl, Marcola, Oregon |
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| | Food growers make scant profit, too | I am a farmer, and as a farmer I find there is a huge misconception about how we get paid. I would love the world to know where their money goes when they buy something, depending on how they buy it. With so many hands in the till, the people who actually grow the food are literally at the end of the money and food chain. Shine some light on this topic. Maria E., Gridley, California |
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Community Corner
| Did these readers’ letters change your perspective on the debate over cannabis for profit? |
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