Comment of the Day: Explaining Pot-Legalization's Misunderstood Alternative

• Marijuana is the safest drug with actual benefits for the user as opposed to alcohol which is dangerous, causes addiction, birth defects, and affects literally every organ in the body.  Groups are organizing all over the country to speak their minds on reforming pot laws.  I drew up a very cool poster for the cause which you can check out on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/01/vote-teapot-2011.html  Drop in and let me know what you think!

•  There are only 2 kinds of people in this debate that oppose the legalization of Marijuana:   #1 The ignorant #2 Those that profit from prohibition  The supposed "worries"  and "concerns" that our government is trying to instill in us was created through prohibition!!!  Any politician, officer of the law, or prison guard who tells you it is to protect the children is full of S___!!!   It is because of prohibition that right now any child can get marijuana as easy as a pack of bubblegum because dealers do not ask for an I.D. so in fact the remedy to the problem is actually causing more harm then good!   Take a bottle of beer (or any bottle of alcohol for that matter) and really look at it and tell me what you see?  Apart from the name of the product , you will see the following: #1 Who and where that alcohol was made  (accountability)#2 How much alcohol content there is in that product. #3 A label stating the age restriction.#4 A warning label stating the health hazards of the product or the possible outcome of over consumption. This is what is called Regulation and what it does is take that "prohibited" product out of the dark alleys where it is being controlled by criminals and brings it into the light where there will be an accountability for that drugs safety and cleanliness. Right now a clear sandwich baggie (traditional container for marijuana) discloses NOTHING! There is no warning label, or a way of knowing if it is clean or not (pesticides etc), There is no way of knowing if it has been laced with something that could hurt or kill you. There is nothing on the baggie stating how much THC there is in that marijuana, or who grew that product and if they are affiliated with a criminal organization like the Mexican Cartels who make approx. 60+% of their income smuggling the prohibited fruit to the worlds biggest consumer (The U.S.)    "Why do we want to make it easier for our kids to get it?"  If your asking this question then I am sorry, you are among the ignorant but that's OK. You are not the only victim of the refer madness and political propaganda.   Will kids still get their hands on weed after it's legal?  Yes of course they will! Just as kids manage to sneak mom and Dad's cigarettes or raid the liquor cabinets. To think that you can ever stop that from happening is naive. To legalize marijuana you will do the following: #1 Make it HARDER for kids to get it (photo I.D. proving your 21 and over). #2 Take marijuana away from the drug dealers who can introduce the kids to the harder stuff (the true gateway). "All marijuana addicts want to do is legalize their drug of choice!" OK so, the question is, if a person that enjoys a joint now and again is an addict then anyone who takes a drink of alcohol is a drunk?  Can you say Hypocrite? It is irresponsible to eat Cheeseburgers every day because there is an excellent chance that you could develop and eventually die from clogged arteries. Do we prohibit cheeseburgers because there are those that abuse them? Or do we try an educate them and offer help if they do find themselves addicted to Cheeseburgers!?  At the end of the day, The government does NOT care if you smoke weed, The reality is the Government, DEA, Privatized  prisons, law enforcement, and criminals PROFIT from it's illegality! They are not going to give up their revenue flow without a fight!   Just so you know, I do not smoke marijuana nor do I have any desire to. I used to be a drug counselor in our local jails and prisons. I have met a lot of good, tax paying peoples whose lives had been ruined for simply possessing a substance  that is as about as harmful as a cup of coffee!  Marijuana prohibition has without a doubt, done more bad then good. It is time for the government to get out of our personal lives!!!    Alcohol prohibition did NOT work, How many more years of wasted lives and tax dollars will it take before we learn a lesson from history!?

• Go watch this http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-former-us-attorney-endorses-initiative-to-legalize-marijuana-20111116,0,2716350.story

• Just Completley legalize & regulate it. Let us so called Free Adult Americans decide what we put into our own bodies. People go to the hospital everyday for Alcohol poisoning & Perscribed medications. Cannabis is not a drug. A drug is something that people make or make out of something. Cannabis is a plant that is dried then smoked or put into foods. Nobody has ever had health problems with the use of Cannabis.

• All Hiatt is saying is that the feds can shut down ANY attempt at legitimate businesses being run that sell marijuana. They cannot stop states from removing state-level penalties for all of this, though, and the feds cannot enforce prohibition without compliance from the states.

TotalComments: 5