It's time to legalize pot

Sentinel Review ^ | 9/5/2002

[MrLeRoy]

It's enough for a big thumbs up ... or a big light up, if you prefer.

Canada should legalize marijuana use by adults, a Senate committee recommended Wednesday. The report comes on the heels of a two-year study of public policy relating to pot.

The present system of prohibition on marijuana just doesn't work, the committee found. Obviously, the committee learned something from early 20th-century history, when alcohol was prohibited in the United States. Then, prohibition simply gave gangsters a product to move and people to shoot.

Instead of the current system that penalizes people for having small quantities of pot on them, there should instead be a regulated system for marijuana, perhaps like our current system for alcohol, the committee determined.

"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and health issue," said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, the committee chair.

It's true that taking pot still involves the harmful intake of smoke, which the committee recognized. But, as the committee pointed out, it's more of a health issue than anything else.

In addition, making pot legal would clear the way for our police to tackle other, more harmful crimes relating to the public good. Really, would you rather see a pot smoker or a child molester behind bars?

Whether the federal government will ever adopt the Senate recommendations is up in the air. Hopefully the feds won't throw up a smokescreen on this to cloud the issue, and goes ahead with legalization.

[f.Christian]

The statement isn't personal---self explanatory!

Could you please point out where?

...side effects---paranoia?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Not many will dare go one-on-one with Destructor!

Put down the beer . . . you're growing beer muscles again.

[Willie Green]

our health care system would not be any further burdened by a legalization of a substance already in use by the exact same people who would use if it were legal.

Legalization in Canada would shift the health care burder from here to there.

[gdani]

Not many will dare go one-on-one with Destructor!

Put down the beer . . . you're growing beer muscles again

He does seem to have a rather high opinion of himself (no pun intended).

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Naw, don't worry about that. They already have a dossier on me, and they KNOW that would be a big mistake!

Whitey? Whitey Bulger? Is that you?

[Dakmar]

As if everyone on welfare and everyone who enjoys the occassional beer or doob is an ilegal alien. I know for a fact that I was born in Indiana, and am currently paying into the Medicare fund and for my own commercial health insurance. Do you think putting me in prison for toking up once in while is going to save you some money? Would you like to buy a bridge?

[realpatriot71]

What I find amazing, and a bit frightening, about these threads is that all our favorite people (Destructo, CJ, Kevikins, Roscoe, Willie G., etc.) actually think they are involved in actually debate by using invective full of fallacies, favorites being ad hominem and straw man. I know we all involved ourselves from time to time in some name-calling, but I've come to the conclusion that these just don't get it and never will. They aren't trying to disrupt, they legitimately think they are debating this issue.

Mind boggling . . .

[f.Christian]

...explain to me why is MJ illegal, and should remain that way.

109 posted on 9/6/02 11:36 AM Pacific by vin-one

How many teenage heroin addicts have you met...I have---lot's of em!

[Hemingway's Ghost]

...side effects---paranoia?

why no more ee cummingsesque / post . . .
very amusing / funny . . .
not so much / anymore

...curious---reason?

[Dakmar]

Legalization in Canada would shift the health care burder from here to there.

Could you provide some information on the current cost to the tax-payers caused soley by use of marijuana? Emergency room visits caused by no-knock raids don't count.

[realpatriot71]

Legalization in Canada would shift the health care burder from here to there.

Oh?! Really>?! You have nothing to bakc that statement up except for your own paranoid speculation. Are marijuana users currently burdening Canada? No. So how come this seems to magically happen after legalization? Does it involve faeries, gnomes, and or unicorns?

[Dakmar]

How many teenage heroin addicts have you met...I have---lot's of em!

Maybe you should get a job and move out of the section-8 housing project.

[gdani]

How many teenage heroin addicts have you met...I have---lot's of em!

Neighbors of yours at the "hospital"?

[MrLeRoy]

How many teenage heroin addicts have you met...I have---lot's of em!

According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only one in three heroin users are dependent (as opposed to four in five tobacco users).

[Dakmar]

And what does heroin addiction have to do with marijuana anyway? I know hundreds of pot smokers, and the only one that takes any other drugs at all, other than alcohol, does cocaine. He is also a raging alcoholic, and was an alcoholic before he ever used marijuana.

[claptrap]

Harmful intake of smoke? Has anyone ever wondered what is exactly the purpose of burying a perfectly good set of pink lungs shouldnt you just go ahead and enjoy yourself you are going to die wether you're a smoking nazi or not!

[Dead Corpse]

Not all that boggling really. They are not interested in debate. They knew that if they ever had to rely on logic alone, they would fail miserably.

They are little more than disruptors really.

[Dead Corpse]

I've said it before, but it appears to be some type of Koan. Unlike real Koans, these don't seem to having any deeper meaning to them.

[Willie Green]

but I've come to the conclusion that these just don't get it and never will.

Gee, first time I ever heard that tired cliche was from the screaming nags at NOW.

[realpatriot71]

Gee, first time I ever heard that tired cliche was from the screaming nags at NOW.

Hmmmm - interesting.

So about the faeries, gnomes, and unicorns - which is it?