Posted on 06/17/2010 7:52:51 AM PDT by pissant
Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday night that law enforcement should not focus its energy on the minimal problem of marijuana.
Palin made the comment during an appearance on the Fox Business Network with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).
The libertarian Paul said enforcing marijuana restrictions specifically and war on drugs more generally is a useless battle, a point Palin somewhat agreed with though she was clear that she does not support legalization.
"If we're talking about pot, I'm not for the legalization of pot, Palin said. I think that would just encourage our young people to think that it was OK to go ahead and use it.
However I think we need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts, Palin added. If somebody's gonna to smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody any harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking at to engage in and try to clean up some of the other problems we have in society.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
It used to be legal to grow up to four pot plants in Alaska for personal use.
Singapore has long bitter experience with drugs. It has controlled the problem by HANGING trafficers. That is the solution. To stop the organized crime portion you take out the distribution.
Sarah pretty much stated my position on marijuana. Never tried it myself, but I don’t get too worked up about it, and there are a lot bigger fish to fry out there.
Notice "journalists" use "gonna" when quoting Palin? 0bama also says it, but I've never seen that in a direct quote of him.
There’s a reason it’s a “long bitter experience”.
It doesn’t work.
Maybe P & P can establish the “Pot Party”.
Does she believe anything that young people shouldn't think is "OK" should be illegal? Or just some things?
However I think we need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts, Palin added. If somebody's gonna to smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody any harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking at to engage in and try to clean up some of the other problems we have in society.
She's trying to have it both ways. That marijuana has to come from somewhere. I've often said it's unfair to treat dealers and users of marijuana differently under the law. They are two sides of the same transaction.
In order for that person in his home not doing "any harm", he needs to procure the marijuana first. This usually involves transporting it, which exposes the "harmless" pot smoker to arrest.
In other words, if it is harmless for the person in his home to smoke it, then it is also harmless for that person to purchase it and transport it home.
In short, she's talking nonsense. I like that she's trying to downplay the war on pot, but her arguments have zero intellectual consistency, and amount to political doublespeak.
Marijuana is a non-issue.
The actual issue is putting the federal government back in the Constitutional chains that it has escaped from.
I feel a headache coming on.
And if a person chooses to grow his own, that’s even worse. Now you’re talking felony “manufacture” with “intent to distribute.” If it’s harmless to smoke, it’s harmless to grow your own.
Politico trying to make hay PING!
I absolutely agree with Palin. Hope that this is not meant to be a putdown.
I’ll say this about pot:
I smoked pot for over 10 years during my undergrad years and then again after I met my fiancé. I had to quit. I’m an alcoholic. Once I realized that I had an issue with addiction, I realized that pot was as much a problem as alcohol or caffeine or nicotine.
Pot made me lethargic. I stopped caring about anything. I was unable to get motivated to do anything even as simple as feeding my ferrets or cleaning the house. I smoked like an addict: never stop until I can’t much move let alone bring the bong to my mouth again. I see a LOT of “functional” pot smokers who use it like a normal person would use alcohol. It’s an escape after a long day at work or a way to veg out on the weekends. If I could control my addiction (I know I can’t), then I’m sure I’d still be using it.
I would never offer it to anyone. I would never espouse its use. However, I believe alcohol is a much more insidious drug, and I’m of the opinion that pot is relatively benign. Again, I said RELATIVELY benign... relative to alcohol anyway. I don’t think it’s the root of problems in our country. I believe drugs like cocaine and heroin are necessarily banned, but with the rise of oxy- hydro- roxy-codone and other opiate prescription drugs, I don’t think we’re going to do away with it. In a way, removing the bans would at least remove the stigma and the need for a black market, essentially putting drug cartels out of business.
If you’ve never used pot and you have addiction issues, don’t start. Otherwise, I think it’s a drug with a purpose.
To be precise, he would seem to support the hanging of bartenders and convenience store clerks.
Buckley takes Rnagle to school on the drug war and liberty...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-dtU_esJ8
Buckley on why Drugs should be legal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3OH6SDGqcM
Milton Friedman - Why Drugs Should Be Legalized
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=nLsCC0LZxkY&feature=related
Being against the drug war IS a conservative position.
*gets ready to be flammed by the nanny staters*
Absurdly weak chains.
FWIW huh? Less than a flea turd but keep up the fight, something might stick.
Personally, I don’t see any more of a threat from pot than I do from alcohol or cigarettes.
The trouble with legalizing pot is that you open the door to legalization of much more potent and dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroine.
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