[MrRepublic]

No, the crime is an issue. The larger issue, however, is the moral decay indicated by the use of drugs in general and in particular the topic of this thread. I said it before, "Drugs are not 'harmless fun'" even though that is what many wish were true.

[NEW YORKCITYGOPMAN]

It almost seems that because people smoke cigarettes or take alcohol, this is the justification for people to say that other drugs are okay. Forget about the legal aspect of it, the larger issue is WHY so many Americans take drugs .

On the one hand, you have many, public service announcements or ads, throughout America advising citizens not to smoke, not to drink. On the other hand, you have NORML saying, It is NORML to smoke marijuana. And they use a quote by NYC Mayor Bloomberg (who obviously did inhale) saying, sure he smoked it and he enjoyed it.

Contradictory messages. Don't smoke cigarettes, don't drink. Do take pot!

There is a romanticism attached to pot, that is such that many refuse to even consider that the drug might be harmful. We know that cigarettes and tobacco (in excess, that is) can be harmful. But with pot, somehow we're still not sure, yet, if it is harmful at all!

Pot, let's face it, was the drug of choice for the Woodstock generation. Bob Marley lighting up a joint, is a much more appealing image than Joe Camel luring America's youth to cigarettes. After all, who smokes cigarettes? Just ordinary, middle to lower class Americans? But who lights up a joint? America's cultural elite. Make no mistake about it: the anti smoking crowd is NOT necessarily anti marijuana.

[Kermit]

"No, the crime is an issue. The larger issue, however, is the moral decay indicated by ... I said it before, "Drugs are not 'harmless fun'" even though that is what many wish were true."

Thank you for proving my point. I win the argument. All your blather about crime is irrelevant, you want the State to impose Morality and you're willing to pay the price in crime.