A consumer thread

Every state that has legalized it has seen a downturn ... more crime, more homelessness. Colorado, Mass ... falling apart.

A line was drawn long ago - weed, heroin, hash, coke - all of it should be illegal.
I like facts rather than speculation:

Research priorities identified by Fischer and his colleagues (Fischer et al., 2021) call for more studies examining the potential legalization-related spillover effects on property crime and violent crime. Studies in the US documenting the effects of cannabis legalization over the last decade show that while there may have been immediate increases in crime observed in some states [Oregon and Colorado (Freisthler et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2021)] and a significant decrease in others [e.g., Washington State (Dragone et al., 2019)], there have been no long-term shifts in crime rates overall [cf. (Lu et al., 2021; Maier et al., 2017)].
" The present study corroborates these findings with Canadian data demonstrating that there is no evidence of associations between cannabis legalization and changes in subsequent patterns of property or violent crimes among male or female youth."

I love my freedoms which is why I'm on this site instead of another one. I'm free, white and over 21 and I make my own choices . Fuck the government telling me what I can and can't do as long as I'm not hurting anyone.
 
Every state that has legalized it has seen a downturn ... more crime, more homelessness. Colorado, Mass ... falling apart.

A line was drawn long ago - weed, heroin, hash, coke - all of it should be illegal.
I think there is correlation but that's because of the politics that got them there, not because weed specifically is legal. More gun control, more crime, more illegals and welfare, more liberal judges who are soft on crime, methadone clinics, etc. Now there is a difference between being decriminalized and "legal", see Maine for example where most of the legal weed is grown by Chinese cartels. It sure as shit should be decriminalized everywhere, but the government can't let an opportunity to tax the shit out of it, and certainly commit fraud while bankrupting every home-grower who sold it to his friends for a bit of extra cash.
 
If you try arguing that weed is not bad, you've already lost the argument. If you try arguing "but booze" you've already lost the argument. The argument for legalization is the freedom argument, a/k/a it's neither the Fedgov's business nor in its authority. That argument has the benefit of being both correct and persuasive.
 
As for the "but crime" argument of those who would keep it legal, "but crime" can be used against pretty much anything. It's so overused that it's meaningless. It's nothing really different than "if it saves one life!".
 
Stop shopping at Wegman's:

Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets, according to new signage posted at the chain's Manhattan and Brooklyn locations earlier this month.

Anyone entering the store could have data on their face, eyes and voices collected and stored by the Rochester-headquartered supermarket chain. The information is used to "protect the safety and security of our patrons and employees," according to the signage. The new scanning policy is an expansion of a 2024 pilot.

The chain had initially said that the scanning system was only for a small group of employees and promised to delete any biometric data it collected from shoppers during the pilot rollout. The new notice makes no such assurances...

NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
 
I'm hoping that's not just a pilot program and that it stops at those stores. that store is amazing.


The surveillance state, public and private, will keep growing unless we slap it down. Frankly, Wegman's probably needs to get put out of business as a warning to others.
 
In development, and probably going to be difficult to make it worth the money, at least at first, but the idea is interesting, IMO, to say the least:


Dan and Jenny Berens stood before a room full of judges at Gillette College’s Old Main Presentation Hall, defending an invention born from a simple frustration: The daily demands of backyard chickens.

The Sheridan couple had eight minutes to make their case for the Hen Hub, a smart-home system that automates chicken coop care. Then came the questions.

“It was a little bit intimidating,” said Dan Berens, recalling the event back in November. “People … they didn’t hold back as far as criticisms and wanting to answer hard questions about how it would work or who would buy it.”...

How Sheridan Couple Invented An Automated 'Smart' Coop For Backyard Chickens
 
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