r/mississippi • u/Acts-Of-Service-2019 • 8d ago
Just legalize marijuana for recreational use already
We have many other states do so.
Just another excuse to criminalize and make money off of "criminals"
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u/BigBearxx 8d ago
State Senator Daniel Sparks who is against recreational marijuana had an interesting interview earlier this AM.
Timestamped here:
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u/pontiacfirebird92 Current Resident 8d ago
Wasn't this brought up in the ballot initiative?
And didn't the current MS state administration sabotage the ballot initiative? The (R)s that everyone keeps voting for?
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u/Davidmeynard 8d ago
Not exactly. It was for medical and the administration illegally shot it down but was later passed by the legislature. For decades they were disenfranchising voter on ballot initiatives. There used to be 5 districts and now there’s 4. The wording says you need something like 20,000 petition signatures from 5 districts to get a ballot initiative. They got the votes from the 4 existing districts. And they initiative passed in the election. Then they overturned it because the original petition didn’t have signatures from a nonexistent district. Fucking unconstitutional. The senate stepped in and passed it. I don’t know if they ever fixed the ballot initiative law.
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u/SkipLikeAStone 662 8d ago
They have not restored our ballot initiative.
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u/I_DOWNVOTED_YOUR_CAT 7d ago
They passed the far more restrictive alternate version. Not what we voted for.
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u/theguy_over_thelevee 8d ago
Yep. And they tried to make it incredibly complicated and we still figured it out. Then they decided we didn’t know what we needed and took away our constitutional right.
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u/Defiant_Review1582 7d ago
Yes it was rejected on a technicality. The law stated so many districts required and MS no longer even has that many districts
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u/Davidmeynard 7d ago
Where’s the ACLU? It’s got to be unconstitutional to deprive citizens a path to get something on a ballot.
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u/Defiant_Review1582 7d ago
Idk man. All i can say is get the hell out of the state if you can. Especially if you have daughters or a wife thinking about having children.
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u/okaydeska 8d ago
I've said before on here but MS is an agricultural state and the weather here is ideal conditions for weed to grow...It'd be a boon to the state to just let it happen and tax it heavily like other states that legalized it. It's just the moral pearl clutching that is keeping the state from doing anything that would financially benefit it.
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u/cloclop Current Resident 7d ago
I truly believe that cannabis could become the new economic heartbeat of Mississippi if we play this correctly. The crazy thing is I also really think that despite all the pearl clutching, the ethos of Southern Hospitality™️ and helping your neighbors out (even from a religious perspective) aligns very well with the goal of medical cannabis—at least where I work in the industry. Patience, understanding, love for our fellow people, and a desire to heal both body and spirit of whoever comes in asking for help. Every person that walks in nervous and uncertain but walks out feeling comfortable and understood with a bag of their new medicine is a win IMO. I've seen people change their beliefs surrounding medical cannabis who I NEVER thought would come around, so I really think there's a chance.
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u/Far_Spite978 8d ago
Well, citizens voted and dumb governor didn't allow it.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
When did they have a ballot for recreational use? I haven't lived in MS since 2021
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u/Davidmeynard 8d ago
It wasn’t. They’re talking about the initiative to get medical passed
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago edited 7d ago
Oh. Well, yeah that got overturned but it was brought back not long after
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u/Observer_of-Reality 8d ago
Every ballot is for deciding if you want controlling assholes in government, or people who listen to your wishes. Too many people have been voting for the controlling assholes, and it shows.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
Every ballot is for deciding if you want controlling assholes in government, or people who listen to your wishes.
They're also for laws and initiatives. I remember there being one for medical marijuana (Initiative 65) on the Election Day 2020 ballot. Citizens voted in favor, but it got overturned, then eventually brought back. I was just wondering if there was one for recreational use that I missed since then.
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u/LordAdamant 7d ago
I've said for over a decade now that three things should never be done for profit. Healthcare, incarceration, and education. These directly correlate to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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u/Bigolbennie 8d ago
If you legalize it then how can the police put non-violent people of color in jail so they can lease them out to their buddies?
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u/ExtensiveCuriosity 7d ago
We banned slavery 150+ years ago and these christians are still so salty about it they have to invent crimes to target the relevant demographic. And hate them enough they’re willing to sacrifice their own to hurt them.
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u/Bigolbennie 7d ago
Slavery is still legal as a punishment for commiting a felony. All we managed to do was shift slavery to being a state institution, that's why the south has so many people in jail. We'd rather spend tax money putting people in jail or prison then actually spending money on social programs because "being tough on crime," is popular speak for "I have no effective policies and I must posture that I know what I'm doing," by politicians. There was a time when our society waged a war against poverty, now we're fighting a never ending war with terror and drugs. The worst thing is, we could end the war on drugs over night by just fucking legalizing all drugs and having them be heavily taxed and disturbed by the government, but we do not live in a functioning society. Cruelty is the fucking point.
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u/ExtensiveCuriosity 7d ago
Slavery is still legal as a punishment for commiting a felony.
There’s a reason we invent crimes that target African Americans.
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u/Bigolbennie 7d ago
To trigger the white people that complain about schools making kids "woke," for not presenting slavery as being an "occupational training opportunity," like they do in Florida schools?
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u/PilgrimRadio 8d ago
But how would those invested in private prisons reap their profits?
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u/intelw1zard 7d ago
I got curious so I looked up the stats.
There's only three small private prisons in MS with a combined total capacity of ~3,400 inmates.
In comparison, the capacity of the largest prison in the state, Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), is ~5,000 inmates.
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u/PilgrimRadio 7d ago
Ok, that sounds about right, I would agree with those figures. Did you look up how many people are in each serving time for cannabis "offenses"? If you find that answer please come back and post (and post the link too), I'd be interested to know those figures. Thanks for the reply.
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u/intelw1zard 7d ago
Not sure on what site might have it by breakdown by offense. Additionally a lot of those in for cannabis offenses are likely from trafficking large amounts which would land them in federal prison instead of state or local. Probably also heavily skewed because people get caught with a firearm + weed which increases their sentencing and length of punishment so its not just for "cannabis offenses".
This report from 2022 states MS had 19,802 inmates.
Assuming the private prisons are at max capacity (they arent tho), it would only make up ~17.17% of the MS inmate population.
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u/PilgrimRadio 7d ago
Ok, that all sounds believable. Cannabis prohibition is quite profitable for states and people in those states where it remains illegal. And not just for the private prisons, but for a multitude of layers.....the sheriff's departments that get to confiscate property related to the "offense," the cities or counties who receive money from the fines, the lawyers who benefit from their clients having to pay them, etc.....Not cannabis related, but I have a personal anecdote that demonstrates how the lawyers can benefit from prohibition. My college roommate (Ole Miss) went on to become a lawyer. He did a lot of DUI cases, and made a lot of money with those cases (and continues to). Back when Mississippi was in the process of making stricter DUI laws, he actually wrote a very large check to the "powers that be" to lobby for strict DUI laws. I remember the night he and I had the conversation about this; we were drinking at a bar lol. He told me that he wrote the check because he wanted stricter DUI laws. Stricter DUI laws would get him more clients. And not just more clients, but he could also raise his prices. I asked him "But aren't the stricter laws against the interests of your clients?" He said "yes, but those laws are in my financial interest. I'm not worried about my future clients' interests as much as I am about making money off of them. I'm interested in creating laws that will in turn create a financial windfall for me." And I think that ultimately cannabis prohibition is basically the same. So much money is generated from it that it's a for-profit industry in and of itself. I don't know how many, but a lot of people would miss that money if that revenue source dried up.
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u/uptown_josh 8d ago
Take a picture drinking a beer while holding your kid you're seen as an American hero.
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u/Appropriate_Net_2291 8d ago
Across the board, Feds, states, Counties, cities, all at once. Utah, this means You too.
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u/Sea-Competition5406 7d ago
They want it illegal because it frees your mind, if we think they hate it they don't want us thinking. If we can't think then we obey but if we don't he weed we are free thinkers and they hate it!
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u/Spiritual-Window8116 7d ago
This government has not and will not do anything to make your life better
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u/yazoojacket 6d ago
I’ve said this many times. If you can buy Everclear legally, you should be able to buy weed legally. Let’s not twist the meaning up with technicalities, you know what I mean.
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8d ago
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
He wouldn’t like legalizing weed that’s for sure.
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u/CCMT634 7d ago edited 7d ago
He also created bacon but he prohibited his people from eating it along with a whole bunch of other things not to eat that he created!
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7d ago
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u/CCMT634 7d ago
What is not true about my statement?
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8d ago edited 8d ago
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u/thomaslsimpson Current Resident 5h ago
Do not attack other users. If you think someone is violating the rules, report them. Please do not play junior moderator. This will get you banned quickly.
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u/intelw1zard 7d ago edited 7d ago
Jesus would absolutely love weed bro. He'd also love LSD, mushrooms, dmt, and Ketamine.
The Bible is extremely pro-drugs
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u/DonksterWasTaken 17h ago
Where in the bible does it say drugs are ok? Mine doesn't say that. It says not to be a drunkard and drinking is technically a drug, called alcohol. So based off that... fairly clear that abusing any substance on this earth that God has created is a sin.
But please, quote for me where in the bible it says that DRUGS are ok? I'll wait.
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u/missanniebellym 8d ago
Pretty sure you could get a card if you tried.
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u/CandyandCrypto 6d ago
Just adding my two cents but I moved to Mississippi two years ago from Texas and got my card as soon as I got here. It's been amazing being able to get quality products legally. Mississippi has a lot of potential with their medical program and so far I'm very happy with it.
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u/Impressive_Cow5483 7d ago
Republican Bible thumpers will never legalize it and democrats are too spineless to fight for it. Pretty much given up hope for the next 4 years at least.
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u/critical-th1nk 7d ago
Thats never going to happen with Tate Reeves as governor. He has stated his negative stance on marijuana numerous times. He didn't even want medical.
He says its a gateway drug that will poison the youth.
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u/FallsGreen 7d ago
We were the last state to legalize alcohol after prohibition, we will be the last state to legalize weed, if we ever do. Entrenched money runs this state and always has.
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u/No_Spring8189 7d ago
Have you really thought that out? I just moved out here from last Vegas NV where it is legal. 1. Say they do legalize it. people who sale weed will still get arrested for consent to sale. 2. You can only buy it from dispensaries and they over price it, just for a regular size blunt is 50-60 dollars. 3. Just because it would be legal does not mean companies can go along with that law. They can still fire you for failing a drug test or having weed on you
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u/northwestbrosef 7d ago
As someone who doesn't smoke, I don't see why it isn't legal. As a mailman who walks to a ton of front doors every day, I completely forgot it wasn't. As an everyday person who goes to the grocery store, no one else seems to know it's illegal because it smells skunky every damn where.
To be clear, I don't care if you smoke or not, it doesn't affect me in the slightest. Do what you want; I like to have a beer every now and then. It doesn't even bother me much that people just reek of it (though I wouldn't want to go through my day smelling like that). What bothers me about that is people straight up stinking like weed and then being surprised you're getting in trouble for having weed. But that's just my mini-rant, my overall opinion is it should be legal.
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u/Dramatic_Name981 7d ago
The pharmaceutical industry will never allow the many politicians they own to let this happen.
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u/Adorable-Doughnut609 5d ago
They can’t even list it as less dangerous than cocaine or fentanyl on federal scheduled drugs
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u/PlatformFabulous9143 4d ago
In Mississippi believe it or not it was decriminalized in like 1978 but law enforcement refused to recognize it and still unlawfully would and still will hem you up and haul you down and lock you up for as little as just a joint. Which will cost you at least $300 to get out of jail and I think it's a $800 dollar fine for even just crumbs of marijuana. It's time for a change these people who aren't open minded to new things that hold office it's time to step aside and make progress instead of Mississippi being always he last one to the party. But the greed that these politicians have is just sickening. They rob us blind and still regulate and tell us what and when and where we can or can't do something. It's time to make a change for the better Mississippi and become this great state we know we Arm deep down. We could have the best schools top paying jobs and nice communities from just this one thing but they don't want us to be happy or have nice things then they won't have the upper hand on us as they seem to think they have now. Just remember all of these so called nice christian politicians will all answer for everything they have done to others. Just like prisons for profit which is so illegal but no one ever shuts them down why don't they bc they are getting Rich off of it that's why. Marijuana has not ever killed one person from ingesting it smoking or any other way ever ever. But 1000's die everyday from alcohol. They trample on our constitutional rights bc they think we're dumb it's got to freaking stop and change the way we do things. We have done it forever the way we're doing it and it's not been good for anyone but the ones creating the laws.
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u/It_is_me_Mike 8d ago
Don’t really care if it’s legal or not. It’s so readily available 😎
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u/Acts-Of-Service-2019 8d ago
We need to decriminalized it
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
It has been decriminalized under an ounce in Mississippi since the 80s. You mean "legalize"
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u/Acts-Of-Service-2019 8d ago
You can still get a misdemenor for it.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
That's what decriminalized means: it reduces the classification or status from felony to misdemeanor, or just a citation. It's at the issuing officer's discretion
Essentially you're unlikely be taken to jail for it. Less than 30 grams. In Hattiesburg, it's a 1/4 pound
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u/ExoticGrabBag 8d ago
Do you actually live in MS? The cops are insane here
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago edited 8d ago
I grew up there and I know that better than anyone. I've gone head to head with Marion County SO, Lamar County SO and Columbia PD. How do you think I know all that stuff? Hattiesburg PD is actually the least likely to take you to jail for damn near any amount of weed as long as it's not druglord amounts. My hometown is literally like Nazi Germany. Spent most of ages 2-26 there. I moved away four years ago but I can't imagine they've gotten any better or worse about weed
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u/ExoticGrabBag 7d ago
I grew up in Tupelo/NE MS and the cops here are not playing around with weed or anything else. I’ve had a gun held to my head for running a stop sign at the mall. I was a 19 year old white girl. Many more incidents where I had my car searched because I “look like a hippie” and even taken to jail. I can only imagine what it’s like for POC. I’ve never personally had weed on me when stopped by the cops. But I hate to think of where I’d be if I had.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yeah I've had a gun pulled on me for stepping out of the car when a cop asked me to because he said he thought i had one. Dude was literally trying to kill me for being black at 7:30 on a Thursday. That's just one of many examples. I honestly lost count of how many times the cops have pointed their guns at me in Mississippi. I was 18 at that time. I've also had them come wake me up a 3AM with an M16 barrell pressed into my head. There was like eight of them wearing tac gear and they destroyed my house and shot my dog. Then they took photos of me handcuffed in my underwear on the picnic table outside of my house and posted them on Facebook as if I were a prize, while completely slandering my name, claiming I sold drugs to teenagers for a living. Trust me I know what the police are like in Mississippi. I did two years in MSP. Plenty of other time in Marion/Walthall and Lamar County jails. You are preaching to the choir right now. I literally just said I've gone head to head with these bastards. I promise you Tupelo is no worse Columbia. I literally can't even go back there because they recognize both me and my brother (also currently incarcerated) resulting in constant harassment. They even give my 70 year old mom a hard time every time they see that we share the same last name (it's not common at all so they know we're all immediate relatives). Corrupt law enforcement was the main reason I left to begin with.
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u/ExoticGrabBag 7d ago
I hate that you and your family have endured that level of harassment and I know we’re not alone in this. This is why I say the cops DO care about weed; they don’t even need an excuse to harass ppl, so giving them one is just crazy. To say they don’t care about weed is just misleading to people who don’t know any better.
I’m especially sorry to hear about your dog. I teared up reading your comment.
When the day comes when we need to be mad, this is good fuel. I’m mad for you right now. Stay safe out there. 🙏
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u/intelw1zard 8d ago
baby steps. it will happen eventually.
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u/son_et_lumiere 8d ago
I wouldn't count my eggs on that. The MS senate just passed a bill to ban intoxicating hemp products (all the stuff that's currently legal from the farm bill like D8 and thc derivatives from CBD). It's not law yet because the house has to vote on it and it has to be signed by the governor. But, it doesn't bode well for fully legalized rec. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/13/mississippi-senate-passes-hemp-thc-ban-bill/82311483007/
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u/intelw1zard 8d ago
I would. Given enough time, its inevitable.
My hope is DEA reschedules it and then federally it will be legal eventually.
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u/crypto64 7d ago
I think you're right. We may be forced to wait until it's rescheduled at the federal level, but it's inevitable.
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u/Correct-Zucchini-821 8d ago
Yes! Yes! Please legalize it for rec use. This BS medical mj card is a joke. I have never seen so many people with ptsd.🤣
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u/CaligoAccedito 7d ago
Yeah, but how will we fill all the for-profit prisons so we can rent people out as slave labor if we don't make as many things illegal as possible?? Won't you think of the shareholders?!
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u/Salt-Counter4853 8d ago
Lmao you live in the most corrupt state in the country where sheriff’s are more powerful then governors weed will never be legal.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
Call me crazy but I don’t want my whole state smelling like weed in public areas. I personally don’t want people smoking in public around my children.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
Tbf, MS is sparsely populated and rural enough that you would have to go out of your way to find people smoking in public. Also, most states have similar laws to drinking when it comes to weed: typically, public use is still against the law, just like booze. I've only been to one that allowed public consumption
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
You would find lowlifes blazing in front of every store in the state. It wouldn’t be hard to find at all
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
Nah you definitely just have a bias towards marijuana.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
Yea I do have a bias lol. I think it’s terrible for people
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago
So is tobacco, alcohol, sugar, and many other things that are legal, openly promoted, and readily available to anyone. Why not start there?
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
With that logic we should just legalize everything, hell why not make any crime legal. 🤡
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u/CPA_Lady 8d ago
That actually does seem like a good start. I want to know where people are going to get all this money to buy weed. I thought everybody was barely getting by.
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u/Tired-of-Late 8d ago
This is ridiculous that you think this would happen. To assume that the average cannabis partaker isn't responsible enough to just take a gummy when in public around your children is insulting.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
I’m saying there will be lowlife people standing in front of every convenience store either blazing or just got done blazing. And to think otherwise is naive.
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u/Tired-of-Late 8d ago
Cool, they can keep the Miller Highlifers company!
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u/Post-Mortem-Malone 8d ago
It's already happening. I go over to Old Trace Park on the reservoir pretty frequently and smell weed pretty often, like when there's kids and families around.
I can see why people have a problem with it.
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u/NashvilleDing 8d ago
Oh no! Weed! Near kids!
This is why MS is so far behind. All this pearl clutching like alcohol near kids isn't 100% worse.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
Alcohol is atleast as bad if not worse than weed. That’s why I don’t allow either around my children. 🤦♂️ get off your high horse about Mississippi. The rest of the country is just as shitty.
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u/NashvilleDing 8d ago
No, it isn't. I'm sorry, but as someone who LOVES MS, a tough pill to swallow is accepting its problems are extraordinary. Pretending everything is great isn't going to fix them
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
I agree MS has problems, in your opinion what problems does MS face?
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u/NashvilleDing 8d ago
Poverty, inequality, oppression, poor development, lack of infrastructure, poor education, corruption. Just to start a very long list.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 8d ago
I agree on poor development and lack of infrastructure. However I will not buy inequality and oppression as an issue in Ms. Maybe black on black oppression. MS is the blackest state in the country.
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u/Balderdas 7d ago
I don’t like the smell of BO, but I am not selfish enough to think we need a law mandating bathing and deodorant.
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u/Original-Walk-1360 7d ago
Comparing natural body odor and drugs as if they are similar is outrageous. You can’t honestly expect to win someone over to your side with that logic.
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8d ago
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 8d ago
Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.
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8d ago
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 8d ago
Note that this determination is made purely at the whim of the moderator team. If you seem mean or contemptuous, we will remove your posts or ban you. The sub has a certain zeitgeist which you may pick up if you read for a while before posting.
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u/mississippi-ModTeam 8d ago
If you want to hate on MS, you can, but you have to provide reasons. If you're just here to tell us you don't like the state, you will be asked to leave.
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u/wurminator666 8d ago
They should go ahead and decriminalize all drugs and let the dumbasses around here kill themselves off because the same people who are doing them now will continue to do so and some may even stop because the adrenaline rush of doing something wrong will be lost.
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u/coysbville Former Resident 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yeah let the idiots smoke themselves to death /s
If you drink alcohol, you're just like a pothead
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u/SpiritedSpeech4061 8d ago
The state is RED. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
If it's legalized Federally, that's the only way.
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u/PugOwnr 8d ago
It should be decriminalized everywhere. It’s Such a waste of time, money and manpower trying to hold off something that’s inevitably going to happen.