This jumped out to me too. I just read something about 150,000 jobs being created in this niche.

I took my wife to Denver last November (I live in Atlanta). Honestly, My jaw hit the ground when I watched people walk in and out of those recreational dispensaries like it was a liquor store. I watched one guy walk down the street with a brown paper bag full of trees, or cookies, or whatever - and it's no problem. If the same guy is walking with the same bag here in Atlanta - his life might be fucked if APD stops him.

It was fascinating for me personally because I had never experienced something like this before. My family moved from Indianapolis when I was 14, and I've spent close to the last 13 years here in Atlanta. Outside of your basic deep south race relations stuff, Indiana and Georgia aren't that much different when it comes to every day people and every day life. But Colorado, and Denver specifically, gave me a feeling like I was in an entirely different country. People in Colorado are doing this shit for fun, and people where I'm from are doing it in fear (even the parents that have to illegally go out of state to obtain medicinal forms of cannabis for their children because Georgia will only allow absurdly weak (potency) forms.).

These people in Colorado had liberties (even over their own bodies) that I am not afforded in my home. And they voted for these liberties and decided as a state this is how they wanted to operate. Friction was probably inevitable because Sessions has always made it clear how he felt about Marijuana, but Trump said he felt it should be up to the states.

Does the white house actually intend to go out here and start hitting these legal spots? And for the conservatives out there that perceive Marijuana to be a non issue, what happened to your respect for state rights? I can understand someone saying they don't agree with Marijuana legalization; I can't understand the hypocrisy of suggesting a state doesn't have the right to choose how they operate here.

i wouldn't go that far. he is donald trump. he won't end the country. i don't give him that much credit

of course the government (republicans) want to go after weed. big pharma wants them to. they pay good money. weed is fucking with their profit margins.

good post dude. i just have to ask though. how the fuck can you live in atlanta? that place is so overpopulated i don't see how people do it.

o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66OV_DkPBFQ&t=7s

o

Pretty clear where I stand on Hillary so I won't beat that horse again. The federal government is overstepping it's constitutional power. Weed, public education and several other areas should be dictated by each state. Big pharma is just as guilty for insurance cost as any other factor. I understand developing new drugs cost money, but how can they justify selling cancer drugs that cost more than people make in a month for years on end? How long does it really take to recoup their money? I'll bet not nearly as long as they bend us over chairs and dry hump the shit out of you. It's why they have such strong lobbying factions @ the capitol. They don't want their golden hen taken away by something so simple people can grow it in their backyard.

Contrary to what some of you think, not that I truly give a shit. I am not a republican and I am not anti-democrat. I am anti big government party be damned. You're entitled to absolutely nothing that you can't provide for yourself. I will never waiver from that belief. Our forefathers gave us this beautiful new country, and in 241 short years the mentality of tribal political party system broke it.

I dont think you do understand. My wife works for a big pharma company. She busted her ass to get a PhD so she could make medicines to help people. It takes on average 12-20 years do get a drug to market (depending on the complexity of the drug). There are hundreds to thousands of people that work to get that done and can cost billions (current average is $2.56B). A drug patent only last 20 years then other companies can make knock off generics, capitalizing on the work of others. So a company that invested a huge sum of money only has 20 years of exclusive rights to recoup that cost, after that their income from that drug plummets.

Also, hospitals administering the cancer medications are who is really charging you the money. They have to pay their doctors, nurses, staff etc. When someone gets cancer treatment they are paying into the medical infrastructure, not just for the drug.

Lastly remember that these companies and hospitals are not doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. These are for profit entities in our capitalist society. They provide a product or service that requires highly specialized professionals from the basic research that starts off creating these drugs through the medical staff that administer them. If companies can't recoup their cost (and make a profit) they will go out of business. Who will make the next set of drugs that people need? Go over to some shit run state medical program if you have cancer and see if you are happier with their system (who by the way often use US created medication).

BTW, my wife has had cancer twice so not only is she working on developing these drugs, she has been on the receiving end of the whole process as well.

Well said.

I have family members who work for Lilly in Indy in various parts of the company.

The one in research told me this past Christmas that they had almost 600 drugs in the developmental pipeline and their projections indicate that, perhaps, 30 will end up making it to market. Of those 30, no more than 5 will be high sellers with the potential to "pay" for the other 595 drugs that did not make it to market or that do not sell well.

Look at drug research in Europe right now, it is basically dead. Socialized medicine has taken the profit motivation out of the equation and companies cannot take the risk required to manufacture new drugs because their success rate is so small. Most of the "new' drugs coming out of European drug companies are derivatives of already researched and successful drugs that can be modified for a specific purpose way, way cheaper than new drugs can be developed.

But, hey, folks are just going to keep blaming "someone" for whatever they don't like in the world. It always has to be someone else's fault.

Good post, rcubed. Well played.

Cheers,

I appreciate that insight. I have no idea how the drug development works. I was painting with a very broad brush of speculation shaded with greed. However, why not approve a plant that has shown remarkable capabilities on the disease that people can literally grow in their yard? It doesn't make any sense that the government will throw you in jail for possession of it for years, but get drunk and kill someone and you're out in 6 months. The point being alcohol is way worse for you than weed. Now the kicker, I am defending a drug I don't use. The rewards far outweigh risk. But hey, it's the government they know whats best for us. Them in charge of everything, what could possibly go wrong?

It's interesting what happens when people start "painting with a broad brush of speculation." Leads to all sorts of things, often wrong and not good.

I agree with you on the pot laws.

IMO, the issue with pot laws are the same with alcohol laws. Both impair your ability to make good decisions in rapid situations (i.e. driving) and both need to be regulated in order to try and prevent harm from that situation. You often just don't harm yourself in those situations.

The biggest issue? It is fairly hard for anyone besides a hard core alcoholic to mask the signs of alcohol impairment. However, with MJ acting in much more subdued ways physically, it is easier to mask the impairment when under its influence.

And, unfortunately, people under the influence of either rarely have the ability to decide when they are impaired so as to use it responsibly so then tragedy can happen.

I think the glue is out of the bottle and that MJ will be legalized across the nation within a decade. But, with states now wanting to get into the tax revenue of it, there is no going backwards.

I have never wanted to smoke it (due to having a security clearance since I was 21 years old and in junior ROTC / college ROTC for the 8 years prior to that) but I don't really have an issue with anyone else doing so AS LONG AS IT IS RESPONSIBLE AND LEGAL.

Cheers,