Could America's divide on marijuana be coming to an end?

My thoughts and observations, just because it's Sunday morning. People who want to smoke weed are already doing it, and have been, regardless of the laws, for a very long time. Certain cultures are more inclined to do this aggressively than others, so Europeans, North Americans and antipodeans are an example, as opposed the Asians.

But, if it becomes legal, there need to be some very clear and direct health warnings about the risks of doing it in the same way there are for Tobacco smoking, because there are clear and tangible risks. I smoked some in my teens and 20s, not a lot, but enough to know what it is. I also knew plenty of people who smoked it pretty heavily. Typically, those people were socially withdrawn, antisocial, demotivated and frankly became pretty dull humans over time. They kind of had this collective attitude that they had society really figured out, but over time it just became apparent that they were stagnant, withdrawn, isolated people. Some were paranoid, some had psychotic episodes.

If people want to do that, I'm personally fine with it, that's their choice. But I think it should be kept right away from young kids even in social settings and still regulated carefully. It's not harmless.

Those are some high expectations. (I call it pot. Weed just doesn't do it for me. My nephew calls it grass. My next door neighbor, Mary Jane calls it, well, Mary Jane. Heck, even marijuana is good.)

Where marijuana/cannabis is legalized, are there any rules on the content? I understand there are different elements (THC, CBD) that produce different effects depending on intensity and the relative content of the different elements. Are these restricted, or is there a requirement to label the product with a list of the contents and the concentration? Alcohol seems much more straightforward. There is a single molecule of concern - ethanol.

the revenue from the exorbitant taxes is something politicians can’t pass up. plus, licensing for a single dispensary can cost between $1-2 million.

yes, it’s labeled with thc concentration. whether it’s accurate is unknown. naturally, consolidation to control the market meant most in a state are owned by one or two companies. can’t have any price competition, right? it’s the new american “free market” system.

there’s no consistency of product. they buy whatever is harvested as cheaply as possible, like from a used car auction, put a silly name on it and the salespeople tell you it’s whatever you’re looking for.

mexican gangs have set up “unauthorized” growing in the western u.s. and are depleting groundwater water in many areas. it’s not a small problem.

banking is a problem in the business. credit card companies will not process payments. they can’t get merchant accounts. debit cards can be used at many places, but dispensaries are always changing processors because of federal pressure and scrutiny.

cash is usually king, which opens a giant can of worms and more scrutiny by state tax people and the irs. and many banks won’t allow checking accounts for dispensaries if they are a multi-state bank, so small, local banks are usually used.

the only real regulation is tax collection.

Needing it for my Vietnam War residue, I had to go to terrible places to get it for years.

Go away, blue noses.

i didn’t smoke any when i was in country in 1971, but there was plenty around when at base camp. I Corps was not a place to be dumb.

the federal and state inconsistencies are, uh, inconsistent.