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Tom 2y ago

2010 Oregon: legalize marijuana!

2020 Oregon: well that didn’t go as planned. Dispensaries become major part of local economy. Fentanyl and drugs crisis abound. Population leaves. City becomes a toxic dump.

2023 Oregon: legalize mushrooms!

(Dates are approx., going off memory)

Sigh… I used to be in the “legalize it” camp. I consider myself mostly-libertarian. But then I saw drugs destroy #Portland. I recognize the pharmaceutical difference between pot and “hard” drugs, and I support individual choice. But how can one say something is “good” when you’ve witnessed it’s destructive powers on a society. I go down Sandy Blvd and it is nothing but burnt out RVs and decay. The only prosperous businesses are head shops.

#drugs #marijuana #weed #psilocybin #mushrooms #health #politics #society

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Troy 2y ago

Oregonians will not be able to buy mushrooms at dispensaries. They will have to have their experience inside a clinic, (no tripping at home). The whole process revolves around therapy. People have been free of PTSD symptoms after 1-3 sessions, on average. Besides, what imbicile thinks that therapy for PTSD is going to increase the number of burnt out RV's in a city that has been mis-managed for decades?

It's like the morons that think opiate use is related to cannabis use. Which was proven false in 1997 by the Institute of Medicine; but the data was already obvious to anyone with eyeballs.

Blind people think Oregon didn't have an opiate/meth addicted homeless problem prior to 2017, when people quit being put in prison for growing plants. Even though some areas of Oregon are better now than they were three years ago, but this fact will be ignored in order to continue a smear campaign.

Portland destroyed Portland by not enforcing laws, then not supporting law enforcement. I'm not one of those "blue stripe" folks, but crippling law enforement had obvious, and very measurable, negative results. The real obvious statistic being the murder rate in Portland (but not the rest of the state). Bad governance ruined that city, not freedom.

#mushrooms

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e1
e156f44a... 2y ago

How is marijuana responsible for all that other stuff?

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Tom 2y ago

Marijuana has become a major part of our economy. That’s an obvious connection. And then it kicked off a wave of legalization for all other drugs. I’m not a fan of jailing drug users but it is clear (to me at least) that decriminalization is connected to many of our societal and economic problems today. Do you live in a place where this has happened? It is hard to witness and not see the connection.

e1
e156f44a... 2y ago

Weed is legal where I live, and literally the only changes are that it's now far cheaper and safer to get, and we're getting billions in tax revenue. That's it, no social changes. I don't see any causal relationship to the other problems you describe. You seem to be making a gateway-drug argument.

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Tom 2y ago

I’m just making an observation I’ve seen in my community. How long has it been legal where you live? Marijuana became officially legal in Oregon in 2015 (not 2010 like I stated above) and I’ve seen a downwards spiral since. I’m glad if it is not that bad in your community. We’ve received boatloads of tax revenue from pot but I don’t know where the money is going because I see society degrading.

I know people that “only” use marijuana and have no interest in harder stuff. Although some of these same people now express an interest in mushrooms (and not for medical reasons). So while pot is not universally a gateway drug it seems like it happens. Personally I also drink alcohol in moderation and I’m aware of that being hypocritical as alcohol is of course legal and has many harmful societal effects. I understand the argument that marijuana might be “not as bad” as alcohol. If everything was legal you could probably have people making the argument that alcohol is a “gateway drug” as well. It is natural to go for harder and harder stuff in the addiction cycle.

I’m usually a libertarian on these issues so I struggle with my own beliefs. I’m ok being transparent on that. The government should generally not be making judgments on peoples choices. On the other hand I’m witnessing firsthand the destruction of society. Perhaps if family structure was stronger people would look after family members more and keep loved ones out of trouble.

e1
e156f44a... 2y ago

I like your candor. I actually live in Portland, and while I can agree about the degradation here, I don't see any evidence that weed is responsible.

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Tom 2y ago

I’m just making an observation I’ve seen in my community. How long has it been legal where you live? Marijuana became officially legal in Oregon in 2015 (not 2010 like I stated above) and I’ve seen a downwards spiral since. I’m glad if it is not that bad in your community. We’ve received boatloads of tax revenue from pot but I don’t know where the money is going because I see society degrading.

I know people that “only” use marijuana and have no interest in harder stuff. Although some of these same people now express an interest in mushrooms (and not for medical reasons). So while pot is not universally a gateway drug it seems like it happens. Personally I also drink alcohol in moderation and I’m aware of that being hypocritical as alcohol is of course legal and has many harmful societal effects. I understand the argument that marijuana might be “not as bad” as alcohol. If everything was legal you could probably have people making the argument that alcohol is a “gateway drug” as well. It is natural to go for harder and harder stuff in the addiction cycle.

I’m usually a libertarian on these issues so I struggle with my own beliefs. I’m ok being transparent on that. The government should generally not be making judgments on peoples choices. On the other hand I’m witnessing firsthand the destruction of society. Perhaps if family structure was stronger people would look after family members more and keep loved ones out of trouble.