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 ...
One amusing thing I saw while attending University. An underage student bemoaned the unavailability of alcohol, due to being under 21. The people who sold alcohol were legitimate businesses that had a license to protect. No way would they sell to him. Contraband drugs on the other hand and sold by people who already don’t mind breaking the law. He summed up this phenomenon this way...
“I can score acid in this town easier than a six pack of beer!”
It is pretty talk to say I don’t care what so and so does but it is just a lack of will to want to engage and fight the fights that needs fighting versus laying down and not fighting any.Absolutely. I said it before and your excellent post (only partially quoted above) allows me to say it again:
The most dangerous people on Earth, are those who shrug a lot.
“How is alcohol prohibition different than pot prohibition?”
Alcohol was bad because society has used booze for all types of “acceptable” purposes for centuries from the drink at the local pub, after work cocktail, libations that enhanced the flavor of food, to communion wine.
Pot got the reputation of being stuff crazy jazz musicians, Mexicans, and hippie losers puffed on before reading Marx and planning revolution. So the same people that cringed at alcohol being illegal were cool with this even though those that wanted to ban the drink used the same logic as is used here. And that is why it hasn’t worked.
Actually I'd be surprised to hear of anyone being jailed for mere use. Standard procedure around here is to issue a citation and pay a fine. It was the dealers and importers that anyone devoted any time to. I guess that's out the window too.
I was kinda unexpected that anyone would mount a campaign for this - it is such a low priority issue. And I doubt that the change will be noticeable.
(in bold font)
I guess there is no chance of assmanners ever raising a family.
“How much anything has dope/booze saved or promoted?”
You ought to read more about the early economic history of the American colonies. You will find those people using items and selling stuff made from both in order to make a living.
““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.””
Yeah...Ok.
When you are done hiding behind pompous statements in 78 point Times New Roman, and realize YOU dont own nor run Free Republic and thus have no grounds to demand that anyone do anything, you may get around to answering legitimate questions.
Mind you, they are good questions. And easily answerable by right thinking conservatives who know that pro-dope laws are anathema to God, Family and Country.
But - sad to say - there are plenty of FReaking liberals about who think advancing the liberal pro-dope agenda is good for us.
Here - again - is my simple little statement. Designed to piss off liberals:
“And yet... there are those naive FReepers who support this nonsense.”
Yes, we naively support the Constitution, and all its nonsense.
We apparently have tens of millions of users already.
There are only somewhat over 300M Americans total. So usage rates seem to be in the 10% range.
Stigmatization should be a social phenomenon:
“He’s a drunkard” is pretty stiff social stigmatization.
“He’s a doper” is what I mean.
Driving while texting, stoned, or drunk should all carry the same penalties.
Is there any evidence that the cost of legalization is higher than the cost of maintaining prohibition? I would hazard a guess that they are approximately a wash. Billions down the tubes on prohibition. Billions down the tubes upon legalization. I don’t know of a mathematic comparison that shows one side is stronger than the other.
Recent studies have shown that marijuana causes brain damage. This damage is worse the younger a person starts. You have to be a sadist to wish this drug on any society.
http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/11417/20120809/marijuana-brain-damage-memory-learning-drug-habit-addiction.htm
Gee, I’ve been here awhile. You can ask Jim Thompson if he’s banning members with the occasional libertarian impulse.
You’re talking facts and logic to people, who like liberals, think in bumper-sticker slogans.
Had a colleague pose an interesting question.
So what happens to companies, like Boeing, which requires drug screening tests, which includes that for weed, when that drug is legal? Does the state tell Boeing what concentration of THC is acceptable for workers building planes that you plan on boarding at some future date? What of police and firefighters? Will such folks be completely restricted from using a drug completely legal for everyone else? This has a potential for some interesting Constitutional quandaries.
The NappyOne
-The same can happen if others grow certain plants on his property without permission.
-Anyone found with an easily plant-able package on them becomes an automatic felon. This package can be smaller than a silver dollar in some states. Cops have been caught countless times planting such items to make quotas and promotions. It's so easy to put ANYONE in jail this way.
Even with such insane laws, availability of illegal drugs has not gone down at all. From what I hear the supply and quality has actually increased.
I'd take my chances with legalizing everything before we give the government any more of our freedoms to play with. We gave them more than enough chances and they FAILED US COMPLETELY
Report me. Ping Jim Rob and tell him what I'm saying. I'm pretty sure, pal, he can point you to DOZENS of his own threads that remind libs this is a pro-God, pro-Family site.
Booze prohibitionists, as misguided as they were, realized that they needed a Constitutional amendment to ban booze. Drug prohibitionists are either too stupid to realize it, or too !@#$%^ lazy to do it.
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