Cannabis sales now legal in Colorado

I came from Fort Carson just months before this law was put into effect. The out come of this law has no effect on the Military sense we are federal employee's we are still held to the standards of the federal law that says the drug is still illegal. The move to do this for the state was not to see if they can get away with it but took it as a way to make money and crack down on illegal sales of the drug. 

I would like to comment about cannabis and violence.  Violence associated with all drugs is because they are illegal and huge sums of money can be made because they are illegal.  Colorado will have some violence associated with cannabis until the price of legal cannabis comes down below the illegal sources.  When that happens, it will no longer be profitable to deal marijuana and violence associated with that drug will stop.  The Netherlands legalized marijuana and decriminalized hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.  Addicts can get their fix free in a state clinic, with a clean syringe and drugs that are not cut with toxic substances.  They reduced violence associated with the narcotics trade by 90%, overdose deaths by 80%, have adequate jail space for violent criminals now that drug offenders are not locked up, that saves millions of dollars annually.  Just from the economic perspective, it makes sense to legalize marijuana to tax it, and  more importantly, free the tens of thousands of inmates in our prisons for possession at an average cost of $25 thousand per year, per bed.  Marijuana is not physically addictive in any strength, but can cause psychological dependence for those who are predisposed to obsessive behavior.  Finally, I was a cop for many years and never had a call for violence involving marijuana use.  Alcohol use, meth use, PCP, and cocaine were different stories, but pot smokers were too laid back to fight.  Many advantages to legalize it.  We cannot afford the war on drugs anymore, the government is broke.

James, you just nailed the obstacle for legalization of marijuana and decriminalization of hard drugs, corruption.  Too many of our elected officials in states and in DC have gotten filthy rich over the illegal drug trade and have been successful in being high enough up on the food chain to avoid detection.  I too have a law enforcement background and even though I did not work narcotics directly, I had informants who were involved in some fashion with drugs.  The spoke of corruption in my community that went to include a couple of state senators and an appeals court justice, plus numerous successful, so called, legitimate businessmen who backed politicians.  I often had to provide secuirty for a congressman in my district when he came to town.  He would get intoxicated and brag about getting rich off of illicit drugs and the cops would never catch him, and we never did.  He was so sure he was safe he flaunted his corruption in my face and he was right.  It made me sick.  I was not naive however.  I knew that for it to be like it was, it had to be protected by those in power.  It benefitted them for it to stay illegal than it would be for them to legalize and decriminalize all drugs.

My parents have your frame of mind SFC Swartz lol. Oh boy...

lol

Hey, I was a "good boy" for the 26 years I served!! lol!