Grateful Dead

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recreational weed is not legal here. even if states say it is. states cant over ride federal law.

Do any of you folks who feel marijuana should not be legal and yet admit to prior recreational mj use honestly feel like you would have been better off if you had been arrested, prosecuted and convicted of mj possession? Did you ever consider turning yourself in so you could get the benefits of arrest, prosecution and conviction for a marijuana offense? Would you turn in a family member for a marijuana offense to help them get the benefits of arrest, prosecution and conviction for a marijuana offense? Do you have the moral fortitude to subject yourself to the remedy you prescribe for others? I can tell you that entanglement in the criminal justice system sucks more than you might realize even if you don't end up going to prison. It follows you forever either way and there are those who will hold it against you.

If only our elected representatives (note I won't use the word, "leaders," because no one is leading) would converse in such an honest and reflective, civil manner about societal issues that are important. America's drug habit has destroyed Mexico, for one example. There is too much money to be made in black market commodities. In the end, while I don't want a 21 year-old kid to be able to go buy herion, blow or meth over the counter, much of the trouble comes from prohibition. Everyone here loves Jerry Garcia to death. His personal experiences notwithstanding, ol' Jer succumbed to drug addiction, it became dark, and he was ultimately lost to us. Tragic. The Grateful Dead is a great sounding board for this. Because, can anyone name a druggier band? Seriously, the symbol of the counterculture and youthful experimentation. The positive psychedelic experience is without parallel. There is a large interest today in ayahuasca, microdosing, etc. In the name of consciousness expansion. Most of us know there is a "there" there, and drugs - I've had mystical, mind-blowing experiences with the coca plant as well as the poppy - can be a portal to this kind of true knowledge, and consciousness expansion. But you can't get too far gone - you've got to find your way home. Love the Blind Faith song. It's a fine line, yes, but how many if not for drug addiction would have killed themselves through some other excessiveness... It's something, really, to put yourself out there and then come back. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything, but the idea of my kids going there freaks me the fuck out. Because it is dangerous. I don't know. I only know how it went for me. I had periods of, not addiction, but willful excessive abuse, because, hey - I loved it. But it wasn't what defined me, in the end, and now I get up at 5am 7 days a week and exercise. We can't put people in prison for drug use or possession. I live in Colorado. Nothing has changed here, except all the good the tax money is doing now that dealers aren't pocketing it. Your local drug dealer never paid taxes - dispensaries do. They sell only the cleanest organic product for the most part. Weed, for sure, should be legal like it is here. It's no worse than booze or cigarettes, or a triple bacon cheeseburger. Or pharmaceutical drugs your Dr. will prescribe you. Harder drugs should not be legalized. I draw the line there. But, obviously, anyone can go get anything they want, any time. Decriminalization and emphasis on rehabilitation. Jail for large dealers, repeat offenders, etc. We all know of those whose lives have been ruined by drugs and alcohol, but ultimately, just like Jerry Garcia, those folks went swimming in dangerous waters and failed to maintain. And, falling prey to basic human frailty in such a manner, they may have fallen to pieces anyway through some other medium. All the best to everyone.

Legalize for recreational use?No. I agree with the comments that are not in favor of legalization for recreational usage. Medical legalization? Yes. CBD, in my opinion: it's really just a pain medication that is useful for several problems. It's not for all problems or people. My recreational use: from my late teens into my mid-thirties in 1991. I was a "casual" user, I got into it slowly and every so often, I could go into daily binges for two, three weeks or two months at a time and then stop cold for for anytime from two weeks to about six months without having the "I-need-to-get-high-again-very-soon" urges. But yet, I knew it was just around the corner and sure enough I'd feel the need to get high, sooner or later. During the Operation Desert Storm period, 1/17/91 - 2/28/91, more like 1/17/19, with the breaking news story, I lit up a joint for the last time without realizing it, and I had no urges after that. It wasn't even on the radar, or just around the corner that I even wanted some. On July 4th 1992, someone asked me if I wanted some, and I said no. I haven't had any urges after that. The desire is just not there anymore. "Clean-N-Sober since 7/4/92" Tongue-in-cheek.

I suspect that there is a fair amount of overlap with our general view on the prohibition debate with some differences with regard to specific substances like marijuana or psychedelics. I feel pretty strongly about the issue, which probably comes through, but I hope I am being sufficiently respectful that I don't appear to be an ass. Based on experience and feedback, I don't always realize when I act like an ass. I do enjoy a respectful discussion like this, I think it helps everyone to reach a better understanding, even if universal agreement is not reached. I just have a view that my consciousness is my most personal and private space, and that it is up to me to decide how to use it or alter it. Personally, I think that responsible use of psychedelics can be an intensely rewarding experience with what I have perceived to be permanent beneficial results in my ability to interact with the world and the people in it. If used responsibly it seems more like a sacrament than a harmful drug. Opiates and stimulants hold no appeal for me, and based on my observations on their impact on others and my limited '80's coke use, they are devastating and destructive substances that no person should use. But I would not want to incarcerate someone if they disagree and choose to use them. Marijuana seems to me a petty vice at worst, and there are lots of legal vices that are more harmful to the individual and society. For example, I believe as a nation we have among the highest rates of obesity, leading to increased risk of diabetes and other costly and chronic medical conditions - should we prohibit high sugar, high fat, high sodium and high calorie diets and prohibit sedentary lifestyle choices to save society money in medical costs? Should we lock up people who refuse to eat healthy and exercise, or perhaps just the giant junk food conglomerates pushing these unhealthy choices on the masses. Seems like the same or a similar situation - people making unhealthy choices that cost society as a whole money and resources - so shouldn't the solution be the same? In my mind, if a society is free, you can give the individual all of the information that he or she needs to make an informed decision about things and then let them choose. If you're not free to make choices other's feel are stupid, you're not really free, and if you're not really free you may as well be an outlaw. After all, living healthy is no guarantee you don't die a horrific death from a devastating illness. I've watched it happen to loved ones. At some point the ride ends, so enjoy it while it lasts or regret it as it ends.

First, I encourage your coming forward.. it's honorable, and I think we all have a thing or two to learn here. Please don't view my disagreement as combative or dismissive. But I have to ask.. how much of your 35 years of smoking were done with joints vs. bongs, etc. The reason I ask.. I have you just barely beat... and I don't consider it a health risk to me in the slightest. Since beginning, if possible I have consumed through water. It has never raised my blood pressure and I am pudgy dude. Except for periods of either no school or no work, I would not call myself a daily user, I have always had too much going on.. but.... Still.. many around me dwarf my consumption, many much older.. and I am not seeing the damage on the scale of what describe in any of their lives. I have never in my life knew a non-cigarette but weed smoker getting emphysema. So my question is.. clearly your usage was high for years.. fatties, or less invasive techniques? Again, not trying to prosecute or question, you have my sympathy - trying to better understand. I want it legal and I want me and more than half the people I know to no longer be criminals.

Like that name. Vegas Knight would have a cool name for Bobby's son. oh yeah, check your pm. G

But still stick to my point that it's a bad idea to legalize marijuana. The Portugal model is what I would condone, which is to de-criminalize it, but not make it legal. In Portual, it is still illegal to use drugs and still a penal offense to sell them, there is just no heavy jail time. Because prohibition has been a failure, the best solution is to keep it illegal, but change the penalties, so that only hardcore distributors are doing jail time, and only after multiple offenses. After all, laws are laws, and if you're part of distribution ring selling hundreds of pounds, then yes, you should do jail time if you don't learn your lesson after a heavy fine and probation before judgement. But nobody walking around with a quarter in baggie should be doing time ever. The problem with making it legal across the country (like Colorado) is that the use will go up over time, as the social stigma of using it erodes, and the suppliers get a foothold in every state. And to be frank, I'm not an exceptional person, I'm quite average. If it can happen to me, it can happen to a decent percentage of Americans, so why propagate a social habit that will have extremely negative consequences for a large number of people. And keep in mind, as those people run into issues, there will be burden on every tax payer, as they start exercising their health insurance for psychological counselling and replacement therapy drugs, etc. I really fear for the kids. Decision making capabilities do not develop fully until the early 20s. With legalized pot everywhere in the country, there will be a lot of kids who get into the habit and pitfalls of daily use, and it just bothers me to think that we may not be too far off from living in a society whose laws are indifferent to that outcome.

but anyways on to more pressing matters. 12/10/93 and 8/3/82 needs to be released. also am I alone in thinking that in a world of smart phones and moble devices it seems really silly that they still ban soundboard downloading on archive just seems pointless now???

Thanks for the warning on the Larks box set. I am very tempted by the Sailors Tale box, though. There is one cd that I would really recommend, that is included in that box-but which was released separately a few years ago-Live at The Marquee 10th August 1971. Its a double cd set, and the opening track on the second disc is a 27 minute instrumental jam, the like of which I have never heard before. A fantastic release.