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Marijuana Emerges as Issue That Blurs Conservative, Liberal Lines
Newsmax.com ^ | April 7, 2014 | Joe Battaglia

Posted on 04/07/2014 6:07:55 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The debate over legalizing marijuana for medical and even recreational purposes is blurring conservative and liberal lines.

With polls showing a slight majority of Americans now supporting the legalization of the drug, especially younger voters, and billionaire campaign financiers such as George Soros funding the pro-pot movement, a number of candidates are finding themselves at odds with their own party's positions.

Ari Fleischer, a White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, called marijuana "a sleeper issue," in the upcoming campaign and noted its trickiness, telling The Wall Street Journal, "All of a sudden the ground is shifting, and it's uncomfortable and complicated. Marijuana has become an issue that candidates have got to pay attention to."

Attention is on Maryland, where the state House of Delegates voted April 5 to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot. That leaves Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, the onetime tough-on-crime mayor of Baltimore, with a difficult decision.

O'Malley has said he is "not much in favor" of legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and called the drug "a gateway to even more harmful behavior," according to The Washington Post.

O'Malley is not alone in bucking the push by Democratic activists to follow the leads of Colorado and Washington in approving recreational marijuana use.

According to The New York Times, California Gov. Jerry Brown has said his state "ought to kind of watch and see how things go in Colorado" before approving a similar measure. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, meanwhile, said of his state: "Quite frankly, I don’t think we are ready, or want to go down that road."

(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: California; US: Colorado; US: Connecticut; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: dannelmalloy; decriminalization; dontbogartthatjoing; jerrybrown; legalization; marijuana; martinomalley; nannystate
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1 posted on 04/07/2014 6:07:55 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: SheLion; Eric Blair 2084; -YYZ-; 31R1O; 383rr; AFreeBird; AGreatPer; Alamo-Girl; Alia; altura; ...

Don’t Bogart That Joint Nanny State PING!


2 posted on 04/07/2014 6:08:25 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The PASSING LANE is for PASSING, not DAWDLING)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

If legalizing pot is the only reason someone will vote for one that doesn’t say much about the pro-pot legalization advocates.
So when the Democrat platform includes pot legalization along with big govt goodies and free stuff that says to me the pro-pot advocates don’t want Constitutional based govt.


3 posted on 04/07/2014 6:18:40 PM PDT by RginTN
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

I am completely in favor of legalizing pot.

The people who want to smoke it are smoking it NOW.


4 posted on 04/07/2014 6:21:17 PM PDT by bigheadfred
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Some of us would rather put up with legal dope smokers than the steady erosion of out rights.


5 posted on 04/07/2014 6:22:29 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Haven't you lost enough freedoms? Support an end to the WOD now.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
and called the drug "a gateway to even more harmful behavior,"

You mean they might become politicians?

6 posted on 04/07/2014 6:24:33 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

This does not blur lines but clarifies them.

It splits Libertarians from Conservatives and joins them with Liberals.

And it splits populist conservative Democrats from Mainstream Democrats.

It maybe that in several states regular Republicans and populist conservative Democrats are no longer a majority.


7 posted on 04/07/2014 6:25:07 PM PDT by Reaganez
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Marijuana destroys people as any other drug. The very liberals who advocate it want no smoking for cigarettes. Have you ever smelled marijuana? A neighbor of mine has used it from time to time and stinks ups the area. Marijuana stops your ability to focus. You mind wanders. In short you become a pothead, the perfect democrat voter.

Ask yourself why George Soros is buying off politicians to get marijuana legalized?


8 posted on 04/07/2014 6:34:18 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I believe I had my first experience with a medical marijuana user the other day. I am, of course, making an assumption -- I do not know this to be the case.

She was probably 70. In a supermarket, buying groceries. She positively REEKED of the weed. And the cashier had a terrible time with her: very confused. Had a hard time understanding how wallets worked. Hard time understanding how to put change in her pocket. A few minutes later, I saw her in the parking lot. I'm pretty sure she couldn't find her car.

I made sure I exited the lot quickly, before she put herself on the road.

9 posted on 04/07/2014 6:35:51 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

It’s liberal, there are no lines being blurred


10 posted on 04/07/2014 6:40:01 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: RginTN

If pro life is the only issue that someone will or wont vote for someone, what does that say about the movement?

Single issue voters are idiots. They are the lowest form of low information voter. They come in all different brands and don’t necessarily reflect their cause.


11 posted on 04/07/2014 6:52:20 PM PDT by drunknsage
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To: dfwgator

So marihuana (schedule 1) is a gateway drug to the use of more harmful drugs like cocaine and heroin (schedule 2) which can be prescribed.
That doesn’t add up.
But seriously, I would rather put up with the repeal of prohibition than the continued ramping up of militarizing local police and strengthening the infrastructure of the police state.


12 posted on 04/07/2014 6:53:54 PM PDT by Clump ( the tree of liberty is withering like a stricken fig tree)
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To: drunknsage

If pro life is the only issue that someone will or wont vote for someone, what does that say about the movement?

Single issue voters are idiots. They are the lowest form of low information voter. They come in all different brands and don’t necessarily reflect their cause.


Know what I was gonna disagree about the pro-life part but upon further thought you’re right, single issue voters are idiots.


13 posted on 04/07/2014 7:00:42 PM PDT by RginTN
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There’s no “blur.” It’s liberal and goes against the very meaning of the word, conservative.


14 posted on 04/07/2014 7:02:44 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

This nation never learned its lesson from alcohol prohibition. Marijuana was “legal” for much of the country’s history. “Freedom” is often a very messy thing. It is better to be a free people than a chained peasantry. Smoke “pot”, if you wish. Indeed, shoot your veins full of heroin, snort coke, smoke crack. But, do it in the privacy of your own home. Have an insurance policy that will pay for the removal of your lifeless carcass if and when you die from the results of your free choices. In time, those who partake will die off and those who looked on to see what would happen to the partakers will decide to shun the stuff. The gene pool will be cleansed and freedom will be codified.


15 posted on 04/07/2014 7:12:21 PM PDT by Thumper1960 (A modern so-called "Conservative" is a shadow of a wisp of a vertebrate human being.)
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To: familyop; Eric Blair 2084
It’s liberal and goes against the very meaning of the word, conservative.

YOU VILL NOT SMOKE ZE VEED!

16 posted on 04/07/2014 7:14:19 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The PASSING LANE is for PASSING, not DAWDLING)
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To: RginTN

“Single issue voters are idiots.”

Really.

Suppose the single issue were more or less government control of [fill in the blank].

Or repealing/amending any part of the Bill of Rights.

Or legalizing pedophilia.

Or increasing taxes by 25%.

Or institutionalizing Common Core.

And the list could go on.


17 posted on 04/07/2014 7:19:18 PM PDT by Mach9
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To: Thumper1960
"But, do it in the privacy of your own home.

That can happen whether it's legal or not.

Society doesn't have to officially approve of that kind of behavior.
18 posted on 04/07/2014 7:38:30 PM PDT by indthkr
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To: Mach9; RginTN

Single issue voters are still as stupid as the political folks pushing for evil laws and policies. The scare tactic of provoking votes with panic and hysteria is the most common political and marketing tactic in use by stoned political/regulator folks now. The wise will notice that the money for doing any kind of wrong is about to dry up. Moral bankruptcy and its consequences are nothing new, but stupid people are a little shy of honest perspectives of history, too.


19 posted on 04/07/2014 7:44:30 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Abundy; Albion Wilde; AlwaysFree; AnnaSASsyFR; bayliving; BFM; Bigg Red; cindy-true-supporter; ...

Maryland “Freak State” PING!


20 posted on 04/07/2014 7:55:28 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The PASSING LANE is for PASSING, not DAWDLING)
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