Isn’t 4oz of marijuana a crap ton?

No, not really.

Now of days it could be laced with Fentanyl

I am not sure if 4 oz is a lot or not, Never messed with the nasty stuff, stinks to me, I got no time to have my brain or mind altered

1/4 lb.

No, that's about 3 weeks worth of smoke give or take depending how good it is

Not even close to a butt load either.

That is not a personal use amount. 4 ounces to 5 pounds is a felony weight under Texas HSC laws. Good for Dallas for passing that. All the rotten apples in one barrel.

4 oz can be and is a personal amount, they buy when they can at the legal dispensaries.
One bad apples doesn't make the whole bunch bad..

They need to just legalize it, tax the hell out of it, and move on.

Those most against it would be shocked to their core at how many people around them smoke weed, even if just occasionally, and remain productive members of society.

I don't get the tax the hell out of it. that just makes cartel weed cheaper. tax it for sure, but not insane.

Big mistake. Too damn much of it everywhere already. Every parking lot smells like skunk.

The tax rate needs to be market driven, or buyers will just buy it in another state, the market rate is about 15%, according to google.

They should legalize it, why not?

I stayed in Dallas part time last month in a VRBO apartment while my grandson was recovering from a heart transplant. Me and my wife would sit outside in the afternoon, and we could smell it about half of the time. We had to go inside from the stink. It was my 2nd time to ever smell it.

It smells like a skunk, it should make you feel like you are in the country.

Love it or hate it but it is still better than alcohol.

Alcohol isn’t a gateway drug.

My problem with weed, is not the weed. It’s the people. They can’t control themselves, no impulse control.

Give them an inch and they push it to the extreme.

It's the biggest gateway drug.

Oh, I'm all for legalization.

Dallas is a cess pool

Nothing good comes from the weed

Alcohol is definitely a gateway drug.

The tax it theory cracks me up every time. Mexico's drug cartels will always sell it cheaper and already have the supply chains in place. The illicit markets thrive after legalization because enforcement is largely stopped.

I will take some gummies.

If legitimized most closet, casual, or low key smokers would prefer to buy from a dispensary than risk or hassle with chasing it through elicit channels. Convenience, consistency, and legality would be worth the price. The majority of what's circulating in the country these days is coming from legal growers in other states (Ca, Nv, and Co), but being sold elicitly here and elsewhere. The cartels are making their money on hard drugs that are worth far more per pound than weed, and human trafficking. Legalize weed, tax it like alcohol, the industry would thrive, and we could empty out a lot of jail cells for more egregious offenders.

You are already ridin dirty with a check engine light. Soon you would have a felony forest of air freshener trees hanging from your mirror

I’m usually surrounded by idiots now I’m going to be surrounded by high idiots. I guess we can’t get everything. Trump 2024.

How do you figure that? State your case.

Bring on the paranoia and anxiety

For Jimbo1

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/the-real-gateway-drug

Not hard to find. Pretty common knowledge.

But but, it's my Air Freshener

“1st substance used.” That’s just silliness. I didn’t read any more after I read that. What about nicotine?

You disagree that alcohol is by far the most common substance first used by youth?

Absolutely not. I disagree with the link to pot.

I took a puff once, at 18 yoa, and then remembered something my father had told me about. He had been an Army First Sgt. during some sort of mess in Central America. A Corporal came to him and told him that he needed to come see something. They were living in tents. They got there and a guy was, as Dad said, making mad, passionate, love to his pillow. He had been smoking MJ. I never forgot about that and kept the breweries working overtime.

That one puff was my only step into narcotics of any kind. Now 81 yoa and, for a long time, I kept the breweries and distillers working overtime. Now, don’t remember my last margarita and gave my grown grandsons a case of beer that had been around for a .one time. Just no longer any interest.

Just legalize it already.

But did you inhale ? Asking for a friend.

Why does it all smell like skunk these days?
I remember back in the day it had a distinct smell, almost sweet.
I couldn’t try any these days due to the smell.

321MBT compounds make it smell like skunk. It is in its highest concentrations in the last flowering stage. I assume growers have bred it into the plant because it is related to the THC level making it more potent. Modern weed isn’t the weed from 25 years ago. It’s very strong and now suddenly people are having paranoia psychosis issues with it. Imagine that.

4 oz is over 100 grams. That's 200 joints. You smoking 5 joints a day? That would undo me. 5 a year is enough for this old bird.

^^This. I had severe pain a few years back due to an injury that prevented me from sleeping for 4 days. Called the daughter up and said i know you used to know some people so reach out and get me something. Took 10 mg of percoset and smoked a joint after not having done that in 40+ years. Well pretty shortly thereafter i needed paramedics. It was a full on psychotic episode worse than any acid i ever did in high school.

I remember you posting about that and nearly pissed myself laughing (I knew you were alright because you posted the story)

4oz of weed is a lot of weed…most people buying 4oz at a time are not recreational users.

That is what I was thinking when I made the OP.....but I am not a connoisseur by any means.
When CO was the first state to legalize, it created an influx of derelict types. No plans for work, no skills, and an overall scumbag culture. I know this because that is a big reason my CO neighbors are here.
Just not sure why we want to make it easier for heads.
FWIW, IMO there is a difference between old school, functional heads, and those that wake and bake without contributing to society.

True but. Colorado has proven that people would rather buy it legally than off the streets.
Plus legal grown weed is a lot smoother and more potent.

I keep waiting for a city to pass a law that allows for automatic weapons without the federal permits, ghost guns, or whatever. I mean both are illegal under federal law and a city making then legal doesn't change things. The city making the guns legal would have lots of precedence of the Feds doing nothing.

TX tried doing that with suppressors and last I heard it was all sorts of nasty...the Feds definitely feel more threatened by a suppressor or auto than they do a pothead.

Certain things certainly trigger them - that is obvious from the border issues we've seen.

Sounds like a lot but after you take the bones out it's under 100 grams and joints normally have 1.5-2 grams in them so........

Several years ago in FW we would just write people tickets for under 7 grams so we wouldn't be spending time at the property room and jail for a simple user. I gave folks a lot of leeway with their cheap little scales and never had an issue with the citations. Anyone who tells you 4 ounces isn't a lot has some personal problems or sells it too.

I marvel at the fear some people have about legalizing marijuana. It's legal in half the country right now, and those states didn't suddenly fall into anarchy, yet, here in Texas, about half of the court dockets are filled with marijuana / THC cases.

It's pointless and stupid, and it's probably one of the single, largest waste of taxpayer's money and resources. I could share story-after-story of the waste and futility of it all, but THAT would be a waste of MY time.

EDIT: I've never been a user of the stuff, and I don't care for the smell, either, but I've recently tried a couple of gummies while traveling through other states.....and, you know what? It really wasn't that big of a deal. It actually made me feel relaxed more than anything else. In Texas, those gummies would've been a felony with prison time at stake.

What good would come out of making recreational use legal in Texas? I understand and support the benefit of medical use under the supervision of a physician.

Okay, so there's one story I will share. I know a young man, 19 years old, who acquired a couple of THC vapes. He got pulled over for a minor traffic violation, and, as standard procedure goes, the officer asked him if he had anything illegal. The young man admitted to the THC vapes, but tried to minimize the impact by saying he was just bringing them to a friend.

BOOM!

First degree felony charge of Manufacture / Delivery of a Controlled Substance. 5-99 years or life in prison. Same as a Murder, Aggravated Sexual Assault, etc.

And this is our taxes at work, folks.

Well thought out and said. I wish gummy's were available to my son. I would much rather he use that than drugs from big pharma.

What good?

Well, for starters, the end of pointless arrests, prosecution, and incarceration of non-violent offenders who have done nothing worse to society than someone who drinks alcohol.

Do you have any idea how much $$$ is spent to keep it illegal, between the cops, court clerks, judges, prosecutors, jail staff, etc.? I don't know the specific number, but I can assure you that we could eliminate about half of the criminal courts. I my county, I recently looked up the dockets for the criminal courts, and about 40% of the cases were marijuana / THC cases. Yet the sheriff is constantly asking for more money because the jail is overcrowded, and the DA's office is constantly asking for more money to handle all of the cases.

Not BS in my county. I've seen the dockets and counted the numbers, more than a few times.

So, we should legalize it just because there’s so many breaking existing laws against it? I guess we should just give amnesty to all the illegals also because there’s too many to prosecute or remove.

It doesn't surprise me that this got passed in Dallas, but it looks like Bastrop and Lockhart went the same way. That does surprise me. It has been this way here in Austin for a while now. I don't smell it all the time, but often enough. And, it is usually in traffic too. No wonder so many people here drive like s**t.

I have neither questions nor answers. I once spent most of my paycheck on cigs and beer. Then, about 10 or so years ago, I quit both. I still have some ancient Budweiser in the fridge but doubt that I’ll ever mess with it.

Re MJ, if it’s illegal, nuff said.

Thank goodness the majority of Texas voters are opposed to street drugs. Why on earth would anyone in their right mind risk facing those penalties to be an illegal user? What is the benefit that makes it a worthwhile activity?

When we first got our place in Conifer you can walk into a dispensary and get all the different strains. I guess it's like them fifths of bourbon they run out fast when you like it. I Never Sold any, except for them matchbox's back in the early 70's.... I have used it instead of the prescription meds they want to give that was the reason we moved.

So he knowingly broke the law, lied about it to the cop 'it ain't mine', and is going to get punished? Good on the law. Maybe instead of 'it's just weed' he should have thought 'holy hell, it's weed' and left it the hell alone. He's either that stupid and getting what he deserves or a POS. Either way he's not getting 99 years, but keep using that to boost your argument.

Exactly. Is his last name Griner?

It’s 2024 everyone is a victim. Even if they are 100% responsible for their own problems.

My argument is simply based on the waste of taxpayer's resources to keep fighting a "crime" that really doesn't seem worthwhile. Just like the ridiculous Blue Laws, some of which still exist in this state. That's all. If you're okay with your tax dollars footing the bill for this issue, that's cool. I'm not okay with that, but, hey, we can agree to disagree.

In the counties where I worked over the years, I'm betting DWI and Meth arrests took up most of the docket, along with family violence cases...I only testified in a handful of Marijuana cases in my entire career. Now back forty years ago, yes.

There have been 18 misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana cases filed in my county since November 1st. Not even a full week of data since today is the 7th.

Each of these cases probably cost the taxpayer's a minimum of $1,000-$2,000 to pursue (if you take into account the arresting officer's time, patrol car fuel, a jail deputy's time, the county clerk's time, the intake person at the DA's office time, the prosecutor's time, the bailiff's time, the judge's time....and the list goes on).

Extrapolate that out for a year and you're talking about $1 million - $2 million per year. All of this for a "crime" that is the equivalent of possessing a six pack or twelve pack of beer.

I'd rather see that money, some of which came from me, go to....well, just about anything else....parks, libraries, whatever.

So what is the difference between now and 40 years ago? People are not smoking less. Cops don’t care to mess with it as much? That is all the more reason to legalize it.

Much of this has to do with money.

Dallas police make roughly 2000 marijuana arrests a year, most of those have other charges. They send the weed to get tested, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then the DA never prosecutes and drops the weed charge.

If it is about money it should certainly be legalized. It’s gonna happen, not sure why so many want to slow down the inevitable. I don’t know why people are against legalizing it, seems like people think it is morally wrong and want to impose their values on others.

Weed was not accepted at all 40 years ago, opinions change as society changes, DWI, I am sorry to say was treated like just a way of life in Texas back then and wasn't prosecuted much, law enforcement officers just enforce the laws on the books and pursue mostly what they are directed to pursue.

Just remember what Nancy said

"JUST SAY NO"

It's somewhat difficult to catch a criminal because they killed someone, burglarized a home, robbed a store ect ect. It's easy to catch them with their weed because it stinks. Get in their car because of the weed and the other much more serious cases get made from the property or evidence that's located. That's one of a myriad of reasons not to legalize it. As for the topic of this thread that's about Dallas, look at the statewide election map. The place is a lost cause so I can't think of a better place to attract even more human hair balls from the rest of the state. I'm glad they passed it.

BUT DO T YALL REMEMBER ALL THEM GUMFIGHTS THAT HAPPENENEDEDEX AFTER THE LEEGALIZED OPEN CARRIE AN CARRIEING A PISSTUL WITHOUT APERMIT!!1!1!1!1!1


Yeah, me either. Same [censored] applies.

So it’s a gateway drug… for cops to look for other [censored].

If you’re not aware, the deck is stacked in the criminal’s favor. I took every legal advantage I could. I sent plenty of people home though who were just smokers. 4 ounces is not what any person would have who contributes anything positive to our society.

Other than being illegal what's wrong with having different strains? Drinkers have all kinds of choices, do drinkers really contribute more positively to our society?

My experience is yes on the drinkers but I’m not a proponent of alcohol by any means. Most of the drinkers I met had jobs and for the most part, contributed to our society. The typical weed smoker would sit around on some BS disability check and be baked most of the time they were awake. Sure there are exceptions to both groups but I’m speaking about to the majorities. Either 4 ounces of weed or 20 gallons of whiskey in a car is someone who either sells it or needs to make some serious changes in their life.

Eureka! I was hung up on possession at home not traveling in a vehicle. Yes most are most likely up to no good when they have that much on their person, UNLESS they are on the way back home from their hook up.

And that’s why taking in the totality of the circumstances is done on stops that end up with weed. Cops don’t want to put everyone in jail. They want to put the right people in jail. It’s actually a fair amount of work to book someone in on a PC arrest. You would be floored if you knew the number of weed users I sent on their way. It also resulted in hundreds of documented gang members being arrested for it and much more serious crimes. They were given zero breaks. As for the home aspect, if you get caught with it in your home you’re already in a lot more trouble than the weed would be. The only weed I found in homes were during search warrants for something a lot more serious.

So does it REALLY matter if someone ONLY has weed?

I thought this was supposed to be a free country

Police officers like to use "the odor of marijuana" as a justification to search vehicles; the same way they like to make chicken feather arrests as an excuse to conduct an "inventory" (search) of a vehicle before towing it off.

I respectfully disagree with that. The enormous power and resources of the government, combined with an extremely "conservative" society, is not exactly in the favor of the person accused of a crime. I know a lot of cops think that's the case. I take it from your posts that you are (or were) in law enforcement, and I understand that it's easy to get sucked into that viewpoint when your perception is skewed by that line of work. I have absolute respect for the job that law enforcement officers do, but I also know that citizen's rights get trampled every day, with little to no recourse against those officers who stretch the rules (er, the Constitution) in order to achieve a desired outcome.

How many times have you seen officers ask for consent to search, get denied by the motorist, and then make the motorist sit there for 30 minutes or an hour for a K9 to arrive, without any specific, articulable facts to lead the officer (or anyone else) to believe that the motorist has drugs in the vehicle? That happens all the time. It also happens to be against the law, according to established U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence, but what is the recourse a citizen in that situation has against the officer? Nothing. Except maybe an IAD complaint, which generally results in little more than a stern talking-to, at most.

Weed is illegal, By it being bought and sold is someone helping the Mexican Drug Cartel survive and thrive especially in Texas.

Almost everyone I know that is now a looser started out just smoking a little weed as a youth, I remember when I got my first apartment I was like age 19, most of the people I knew all had bongs and weed trays under their couches, they would smoke daily.

I watched family and friends who never lived up to their potential due to the weed killing their drive in life.

That might be true, but obviously the fact that it's "illegal" didn't deter any of those people, right? Legal or not, people are going to do it if they want to. Just like the Prohibition era. The only difference is exactly what you said: Under the current laws, people have to source their marijuana from illegal sources (cartels, etc.), just like the mobsters controlled the liquor industry during Prohibition.

The opposite of your statement is also true. Most people probably know functioning alcoholics and users of marijuana who are very successful and happy in life, who otherwise don't break any laws.

I love weed threads. They smoke out the dirt bags every time.

Are you referring to me?

Did I inhale? Probably did but after 40 to 50 years, it’s hard to remember.

Or it comes from Colorado, or New Mexico, or Oklahoma, where it is taxed and those states benefit from the revenue instead of TX.

Why smoke weed when you could have a gummy or cookie?

Dang, I guess believing in personal freedom is scandalous behavior to some.

Redranger is 100% correct. "most of the people I knew all had bongs and weed trays under their couches, they would smoke daily." That was me at age 19. I was the dude with the bong under the couch. Luckily, I had an epiphany around age 20. Have not touched it since, and don't want to. I do, however see the same thing as him. "family and friends who never lived up to their potential due to the weed killing their drive in life."

Weed ain't a good thing unless you have Cancer or Glaucoma. Those of you who smoke daily and think it's fine are lying to yourselves.

Daily


Dr Pepper, skittles, fried chicken, beer, snuff etc isn’t good either, but you don’t see anyone squawking about those things.

One consideration: If a person is arrested for ANY narcotics offense, it goes on their police record. Go for a job interview and you will get a background check. It isn’t a positive and “ Yeah, but” is not acceptable The company just moves on without asking for an explanation.

In the career arena, it’s not a victimless crime.

Not to mention the costs associated with hiring an attorney, going to court over-and-over again, and filing an expunction (if eligible to do so). Oh, and spending a night or two (or more) in jail isn't what most people would call a "fun time."

Here's another fun fact:

Did you know that a Possession of Marijuana conviction can trigger a driver's license suspension of 180 days, even if the arrest had absolutely NOTHING to do with driving? (Don't feel bad if you didn't know that. Most cops don't even know that.)

Example: Willie is sitting on a park bench, and gets arrested because he has a small joint in his pocket. 180-day mandatory and automatic driver's license suspension upon conviction, with no opportunity for a hearing on the suspension, even if nobody (like a prosecutor, for example) bothered to mention this to him before he foolishly went to court on his own and entered a plea on the case.

And then he would have to complete a mandatory Drug Offender Education Program and pay a reinstatement fee to get his driver's license back.

it works faster. depends on what you're using it for.

Step out of the car please. I smell the odor of marijuana.

I personally have no problem with any of this. Don’t break the law and there is no problem.

Of course you don't, especially if you've never been wrongfully accused of something.

What about the 17 year old black kid seen in a predominantly white neighborhood, who's driving a car that every member in his financially strapped household drives and shares. He gets followed by an officer for a few miles, who finally pulls the kid over for not using his turn signal "at least 100 feet before the intersection." (He used his signal, but not until he got really close to the turn.) The officer "smells marijuana," gets the kid out of the car, and then scrapes up some tiny stems/seeds/tiny bits of marijuana from the floorboard. The officer puts this contraband into a baggie (which turns up less than 1/4 gram, which is maybe enough make about 1/4 of a crappy joint. And that kid and his family don't have the financial resources to fight it or hire a lawyer, so they show up to court and take whatever plea agreement the prosecutor gives them. Because, let's face it, what else are they going to do? It's the cop's word against the boy.

You're okay with that? So long as it isn't you or one of your family members, right?

And, yes, that's a true story.

It is hard for some it seems.

The question is, why is it even a law?

Boo hoo. The system didn’t let that kid down, his family did…that is, if he actually didn’t contribute to the pot trash in the car. You don’t t know me or my family.

Financially strapped household but has enough money to buy weed.

308PC, are you a defense attorney?

So once again, why is it even a law?

The system did exactly what it is intended to do: get convictions.

But why does the system care about [censored] that doesn’t matter?


I’ll make it easy for the smooth-brains around here: money.

Yep.

Hell yeah. Lock them fiscally irresponsible folks up!!!! We can’t have that kinda irresponsibility in our society.


It’s way better for us tax paying citizens to cover the cost of jail so we can make sure them weed snorters learn their lesson!!!

Regarding the whole "it's so much stronger now" argument:

Where is it written that one must smoke as much of it as one did back in the day? Vodka is stronger than beer but I doubt very many of you are slamming down six-packs of 12-0z cans of the stuff.

There is also a big difference between a 4 oz bag of dirtweed that is 25% seeds and stems and maybe some gravel and a lizard all squashed together by a brick making machine vs 4 ounces of high quality seedless trimmed and dried buds.

The law treats it all the same though, so might as well have less weight in your possession if you can get high the same number of times off of it. Any potential penalty is less. So, in a way, the law has made weed stronger.

No, I just have a brain.

I think the jury is still out on that…

I think your signature line should read “Brainwashed by Nancy.”

Oh, my bad. “Brainwashed by Nancy Reagan.”

Maybe your mother should have listened… never mind.

Another negative consideration. Employment

When a candidate for employment interviews at a large company; and an interest occurs, a decision to go further involves a background check. There will generally be several qualified candidates. Prior to an offer being made, professional references are contacted. A look at LinkedIn tells who the candidate knows and who they are. Quite often somebody will know one of the candidates contacts that were not given as a reference. Human Resources Dept. contacts several of the people who the person is linked to. These would not be the references the candidate gave. They know how to ask the questions that interest them.

As a retired Headhunter; I guarantee that I can find out more than you want me to. All I really need is your name, DOB and address.

Your rights to privacy? Forget about it.

I’m not being judgmental. Hell, I was in jail multiple times prior to being able to vote. Too much beer and an attitude problem or 3.