Weeding out anti-drug attitudes
“Anyone who’s going to read your article has either used marijuana or knows someone who has, and they know that person is not a criminal.” (back to story...)
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I absolutely disagree with Jillian. I like to smoke pot, but never want to see it legalized in Canada. We already screwed up with alcohol and tobacco, why introduce a new agent to become socially acceptable? I suspect incidences of stoned-driving would increase because of pot's increased accessibility and social acceptability. We should decriminalize it. Hand out a fine for people smoking it and having small quantities. Don't lock them up or ruin their lives with "possession of narcotics" on their permanent file.
The laws on marijuana are a joke. The whole reason marijuana is illegal is due to business greed and racism in the 20's and 30's..
Then when they were getting close to legalizing in the 70's the US government and a few greedy jerkoffs went out on a propoganda campaign to skew public opinions.
One scientist (paid off by whoever) suffocated monkeys with marijuana smoke and then claimed it was the marijuana smoke that killed brain cells. Actually it was the suffocation part that killed brain cells
Marijuana was made illegal so they could harvest trees to use for paper instead of the hemp from the Marijuana plant. Also, the US government outlawed it because most mexicans who came here had it with them and it allowed the government to actually be racist and stop these people for weed without any reason. The same thing happened with "black dock workers" and cocaine. Prohibition just gives the government an excuse to implement racist policies (racial profiling).
The law for homebrew should apply for growing cannabis, much like the laws in Spain. You should not need to pay to grow your own plant just as you do not have to pay to produce your own beer or wine.
I'm 50 y.o. I smoke weed, my friends smoke weed, their friends smoke weed, we make cannabis butter and bake cookies, brownies, whatever. We are the baby boomer generation who's eyes lit up when the push to legalize MJ in the 70's was strong. For as long as I can remember; the argument most used when discussing the legalization of MJ is Alcohol Vs. MJ. One is legal, one is not. Forget about the negative MJ propaganda shoved down the throats of the American households for the last 80-90 years. Based on the facts and purely on the facts ... MJ should have been legally regulated in this country right after The Constitution was signed, sealed and delivered. The only comparison between MJ and Alcohol that makes absoltely, logical sense is that MJ should be regulated and controlled the same exact way. Problem is; a big majority of our politicians do not have the gonads. They fear the almighty vote, the stigma is that proponents of MJ are not registered voters and even if they are, they don't go to the polls. Do you really think Barack Obama said "I thought that was the point" when asked about inhaling MJ because he was showing a hint of support towards legalizing it? PUH-LEEEZ! Along the same lines .. if you think politicians care about how allegedly harmful MJ is (according to the negative propaganda) you are again mistaken. A savvy politician cares about where the votes come from to put them and keep them in office. So what is the answer? Put it on a ballot, you'll get your answer loud and clear.
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US
November 27, 2008 at 11:39 p.m.
There is something terribly WRONG when law enforcement and organized crime want the same thing! We desperately need to END the Federal Marijuana Prohibition and license its legal sale to adults.
Specifically, we need to implement the following:
1. The personal use of marijuana by adults in the privacy of their own home and in licensed establishments ("coffeeshops") should be legal.
2. The production and sale of marijuana by licensed businesses in accordance with all relevant regulations should be legal and taxed.
3. The personal production of marijuana for personal use should be legal and untaxed, in exactly the same way the production of homebrew is legal today.
At the same time, unlicensed production and sale, and the consumption of marijuana by minors, should remain illegal and continue to be subject to enforcement by the DEA and local police.
This dual policy of legal marijuana priced lower than the dealers can match, in conjunction with the continued enforcement against illegal weed, will quickly drive the drug dealers out of existence.
This is of the utmost importance to every person, regardless of their personal feelings towards marijuana itself.