Our Stupid Drug Policy
-
As Steve pointed out, there would have to be a easy, reliable test for the police to administer unless you are willing to just let the cops decide if you are too high or not.
As of now a blood or urine test is the only way, and it takes hours to days to get the results. If it wasn't for this, I think pot very possibly would already be legal.
There is just no way for law enforcement to know on the spot if you are slightly high or over some limit high. Unless there is a way to test and determine if a person is over some set limit of measure, it won't become legal.
-
I think the road to a sane drug policy admits exactly what this woman won't - that different drugs do vastly different things, and have vastly different social costs. I'm not a pot head. I'm a drinker. But if everyone who went into a bar smoked pot instead of drank there'd be fewer social costs. It's clearly a more benign drug than alcohol. You can't OD on it. It's almost never addictive. It doesn't make people violent. It makes you laugh and zoned out and it makes you hungry. It doesn't make you belligerent.
Steve brings up a good point - there's lots of money invested in keeping it illegal, and keeping the drug war going. There are entire communities that depend on prisons being filled with drug offenders. But these are not good reasons to maintain a policy that has spent untold billions, ruined millions of lives, encourages horrific violence, decimates our inner cities, and yet has produced almost no real decrease in drug use.
You should get a ticket for public marijuana use, written up just like a traffic ticket. That's it. The only reason you should see the inside of a police station or courtroom is if you drive while high, endanger someone else, or sell it to a minor. Everything else about it should be legal and taxed.
I think the road to a sane drug policy admits exactly what this woman won't - that different drugs do vastly different things, and have vastly different social costs. I'm not a pot head. I'm a drinker. But if everyone who went into a bar smoked pot instead of drank there'd be fewer social costs. It's clearly a more benign drug than alcohol. You can't OD on it. It's almost never addictive. It doesn't make people violent. It makes you laugh and zoned out and it makes you hungry. It doesn't make you belligerent.
Steve brings up a good point - there's lots of money invested in keeping it illegal, and keeping the drug war going. There are entire communities that depend on prisons being filled with drug offenders. But these are not good reasons to maintain a policy that has spent untold billions, ruined millions of lives, encourages horrific violence, decimates our inner cities, and yet has produced almost no real decrease in drug use.
You should get a ticket for public marijuana use, written up just like a traffic ticket. That's it. The only reason you should see the inside of a police station or courtroom is if you drive while high, endanger someone else, or sell it to a minor. Everything else about it should be legal and taxed.
Kudos to both of you for seeing through the bullshit propaganda spewed about marijuana. It truly is about money, and special interest groups who fear losing a lot of money by ending it's prohibition! I like the bar reference that heckofabrownie brought up. I worked for many years as a DJ in local establishments, and alcohol is the biggest cause of fights, and drama. I truly hope people wake up and get their heads out of their asses and see through the bullshit, and move to end prohibition, and the silly war on weed!
-
Make it legal
Tax it
????
Profit
-
I don't
-
We aren't profiting though, we are losing a ton of money by enforcing it.
-
Bunker said:
that is wise young man, may I suggest that we leave this product to stay illegal so that we may profit from these diseased stricken fools.
We spend millions each year to fight a war on drugs that is putting the money from the sales of drugs directly into the hands of criminals rather than collecting taxes from good honest stores like a cigar shop or a wine and liquor shop. we are losing money on two fronts, and losing lives while bankrolling underground organizations that we have to go to war with. we already did this once in US history with the prohibition of alcohol and it turned out the exact same way.
-
Make pot legal. Make the same rules as pertain to alcohol, 21 or older, sold only in state sanctioned stores, and closely regulated and TAXed the shit out of. Might as well make some money off of it and put the crooks out of business. As for other drugs, heroin, meth, etc, HELL NO, never legal.
-
Make pot legal. Make the same rules as pertain to alcohol, 21 or older, sold only in state sanctioned stores, and closely regulated and TAXed the shit out of. Might as well make some money off of it and put the crooks out of business. As for other drugs, heroin, meth, etc, HELL NO, never legal.
Make pot legal. Make the same rules as pertain to alcohol, 21 or older, sold only in state sanctioned stores, and closely regulated and TAXed the shit out of. Might as well make some money off of it and put the crooks out of business. As for other drugs, heroin, meth, etc, HELL NO, never legal.
this will catch me some flak, but why not? they are already using the drugs and making the drugs illegal has had no effect on use. why not get more taxes and use some of that cash to treat the users. at least with a legit official system in place you can track who is using what and target treatment rather than finding the problem after it is too late.
-
Ballpeen has an excellent point. If somebody has an auto accident, they can test them
and prove they were DWI.
With a good bit of pot smoking, and an accident - or ticketable ? offense,
how can you know to immediately get them off the street?
The difference between the two analogies, to me, is this:
Somebody can drink and drink, and it doesn't waft over to a person next to them. Like, somebody on a bus.
Pot smoke goes all over.
What's a person to do, hold their breath? Wear a gas mask? That is just something I've kept thinking is the legal/illegal difference.
-
I'd much less want to be around a drunk stranger than a stoned one if we are talking how they could potentially affect me.
No one is saying people should be allowed to smoke in the streets or on buses. But I see nothing wrong with in their own home or in a pot smoking establishment
-
Bunker. How is someone who smokes a little weed a diseased individual? There is no proof that marijuana is physically addictive, nor can you overdose from smoking pot. Every other substance that I know of, legal or illegal, prescription, or OTC, and EVEN ALCOHOL can KILL YOU if you ingest too much at one time! Oh, so the knock against weed, is it makes you chill, or may give you the munchies! Oooh BIG EFFIN' DEAL! What's wrong with using a NATURAL substance to take the edge off every now and then?
I agree with nunboy, and Woody as well as Die Hard Browns Fan. Tax it, regulate it, and treat it as you would alcohol. 21 and over! I don't condone useage of other drugs, as they truly are dangerous. Still, I'd rather try and help those who want to help themselves instead of locking them up and throwing away the key, and therefore giving that person a life sentence, because now they have a drug charge. So now, they can't find a job, and they go back to doing the same stuff, and worse, because now they're desperate! It's a vicious cycle! We can't save everyone, and those who won't seek help...well... what else can you do? As for the issue from cal stating about pot "wafting" from past experience I can tell you that I can smoke a cigarette in my living room, and the smell will linger for days. I can toke up in my living room, and the smell is gone in half an hour. And if smoking it is concerned, naturally you wouldn't want people as with drinking doing it in most public places. It should be reserved for in the privacy of your own home, or in places similar to a bar or coffee shop. However; smoking it is the most harmful way of ingesting it. It can be eaten, or vaporized, therefore leaving no potential long term harmful effects on the user.
The bottom line folks is this. Marijuana was made illegal based on lies and propaganda from special interest groups like the paper industry who stood to lose a lot of money from it. Not to mention it's prohibition was based on racial overtones. Back in the 30s, people considered Blacks, Mexicans, and Chinese as sub-human. People didn't want the Black men seducing white women with that "devil weed" and their evil jazz music.
Now, how ridiculous is that? They also felt that if they made it illegal it would stop the Mexicans from coming over. And how is that working out? 
Prohibition did not work with alcohol. It's not working with drugs. All it creates is a black market. Ask Al Capone. -
Bunker. How is someone who smokes a little weed a diseased individual? There is no proof that marijuana is physically addictive, nor can you overdose from smoking pot. Every other substance that I know of, legal or illegal, prescription, or OTC, and EVEN ALCOHOL can KILL YOU if you ingest too much at one time! Oh, so the knock against weed, is it makes you chill, or may give you the munchies! Oooh BIG EFFIN' DEAL! What's wrong with using a NATURAL substance to take the edge off every now and then?
I agree with nunboy, and Woody as well as Die Hard Browns Fan. Tax it, regulate it, and treat it as you would alcohol. 21 and over! I don't condone useage of other drugs, as they truly are dangerous. Still, I'd rather try and help those who want to help themselves instead of locking them up and throwing away the key, and therefore giving that person a life sentence, because now they have a drug charge. So now, they can't find a job, and they go back to doing the same stuff, and worse, because now they're desperate! It's a vicious cycle! We can't save everyone, and those who won't seek help...well... what else can you do? As for the issue from cal stating about pot "wafting" from past experience I can tell you that I can smoke a cigarette in my living room, and the smell will linger for days. I can toke up in my living room, and the smell is gone in half an hour. And if smoking it is concerned, naturally you wouldn't want people as with drinking doing it in most public places. It should be reserved for in the privacy of your own home, or in places similar to a bar or coffee shop. However; smoking it is the most harmful way of ingesting it. It can be eaten, or vaporized, therefore leaving no potential long term harmful effects on the user.
The bottom line folks is this. Marijuana was made illegal based on lies and propaganda from special interest groups like the paper industry who stood to lose a lot of money from it. Not to mention it's prohibition was based on racial overtones. Back in the 30s, people considered Blacks, Mexicans, and Chinese as sub-human. People didn't want the Black men seducing white women with that "devil weed" and their evil jazz music.
Now, how ridiculous is that? They also felt that if they made it illegal it would stop the Mexicans from coming over. And how is that working out? Prohibition did not work with alcohol. It's not working with drugs. All it creates is a black market. Ask Al Capone.Bunker. How is someone who smokes a little weed a diseased individual?
Don't try to understand Bunker, he's a fucking idiot and WAY to old to understand a culture other than in his own home. Typical old man compensating for the fact he is close to death.
-
Bunker. How is someone who smokes a little weed a diseased individual?
Don't try to understand Bunker, he's a fucking idiot and WAY to old to understand a culture other than in his own home. Typical old man compensating for the fact he is close to death.
Don't try to understand Bunker, he's a fucking idiot and WAY to old to understand a culture other than in his own home. Typical old man compensating for the fact he is close to death.
Kosar. He is definitely entitled to his opinion, and by no means was I trying to flame him or anyone else. Just trying to explain how ridiculous the war on weed is, and the "Reefer Madness" propaganda.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login