Help with Breckenridge please

[AWNOW]

Originally Posted by killclimbz

^^True, but you'll also get a ticket if you are walking down the street drinking a beer. If you drive your car and decide to drive on the sidewalk, you are also probably going to get arrested. So there are rules, just like there should be with pot.

I don't disagree at all.

That was more for the reasoning refuting that kids see it as a bad example and since they look up to you they will ruin their lives imitating.

[Kapn.K]

Originally Posted by AWNOW

I don't disagree at all.

That was more for the reasoning refuting that kids see it as a bad example and since they look up to you they will ruin their lives imitating.

I don't think kids see it as good or bad. That's where we come in. I was providing "care" before any of these states coined the term. I'm a fan. I don't think it ruins lives. It will provide a hurdle, though. My friend that got me into it is a Dr., now. So some people can overcome the hurdles. I just think we're in a touchy time with the whole issue and if people go hog wild with the progress that has been made, the whole thing can come tumbling down and we're back to the Nixon era. Do you have any kids?

Originally Posted by Kapn.K

I just think we're in a touchy time with the whole issue and if people go hog wild with the progress that has been made...

I agree with your sentiment, but I gotta say, being on the ground here in Colorado where we've decriminalized in Denver and Breck, this isn't really the case at all. Here, it isn't a touchy time and no one is going hog wild because of this. By and large, there is maturity all the way around (with the cops, with local gov't, with users, with taxpayers, with medicinal patients, etc.). I think the reason that two of our communities have chosen to decriminalize at the local level (and the reason that it has gone so well) is because the communities were ready. The arguments on both sides (all sides, really) had more or less reached a basic level of maturity and we were able to get past the culture wars and myths; we were ready to look at the issue honestly.

But different places are different. For instance, I don't live in California and I'm not very familiar with their medical marijuana or decriminalization efforts. The situation there could be very different than it is here, but nonetheless they've managed to make some of the same progress that we have, even before we did. On the flip side, I've spent some time in places where the community doesn't seem as ready for decriminalization. I went on a trip to Tennessee last year, and a friend of mine literally spent a night in jail for talking about pot. The whole atmosphere there and the attitude of the people seemed, frankly, very immature on the whole subject. It was: the cops are the bad guys, we're doing something wrong by smoking this so we have to act like criminals, and fuck it anyway, we are criminals so who gives a shit fuck the world, etc. This was the basic assumption of everyone, the cops, the users, the non-using citizens, everyone. I couldn't help but think "wow, this is how Colorado was 20 years ago!" What changed here wasn't a bunch of ballots or propositions or laws, what changed was decades of gradual cultural acceptance, maturity, honesty and acknowledgement of reality by the entire community.

That's not something that is going to "come tumbling down...back to the Nixon era." And it's not something we did overnight either. Here in Denver, regressing on our local marijuana policy is about as likely as going back to alcohol prohibition (at least, as long as voters have a say in the matter). There may be bumps as we move ahead, but we're definitely moving ahead.

[Kapn.K]

Originally Posted by jabuhrer

I agree with your sentiment, but I gotta say, being on the ground here in Colorado where we've decriminalized in Denver and Breck, this isn't really the case at all. Here, it isn't a touchy time and no one is going hog wild because of this. By and large, there is maturity all the way around (with the cops, with local gov't, with users, with taxpayers, with medicinal patients, etc.). I think the reason that two of our communities have chosen to decriminalize at the local level (and the reason that it has gone so well) is because the communities were ready. The arguments on both sides (all sides, really) had more or less reached a basic level of maturity and we were able to get past the culture wars and myths; we were ready to look at the issue honestly.

But different places are different. For instance, I don't live in California and I'm not very familiar with their medical marijuana or decriminalization efforts. The situation there could be very different than it is here, but nonetheless they've managed to make some of the same progress that we have, even before we did. On the flip side, I've spent some time in places where the community doesn't seem as ready for decriminalization. I went on a trip to Tennessee last year, and a friend of mine literally spent a night in jail for talking about pot. The whole atmosphere there and the attitude of the people seemed, frankly, very immature on the whole subject. It was: the cops are the bad guys, we're doing something wrong by smoking this so we have to act like criminals, and fuck it anyway, we are criminals so who gives a shit fuck the world, etc. This was the basic assumption of everyone, the cops, the users, the non-using citizens, everyone. I couldn't help but think "wow, this is how Colorado was 20 years ago!" What changed here wasn't a bunch of ballots or propositions or laws, what changed was decades of gradual cultural acceptance, maturity, honesty and acknowledgement of reality by the entire community.

That's not something that is going to "come tumbling down...back to the Nixon era." And it's not something we did overnight either. Here in Denver, regressing on our local marijuana policy is about as likely as going back to alcohol prohibition (at least, as long as voters have a say in the matter). There may be bumps as we move ahead, but we're definitely moving ahead.

Peace. I just grew up and live in practically the buckle of the bible belt in FL. All these blue hairs do is retire down here and watch the news. The social climate is quite different. What you have out there is plain "crazy talk" 'round here.

[neednsnow]

Originally Posted by jabuhrer

That's not something that is going to "come tumbling down...back to the Nixon era." And it's not something we did overnight either. Here in Denver, regressing on our local marijuana policy is about as likely as going back to alcohol prohibition (at least, as long as voters have a say in the matter). There may be bumps as we move ahead, but we're definitely moving ahead.

Just because two towns "decriminalized it" doesn't mean that the towns are in the clear. All it takes is a state court or a more powerful U.S. Supreme Court decision to pull out a block in the foundation that will make things come tumbling down. Gonzales made an attempt in California, it is just that the current administration isn't interested in enforcing marijuana laws. If a new admin were interested in pushing it, and if the Supreme Court decided to enforce Marijuana as it is listed on the Federal Controlled Substances list (right along herion) then the walls could tumble. Especially with people like those in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and the rest of the U.S. Those that embrace marijuana are still in a deep minority.

This has become a political thread, so I'll shut-up.......enjoy Breck! It is a very cool town!