Posted on 05/05/2009 2:27:27 PM PDT by calcowgirl
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday it's time for California to study whether to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use, though he's not yet advocating for such a change.
The governor was asked about a recent Field Poll showing that 56 percent of registered voters support legalizing and taxing marijuana to raise revenues for cash-strapped California. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, has proposed legislation that would legalize the drug for recreational use, rather than just medical purposes.
"Well, I think it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate," Schwarzenegger said. "I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues, I'm always for an open debate on it. And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what effect did it have on those countries?"
He said his native Austria is revisiting some of its marijuana laws, for instance. The Austrian Parliament last year authorized medical marijuana.
"It could very well be that everyone is happy with that decision and then we could move to that," Schwarzenegger said of other nations' legalization policies. "If not, we shouldn't do it. But just because of raising revenues ... we have to be careful not to make mistakes at the same time.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Did you miss this:
I also support open container and public drunkenness laws, and would do the same with legal marijuana.
?
It’s also nice to know you think it should be legal to smoke pot wherever it’s legal to get drunk. This is exactly the kind of nonsense I complained about to begin with. You can’t get someone drunk by being around them while you’re drinking.
LOL, why would I do that? You're hilarious.
If I had known FR was so full of pot heads I never would signed up.
You know, some people think pot should be legal, and they don't even smoke.
I've had the real life druggies threaten my life enough already, I have no desire to set off online drug heads too.
You have an active fantasy life.
That can be either good or bad. Keep an eye on it.
hardly. though your grasp of "logic" appears somewhat tenuous.
It's generally not illegal to get drunk in a college apartment, and in my college it wasn't even against the rules for those over 21. Your example does not apply.
Every college DORM I am aware of it is. Nice dodge, though.
Have a joint, it would help.
wait for it.....
liberal.
What about my personal choice to own a gun? Or an SUV? Or to have my own medical insurance, not the government's Obamacare? Or drink alcohol? Or eat steak?
In most things, even dangerous things, conservatives favor personal choice. (Abortion being the exception, which, conveniently enough, you zeroed *right* in on.)
Even in well regulated freedom, people are free to choose things that are bad or stupid. Otherwise it's not really freedom. It's just getting others to obey at gunpoint. Certainly, that's what the liberals want. Enforced obedience to their moral code. It shouldn't be our aim, though.
LOL, I've seen displayed here a real-world manifestation of the of old bromide about arguing with a moron.
I haven’t touched the stuff since 1977 and think using it is stupid. It is also hard for me to take seriously a government that considers alcohol legal and pot illegal. Alcohol is much worse.
I firmly think Pot should be legal. I think individuals should be able to grow it in their gardens right next tot the tomatos if theys choose.
It is one thing i agree with libertarians on. Let the gov tax it like tobacco, instead of spending billions arresting and incarcerating private citizens for something so trivial. Not to mention the general perceived lack of freedom created by the private property confiscation laws and other tools used by the police force, as seen in “Cops”.
I would like the government to leave us the he!! alone!
I applaud Arnold.
I also think that if marijuana is legalized, it is going to create some new problems.
See my post 134. I should have responded to your 5.
>>Smoking pot is stupid, but it should be legal nevertheless.<<
I concur. That sums up my perspective.
Put an Irish pub on one street and a “pothouse” on another and see which one has the most fist fights, ambulances, etc.
WHY NOT try legalizing it and taxing it and see how it works out...the government can always make it illegal again (like being illegal does any good now...)
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