A “War on Drugs” is not winnable. We’ve already proved prohibition does not work.

Why do we try to fool ourselves into thinking it will this time?

The list can go on and on.

I don’t think the government should tell us what we can and can’t do, but rather should punish those that endanger public safety or violate some else’s privacy or rights.

#25-I would not say that I defend everyone’s usage of the plant, but rather I would defend anyone’s RESPONSIBLE USE of the plant. That being said, people should be held accountable if they do stupid things under the influence. And while I agree that smoking and driving probably is actually less dangerous than drinking and driving (in terms of impaired reactions and CNS depression), I think driving under the influence of any drug is not a very bright thing to do (even many prescription meds).

“But I will say it is an abomination that a law passed based on lies, bribes and public propagandizing still stands and is enforced.”
Well put D! And I would further add that the road to decriminalization/legalization is more hampered by the government anti-marijuana propaganda than anything else (but is still shouldn’t be avaiable to minors). But the government can’t be made to look like it was wrong in this case, for it is much easier for them to take away wholesale freedoms instead of expanding personal freedom. Let the states decide then, as is happening in many places. Hold a referendum, see what the people really think.

http://www.hempfood.com/IHA/iha01206.html

Further I’m not going to defend everyone’s usage of the plant, but I must say I’m saddened by the half freedoms we offer in this country (only being able to legally enjoy European vices). It does different things for different people since it is not blindly poison your liver to speed your metabolism. But I will say it is an abomination that a law passed based on lies, bribes and public propagandizing still stands and is enforced. Good day.

D

#8- I’ve always been interested in the impact of decriminalization vs. legalization. But in Maryland, marijuana is still the #5 CASH CROP, even though use ALONE in Maryland is prohibited by law. Either enforcement turns a blind eye to it, or, more likely, it is not easily enforceable.

If legalization would occur (probably not in my lifetime), it would of course be decriminalized first. But stating that marijuana shouldn’t be as readily available as tobacco or alcohol is an odd statement. In my neck of the woods, it is very prevalent (I’ll admit it, I first smoked when I was 13), in fact MORE readily available to teens than cigarettes or alcohol. And personally, I really think out of the three you mentioned, marijuana is the least evil. How many deaths and medical problems are caused by alcohol and cigarettes yearly on a national scale as compared to marijuana? Used responsibly, I think marijuana is the least harmful. I think most of the stigma from marijuana comes from the fact that people who have never tried it don’t know anything about it, and that a large amount of smokers give it a bad rep. Still, you see nothing like the numbers of irresponsible people who die of lung cancer from cigarettes (trust me, I know firsthand cigarettes are addictive) or drink and drive. Marijuana also doesn’t have the same type of physiological addiction nicotine or alcohol has, and the argument that it is a gateway drug is fallacious, because a responsible person should be able to differentiate between smoking marijuana and smoking crack or injecting heroin. Of course, you put anything that alters perception (even alcohol) with someone unstable or not able to control themselves and bad things will happen.

I still think that legalization will be an unfettered reality in the future, because enforcement is nigh, well, unenforceable. My thoughts? Legalize (private use at least, in your household), ratchet up penalties for DUI and providing to minors, tax it, and remove the counterculture and stigma. I’ve always thought the biggest downside of marijuana was and is the persecution and paranoia caused by the illegality of it; the fact that it forces otherwise law-abiding citizens to hide in the shadows. Unlike alcohol, which is never seen as being as harmful, which is really beyond me (c’mon, ever go to $1 night at a bar? Watch how many people drive home).

Oh well, guess that one can’t change history, but I can always make suggestions for the future. Here’s hoping one day logic will win out.

This story has fallen off the bottom of the page so I’m not sure if my typing here is going to be worthwhile, but…

I am sympathetic to your point, but… We don’t ban hunting rifles, meat cleavers or baseball bats because someone could commit murder with one. Since the AMA won’t say pot is dangerous and past surgeon generals won’t say it is dangerous and only right wing crackpots will say its dangerous then it isn’t dangerous. Let it be a commodity product.

As for the driving test, you can determine that someone is inebriated and there are reasonable tests and indications that can help… but you are right, there is not currently a test that could withstand legal muster that will say “you are stoned right now” short of being caught with the roach in your hand.

As long as the paternal powers that be insist on pursuing this failed policy, there won’t be a test. Such a test would remove a roadblock to legalization (assuming we broke through the roadblocks to logical and reasonable policy in the first place).

I’m not a doctor. But I am very sure that test can be developed that will be able to do for pot what a breathalizer does for alcohol, and it needs to be developed. But we must also realize that responsible pot use means not driving and having all your ho-ho’s and pop tarts stocked up before you light up. Pot smokers aren’t the crazy nuts of Reefer Madness – pot alone doesn’t relieve you of all self control – we need to start saying that in this society, adults may be allowed to make adult decisions.

NOTE: I’m assuming the pot to be a contributing influence in the accident.

Alcohol
Diesal fuel
Methane
clothing
Feed for animals.

They WONT legalize it, UNTIL they can control it. So that 1 CORP can say…No you cant have any.

Comment by Mark — 9/8/2006 @ 1:23 pm

I really wish I had room for a pool table in my apartment.

You know, driving under the influence is a crime whether the drug is legal or not, and getting a quarter bag of pot isn’t exactly a difficult task if one is sufficiently motivated. The law isn’t stopping people from smoking.

Legal or not, the hypothetical bus driver in post #15 is stoned if he wants to be, and if he is, a very stiff penalty involving real jail time is in order – not for getting high, but for getting high and endangering the lives of the children on the bus and other drivers on the road. Intoxicated driving is, if you ask me, an offense that is not met with harsh enough punishment in this country.

But marijuana itself needs to be legalized. It needs to be legalized, controlled like hard liquor, taxed to hell and back, and sold under strict controls. Big tobacco may be an evil industry, but its a huge employer and tax generator… Give them pot. They can produce a pack of mariuana cigarettes for a buck, sell it for 10 times the profit they make on their staple product, and the government (state and federal) can apply taxes that get it up to 40, 50, maybe even $60… and I doubt the public would object to the pricing and the revenue would go a long way to reducing our national debt and who knows what else good can be done…

“Oh but you’re talking about making drugs legal!” Damn straight. It isn’t a moral call. There is no point in legislating this sort of morality. And I don’t think smoking pot is immoral anyway. It’s a pragmatic call. Will people smoke pot? Yes. Is pot dangerous like herion or crack? No. In fact, aside from the fact that you smoke it like a cigarette, there is no danger at all and anyone who says otherwise is lying. The facts are the facts. Legalize it and profit from it at both the corporate and governmental level.

Who says liberals are anti-capitalism?

By the way, according to an interesting book, “The Botany of Desire”, most commercial grade cultivation has been driven indoors anyways. Apparently, you can produce several pounds of kick-ass weed on a surface about the size of a pool table. Put that in your bong and smoke it.

I hear you and I confess, my thinking has changed over the years. Tell me though, would you like the driver for your kid’s school bus to be stoned out of his gourd on pot while bringing your kid home? Or how about the driver of that 18 wheeler loaded with caustic lye coming up to the train tracks you are stopped at. Or,… go ahead, pick a scenario. It might not happen every day, but who would want this to happen any day. With alcohol we can do breathalysers, but I am unaware of any test to determine if someone is stoned on pot.

But I don’t think someone should end up with a criminal record for life just because they are caught with an ounce or two. Or three. And yes, pot should be made available to anyone that benefits medically.

I have done my share of pot smoking (the H. stands for Herb) and brownie munching in my time. And at anytime I would rather sit around with a bunch of friends smoking then drinking.