Marijuana Legalization?

[RedGoneWILD]

just remember, you want as many freedoms as possible and less government, but you're fine with being told what you're aloud to put in your body, and being jailed if you don't listen...

One billion dollars per year comes from this article, and uses this Department of Justice document for it's basis. It costs over $22,000 per year to house an inmate...that can add up pretty fast! Also, these stats DO NOT include city or county jails!

These Stats come from the FBI website for the year 2006:

- In 2006, the FBI estimated that 14,380,370 arrests occurred nationwide for all offenses (except traffic violations)

- Law enforcement made more arrests for drug abuse violations in 2006 (1,889,810 or 13.1%) than for any other offense. (Based on Table 29)

- Simple Possession of Marijuana accounted for 39.1% of these arrests, or roughly 740,000 people

Wikipedia estimates the total cost of "The War On Drugs" at around $45,000,000,000 in which the numbers can be found in this document which is the White House Drug Policy Budget for 2006

[mikesilvia]

I haven't read any of the opinions yet, but most will be surprised by me choice.

I think it should be legal and here is why.

1. I don't know anyone that will suddenly start smoking pot because it suddenly becomes legal. It is already readily available to anyone as America has not cracked down on it. So, 95% of people that want to smoke pot already smoke pot. Anyone can buy pot with ease.
2. If it is legalized you can tax it and due to the increased supply the price will drop considerable thus taking out the crime aspect. Just like Las Vegas today. The casinos are now run by corporations. Take out the high price of the drug and you remove the criminal element because there is no money to be made.
3. Prohibition is a fine example. We made it illegal to drink alcohol and all it did is bring crime to the cities. We made it legal again and you have no organized crime element. The negative aspects are the fights, DUIs and other things that alcohol brings to your society

So, legalize it and you will not see as much of an increase as people think. It will still have to be illegal, like alcohol, to smoke and drive and go to work stoned.

[RedGoneWILD]

As long as marijuana is against the law, I'm fine with users and dealers going to jail.

Medical marijuana is legal in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont. No government raids there. It's a state issue (as it should be).

It is a state issue...I completely agree with you! In fact, I couldn't agree more with you! What do you think I've been saying? The federal government has no business sticking their nose in when a state has decided to allow medical marijuana. This was proven in 1919 when the government had to amend the constitution just to ban alcohol! In 1937, when the government enacted the first law against cannabis, they could only enforce a heavy tax, rather than outright ban it!

The problem is that you are incorrect when you say "No government raids there". These are all from just California, when in 2007 alone around 40 dispensaries were raided...

January 17, 2007 - DEA Raids Eleven Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Today, City of West Hollywood Not Amused

March 30, 2007 - The only medical marijuana dispensary between Buellton and Oakland sits empty after the US drug enforcement agency served a search warrant on Thursday.

July 17, 2007 - Federal agents on Tuesday arrested the operator of a Corona medical marijuana dispensary and raided his shop as dozens of patients and employees protested outside the business.

July 26, 2007 - Federal agents raided 10 marijuana clinics Wednesday, the same day city leaders introduced a measure calling for an end to the crackdown on the dispensaries allowed under state law.

October 12, 2007 - Federal agents seized marijuana and cash Thursday night from a medical marijuana dispensary in the loft district near Little Tokyo, officials said.

I could keep listing these, but what's the point...

And for Walt, I'm not sure what you mean that guy was doing it ILLEGALLY? He followed all state laws, paid several hundred thousand in state taxes, and then donated all the proceeds to cancer research...sounds pretty sinister to me!

[RedGoneWILD]

I haven't read any of the opinions yet, but most will be surprised by me choice.

I think it should be legal and here is why.

1. I don't know anyone that will suddenly start smoking pot because it suddenly becomes legal. It is already readily available to anyone as America has not cracked down on it. So, 95% of people that want to smoke pot already smoke pot. Anyone can buy pot with ease.
2. If it is legalized you can tax it and due to the increased supply the price will drop considerable thus taking out the crime aspect. Just like Las Vegas today. The casinos are now run by corporations. Take out the high price of the drug and you remove the criminal element because there is no money to be made.
3. Prohibition is a fine example. We made it illegal to drink alcohol and all it did is bring crime to the cities. We made it legal again and you have no organized crime element. The negative aspects are the fights, DUIs and other things that alcohol brings to your society

So, legalize it and you will not see as much of an increase as people think. It will still have to be illegal, like alcohol, to smoke and drive and go to work stoned.

i'm not surprised by your opinion...good reasoning! It only makes sense to have personal freedom of choice!

Also wanted to add that the following medical groups have all endorsed medical marijuana:

The American College of Physicians - America's second largest physicians group
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - America's second largest cancer charity
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Public Health Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Nurses Association
British Medical Association
AIDS Action
American Academy of HIV Medicine
Lymphoma Foundation of America
Health Canada

[OnePimpTiger]

The fact that it could provide the government revenue doesn't excite me at all. Government sucks.

Marijuana is already available for medical purposes.

I don't know, I guess I just don't see why we would want to introduce such a deterrent as marijuana to a primarily teenage society that will continue to get lazier and lazier. We're going to be raising drunk, high, bums...paranoia, I know...But how can we complain about lack of work ethic and then legalize pot?

About the taxes, again, that's not the main point. You know I agree with you about minimizing government involvement. The tax point is only used (in my arguments anyway) as an argument that the government and liberals can agree with.

About it being available to teens, it already is. I posted an article in another thread the other day that had statistics from a national survey showing more teens know someone that regularly smokes pot than teens who know someone who regularly drinks alcohol. And it also showed more teens say it's easier to get pot than alcohol. If it's already easier to get and more popular than beer, how much worse could it get?

haven't read any of the opinions yet, but most will be surprised by me choice.

I think it should be legal and here is why.

1. I don't know anyone that will suddenly start smoking pot because it suddenly becomes legal. It is already readily available to anyone as America has not cracked down on it. So, 95% of people that want to smoke pot already smoke pot. Anyone can buy pot with ease.
2. If it is legalized you can tax it and due to the increased supply the price will drop considerable thus taking out the crime aspect. Just like Las Vegas today. The casinos are now run by corporations. Take out the high price of the drug and you remove the criminal element because there is no money to be made.
3. Prohibition is a fine example. We made it illegal to drink alcohol and all it did is bring crime to the cities. We made it legal again and you have no organized crime element. The negative aspects are the fights, DUIs and other things that alcohol brings to your society

So, legalize it and you will not see as much of an increase as people think. It will still have to be illegal, like alcohol, to smoke and drive and go to work stoned.

I, too, am not surprised...you're a logical guy, Mike, and that's a very logical argument...that's what Red and I have been saying all along.

[Yanksfan396]

Mike's always gotta hijack my threads with good posts... :)

[daniel3417]

Gotta be honest, this isn't an issue I care too much about. Though, I'm merely guessing that the government raids occured because that certain dispensary was giving it out to those who didn't need it or something.

[OnePimpTiger]

The whole issue about the raids is that some states have passed laws allowing medicinal marijuana, but the federal government has not. So the states say you can do it, but the government comes in and says "You may say it's legal in Cali, but we say it's not legal in the US." They basically overrule the state laws.

[walt55054life]

The whole issue about the raids is that some states have passed laws allowing medicinal marijuana, but the federal government has not. So the states say you can do it, but the government comes in and says "You may say it's legal in Cali, but we say it's not legal in the US." They basically overrule the state laws.

Exactly what I meant about the previous raid I was talking about by state law it may be fine however the DEA and Feds still can shut down this dispensaries bc remember that federal law preempts state law. I also don't believe that these dispensaries that were such down were running a completely clean business.
Besides The gment makes more money by busting criminals with marijuna(yes they are still criminals bc it's illegal) bc the gment charges by the street price when you are caught with it.

Also I guess everyone overlooked the fact that bud is a gateway drug? I remember in HS some students were very hesitant to smoke bc the simple fact it was illegal and drank instead, or it took them a few years longer to smoke.

[RedGoneWILD]

Exactly what I meant about the previous raid I was talking about by state law it may be fine however the DEA and Feds still can shut down this dispensaries bc remember that federal law preempts state law. I also don't believe that these dispensaries that were such down were running a completely clean business.
Besides The gment makes more money by busting criminals with marijuna(yes they are still criminals bc it's illegal) bc the gment charges by the street price when you are caught with it.

Also I guess everyone overlooked the fact that bud is a gateway drug? I remember in HS some students were very hesitant to smoke bc the simple fact it was illegal and drank instead, or it took them a few years longer to smoke.

Where are you getting your "facts" from???

The government makes more money by busting people because they charge by the street price??? You asked me to provide documentation, and I did...Can you do the same?

Did you read the White House Drug Policy Budget I provided a link to? $45,000,000,000 BILLION DOLLARS was spent in one year on the War On Drugs....that is an expenditure, not income!

Just because you "believe" that the dispensaries weren't running a legal business does not make it true....If you provide some evidence, I'd be happy to look at it, but otherwise you are just saying stuff that is completely false!

The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

In 1919, The government had to amend to the constitution just to prohibit alcohol consumption, and then in 1933 had to amend the constitution again just to repeal the ban! The states have every right to enact medical marijuana laws (and other laws) without the feds stepping in!

And I don't buy the gateway drug theory for a minute, and many prominent medical organizations agree. But if I did, I would argue that alcohol and tobacco are gateway drugs....I mean, you say in high school your friends didnt smoke because it was illegal, so drank instead...Unless you're 21, drinking is illegal too!

Besides, my whole argument is freedom of choice (it's your body and you dont need it regulated by the feds) and to reduce the prison population...if that's not a logical enough explanation for legalization, then you'll never be persuaded!