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Give Pot a Chance
N. Y. Times ^ | 11-22-2012 | TIMOTHY EGAN

Posted on 11/28/2012 12:57:41 PM PST by Renfield

SEATTLE – In two weeks, adults in this state will no longer be arrested or incarcerated for something that nearly 30 million Americans did last year. For the first time since prohibition began 75 years ago, recreational marijuana use will be legal; the misery-inducing crusade to lock up thousands of ordinary people has at last been seen, by a majority of voters in this state and in Colorado, for what it is: a monumental failure.

That is, unless the Obama administration steps in with an injunction, as it has threatened to in the past, against common sense. For what stands between ending this absurd front in the dead-ender war on drugs and the status quo is the federal government. It could intervene, citing the supremacy of federal law that still classifies marijuana as a dangerous drug....

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Agriculture; Government; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: cannabis; drugs; drugwar; liberalagenda; marijuana; prodope; surrendermonkeys; surrenderwod; warondrugs; wod; wodlist; wosd
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To: Renfield

I’ve seen how pot affects pot addicts. I’ve already given it a chance.


21 posted on 11/28/2012 1:39:45 PM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: bassmaner

The same ATF that regulates taxes on ciggies and juice will find it in their powers to go after you. Sleep tight.


22 posted on 11/28/2012 1:42:01 PM PST by a fool in paradise (America 2013 - STUCK ON STUPID)
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To: bassmaner

Pretty impressive rant there. Totally void of truth and logic, but when does any liberal use truth and logic. They just resort to name calling.

Face it. You are in the (wrong) minority here. This is a pro-God, pro-Family site. You and dopers like you are not welcome.


23 posted on 11/28/2012 1:43:24 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Responsibility2nd

One doesn’t have to be a doper to realize that the state level is where this issue should be decided, and one must be on some brain-deadening substance to claim that the Constitution gives the Feds the authority to ban intoxicants in intra-state commerce.


24 posted on 11/28/2012 1:45:00 PM PST by Daveinyork (."Trusting government with power and money is like trusting teenaged boys with whiskey and car keys,)
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To: dainbramaged

“All we are saying . . . is give pot a chance”. (Sung to Give Peace a Chance).


25 posted on 11/28/2012 1:45:44 PM PST by BipolarBob (Never lick a gift horse in the mouth.)
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To: Resolute Conservative

Did Noah’s trees grow in the shape of an ark?


26 posted on 11/28/2012 1:47:38 PM PST by Mogger (Independence, better fuel economy and performance with American made synthetic oil.)
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To: Renfield

Give pot a chance? Why not give lung cancer or COPD an equal chance? Inhaling tar and burning paper into healthy lungs is just plain stupid.


27 posted on 11/28/2012 1:48:36 PM PST by The_Media_never_lie (Actually, they lie when it suits them! The crooked MS media must be defeated any way it can be done!)
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To: FerociousRabbit

Pig crap et. al. - things I never go around. Cigar smokers come around and I start hacking and coughing toward them. If I have to have their sh_t in the air, they get mine. Every one so far has moved on.

I have been around my share of stoners and some where smart guys in their teens early 20’s and now sound worse than NObama when he talks. Stuttering all over the place, physical appearance has changed, cannot remember their own phone number etc...

It costs me money in the sense dopers that cannot pay for whether it is legal or not will steal. Healthcare issues ( and yes I feel the same about drunks ). Little Johnny (12-40 years old stoners) at home whose parents won’t give him the money to buy due to their beliefs will go and steal, usually from parents but others as well.

I am all for states deciding, that way those that like it can move there and I can live elsewhere. The drug laws should be by states, the downside/upside is every state will be different just like gun laws so don’t bring your dope to my state.

My point is this will not stop in the northwest it will pushed outward in the name of the libertarian stance “don’t tell me what to do” and the democrat stance of whatever is morally okay.


28 posted on 11/28/2012 1:49:13 PM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: Resolute Conservative
Did the plants bloom in a rolled form?

Did Noah's trees grow in the shape of an ark?

29 posted on 11/28/2012 1:49:25 PM PST by Mogger (Independence, better fuel economy and performance with American made synthetic oil.)
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To: BipolarBob
“All we are saying . . . is give pot weed a chance”. (Sung to Give Peace a Chance).

I made a small edit there. It just flows a little better that way. :)

30 posted on 11/28/2012 1:49:35 PM PST by ZirconEncrustedTweezers (Democrats are evil. Republicans are stupid.)
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To: Responsibility2nd; bassmaner

OK, so you guys are on different sides of the issue and mad at each other.

But consider this, without the WOD, “civil asset forfeitures”, and the rise of heavily militarized police would have never have developed to its current level.

IMHO, you have to separate the issue of pot and pot users from the effects caused by the huge profits and attraction to criminal behavior caused by its prohibition. If you don’t, it’s easy to assume that the societal problems will increase if pot is made legal.

Let’s look at alcohol. Prohibition brought us Al Capone and Joe Kennedy, and a lot of disrespect for government. Repeal brought us somewhat more drunks and a lot of taxes. Which was worse?


31 posted on 11/28/2012 1:49:50 PM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Uncle Miltie

“I don’t want it taxed. I want it stigmatized like alcohol and drunk driving.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got any ideas for stigmatizing it if you make it legal with no taxes, penalties, repercussions, or any legal disadvantages at all?

How about ideas for solving the millions of new problmes that millions of new users will bring to the table with legal marijuana?

You speak of “hundreds of thousands of dangerous drug runners”. How about the hundreds of MILLIONS of new drug users?

That’s the fundamental flaw with legalization. For every problem you solve, a million more crop up.


32 posted on 11/28/2012 1:50:17 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Responsibility2nd

How is alcohol prohibition different than pot prohibition?


33 posted on 11/28/2012 1:51:20 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Working is for suckers.)
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To: Responsibility2nd

“Face it. You are in the (wrong) minority here. This is a pro-God, pro-Family site. You and dopers like you are not welcome.”

Now hold on a second. This is also supposed to be a low-government site to yet you are telling supposedly free adults that you cant take some thing that grows from the ground and smoke it? On what grounds?

How is that any different than smoking tobacco? How is it different than drinking beer How is it any different than eating greasy foods?

All of those things affect people if done to excess. None of them has led to the downfall of civilization and non have anything to do with being pro or anti family.

This is just another example of government and their enablers hiding behind families or kids in order to control behavior.

A person cant have tobacco soda and fried foods at home - We condemn them as commies and nanny-state types.

A person cant smoke what is basically a plant in their own homes - We are just protecting society?

How can you have both and not lose credibility?


34 posted on 11/28/2012 1:51:52 PM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: jessduntno

Opiates are the religion of the masses.


35 posted on 11/28/2012 1:52:09 PM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: Renfield
Every marijuana thread we have it's the same old statist crap: "I don't like marijuana and think it's bad so I'm cool with the federal government wiping their butts with the Constitution as long as it provides me the illusion of living in a drug-free society". The War on Drugs was one of the biggest leftist/Marxist coups ever perpetrated on this country. Not only did it allow the federal government to ignore the Bill of Rights and increase its own power, but the very people one might expect to resist government encroachment - conservatives - are most often the ones who are found bending over, grabbing their ankles and begging for Uncle Sam to ram it in as deep as he can get.

Any of you ever wonder why lord and savior Obama prosecuted medical marijuana dispensaries even more than Bush? I'll tell you why: because he LOVES the power that the ridiculous War on Drugs gives the fedgov, and all with the cheering approval of the suckers on the Right. Why would he want to end the War on Drugs? Ending it would simply make it harder to implement the fascist utopia that he is trying to build.

So, by all means, suckers, support the War on Drugs. Internalize the idea that the federal government is perfectly entitled to dictate to individual citizens what they can grow or smoke. And while you're at it, go take a flying leap.
36 posted on 11/28/2012 1:54:46 PM PST by fr_freak
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To: Responsibility2nd

“Face it. You are in the (wrong) minority here. This is a pro-God, pro-Family site. You and dopers like you are not welcome.”

From what I’ve seen, the dope-heads actually make the cogent “conservative” arguments here. What “conservative” arguments are you making?
Federalism? States’ rights? A limited federal government with limited powers? Individual responsibility? Liberty? Freedom from a capricious and tyrannical government?
Just curious.


37 posted on 11/28/2012 1:55:06 PM PST by FerociousRabbit
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To: Mogger

Those trees were used to perpetuate a planet after others were over-indulging in the same kind of debauchery. How much anything has dope/booze saved or promoted? Please do not attempt to list scientific breakthroughs. I am well versed in use of hemp rope etc...

This is the same old dead-end type thread that is fun to argue but serves no purpose. As much as I love to argue and debate I must return to earning a living so the government can take half of it to subsidize someone’s recovery clinic.


38 posted on 11/28/2012 1:56:30 PM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: Renfield

OK,
Tried it for depression.
Wasn’t depressed any more, just stoned.
ALL THE TIME!

I quit.

Just like any bad habit, it’s an escape, it’s fun until a week later when your’re doing it just to feel “normal”.

Just another been there done that thing.

One more thing — nobody suspected me of being high.
Just naturally mellow I guess.


39 posted on 11/28/2012 1:56:46 PM PST by right way right (What's it gonna take?)
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To: Daveinyork

You are correct. That’s why the author has his panties in a wad over the legal right the Fed has in curtailing interstate pot to Washington.

And is this stupid law going to reduce crime? Nope. Will pushers still be arrested? Yep.

Lets be realisitc here. This state law is a liberal wet dream. They get to pass more laws, grow the size of government AND collect more tax revenue.

And yet... there are those naive FReepers who support this nonsense.


40 posted on 11/28/2012 1:56:46 PM PST by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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