Seize marijuana market from criminal class

The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA) ^ | 2/9/2003 | Kevin B. Zeese

[f.Christian]

I misspelled tactics !

[tacticalogic]

I added "want to" accidently in an earlier post. Fortunately the spelling police don't seem to have made it out of the donut shop yet this a.m.

[tacticalogic]

Anybody can see what is publicly posted and decide for themselves what tatics and logic you are using !

They can, but I'm going to point out that it isn't likely to happen with people working actively to get the threads moved here so no one will see them.

[Alf]

Gotta agree with you. Big Bro government should get out of the "parenting" business and just let people drink, smoke, or shoot whatever they want. Pull the rug right out from under the violent drug lords and legalize the stuff! I have access to drugs right now, every day, and you don't see me doing it. If you're going to use it, laws won't stop you. And frankly, I'm sick of paying billions in tax dollars in a futile drug war. Lower my taxes!!!

[Alf]

Thank you for a dose of sanity.

[Alf]

There are no true conservatives left. Reagan and Bush turned them all into mindless fundamentalist Christian totalitarians.

[Alf]

Please, spare the rest of us your religion...

[f.Christian]

What street corner ghetto parking lot country do come from ?

[dark_lord]

Perhaps you haven't notice, but you folks have been posting the same old tired crap every day for years now and absolutely nothing has changed...except in Canada.

That depends on your perspective on "change". Since 1973, 12 state legislatures -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon -- have enacted versions of marijuana decriminalization. In each of these states, marijuana users no longer face jail time (nor in most cases, arrest or criminal records) for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana.

My beef with the WOD related to marijuana is primarily that the feds should butt out of a states rights issue (10th amendment.) I am strongly constitutionalist - thus I support getting rid of leftist activist judges, for example. I see this as a constitutional issue, not that different than the 2nd amendment.

My secondary beef with the WOD related to pot is the cost. It is pretty damn expensive to put the officers on the street, hold trials (clogging the judicial system), putting people in prison (clogging the damn prisons), and losing the taxes and economic services of those imprisoned from the economy. Bottom line is that it it costs a bunch (about $7.5 Billion per year) to handle all of this. I would prefer the resources to be allocated elsewhere - like tighting up the southern border big time.

And no, I don't smoke. Smoking is bad for you and rots the lungs. That said, I don't care if someone else wants to rot their own lungs. And if they die at 65 from lung cancer instead of draining medical services for years and then dying at 90, well then I guess it save us tax money there also (cuts down on medicare/medicaid and social security.)

[CWOJackson]

I really have no pains with the person who has a small amount for personal use as long as they don't abuse it. Even in most states where it is illegal that's just a misdemeanor.

My beef with pot comes with those who produce to sell, those who distribute for profit, those who would abuse any real medical benefit it has for "other" purposes or try to hide behind "medical" use laws.

Beyond pot I have even less tolerance. When it comes to the manufacture and distribution of hard drugs I have no sympathy at all and would prefer to see the penalties far harsher then they currently are.

[MrLeRoy]

Thank you for a dose of sanity.

I do what I can.

[Alf]

What??? Can you explain that comment? It's completely out in left field...

[f.Christian]

What street corner ghetto parking lot country (( ozarks )) do you come from ?

[Alf]

I guess I'll have to come right out and ask - what part of the policy recommendation do you disagree with? Please let all of us know.

[f.Christian]

Please, spare the rest of us your religion...