O.K. Put your own argument in context.
We have laws that make consuming alcoholic beverages legal. MORALLY does that say “That stuuf’s O.K.”? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con. It leaves the morality of using alcohol or not to your decision; it leaves the moral choice to your Liberty; your personal responsibility.
We have laws that make gambling legal. MORALLY does that say “That stuff’s O.K.”? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con. It leaves the morality of gambling or not to your decision; it leaves the moral choice to your Liberty; your personal responsibility.
We have laws that make smoking tobbaco legal. MORALLY does that say “That stuff’s O.K.”? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con. It leaves the morality of smoking or not to your decision; it leaves the moral choice to your Liberty; your personal responsibility.
We have laws that make some venues expressing pornography legal. MORALLY does that say “That stuff’s O.K.”? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con. It leaves the morality of viewing pornography to your decision; it leaves the moral choice to your Liberty; your personal responsibility.
Unless someone wants to ban - to make illegal - alcohol comsumption, gambling, tabbacco. and any form of pornography (which alone might not be a bad idea - but would the right to freedom of speech allow it), and if not then what is the legal argument for not doing so but saying marijuana should be criminalized? It is obviouslly not because marijuana is morally “bad”; so are many other “legal” things. It is obviously not that it is not O.K. and many other “legal” things are as if “That stuff’s O.K.”.
I am not making a moral argument condoning marijuana use. I am saying I am not sure the legal arguments against it are NOT defeated by the legal arguments permitting many other things.
Why is murder illegal? Why is robbery illegal? Why is rape illegal? Society has decided that certain activities should be banned. It's all based on morality when you get down to it.
For now, our society has said that alcohol is not inherently immoral and that marijuana is inherently immoral. When I look at the laws, that's what I see.
We can change the laws -- we could (again) say that alcohol is a great sourge and has no place in our society. We could say that marijuana is essentially harmless and people should feel free to partake. These are moral choices and it is up to society to send a message on what is socially acceptable.
If we were a theocracy, perhaps we could look in a holy book and announce the final word on morality. But we are essentially a secular society, for better or worse. And so our public stance on moral issues such as marijuana and alcohol is revealed by the laws we pass. You say our laws make no moral statement, pro or con. I disagree 100%.
Sure it does (make a statement that it is moral, relative to something like cocaine or heroin).
We have laws that make gambling legal. MORALLY does that say That stuffs O.K.? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con.
Sure it does (make a statement that it is moral, relative to theft by other means).
We have laws that make smoking tobbaco legal. MORALLY does that say That stuffs O.K. No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con.?
Sure it does (make a statement that it is moral, relative to smoking opium).
We have laws that make some venues expressing pornography legal. MORALLY does that say That stuffs O.K.? No. It makes no moral statement, pro or con.
Sure it does (make a statement that it is moral, relative to the forms of pornography that are not legal.