I really want weed to go legal in NY. I’ve never smoked regularly, but damnit I want to get high way more often than I do.

A couple concerns:

I read an article in Rolling Stone about the grassroots “clean pot” movement in California. Evidentially most weed -especially where it’s legal- is so full of chemicals and carcinogens that’s it’s freaking downright scary, if not criminal. Growing shitloads of weed is obviously very popular and lucrative where it’s legal, but since there are no Federal controls, and no one else has the time or money to check or care, weed is grown with shit loads of bad chemicals to keep it growing and keep the bugs and varmints away. This is concerning and very disappointing. It’s like the new era of Paraquat, and it’s sucks.

The other is the organized crime element. A good friend of mine in Cali, who’s in the know, says that organized crime (traditional mafia, Russian, Asian, you name it) have taken over the trade and are forcing the small growers out in Humbolt county. They are ruthless, and will get what the want by any means necessary. This sucks for a variety of reasons, but from an economic standpoint, it’s also bad. Legal pot is supposed to be a tax boon, but organized crime knows how to launder money. Without federal intervention to help keep things level, a lot of tax money evaporates.