Is Marijuana Legalization the Key to Ending Hypocrisy in Drug Laws?

[timejim]

I say NO but in this context. As long as Cigarettes, beer, wine and whiskey can be bought, used and possessed. Rather than a society being hypocritical I say Legalize Marijuana use and possession as long as it would be purchased through licensed and regulated retail outlets as the above forementioned are. It certainly would remove a large "criminal" element from our society and free many from the "lock up" system. Why doesn't this nation quit being so Hypocritical in its laws and actions. I am tired of those that say, " Don't do as I do, do as I say!"

 

[adrenaline]

Physicians have been advocating it's legalization for years, it has more medicininal value than cigarettes and alcohol combined. (AIDS cachexia, Multiple Sclerosis, Chemotherapy induced hyperemesis and anorexia etc.)

 

[jb]

oh but "it's more harmful that we all thought!"

why are our police forces wasting their time trying to bust small-time pot smokers, who are hurting themselves no more than if they smoked cigs and hurting society less than if they were drinking, when killers, rapists, criminal ceo's, and thieves are walking the streets? I'm too lazy to find the link (check norml.org), but something like 600,000 prisoners were there because of possession charges.

and for you kids out there, if you get busted for any type of possession, don't even bother filling out fafsa/fed aid forms for college money, because they can deny you money based on a drug conviction. i could literally shoot up my high school, and as long as i was released, i could get full government aid. but if a cop finds you on the street with a baggy with residue inside, you get nothing!

additionally, at least in wisconsin, if you get hit for possession, NOT even for driving under the influence, your driver's license can be suspended! many people here have reached the 5 dui mark, and guess what, they can still legally drive!



I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

This is one of many areas that I think the government has no business. I see this and any personal choice as just that; personal.

IMO, drug laws only ensure that criminals maintain control of dangerous substances that are then fed to children. I am convinced that a well regulated drug market would reduce use by children [hence everyone else eventually] tremendously. Look at some examples of other popular "drugs". Plastic glue was once a favorite for “sniffers”. By simply moving this product behind the counter at stores, access for most kids was effectively ended. Paint and other household chemicals are often used, and when people get wise to the latest that kids will do, the product can mostly controlled by using simple common sense. For example, you don't sell dangerous products to children under 18. As long as drugs are illegal and desired, and since drugs have always been desired, the allure of big profits will always create a viable and unregulated black market.

 

[Zantra]

I agree that they have it all backward when it comes to cannibis saptiva. What they NEED to do is make it legal, regulate it, and price it accordingly. If you make something legal but expensive, it looses it's appeal. Anyone in Amsterdam can attest to how legalization has a positive affect. But I fear that big coporate interests drive the ban more than anything else. Chemical and drug companies would stand to loose from legalization.