Getting Stoned In Belize

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Canibul

The variety of attitudes here is amazing. and sometimes pretty entertaining.

it's almost enough to get me to drinking solvents again.

Naaaah. Even though it's legal.

I was curious, however, about those guys who follow the accepted behaviours wherever they are in the world. For example, what would you be doing in a country where nobody gets upset about using hashish/marijuana/opium.....but will come down real, real hard on you for possession of alcohol?

thinking more about it, I was thinking about those who would control what another is using for whatever reason. I know that if I am driving home late at night, and see another vehicle coming toward me on a two lane road, and the choice is whether he has been drinking solvents or inhaling a herb.....my choice is pretty easy on that one.

If he's drunk my life is in danger. If he's stoned....only my Cheetos.

Quote #I was curious, however, about those guys who follow the accepted behaviours wherever they are in the world. For example, what would you be doing in a country where nobody gets upset about using hashish/marijuana/opium.....but will come down real, real hard on you for possession of alcohol?#

Not rocket science, abide by nil alcohol however my personal choice would stand an i would not touch drugs....

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by chantler

P.S. Our local friends said they could carry all the weed or hash they could handle and never be bothered. Police only went after the tourists, back then anyway.

That is pretty much a habit of law enforcement everywhere. "Only the Proles are free", George Orwell

It is MUCH more profitable to arrest a guy with money.

By the way Tzatiki sauce is good.

As cruisers we are guests in whatever country we visit, and representatives both of our home country, and other cruisers. If you want to go to your home, and do whatever you want legal or not, go ahead, I don't care.

But let some cruisers start the reputation already started by "drug tourists", who travel to other countries to do things not legal in their own country, and all of us will get the reputation by proxy.

It is bad enough that we already take resources from officials hired to check in comercial vessels, but now they will have even more reason to harrasse us if cruisers have the reputation of adding to the less desirable elements of their society.

Whether of not drugs are legal, or should be legal is not the point or the question. It is about behavior. We don't have any say or reason to say what laws another country has. Nor do they welcome the interference by outsiders.

I believe drugs should be legal, not because I think abusive drug use is good, but because the war on drugs is a failure. In any society there has always been something people do during their off time for recreation. In many instances it is a mind altering substance of some kind or another. Often in conjunction with a religious experience.

It does not benefit any society, if the majority of working age men and women are sitting around getting high, intead of contributing to their society. All civizations that have focussed on recreational drug use are no more. ALL drugs, including alchohol disrupt the pleasure response system in the brain. It is much easier to drink or smoke something than lets say get the satisfaction of building a house. The result everyone is sitting around stoned, and no one is building anything. Doubt me? Take a good look around any third world country, or now any inner city.

If your children were instead of helpng mend nets, or rethatch the roofs were sitting around getting high with a bunch of tourists, (regardless of who brought the weed), I'll bet you would be a little upset also.

It is not out place to fix their problems, but it is also not our place to add to them.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

That is pretty much a habit of law enforcement everywhere. "Only the Proles are free", George Orwell

It is MUCH more profitable to arrest a guy with money.

By the way Tzatiki sauce is good.

As cruisers we are guests in whatever country we visit, and representatives both of our home country, and other cruisers. If you want to go to your home, and do whatever you want legal or not, go ahead, I don't care.

But let some cruisers start the reputation already started by "drug tourists", who travel to other countries to do things not legal in their own country, and all of us will get the reputation by proxy.

It is bad enough that we already take resources from officials hired to check in comercial vessels, but now they will have even more reason to harrasse us if cruisers have the reputation of adding to the less desirable elements of their society.

Whether of not drugs are legal, or should be legal is not the point or the question. It is about behavior. We don't have any say or reason to say what laws another country has. Nor do they welcome the interference by outsiders.

I believe drugs should be legal, not because I think abusive drug use is good, but because the war on drugs is a failure. In any society there has always been something people do during their off time for recreation. In many instances it is a mind altering substance of some kind or another. Often in conjunction with a religious experience.

It does not benefit any society, if the majority of working age men and women are sitting around getting high, intead of contributing to their society. All civizations that have focussed on recreational drug use are no more. ALL drugs, including alchohol disrupt the pleasure response system in the brain. It is much easier to drink or smoke something than lets say get the satisfaction of building a house. The result everyone is sitting around stoned, and no one is building anything. Doubt me? Take a good look around any third world country, or now any inner city.

If your children were instead of helpng mend nets, or rethatch the roofs were sitting around getting high with a bunch of tourists, (regardless of who brought the weed), I'll bet you would be a little upset also.

It is not out place to fix their problems, but it is also not our place to add to them.

+1 Well said.

[sww914]

Religion, politics, anchoring, cat vs mono, potsmoking.
Wow.

[Wotname]

Incredible, 94+ posts in 16 or so hours.... might even be a CF record????

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Incredible, 94+ posts in 16 or so hours.... might even be a CF record????

not even close!

[jeffknox]

Yup... nothing better than a spirited debate sparked by posting a humorous event on vacation

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

Not alot of herb chat here on CF, Maybe we need a grower tips thread. People usually fall into two camps on this issue.

A) I like it. I don't use but don't care.
I'm not offended. I don't beleive the lies
Alcohol is worse why is it illegal.
Adult's are smart and can make
decisions themselves.
OR

B) You people are breaking the law.
Crack, Meth, and pot are all the same.
Even suggesting its ok makes you evil.
The Gov'ment knows best and how
dare you think freely.
Medical marijauna and climate change
are a hoax.

I really love a good lamb burger.
Little curry, cumin, and black pepper
a layer of roasted zuchini and squash
fresh mint tzatiki sauce....mmm

Yeah, cos none of us have carefully considered views, somewhere between the two positions.

[Cheechako]

I just dont get the attraction. Smoked a lot of it in the 60's-70's, tried a couple times since. As far as I can tell it's for people who need to alter themselves to have fun. I have a better time being clear headed. Even though I smoked on the SF Courthouse steps etc back then, today I agree it should be illegal. Seen too many friends just slowly go down, down, down who smoke it several times a day. Surprised the Government doesnt promote it though, keeps all those people in a daze so they can get away with whatever they want. (guess I havent lost the revolutionary spirit without the weed!)

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

You also got me curious…. since I only remember it from magazine articles and events during the early 80’s when I was doing a lot of yacht deliveries.

What was important was that as Captain, you were advised to make each crew member read and sign a prepared statement that you supported the ‘war on drugs’ and would turn in any crew member found in possession…

....Otherwise US-Customs could still seize the boat even if you claimed you knew nothing about it and . They were very aggressive about it at the beginning

I still do that today as a form of policy and legal protection.

Happened to find this historical reference:
Zero Tolerance Summary | BookRags.com

Zero Tolerance and U.S. Drug Control Policy
Originally, zero tolerance was a federal drug policy begun during the War on Drugs campaign of the Reagan and Bush administrations (1981–1993). This policy was designed to prohibit the transfer of illicit drugs across U.S. borders. No possession, import, or export of illegal drugs was to be tolerated, and possession of any measurable amount of illegal drugs was subject to all available civil and criminal punishments. Zero tolerance was an example of a criminal justice approach to drug control. In this approach, the criminal justice system is responsible for the control of drugs, and the use of drugs is regarded as a criminal act.
Under the zero-tolerance policy, law-enforcement agents target users of illegal drugs rather than dealers or transporters. Zero-tolerance advocates argue that users create the demand for drugs and are therefore the root cause of the drug problem. A zero-tolerance policy is based on the idea that, if demand for drugs can be curbed by harshly punishing users, the supply of drugs flowing into the country will decrease.
The U.S. Customs Service, together with the U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego, California, initiated the zero-tolerance policy as part of an effort to stop drug trafficking across the U.S.-Mexican border. Individuals in possession of illegal drugs were arrested and charged with both a misdemeanor and a felony offense. Customs Service officials believed the policy was successful at reducing the flow of drugs across the border and recommended that it be put to use nationwide. Subsequently, the National Drug Policy Board, together with the White House Conference on a Drug-Free America, had all federal drug-enforcement agencies adopt the zero-tolerance policy in 1988, at all points of entry into the United States.
The policy did not require that new laws or regulations be enacted. Instead, it required strict interpretation and enforcement of existing laws. In practice, it meant that if any amount of drugs was found on any type of vehicle, including bicycles, transfer trucks, and yachts, the vehicle would be seized and the passengers arrested. The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs Service began to crack down on all cases of drug possession on the water and at all borders. If, during the course of their regular patrols and inspections, Coast Guard personnel boarded a vessel and found one marijuana cigarette, or even the remnants of a marijuana cigarette, they arrested the individual and seized the boat. Previously, the Coast Guard had either looked the other way or issued fines when personal-use quantities of illegal substances were discovered.

Nice info...but typical pieced together reference material.

The truth was back when it all started...there was zero telerance at all levels...but the reality was too few LEO's too many smugglers and users.

So what happened at the enforcement level? Planning targeted easy/large smuggling ops....or if a LEO just got lucky and stumbled across personal possesion/use. Laws passed covered every sort of drug use...but enforcement was WAY behind.

How do I know? I was the aviation law enforcement guy at USCG Air Station Miami from 1981-18983. By early 1983 I was picked to brief senior USCG officials on the tactics, equipment and future of the USCG's role in the drug war.

There was little or no talk of targeting "yachts" for drug smuggling let alone personal amounts. Why? hell we couldn't keep up with the siezure and arrests of frieghters full of MJ and fishing vessels so full that the crews sat and slept on the bales because the boats had their interiors stripped. When on patrol...we could smell the rotting MJ long before we could even see some of these boats.

Were people arrested and yachts siezed during the early years? You bet...some people bragged so much about getting away weith it...I think we targeted them just to shut them up about how stupid us LEOs were.

Even the foreign governments were hot and cold when to support the war or not...so throughout the Caribbean..you had to be careful how you came across to anyone...now? I have no idea...but I can speak for back then.

So yes the USCG had you post your zero telerance stickers on boats with licensed captains and crews...but to say zero tolerance at the yacht level was a big deal would be a bit of a stretch...just not enough resources then or probably even now.

The difference? Back then you had to tear apart a boat to find a stash...now a wipe of a pad like your laptop at an airport will get you detained.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by jeffknox

Hey kids, just wanted to let everyone know the guy was not Belizian, he was Middle Eastern though he may be naturalized.

Great.

Thanks.

Just when everybody had others neatly boxed and labeled.

Now we have to re-evaluate again and find more pigeon holes.

Thanks a lot.

[Freerider]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

Do you know how many people have been murdered in Mexico over Marijuana/drugs? [/url]

They are murdered over money.

Make pot illegal and the prices go up, make the punishments harsh, and watch the prices go even higher. When you can pour water on a plant and it becomes worth almost as much as gold, people will do it. When millions of $$ are on the table people will kill for it.

Its really not hard to figure out.

I find some of these comments interesting, where I live smoking pot is almost as common as drinking coffee.

[jeffknox]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Great.

Thanks.

Just when everybody had others neatly boxed and labeled.

Now we have to re-evaluate again and find more pigeon holes.

Thanks a lot.

Wow

[sww914]

You know, I haven't smoked since I was a kid, don't need it.
At one time my wife's health problems looked like some medical herb might help, so we discussed it. She had never smoked anything in her life, she asked me where in the world could we possibly get it, so I listed for her which friends of ours could bring some right over.
S- business owner, surf shop
A- musician
P- insurance broker
F- business owner, body shop
R- business owner, racecars
D- auto technician
R- winery owner
J- artist
M- my uncle
B- neighbor
D- breast pump manufacturer
M- motel owner
J- graphic artist
S- non- profit director
B- lawyer
B- engineer
R- business owner, fitness machines

I could have had some delivered to my house for free within 10 minutes if I had asked.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by conachair

So does not smoking at all if you look at some of the posts on this thread.

Last time i was offered I did indeed politely decline. Mind you, it was several hundred kilos high up in the mountains in Morocco. Even if they were much more worried about you leaving with people there rather than some of their cash crops onboard.

Best avoided onboard for sure.

Which is a shame, as far as the effects go it's much more suited to cruising than alcohol.

Not a prude or judgmental, but anyone sailing under the influence of anything is a danger in my mind.