I believe that there may be a day when cigarettes and alcohol are banned, while marijuana and heroin and cocaine are legal. I have noticed that the people who often rant and rail about cigarettes don't seem to be concerned about other drugs. I. E., the anti-cig crowd, may not necessarily be anti-pot. Does anyone ever get this feeling?
Well written article Mr. Lied. Probably don't agree with many of your points, but no question you have written well here. It is too late at night for me to analyze indiviudal arguments within your piece (I expect to read it over again) but I am going to throw out some questions/issues, for you and other Freepers.
1. Suppose down the road, if marijuana were legalized and it could be shown that people who took pot over an extended period had become ill, would it be appropriate to initiate law suit against Big Pot, as we do today, against Big Tobacco?
2. Cigarette smoking is banned in almost all public venues, such as sports arena and stadia. Would pot smoking be subject to a similar type of ban? Part of the arguments that pro-pot people often use involves stating that 'what people do in the privacy of their homes should NOT be subject to government regulation. Agreed. But my experience, particularly as a big rock concert fan, is that people with pot, LOVE to flaunt it in front of others, where it can be a health hazard. So will pot be treated similar to cigarettes in terms of use in public areas?
3. The pro-pot crowd, one can assume, is probably pro-environmental. Now suppose some fellow with a joint, and a real 60's ponytail, says to me, 'hey man, we have to stop those corporate polluters. They are killing our air and water." Should I listen to that person? Of course I should! He does indeed know about pollution!
My error. I am sorry Larry.
So my comments are about the article.