Adonis Diaries

 What’s your position on legalizing smoking and planting marijuana?

Is there a referendum to take place in your state for legalizing marijuana consumption?

Most probably, the opposing group will show ads of a 12 year-old smoking a joint. The TV programs will portray potheads, clandestine growers and dealers.

The medical aspects will be highlighted with discussions and debates.

Does marijuana affect driving? Like using smart phone while driving? Or being under the influence of alcohol?

Suppose a car accident takes place and the police discover some marijuana in your glove compartment? Even if the accident is none of your fault, this salient issue at this particular period becomes the focus of attention.

“Marijuana kills yet another motorist” could be the caption on a few dailies.

Though the statistical relationship between smoking marijuana and car accidents is almost nil, possessing illegal marijuana becomes the prominent feature, a stand-out attribute.

The same salient effect is attached to the rare women who become CEO in major corporations.

Although no ethnic group is responsible for a disproportionate number of bank robbery, if the police catch Nigerians, Somalians, Porto Ricans… red handed, then the right wing propaganda will have a field day and they want to stop immigration of colored people or Africans or Moslem people…

The same salient effect with rape cases.

Mostly, salient effect is predominant in forecasting: sensational news get the upper hand over the long-term effect or growth, and supersede rational thinking processes.

Slow-to-develop and hidden factors are neglected.

No need to be blinded by irregularities each time.

Focus on the trend and statistical significant facts.

So far, in all Sates and nations were consumption of marijuana was legalized smoking dropped, crimes generated from both gangs and police officers reprisals have dropped… Cost dropped and rendered less attractive to traffic of this drug.

Uruguay legalized planting of marijuana and the crops dropped in quantity. And legalized gay marriages: Have no statistics yet if gay relationship dropped.

Bolivia legalized planting coca leaves and the production dropped. It is in the culture of the indigenous Bolivians to chew on the leaves for endurance sake. Like the qat in Yemen?

The less expensive the product and the lesser its emotional value.

This is the case of current drop of oil prices. It has nothing to do with this crappy equation of demand and supply.

Supply in crude oil is huge and demand is huge: The superpowers have exercised undue influence on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates to continue high output of oil in order for the western superpowers, which accumulated most of the capital, to replenish their depleted reserves under the illusion of potential world conflagration.

The decrease in oil prices is excellent news for the developing countries who have refineries: The deficit will shrink a bit. No refineries? the cost of gas and oil will never drop for the developing countries.

If the price of oil stays low for an extended period, the strategic psychological effect will kick in: Since oil is cheap then its effective value has been lowered emotionally to the common people.

The oil producing countries are shooting themselves in the foot by giving the impression that oil has lost in importance and value.

At least, if the oil producing lower their output for the sake of future generation: Oil is the most important raw material for chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The same process is underway after Obama’s “blood mineral” import prohibition. All rebel movements in the Congo and in Africa rely on exporting raw minerals to sustain their movements.

You might think that this move is to make it harder on the Chinese companies to import from Africa. Wrong. The Chinese use fictitious companies (license produced within 2 days in due forms in Hong Kong) to import blood mineral products.

As it dawn on the rebels that it make sense to lower the prices because of the difficulty for them to export, very soon most raw materials in Africa will drop in prices and the capitalist nations will replenish their depleting reserves.