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Sarah Palin: Marijuana is a 'minimal problem'
Politico ^ | 6/17/10 | Andy Barr

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: commonsense; dopersrights; drugs; lping; maryjane; palin; ronpaul; sarahpalin; wosd
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FWIW
1 posted on 06/17/2010 7:52:52 AM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant

It used to be legal to grow up to four pot plants in Alaska for personal use.


2 posted on 06/17/2010 7:54:31 AM PDT by dirtboy
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To: pissant

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.


3 posted on 06/17/2010 7:55:57 AM PDT by BillM
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To: pissant

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.


4 posted on 06/17/2010 7:56:16 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: pissant
“If somebody's gonna to smoke a joint in their house..."

Notice "journalists" use "gonna" when quoting Palin? 0bama also says it, but I've never seen that in a direct quote of him.

5 posted on 06/17/2010 7:57:00 AM PDT by ScottinVA (The West needs to act NOW to aggressively treat its metastasizing islaminoma!)
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To: BillM

There’s a reason it’s a “long bitter experience”.
It doesn’t work.


6 posted on 06/17/2010 7:58:19 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: pissant

Maybe P & P can establish the “Pot Party”.


7 posted on 06/17/2010 7:59:18 AM PDT by deport
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To: pissant
"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.”

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.

8 posted on 06/17/2010 8:00:42 AM PDT by Huck (Q: How can you tell a party is in the majority? A: They're complaining about the fillibuster.)
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To: pissant

Marijuana is a non-issue.

The actual issue is putting the federal government back in the Constitutional chains that it has escaped from.


9 posted on 06/17/2010 8:01:32 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: BillM
Yeah!
Let's hang the tobacco smokers and alcoholics too!
10 posted on 06/17/2010 8:02:00 AM PDT by jrg
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To: Pan_Yan

I feel a headache coming on.


11 posted on 06/17/2010 8:02:42 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife (Utopia is being foisted on Americans for their own good.-- J. Robert Smith)
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To: pissant

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.


12 posted on 06/17/2010 8:03:15 AM PDT by Huck (Q: How can you tell a party is in the majority? A: They're complaining about the fillibuster.)
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To: rodguy911; Canedawg; TexasCajun; Brices Crossroads; free me; justsaynomore; ...

Politico trying to make hay PING!


13 posted on 06/17/2010 8:03:40 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner (Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon!)
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To: pissant

I absolutely agree with Palin. Hope that this is not meant to be a putdown.


14 posted on 06/17/2010 8:04:52 AM PDT by Logical me
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To: dfwgator

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.


15 posted on 06/17/2010 8:04:59 AM PDT by rarestia (It's time to water the Tree of Liberty.)
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To: jrg; BillM
Let's hang the tobacco smokers and alcoholics too!

To be precise, he would seem to support the hanging of bartenders and convenience store clerks.

16 posted on 06/17/2010 8:05:03 AM PDT by Trailerpark Badass (One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain.)
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To: SJSAMPLE

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*


17 posted on 06/17/2010 8:05:30 AM PDT by Crim (The Obama Doctrine : A doctrine based on complete ignorance,applied with extreme incompitence..)
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To: MrB
Constitutional chains

Absurdly weak chains.


18 posted on 06/17/2010 8:05:54 AM PDT by Huck (Q: How can you tell a party is in the majority? A: They're complaining about the fillibuster.)
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To: pissant

FWIW huh? Less than a flea turd but keep up the fight, something might stick.


19 posted on 06/17/2010 8:06:03 AM PDT by j.argese (Liberal thought process = oxymoron)
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To: pissant

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.


20 posted on 06/17/2010 8:07:29 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic (Never trust anyone who points their rear end at God while praying.)
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