du i smellz ozone? wHerez my horny helmet wif de "IBTZ" sticker?...?
Posted on 10/26/2010 6:28:08 PM PDT by prairiebreeze
Our marijuana laws are clearly doing more harm than good. The criminalization of marijuana did not prevent marijuana from becoming the most widely used illegal substance in the United States and many other countries. But it did result in extensive costs and negative consequences.
Law enforcement agencies today spend many billions of taxpayer dollars annually trying to enforce this unenforceable prohibition. The roughly 750,000 arrests they make each year for possession of small amounts of marijuana represent more than 40% of all drug arrests.
Regulating and taxing marijuana would simultaneously save taxpayers billions of dollars in enforcement and incarceration costs, while providing many billions of dollars in revenue annually. It also would reduce the crime, violence and corruption associated with drug markets, and the violations of civil liberties and human rights that occur when large numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens are subject to arrest. Police could focus on serious crime instead.
The racial inequities that are part and parcel of marijuana enforcement policies cannot be ignored. African-Americans are no more likely than other Americans to use marijuana but they are three, five or even 10 times more likely—depending on the city—to be arrested for possessing marijuana. I agree with Alice Huffman, president of the California NAACP, when she says that being caught up in the criminal justice system does more harm to young people than marijuana itself. Giving millions of young Americans a permanent drug arrest record that may follow them for life serves no one's interests.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“Our” laws?? Is Soros even an American citizen??
I don’t give a flying freep what George Soros thinks! The man should be hung for treason.
The legalization argument can go nowhere until some honesty is brought into it.
For instance the fantasy that it will create all this new tax revenue. That’s a joke because there are already unions getting involved who will immediately soak up any potential tax revenue. There will be a whole range of new laws that will arise to deal with marijuana which will be the true source of revenue. The prices will be driven so high that people will immediately return to illegal sources.
Better to keep it illegal for all but legitimate medical uses and lessen the penalties for possesion. A $50 ticket is far more reasonable than court dates and possible jail sentence.
I believe if you checked jails as opposed to prisons (for felonies) my statement is quite accurate.
It would be quit an experience standing in a voting booth next to a pothead.
Giggling and mumbling yeah dude!
The ones who love their drugs would, that’s about it IMO.
Bill Bennett acknowledged his gambling problem. It has nothing to do with the discussion regarding the legalization of marijuana.
If I had been for it, just knowing Soros was for it would make me reconsider. It’s like having Satan say he’s FOR it. That’s a red flag if ever there was one.
We already have too many drunk drivers on the road, its real smart to add a bunch of stoned out pot smokers driving around also, like hey man, its cool....what is wrong with some of you people....
LOL! You couldn’t find stuff on Soros? Okay, I’ll give you a tip. Go to Horowitz’ site.
He’s got lots of great stuff on him and others too.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/
OK fine, prison for all. Better?
Like anything.. too much is bad
In moderation it is not bad
Even pennicillin can kill you if you take too much
Small amounts of pot increase your creativity, fix your eyesight, cure nausea, stop hair loss.
TOO MUCH makes you paranoid and a nut case.(I know about that too)
If it was legal, though, I think people would stick with it more than go on to harder and illegal things
This is just my opinion, I respect yours as equaly valid
Interesting reading, thanks for the link. If you poke around on there it also shows that he’s been heavily funding legalization of drugs since the early 90’s.
Let them chew qat.
I would not even listen to someone that thinks his is G-D.
Soros: “I Fancied Myself As Some Kind Of God.” “A passage in his book The Alchemy of Finance, published in 1987, distinguishes Soros from all other financiers, ever. ‘I have always harboured an exaggerated view of my self-importance,’ he wrote. ‘To put it bluntly, I fancied myself as some kind of god or an economic reformer like Keynes, or, even better, like Einstein. My sense of reality was strong enough to make me realise that these expectations were excessive, and I kept them hidden as a guilty secret. This was a source of considerable unhappiness through much of my adult life. As I made my way in the world, reality came close enough to my fantasy to allow me to admit my secret, at least to myself. Needless to say, I feel much happier as a result.’” (Stephen Fay, “Profile: George Soros: God Of All He Surveys,” The Independent [London], 5/17/98)
I’ve heard the same. I think it’s wise to listen to the people on the front lines of rehab so when they say it’s a serious problem, I believe them.
There is a huge difference b/t alcohol and pot anyway. A person can drink a beer or two/glass of wine or two with dinner as a way to enjoy the meal. Pot is smoked ONLY for one reason - and that is to get high. And wine actually does have some benefits to it. No benefits from pot, except perhaps some cases where it supposedly helps with nausea and I’ve heard even that is exaggerated.
My mother was prescribed the stuff IN pot when she went through chemo. She didn’t like it. So, there’s no reason for the pot itself if they can do that. It’s just a lame excuse.
Meanwhile, do you want to be the guy working with the poor soul who has medicinal pot prescribed for him? Not me. Sheesh.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.