The Far-Reaching Consequences of Legalizing Marijuana

**Syme** · 03-25-2009, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Bowzer

Pot is slowly becoming more legal. Hell, in Ann Arbor its a 25 dollar fine if your caught with it (it used to be 5 bucks).

Some localities and states are moving towards more permissive marijuana laws, but many others aren't; I don't have any hard data on this to hand, but I'd guess that the number of states/localities that are liberalizing their marijuana laws is much smaller than the number that are keeping those laws like they are. Also, there doesn't seem to be any sign that federal marijuana laws are going to change any time soon. Overall, I don't think we can yet make a general claim that marijuana is becoming more legal. That may be true in certain places, but it's not true in the big picture.

**Bowzer** · 03-25-2009, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Syme

Some localities and states are moving towards more permissive marijuana laws, but many others aren't; I don't have any hard data on this to hand, but I'd guess that the number of states/localities that are liberalizing their marijuana laws is much smaller than the number that are keeping those laws like they are. Also, there doesn't seem to be any sign that federal marijuana laws are going to change any time soon. Overall, I don't think we can yet make a general claim that marijuana is becoming more legal. That may be true in certain places, but it's not true in the big picture.

Proposal 1 passed with 63 percent of the vote in November, making Michigan the first state in the Midwest to have some kind of medical marijuana law. It also becomes the second-most populous of the medical marijuana states, behind California, which approved a similar ballot initiative in 1996.

http://michiganmessenger.com/15232/m...estions-remain

Besides, Obama did coke. I have a feeling he would be willing to let pot slide.