| #8 There has long been plans by serious companies to manufacture and market quality controlled marijuana cigarettes. However, such cigarettes will need to be "rated", according to strength, and there will be considerable debate about filtration. That is, the first inclination is to filter out "bad" ingredients, as with tobacco; but this may have just the opposite effect in marijuana, filtering out "good" ingredients with positive medical benefits. And *then*, of course, different varieties of marijuana are believed to have different medicinal effects (e.g. 'skunk' weed for macular degeneration). But then, what is your purpose for smoking marijuana? Should it be marketed for specific medical purposes, or as a recreational drug? The "regulation and taxation" problem stems from the belief that there will only be *one* set of regulations and *one* tax, where in fact, many of both may be needed. Last but not least, when marijuana is legalized, we have to assume that there will be all sorts of innovations in "marijuana technology", and in many fields. Intoxicating beverages or inhalants, non-intoxicating herbal supplements containing ingredients not found in hemp, etc. The plant and its substances are very, very useful. |
