Damn it. Why the hell does it have to be all the way on the West Coast. :(

Oh, just decriminalize it already. Then, legalize and tax the shit out of it (unless it is for medical purposes). 

I don't know how the governement allowed this at all...what do they think is going to happen? How can this NOT lead to more legal pot smoking establishments? Idiots. Anyway, salvatruca is right. Legalize it and tax the living hell out of it. Wanna smoke legally? Pay through the teeth lol.

owah!! that's crazy! i think it could be a gateway for other illegal drug use BUT the gov should tax that shit up and have strict regulations to prevent other illegal drug use in those cafes.  medical marijuana users should not take the heat for crazy meth and heroin addicts.

that's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard!

I live in Ithaca, NY.  It's a hippy town.  The majority of the adult population smokes weed, recreationally and responsibly.They've been doing it since the 60's  The crime rate is next to nothing and there are very few other drugs around.  If this is the way things would be if pot was legalized then I'm all for it.

I don't smoke and I was a little concerned when I first moved here and found out how many people smoked.  I worried about other drugs and delinquents and all the rest.  Turns out none of that is really a problem.

@An_iLL_Dispositi0n@xanga - It is a bullshit theory.

I've never known someone who smoked pot and became a heroin junkie. I have known heroin junkies, meth addicts, cokeheads, etc., that started smoking pot to deal with their coming-down and withdrawal symptoms. It's not a gateway drug! Just legalize/decriminalize it. It will save so much in taxpayer money, open up new jobs, free up the jails...wow, what a terrible idea. Or have y'all watched too many of the PSA commercials where the stoned kids speed over a little kid? Guess what, when you're high, most of the time you stay home. If you drive, you drive very slowly and cautiously. Worry about alcohol - it's much worse for you physically, and drunk people kill far more people every year.

People are going to make themselves have diabetes just for marijuana.

I am ashamed of my city.

@aquarius_lovedove@xanga - 

Like, sure. Medical marijuana makes a lot of sense. We need it for those suffering from painful ailments. But when people (my uncle and several other folks I know) decide to get unhealthy all for the sake of some drug's pleasurable effect..  a Cannabis Cafe is not going to be any more discouraging for them.
How is it that a Cannabis Cafe is not promoting the pleasures of marijuana? It seems like a shop to draw in more people to smoke weed. And let me remind you; marijuana is not just a plant. It can damage your health. I never said anything about alcohol being an exception. If alcohol (and tobacco) does more damage, why promote even more harmful substances?

@BlehhItsTu@xanga - 

It can damage your health? Prove it. For every study you can find saying it has this ill side effect, or this one, I can find one that says exactly the opposite. Studies say whatever the person funding them wants to say. The truth about weed is that no scientist has been able to discern any ACTUAL long term effects of Marijuana. We know what happens while you're under it's effects for sure, but that's about it, with no strong evidence pointing to any long-term effects. The most likely, and common, thing people refer to is that it contributes to slight short term memory loss, but even that has never actually been proven except while under the drug's influence.

There's never been any cases of lung cancer or diseases linked to Marijuana usage. Short term memory loss has not been proven, and neither has anything else concerning the nervous system. THC does not kill brain cells. THC has never been shown to have long-term effects on motor skills. The only thing bad about smoking Marijuana is the tar that inevitably comes with it, but obviously it's not enough to pose a significant threat to anyone because like I said, as far as I know, there's never been any definite link between marijuana usage and any lung disease or cancer. Not to mention the fact that certain methods of ingesting THC eliminate tar entirely.

Diabetes? Marijuana doesn't even help treat diabetes. Maybe instead of blaming a rather harmless chemical for people's idiotic actions, perhaps you should educate them instead. If they're really so stupid as to inflict harm upon themselves to get to a drug which you could legally acquire for headaches or claimed insomnia, or illegally acquire down the street for 5 bucks, then they deserve whatever they inflicted upon themselves. I guess I'm just blessed though, because I don't know anyone stupid enough to hurt themselves to get to weed, legal or not.

The pleasures of Marijuana are great. There's absolutely no reason not to embrace them and enjoy them or advocate them. Like any drug, it does have the potential to be abused in ways that are not so good. But Marijuana usage =/= people becoming lazy and spending all their days smoking, and I doubt I'd see you trying to outlaw cold medicine, which from experience gets you REALLY fucked up, or aspirin, which will certainly kill you in large doses. You can't even OD on THC. You'd need to consume your own body weight in the substance before you'd OD. Good luck being able to stay awake long enough to do that, much less getting the money it would take to buy 100+ pounds of weed.

Get educated on a subject before you decide to speak on it, or even bother having an opinion on it. It's your choice to not smoke Marijuana, and that's completely fine, but don't act self-righteous when you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Most of you commenting are COMPLETE IDIOTS about marijuana. Learn your fucking facts. Maybe look something up? Research? Instead of writing it off as a "dangerous drug" freaking idiots. Jesus Christ.

I couldn't even read 10 comments without getting pissed off at how dumb people are."oh marijuana is dangerous drug and you'll do worse drugs and hurt people" that isn't true, go drink your drug alcohol and shut up.

Anything can be a drug if you ABUSE IT. Obese people abuse food, making it their drug. It's harmful, it kills people, it makes people violent. I know you've seen people fight over the last piece of cake before.

I'm going to stop here, cause ya'll are fucking idiots.

@BlehhItsTu@xanga - just like people fake pain all the time and get pain killers. wow. there's always going to be people abusing anything. 

i think people should be able to do whatever they want so long as they dont affect each other in a negative way. for example, you cant go around killing people even if that's what you want to do because thats a direct impact on people right there.. kinda obvious. but if you do something like.. say.. smoke weed, as long as you aren't pressuring others to smoke it too, killing someone while driving high, or other significant/dramatic things then it should be fine. you could say that about alcohol i suppose, but which drug is more likely to cause what? i cant recall any time my friends have gotten into heated arguments or anything physical while high. with alcohol on the other hand.....

just think. how can someone else smoking weed affect you? what price would you have to pay?
what about smoking cigarettes?

and with what seems to have already been said many times, ALL drugs are bad no matter what. when you grew up in elementary school and your teacher told you that, well, she was right. but its up to you to decide as your own person what you deem as better or worse. you know drugs are bad, but you need to find out for what reasons, not simply "just because" and not simply "because someone said so". even if you still stand strongly by what you believe, then so be it. but understand that others are doing so as well and you shouldnt put them down for that.