Posted on 02/20/2002 6:08:45 AM PST by Magician
My first reaction is WHY NOT?
It’s a question of common sense.
Our marijuana laws do not work. They never have, and they never will.
Their stated goal being to rid society of the so-called affliction of marijuana use, the harsh reality is that since prohibition, usage rates have increased drastically.
Either we legalize it, and fast, or we get busy locking up millions of Canadians. With one out of three Canadians admitting to having tried marijuana, we may very well be locking up our best and brightest, not ruined by drugs, but ruined by the criminal sanctions that go with getting caught for what amounts to a common social practice. I can’t even begin to count how many elected officials admitted to having used it, yet everyday hundreds of average citizens are arrested for marijuana offences.
So, why are there so many users, and why is marijuana so easy to acquire?
In a strange twist, prohibition is to blame.
When a product is illegal, the profit margin skyrockets. Prohibition turns an agricultural product (a plant that’s very easy to grow) into a drug worth its weight in gold. Without prohibition, marijuana would cost pennies to produce. No wonder some adventurous modern day prospectors are setting up in their own back yards and basements to try and get in on the gold rush. Who could blame them? They aren’t hurting anyone, they’re making good money, and most of all customers are willing, grateful participants in the process.
We must come to grips with the fact that the demand for marijuana is never going away and find a better way of dealing with it. Imagine the billions of dollars spent on marijuana and enforcement going to more noble causes like health care and other social programs.
The general public understands this. Support for legalizing marijuana recently reached the much sought after 50%+1 majority. Recent polls show that 51% of Canadians support legalizing marijuana, a slim, but very real majority.
And with more and more advocates, the trend is just taking off. Several European countries like Belgium, Switzerland, Holland and Germany are successfully leading the way towards tolerance with legislation aimed at helping drugs users, not by treating them as criminals, but as human beings deserving of respect. There is no reason why Canada should lag behind. We should be on the cutting edge of this new international movement.
Now it is time to step onto the world stage and assert our sovereignty by legalizing marijuana once and for all. I would venture a friendly wager that the international community would stand by Canada on this issue. Our inevitable success would then make us a world leader in marijuana reform—an example for others to follow.
(I can hear it already): But marijuana is dangerous!
For the record, marijuana is NOT dangerous. It is no worse than coffee and much safer than alcohol. Marijuana is also much less addictive then cigarettes. Chronic use is rare as the majority do not smoke it everyday. Try that with tobacco!
What little risks that may be present with marijuana are no worse then any other risks deemed "morally acceptable". Should we ban music because, if played too loud it might hurt your hearing?
French fries and gravy are far more dangerous for our health then marijuana. Should we ban fast food and send overeaters to mandatory fitness camps?
Who are we, as a society to judge? What exactly are marijuana users guilty of? Who are they hurting? What have they done wrong?
To deny marijuana users the right to choose what they want to consume is nothing more than an arbitrary decision based on moral values, not public interest......
Legalization does not mean promoting use. It means providing medical care, support, education, quality standards and proper labeling. We then trust that responsible adults will make their own choices. This is what makes legalization healthy for our society. At least legalization would force retailers to be accountable for what they sell.
Under prohibition, the government has waived its responsibility for the well being of marijuana users, and is only responsible for their arrest and persecution.
This total disregard for their rights drives a wedge between them and the rest of society and breeds contempt for our legal institutions. If society does not tolerate pot smokers, how are pot smokers supposed to tolerate society? This does not make for a healthy social climate and even less a basis for sound policy.
If a policy so deeply flawed as prohibition not only fails to reach its goals, but actually makes the situation worse, it should be radically changed.
Prohibition is the problem, and legalization the solution.
In places where marijuana is tolerated use actually decreases.
Of course, don’t count on the politicians to have the courage to change the law—it’s not in their nature. Look instead to the Supreme Court. That is where most significant legal change comes from anyway. Gay rights and abortion issues were resolved there, and, some time this year our land’s highest court will also rule on the constitutionality of marijuana prohibition. I strongly urge government to make a wise decision and end this madness now. Millions of bright, productive, patriotic pot-smoking Canadians are counting on it.
Most sincerely, Marc-Boris St-Maurice Le Parti Marijuana
That is the grossest misinterpretation of the first amendment that I have ever heard of. If you think that is what the first amendment means, then YOU are the one who better stick to reading pulp fiction.
All of these are the result of ignoring the Tenth Amendment in favor of a Liberal interpretation of Article I Section 8.
Nobody but you thought what you did.
So now you're a psychic and know everybody's thoughts. You are so full of BS it's not even funny.
Should be an example to you of you how you have fringe views.
It sure beats jumping in with your statist-cult views and chanting/towing the line, "WOD is good, WOD is good... repeat after me, WOD is good, WOD is good."
All bow down and worship the wisdom of Zon! LOL
http://www.neo-tech.com/zonpower/
I did find some clarification in #360!
It is immoral just as illegal drugs are.
But you got to admit that the conservative view of the constitution says that the WOD is unconstitutional. You have adopted the liberal postion r.e. the constitution is a living document being re-interpereted by the wise judicial branch.
Because I like it, and it is no Christian's business what I smoke!
"Old Indian, may I call you 'Old Indian'"?
"Sure, go ahead".
"Ah, this is a drug thread, can you possibly think of any way to relate what we've been talking about to it"?
"Certainly, and please excuse my un-broken English." "The stallion is known for his freedom. He may appear anywhere throughout this land. He may not be contained or captured. Without his freedom he would die, therefore he fights to the death in order to live." "Does that make any sense?"
"Yes, sort of".
"When sleeping in the desert near a red-ant hill, wear jockey shorts instead of boxers." "Does that make any sense?"
"Oh Yeah!"
"Good........ We'll go camping some time, have your agent call mine."
They also bear some responsibility for the huge, overtaxing, corrupt, meddling Federal bureaucracy that this forum is trying to counteract.
The Power of Zon
You are thunderstruck. You have discovered the source of unlimited wealth. You have discovered how to leave the boring anticivilization of planet Earth for a civilization of boundless life, excitement, wealth, and romantic love. How did you make that discovery?
Sitting before a mirror, you have just interviewed an ordinary-appearing human being. But, that person is not a citizen of this world. Sitting before you, talking as a physical being, that person is a citizen of an all-powerful civilization -- the Civilization of the Universe. With powers beyond what Earth citizens could ever imagine, that person is called Zon. To those among Earth's stagnant civilization, Zon has powers wondrous beyond description.
A UFO has landed? An alien from space? A supernatural being? Or other such mystical wonder? No, nothing mystical or supernatural. Yet, in Earth's tribalistic anticivilization, the powers of Zon seem infinitely wondrous. Still, Zon is starkly in the here and now, standing before everyone on planet Earth. For, Zon exists just as you and everyone else.
I wonder what is more evil, a guy toking a joint at home by himself or a guy who turns other people off to organized religion by acting holier than thou? ;)
I guy smoking a joint isn't evil. Though some people on this thread and forum would argue otherwise. It certainly wouldn't surprise me to learn that some people think I'm evil for speaking honestly about an issue. They respond in several ways, some run away, other's eyes glaze over, others attack, others put forth tail-chasing rationalizations in support of dishonesty. But the one thing they do not do is put forth a rational rebuttal or ask for clarification of any particular point raised. No need to act "holier than thou" when being honest is more effective.
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.