Posted on 03/08/2012 8:30:25 AM PST by AnTiw1
Of the many roles Pat Robertson has assumed over his five-decade-long career as an evangelical leader - including presidential candidate and provocative voice of the right wing - his newest guise may perhaps surprise his followers the most: marijuana legalization advocate.
"I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol," Mr. Robertson said in an interview on Wednesday. "I've never used marijuana and I don't intend to, but it's just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn't succeeded."
(Excerpt) Read more at mobile.nytimes.com ...
"I believe in working with the hearts of people, and not locking them up," he said.
WOW....another Paul-sey druggy.
I would do the same thing. It used to be legal. It is a waste of time and resources to put teens or adults in jail. If they want to be idiots, I don’t care.
It’s a surprise, but Mr. Robertson is right, and I agree with him. We’ve got bigger problems than pot dealers right now. The FedGov would get far more revenue, and far less criminal activity, if they would just put marijuana enforcement under the BATFE, and legalize the drug. Tax the living snot out of it — like maybe 10x the taxes on tobacco — but not so much that the stoners can’t buy it.
I’ve never smoked marijuana, nor do I plan to, but I agree that it should be legalized and treated like alcohol....Do we ban alcohol just because some people can’t handle it? I would also however, allow employers to test for it and they should have the right to fire or not to hire those who do use.
I’m starting to agree with the idea. If it were taxed, for once liberals would be getting the tax increase.
The war on drugs is an bottomless money pit that I am tired of seeing my tax money shoveled into.
Psalm 37:30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.
Psalm 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.
Well if you think there’s a war on drugs now...just wait until the government has a skin in the game.
Oh here we go, all the Ron Paul pro pot guys are on the way.
No, another anti-drug citizen who realizes the war on drugs is far more damaging to non-users than users & suppliers. The war on drugs is lost; stop with the prolific collateral damage already.
Yep, he's been in deep cover for the past several decades.
Is Pat Robertson a Ron Paul pro pot guy?
Not pro-pot. Pro-rights, anti-excessive-taxation. Don’t like the consequences of legalization, but the consequences of prohibition are much worse. Dopers still have no trouble getting dope, but I have to be treated “guilty until proven innocent” in a host of non-dope-related normal activities (transferring nontrivial cash, buying Sudafed, etc), I have to pay high taxes for the ineffectual cause of dope prohibition, and innocent lives are destroyed by the inevitable mistakes & collateral damage of stopping those who won’t be stopped.
If dope prohibition worked, great do it. But it doesn’t, and allowance is not as bad as prohibition.
Sometimes ya gotta pick the lesser of two evils. Choosing the greater evil because the lesser evil is evil is stupid.
Given a choice, I'll side with them over so-called "conservatives" who gladly advocate the Government telling people, under threat of force, what they cannot put into their bodies.
I used to be against it before I was for it. I totally agree. Everyone should get high now and then. Its so harmless as an occasional chill out while playing chess and drinking scotch with good friends.
Not pro-pot. Anti no knock raids. Right now you’re in more danger from the WOD than you ever word from drugs. The biggest drug “related” danger we all face now is the cops misreading an address on their warrant and kicking our door in, we react the way any sane person would react to unidentified people kicking our door in and they shoot us. The great irony of course being that in this day and age drug enforcement cops seem less capable of finding the right address than pizza delivery guys who are usually on drugs.
It’s amazing how hypocritical lbertaians can be.
One minute they are flaming away at RoPaul and Pat Robertson, the next - they are in agreement with them.
It’s very simple. We should not surrender to Mexico. We should continue to fight the WOD.
We shoulld tell all libertarians to put down that bong and shut up.
Cannabis can precipitate the first episode of psychosis If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition. There is increasing evidence that regular cannabis use precedes and causes higher rates of psychotic illness. Psychotic illnesses are characterised by: Delusions – for example, the person believes they have special powers. Hallucinations – for example, the person hears voices or sees things that aren’t really there. Thought disorder – for example, the person has difficulty organising their thoughts. When people experience psychotic symptoms, they are unable to distinguish what is real. They lose contact with reality.
The fact that there’s no reduction in drug use shows why the WOD is a failure, we’re 40 years into this thing and everything it was supposed to make not happen still happens at least as often. And unlike those other “wars” you mention this one treat all Americans like criminals. Bought sudafed lately? Hope you didn’t buy too much, the DEA could be paying you a visit, with a full SWAT team kicking in your door and searching your home refusing to present you the warrant until they’re done. All because the WOD says hay fever is a crime.
One minute they are flaming away at RoPaul and Pat Robertson,
I've never flamed away at them.
the next - they are in agreement with them.
Have you ever agreed with Pat Robertson? If so, does disagreeing with him now make you hypocritical?
Sure looks like it doesn’t it...
Oh yeah that would do it.
What about the hard drugs?
One minute they are flaming away at RoPaul and Pat Robertson, the next - they are in agreement with them.
I's amazing how hypocritical some "conservatives" can be.
One minute they are advocating for small government, the next they are cheering on the government to control what people put in their bodies.
keep on smokin' it....
Haven't for many years - nor used the drug alcohol.
an make sure your kids toke away too....
Should we ban alcohol so kids won't use it?
Actually, since kids report that they can now get marijuana more easily than cigarettes or beer, it follows that the best way to restict their access to drugs is to make them legal for adults only (thus giving those who sell to adults a disincentive to sell to kids - namely, the loss of their legal adult market).
Cannabis can precipitate the first episode of psychosis If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition. There is increasing evidence that regular cannabis use precedes and causes higher rates of psychotic illness.
Source? Not everything you find on the Internet is true, y'know.
Psychotic illnesses are characterised by: Delusions – for example, the person believes they have special powers. Hallucinations – for example, the person hears voices or sees things that aren’t really there. Thought disorder – for example, the person has difficulty organising their thoughts. When people experience psychotic symptoms, they are unable to distinguish what is real. They lose contact with reality.
Sounds like the last time I got drunk.
I agree with you about the war on poverty, which should also be stopped immediately.
People who are going to do bad things are going to do bad things. I would take a wild guess and say that most of the car crashes were not caused by reefer but by alcohol. Go to an AA meeting sometime.
The reality is that prohibition of substances like alcohol and drugs only creates more crime. Here’s a fact — there are drugs available in every prison in America.
If someone crashes a car under the influence, lock them up.
Punish bad behavior. Punish behavior and actions that deny other people their rights, property, or lives.
That’s the difference between most of your list and the legalization of drugs.
You have actually seen people od on weed? I have actually never heard of this.
In Lancaster County, PA there is a town called Hempfield. The local high school is Hempfield High (no pun iontended). That name goes back Colonial days. Guess what they used to grow there....legally.
during WWII, four-H kids grew it for the war effort.
Already being done in my profession.
Sure looks like it doesn’t it...
No, to any sane person it looks like a deeply Christian man of conservative inclinations has after long thought and observation come to grips with the limits of governmental social engineering and the law of unintended consequences.
Of course, "any sane person" lets out any Drug Warrior I've ever encountered, on or off FR.
I have no problem with legalizing it as well, but remember; Once you do that they the left is going to demand legalizing everything else like meth and crack which should please Nancy Pelosi to no end being that she could then openly display her addiction.
Seig Heil!
Inhaling a little too much jackboot polish today, comrade?
But where do we stop because the same arguments can be made for more dangerous drugs and they will be.
That's because the lethal dose of THC is so large you'd have to smoke 240 joints in a row to get there.
But no claim is too ridiculous for a Drug Warrior to make with a straight face.
Well, they say only Nixon could go to China…
"this war on drugs just hasn't succeeded."
Pity he will not accept the implications of his own logic and go beyond marijuana.
Gee. I touched a nerve, didn’t I?
OK, I give you permission to torch up just one more bowl. But... I will remind you this is a conservative site. If you are into drugs, you really should keep quiet.
I see the light now.
A 14 year old should be free to ingest all the LSD he wants...
Yes I am a “so called” conservative...
Thank God there are many more like me...
Well then bong hits for everyone...
Alcohol has already set the precedent for legalizing dangerous drugs. For each drug in each state, the will of the majority will prevail as it should. (Since recent polls show a majority of Americans in favor of legalizing pot, by tying that issue to legalizing harder drugs you may actually be promoting the latter.)
Just like a WOD supporter, ignore the facts go for the insults. Thus admitting the facts don’t support you.
Do you put “it” in your body?
No? Why not? Is it because it’s unhealthy and dangerous?
So. YOU know better than to use drugs, but are perfectly fine with our government allowing others to become enslaved to the problems of drugs abuse.
Pathretic.
While you’re here spewing such libertarian crap, why not tell us how prostitutiion should be legal also?
Not quite. I ingest alcohol, a very dangerous drug. I've also used marijuana in the past, just like Newt, Clarence Thomas, etc.
Let’s see.....legalize it and really tax it.....the Mexican drug lords will undercut the price of the legal stuff and we just increase the number of psychotic people.....what do I care if people use it?......it would be nice to live on an island with no other people, but we do have all those messy other human beings around and I don’t need any more psychotic people in this country thank-you very much.....the punishment hasn’t stopped people from using it.....hmmmm......let’s not punish anything then, we’ll just surrender and line up for al qaeda to shoot us.....in order for democracy to work, the citizens must have courage.....illegal drug users are cowards.....if you want to know why this country keeps electing fast-talking Democrat thieves, well, have another toke and maybe the answer will come to you.....I’m tired of all the lazy, stupid and chicken illegal drug users in this nation.....you want to end the illegal drug problem?...here’s how......Hey! Illegal drug users! Face reality! It’s not going away no matter how much weed you smoke. And as for those of you who want to legalize it so your pot is cheaper or because you want the profits off the misery of others or because you don’t care about the miserable wretch illegal drug users......well.....fuck you.
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