Marijuana legalization???

[ragtopdodge]

It's amazing how many people say they don't and won't ever smoke it but don't have a problem with legalizing it.  Wow, this is why the country is in the shape it's in now.  People that won't take a stand on things as long as it doesn't affect them.  Hmmmmm, why not just allow everyone to do whatever they want.  Lets start with Green people regulating how often gas powered engines can be used in a month or limits on horsepower with no grandfather clause.  What does that have to do with the topic you ask.  Well the problem in this country is you have to stand for the platform that most closely matches your ethics and morals (terms not taught in school now).  Some may not understand the term platform since schools don't teach it anymore because it takes away from our new liberal attitude of "do as you please".  How many conservatives are left in this nation.  Have you ever heard of "toe in the door"?   
If my rant is too controversial the moderator can delete this response.  I won't apologize for my opinion.

I don't have an assault weapon, but I think you should be able to own one.

BTW, I'm one of those "bleeding heart liberals".  Mostly liberal, but also highly libertarian when it comes to individual rights.  Stay off a woman's body, stay out of my financial, medical, or phone records, let me kill myself w/drugs if I want to, let gays do what they want, and give me my right to own a firearm!   

I'm sick of people telling me what I can or can't do; including the church!

[whitesatinmopar]

Interesting read here, one last thought. (1) Legalization will not change the situation much except for users, to raise cost mainly because of taxes and "control" agencys. There will still exist the blackmarket smuggling so as to put cash (tax free money) in dealers pockets and a cheaper product. Also honestly I feel alot of petty theft and breakins are from younger drug users who don't have the jobs to finace their drug use, and if it is going to be more expensive the stealing will only increase.

And some "business people" may even encourage theft. Example : ever see the commercial on TV to just send in all your old gold and silver and get back cash? Now...........you know these guys are perhaps giving back 50% actual value, and............from my understanding you are not required to give proof of ownership. So just break into a few homes, steal some jewery and get some drug money.

I don't care if it is legalized or not because honestly it won't change things much, except perhaps negatively........................and it isn't going to go away. Morals and ethics really has little to do with it. What I personally beleive in that sense means very little to society in general, I'm not the "judge" and people will do their thing. 

[Bullitt-]

I've heard the argument that legalization of pot would put the black market out of business before but not until I heard it here, from many folks that usually have good sensible opinions, did I actually start to consider this a reasonable alternative. But what about all of the other illicit drugs?  Cocaine, Opium, Heroin, & I'm sure some I'm not familiar with.... How's this going to end smuggling, sale and use of these? Maybe the cartels & such would be diminished but hardly done away with..      Put me in the not buying it column. 

[torredcuda]

It's amazing how many people say they don't and won't ever smoke it but don't have a problem with legalizing it.  Wow, this is why the country is in the shape it's in now.  People that won't take a stand on things as long as it doesn't affect them.  Hmmmmm, why not just allow everyone to do whatever they want.  Lets start with Green people regulating how often gas powered engines can be used in a month or limits on horsepower with no grandfather clause.  What does that have to do with the topic you ask.  Well the problem in this country is you have to stand for the platform that most closely matches your ethics and morals (terms not taught in school now).  Some may not understand the term platform since schools don't teach it anymore because it takes away from our new liberal attitude of "do as you please".  How many conservatives are left in this nation.  Have you ever heard of "toe in the door"?   
If my rant is too controversial the moderator can delete this response.  I won't apologize for my opinion.

We are taking a stand-legalize pot!I thought conservatives want less government control over things?


"Hmmmmm, why not just allow everyone to do whatever they want.  Lets start with Green people regulating how often gas powered engines can be used in a month or limits on horsepower with no grandfather clause."
This makes no sense in that the green people wound tell others what to do which is totally opposite of letting poeple do what they want-are you stoned?   

[go-fish]

It's amazing how many people say they don't and won't ever smoke it but don't have a problem with legalizing it.  Wow, this is why the country is in the shape it's in now.

Uhhhh, that'a a big negatory there, Ghostrider.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Dave??? Daves not here!!   

[heminut]

Interesting read here, one last thought. (1) Legalization will not change the situation much except for users, to raise cost mainly because of taxes and "control" agencys. There will still exist the blackmarket smuggling so as to put cash (tax free money) in dealers pockets and a cheaper product.
And some "business people" may even encourage theft. Example : ever see the commercial on TV to just send in all your old gold and silver and get back cash? Now...........you know these guys are perhaps giving back 50% actual value,

I disagree. The so called 'war on drugs' has cost the US taxpayers a staggering amount of money over the years, and has accomplished virtually nothing other than paying off a lot of cops' mortgages and car loans! I've been there and know how it works, and still have friends on drug task forces that work a LOT of overtime. The majority of the busts they get are pot, not hard drugs. If pot were legalized then the drug cops could concentrate on the hard drugs and quit messing with the stuff that looks great in the news media but is not causing the real drug use problems in this country.

I guarantee that if pot were legalized the dealers would drop the stuff like a hot potato as the people who actually use pot would for the most part quit dealing with those types and there wouldn't be any money in it for the dealers. Look at it this way, if you had a choice of going to the local store to buy your beer or sneaking around in some back alley looking for a sleezebag (who would probably just as soon screw a gun in your ear and take all your money) to buy your beer from just so you could save a couple of bucks on your six pack, where would you go to get your beer? If pot were legalized it would be the same situation. Also, as far as regulating it, it wouldn't cost that much more. It would probably fall under the same umbrella as alcohol and cigarettes and just be one more item for the systems already in place to regulate.

One plus is that the taxes the government collected on pot sales would more than pay for what is being spent on drug enforcement now, and another is that the stuff would be regulated and probably not be as accessible to minors since the dealers wouldn't bother to mess with it because there was very little profit margin.

BTW, the payback from the gold buyers on TV is actually closer to 30% on the dollar, and the antique road shows is even lower on gold purchases. Those people are vultures preying on people who are in tight financial situations.

[RusTy/SE]

Dave??? Daves not here!!   

 

[Mr. 6pak2go]

Interesting read here, one last thought. (1) Legalization will not change the situation much except for users, to raise cost mainly because of taxes and "control" agencys. There will still exist the blackmarket smuggling so as to put cash (tax free money) in dealers pockets and a cheaper product. Also honestly I feel alot of petty theft and breakins are from younger drug users who don't have the jobs to finace their drug use, and if it is going to be more expensive the stealing will only increase.

And some "business people" may even encourage theft. Example : ever see the commercial on TV to just send in all your old gold and silver and get back cash? Now...........you know these guys are perhaps giving back 50% actual value, and............from my understanding you are not required to give proof of ownership. So just break into a few homes, steal some jewery and get some drug money.

I don't care if it is legalized or not because honestly it won't change things much, except perhaps negatively........................and it isn't going to go away. Morals and ethics really has little to do with it. What I personally beleive in that sense means very little to society in general, I'm not the "judge" and people will do their thing. 

i couldnt agree more it doesnt matter if its legal or not there will always be crooks and crime they could legilize murder and someone would find a way to end up in jail iv never smoked weed or done any illegal drungs but i think it should be legal and should be regulated and taxed it would cut out SOME of the drug related crime! there is not clean cut and dry answer for crime prevention becouse there is scum covering the world i think we all need Jesus!! im gonna make this a religous topic now!! hehehe

[lemming303]

I've heard the argument that legalization of pot would put the black market out of business before but not until I heard it here, from many folks that usually have good sensible opinions, did I actually start to consider this a reasonable alternative. But what about all of the other illicit drugs?  Cocaine, Opium, Heroin, & I'm sure some I'm not familiar with.... How's this going to end smuggling, sale and use of these? Maybe the cartels & such would be diminished but hardly done away with..      Put me in the not buying it column.

Nobody is talking about those other drugs, especially considering the very physically addictive nature of them. I don't believe those would ever be brought for legalization, and they are all MUCH MUCH MORE harmful then pot ever thought about being.

And nobody said it would stop the smuggling of other drugs either.

[Moparal]

I guess Im a wuss to most of evryone.  I cant see how anyone would want to alter their mind and the way they would/should feel. I would be scared to trust someone on pot to weld me up, run a crane or work beside me. Or even drive around town in heavy traffic. I just see any good reason to allow the use of drugs knowing it can hamper your judgement.

I would prefer to spend the money on prevention and cures then to say ok we will tax it. Making pot legal will make changes and cause other laws to change that could actually cause some un forseen damaged.

Sorry, I say no to drugs and wish everyone else could to.  I just cant see any good benifits from allowing it. 

I like Barry's post

[Topcat]

I saw a really interesting documenetary about legalizing weed and medical Marijuana a few months back on 60 Minutes. As he says in the intro, medical Marijuana is becoming the gateway to legalization.

If you have the time and/or interest, watch parts 1 thru 10.
It should be most of the show that was taped then.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=60+minutes+marijuana&aq=f

[Bullitt-]

You do realize that if pot is legalized, then all the pot smuggling and marijuana dealing would stop, right?  People don't smuggle cigarettes and alcohol across the border and deal them in dark alleyways, do they?  Using arguments like "weed profits subsidize bigger deals like border town kids used as vessels for our addictions" are completely irrelevant in an argument about legalization, because such things would stop.  If marijuana was legalized, drug dealers would no longer be able to make a profit selling it.

Hell, the tobacco companies already have names registered and trademarked if/when weed gets legalized.

Nobody is talking about those other drugs, especially considering the very physically addictive nature of them. I don't believe those would ever be brought for legalization, and they are all MUCH MUCH MORE harmful then pot ever thought about being.

And nobody said it would stop the smuggling of other drugs either.

Well that's my point, that legalizing pot would curtail the black market(read above) is one of the pro-pot arguments.. My point is that it ignores the harder drugs from the black market standpoint.

[torredcuda]

I guess Im a wuss to most of evryone.  I cant see how anyone would want to alter their mind and the way they would/should feel. I would be scared to trust someone on pot to weld me up, run a crane or work beside me. Or even drive around town in heavy traffic. I just see any good reason to allow the use of drugs knowing it can hamper your judgement.

I would prefer to spend the money on prevention and cures then to say ok we will tax it. Making pot legal will make changes and cause other laws to change that could actually cause some un forseen damaged.

Sorry, I say no to drugs and wish everyone else could to.  I just cant see any good benifits from allowing it. 

I like Barry's post

It would be great if there were no drugs in this world but the point some of us are trying to make is that there already are many drugs(including alcohol) that are readily avalable either over the counter or prescription and if they are legal than pot should be also.

[lemming303]

MoparAl, if they legalized it I'm sure there would be other laws in place to help prevent people from going to work on, driving on it and so forth. Just like now you aren't supposed to go to work drunk. I drive a truck as part of my job. If you have a CDL and you are driving a commercial and get pulled over, take a breath test, and blow a .01, you lose your CDL. There is NO tolerance on that. I think they would have the same kind of measures in place.