Legalize It!

[theDoctorisIn]

I can't imagine anything stupider and more of a waste of time, effort and money then our "War on Drugs" which somehow includes a product that was the staple of every major civilization on the planet: hemp!

Hemp is not even a Drug! Do you have any idea how stupid we are for treating Hemp as a drug? It's like confusing cocoa beans for coca leaves or Coca Cola for Cocaine!

I am also completely in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana.

It's 2009, Prohibition was a failure and the War on Drugs is an even bigger loser.

If we legalize marijuana and other similar drugs, the Crime rate will plummet and tax revenues will soar. Let's just grow the fuck up already

I knew that somewhere out there, there was at least one thing that you and I agree on.

 

[PI2]

I can't imagine anything stupider and more of a waste of time, effort and money then our "War on Drugs" which somehow includes a product that was the staple of every major civilization on the planet: hemp!

Hemp is not even a Drug! Do you have any idea how stupid we are for treating Hemp as a drug? It's like confusing cocoa beans for coca leaves or Coca Cola for Cocaine!

I am also completely in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana.

It's 2009, Prohibition was a failure and the War on Drugs is an even bigger loser.

If we legalize marijuana and other similar drugs, the Crime rate will plummet and tax revenues will soar. Let's just grow the fuck up already

Damn Skippy Cheech, there are a few on here that could benefit from firing up a fatty and chilling the flock out.

 

[johnrocks]

Good points Frank, I think at the very least that hemp should be legalized and give the States the poser on weather they want drugs or at least marijuana legalized.

 

[geauxtohell]

At the very least, it should be up to states to decide. The DEA has no busines in this one.

I'd like to see it legalized just to watch the hillbilly mafia miss the second mortgage on their trailer home. Of course, they always have their stable drug: methamphetamine.

 

[veritas]

Gawd Frank, I agree with you on this one.

Even Ron Paul is for letting Hemp be legal again.

I say it's a done deal if we all agree.

USMB Bill #0001.

Ratified and ready.

 

[Oddball]

End the idiotic "war" on (some) drugs across the board.

At best, it's a clunker program for cops and the prison-industrial complex.

 

[Big Black Dog]

Spend some time in Amsterdam and then tell me you would like to make drugs legal in this country.... I don't think it's a real good idea. I agree that compared to some drugs, pot is fairly tame but you have to draw the line somewhere.

 

[veritas]

Frank said pot and hemp. That's what's on the table and I think we already have a quorum.

 

[Oddball]

Spend some time in Amsterdam and then tell me you would like to make drugs legal in this country.... I don't think it's a real good idea. I agree that compared to some drugs, pot is fairly tame but you have to draw the line somewhere.

There's a difference between legalized and still illegeal but tolerated.

After that, the Netherlands also has a massive welfare state that takes on the negative consequences of drug abuers.

Subsidize the making of horrible life decisions and you end up with a shitload of people who make bad decisions.

 

[Ringel05]

Spend some time in Amsterdam and then tell me you would like to make drugs legal in this country.... I don't think it's a real good idea. I agree that compared to some drugs, pot is fairly tame but you have to draw the line somewhere.

There's a difference between legalized and still illegeal but tolerated.

After that, the Netherlands also has a massive welfare state that takes on the negative consequences of drug abuers.

Subsidize the making of horrible life decisions and you end up with a shitload of people who make bad decisions.[/QUOTE]

Damn, why does that sound so familiar.

 

[Luissa]

Spend some time in Amsterdam and then tell me you would like to make drugs legal in this country.... I don't think it's a real good idea. I agree that compared to some drugs, pot is fairly tame but you have to draw the line somewhere.

their drug problem is no where near as bad as ours.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Hemp is a great source of paper, food, clothing and fuel.

I mean what the fuck are we waiting for?

 

[Midnight Marauder]

I can't imagine anything stupider and more of a waste of time, effort and money then our "War on Drugs" which somehow includes a product that was the staple of every major civilization on the planet: hemp!

Hemp is not even a Drug! Do you have any idea how stupid we are for treating Hemp as a drug? It's like confusing cocoa beans for coca leaves!

I am also completely in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana.

It's 2009, Prohibition was a failure and the War on Drugs is an even bigger loser.

If we legalize marijuana and other similar drugs, the Crime rate will plummet and tax revenues will soar. Let's just grow the fuck up already

It would also be a huge blow to our overcrowding problem in prisons. Let people make their own decisions regarding what they do with their bodies.

No one is in prison just for smoking weed. They are there either for trafficking it -- which they still would be if it was legalized and taxed, if they were selling it illegally -- or for other unrelated felony charges in which the weed was just another misdemeanor charge. Trafficking it illegally would be federal charges instead of state, were it legalized, which much harsher penalties I might add. And by the way, marijuana charges causing prison overcrowding is by far the biggest lie, the biggest myth of the entire argument.

To the OP: It's important to make the distinction between legalization and de-criminalization. Legalization means it will be regulated and taxed like tobacco and alcohol. De-criminalization means, no regulation at all, we can grow it and use it to our little heart's content. For some reason, these terms have gotten confused and made interchangeable. They are not.

I am for legalization. Same laws applying to weed as alcohol. Can you imagine our agricultural might, as we grow weed and export it throughout the world? As we also grow and use hemp?

Good thread, good OP.

 

[Luissa]

I feel alittle better our new drug czar is from seattle where he decriminalized small amounts of marijuana. but they are still throwing money at the war on drugs, which they will never stop because DEA needs to be funded some how.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

I can't imagine anything stupider and more of a waste of time, effort and money then our "War on Drugs" which somehow includes a product that was the staple of every major civilization on the planet: hemp!

Hemp is not even a Drug! Do you have any idea how stupid we are for treating Hemp as a drug? It's like confusing cocoa beans for coca leaves!

I am also completely in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana.

It's 2009, Prohibition was a failure and the War on Drugs is an even bigger loser.

If we legalize marijuana and other similar drugs, the Crime rate will plummet and tax revenues will soar. Let's just grow the fuck up already

It would also be a huge blow to our overcrowding problem in prisons. Let people make their own decisions regarding what they do with their bodies.

No one is in prison just for smoking weed. They are there either for trafficking it -- which they still would be if it was legalized and taxed, if they were selling it illegally -- or for other unrelated felony charges in which the weed was just another misdemeanor charge. Trafficking it illegally would be federal charges instead of state, were it legalized, which much harsher penalties I might add. And by the way, marijuana charges causing prison overcrowding is by far the biggest lie, the biggest myth of the entire argument.

To the OP: It's important to make the distinction between legalization and de-criminalization. Legalization means it will be regulated and taxed like tobacco and alcohol. De-criminalization means, no regulation at all, we can grow it and use it to our little heart's content. For some reason, these terms have gotten confused and made interchangeable. They are not.

I am for legalization. Same laws applying to weed as alcohol. Can you imagine our agricultural might, as we grow weed and export it throughout the world? As we also grow and use hemp?

Good thread, good OP.

Well I'm not just for legalizing marijuana, I'm for legalizing all drugs. If we accept the notion that we own our own bodies then how can you say that the government has the right to penalize us for using any drug? If we took out all nonviolent drug offenders that would be a significant number of people and would certainly help our overcrowding problem.

 

[JW Frogen]

I feel alittle better our new drug czar is from seattle where he decriminalized small amounts of marijuana. but they are still throwing money at the war on drugs, which they will never stop because DEA needs to be funded some how.

Any place that rains that much deserves all the drugs it can get.

One can only latte their way to the land of Oz so much.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

If we took out all nonviolent drug offenders that would be a significant number of people and would certainly help our overcrowding problem.

You repeat the same myth, the same lie. And fail to realize that "non violent drug offenders" would still be arrested and jailed if drugs were legalized and taxed. Just like any other bootlegger be it alcohol or cigarettes and other tobacco products. Except that's a federal crime, with much harsher sentences. If you make or grow or brew and then sell the shit without a tax stamp, you're looking at 10 years in federal prison.

I don't think you can get past the mantra to even realize what you're saying. Legalizing marijuana or any of the other recreational drugs won't stop arrests. Folks illegally dealing in these will face federal charges instead.

Do you get it yet?

So there you have it, legalizing drugs will NOT have any effect on prison overcrowding. One because the issue is greatly exaggerated, as I pointed out earlier, and two because the "legal" drugs will be regulated and taxed, and if you're caught bootlegging it your ass will go up federal.

So please, drop the mantra? It is regurgitated, stale old kool-aid that doesn't advance the discussion.

Thank you.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

If we took out all nonviolent drug offenders that would be a significant number of people and would certainly help our overcrowding problem.

You repeat the same myth, the same lie. And fail to realize that "non violent drug offenders" would still be arrested and jailed if drugs were legalized and taxed. Just like any other bootlegger be it alcohol or cigarettes and other tobacco products. Except that's a federal crime, with much harsher sentences. If you make or grow or brew and then sell the shit without a tax stamp, you're looking at 10 years in federal prison.

I don't think you can get past the mantra to even realize what you're saying. Legalizing marijuana or any of the other recreational drugs won't stop arrests. Folks illegally dealing in these will face federal charges instead.

Do you get it yet?

So there you have it, legalizing drugs will NOT have any effect on prison overcrowding. One because the issue is greatly exaggerated, as I pointed out earlier, and two because the "legal" drugs will be regulated and taxed, and if you're caught bootlegging it your ass will go up federal.

So please, drop the mantra? It is regurgitated, stale old kool-aid that doesn't advance the discussion.

Thank you.

You don't know what you're talking about.
Were there just as many arrests for bootlegging after Prohibition was repealed?

Of course not. Illegal drug dealers would pretty much be put out of business by legal drug dealers, who'd be able to undercut the prices of illegal drug dealers.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

If we took out all nonviolent drug offenders that would be a significant number of people and would certainly help our overcrowding problem.

You repeat the same myth, the same lie. And fail to realize that "non violent drug offenders" would still be arrested and jailed if drugs were legalized and taxed. Just like any other bootlegger be it alcohol or cigarettes and other tobacco products. Except that's a federal crime, with much harsher sentences. If you make or grow or brew and then sell the shit without a tax stamp, you're looking at 10 years in federal prison.

I don't think you can get past the mantra to even realize what you're saying. Legalizing marijuana or any of the other recreational drugs won't stop arrests. Folks illegally dealing in these will face federal charges instead.

Do you get it yet?

So there you have it, legalizing drugs will NOT have any effect on prison overcrowding. One because the issue is greatly exaggerated, as I pointed out earlier, and two because the "legal" drugs will be regulated and taxed, and if you're caught bootlegging it your ass will go up federal.

So please, drop the mantra? It is regurgitated, stale old kool-aid that doesn't advance the discussion.

Thank you.

You don't know what you're talking about.
Were there just as many arrests for bootlegging after Prohibition was repealed?

Of course not. Illegal drug dealers would pretty much be put out of business by legal drug dealers, who'd be able to undercut the prices of illegal drug dealers.

Wrong. You don't ever hear about bootlegging arrests because they're not "sexy." It's boring, blase ATF stuff. But it happens daily. And it's stiff FEDERAL FELONY charges, not misdemeanor pay your ticket crap like we have now for weed possession.

You really think there won't be a black market? Folks will be growing their own weed because it will be legal to do so. But just like booze, they will start selling it, without the tax stamp, and that's where the hammer will be coming down.

Right now, I can brew my own beer at home. It's legal to do so. What do you think would happen to me if I got caught selling my home brew to friends, neighbors, anyone who wanted it?

Use your noggin.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

You repeat the same myth, the same lie. And fail to realize that "non violent drug offenders" would still be arrested and jailed if drugs were legalized and taxed. Just like any other bootlegger be it alcohol or cigarettes and other tobacco products. Except that's a federal crime, with much harsher sentences. If you make or grow or brew and then sell the shit without a tax stamp, you're looking at 10 years in federal prison.

I don't think you can get past the mantra to even realize what you're saying. Legalizing marijuana or any of the other recreational drugs won't stop arrests. Folks illegally dealing in these will face federal charges instead.

Do you get it yet?

So there you have it, legalizing drugs will NOT have any effect on prison overcrowding. One because the issue is greatly exaggerated, as I pointed out earlier, and two because the "legal" drugs will be regulated and taxed, and if you're caught bootlegging it your ass will go up federal.

So please, drop the mantra? It is regurgitated, stale old kool-aid that doesn't advance the discussion.

Thank you.

You don't know what you're talking about.
Were there just as many arrests for bootlegging after Prohibition was repealed?

Of course not. Illegal drug dealers would pretty much be put out of business by legal drug dealers, who'd be able to undercut the prices of illegal drug dealers.

Wrong. You don't ever hear about bootlegging arrests because they're not "sexy." It's boring, blase ATF stuff. But it happens daily. And it's stiff FEDERAL FELONY charges, not misdemeanor pay your ticket crap like we have now for weed possession.

You really think there won't be a black market? Folks will be growing their own weed because it will be legal to do so. But just like booze, they will start selling it, without the tax stamp, and that's where the hammer will be coming down.

Right now, I can brew my own beer at home. It's legal to do so. What do you think would happen to me if I got caught selling my home brew to friends, neighbors, anyone who wanted it?

Use your noggin.

Well, this is the way I see it. Why would I buy beer from a bootlegger when I can just walk to the corner store? I feel that the same would apply for weed.