Marijuana legalization?

Marijuana legalization?

  • Legalize.

    Votes: 38 50.7%
  • Decriminalize.

    Votes: 15 20.0%
  • Legal w/ Prescription, otherwise a felony.

    Votes: 10 13.3%
  • No change -- it stays a felony w/ harsh penalties, or even INCREASE the penalties and enforcement of

    Votes: 12 16.0%

  • Total voters
    75

Mojotronica

Expect Irony.
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Messages
3,501
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
I hope this topic is not too controversial.

First of all, I'm limiting this topic to the least controversial of drugs that are widely illegal -- the "soft" drug of marijuana.

Crank, crack, smack etc... are NOT included in this discussion.

It is ONLY about MJ.

It crosses party lines here in the USA -- some (usually Libertarian) Republicans are rabidly opposed to all drug laws, but particularly laws against MJ. They see it as an issue of gov't oppression.

Democrats, who you might think would be more open-minded about it have passed some of the harshest laws against MJ, especially in the late 80's when the nation was concerned about the sharp increase in addiction to crack. (Which has since stabilized.)

A "dealer" is someone who is in possession of any amount over an ounce or two of weed, and/or who distributes or grows any amount.

The harshest laws are:

1. Confiscation of property of those ACCUSED (NOT convicted) of MJ dealing. So the cops can seize your house or car for having greater than a small quantity of pot, even WITHOUT a conviction. The assets go back into police coffers, giving police an incentive to arrest and confiscate.

2. Mandatory minimum sentences for so-called pot "dealers" -- people can go to prison for five to ten years, with no chance of parole. Some MJ dealers spend more time in prison than someone convinced of rape or manslaughter.

There are basically four schools of thought on this, therefore I will set up a four Question poll.

1. Legalize, regulate it and tax it.

Pros: Cleans out the prisons, fewer tax dollars will go into supporting all those prisoners (about 50,000 in the USA.) Gov't then earns money f/ the new tax dollar revenue generated. New and saved tax dollars can be invested in treatment programs. No more seizure of private property by the gov't w/out conviction. Antagonisms between police and many citizens would be alleviated. More in line w/ the concept of free market economics. By removing it f/ the black market, drug cartels and terrorists who may be earning money f/ it would lose funding.

Cons: May result in increased casual usage, leading to more addiction and health problems. Entire communities in the US are economically dependent on building and staffing prisons, which is one of our few growth industry in these troubled economic times. Police use MJ laws to bust criminals who have actually done greater crimes, but can't be convicted and taken off the street any other way. The majority of Americans still support laws against MJ (It's around a 60%-40% split.)

2. Keep it illegal, but decriminalize it. (The Amsterdam model.) When busted, the pot is seized and the suspect pays a small fine, but they don't have to go to jail or lose any property.

Pros: Most of the above, but it will still be partly controlled by the black market, and the tax stream is still partly underground. This is the position most Americans support (according to Time Magazine, ?-October-2002.)

Cons: All of the above, basically.

3. Keep it illegal and felonious, but allow folks who have a specific medical condition to buy it w/ a prescription f/ a doctor.

Pros: None of the above, but at least the gov't will be deterred f/ breaking down the doors of cancer patients and old ladies w/ glaucoma. May allow a legal avenue for those who prove need, at least shutting down some black market revenue sources.

Cons: Still have lots of folks in prison, still have property seizures, still have a powerful self-righteous lobby of America citizens w/ a real beef against the gov't. Communities and police forces who depend on revenue f/ the seizure/prison system get to keep their source of revenue.

4. No change, or INCREASE penalties.

Pros: We've lived w/ this system since 1987. MJ has been illegal in most places for-freaking-ever (since 1930-something) and society hasn't fallen apart. The stuff is really, truly a scourge on society and should not be tolerated. Any additional tolerance risks our becoming a nation -- or world -- of addicts.

Cons: Everything stays the same.

***

My opinion: it should be legalized, regulated and taxed. I don't think it's a big deal and the laws against it are worse for society than the most nightmarish scenario of it's detractors. Barring legalization, decriminalization is at least better than the system we have now. Amsterdam seems to do fine w/ a very libertarian stance on it.
 
I kinda agree with what my old high school buddy Richard used to say about pot:
"It should never be legalized -- it should be made mandatory."
LOL

Seriously, now, I smoked the stuff back in my younger days -- and there are many times now that I'm raising two teenage daughters I wish I had a joint or two -- and it certainly wasn't nearly as bad as the psyllocibian, amphetamines, cocaine and LSD I ingested on a much lesser level. Hell, it wasn't anywhere near crazy-inducing as tequila.

Legalize the hell out of it.
 
No way, I don't want a country full of stoned junkies - and punishment should be penalizing and harsh. For medical purposes - well that's another story, I think it should be made available to those whose symptoms improve - otherwise stuff it into pills.
 
I'm looking at the poll, but it's already decriminalised where I live. I think the next step should indeed be the legalisation of the drug, but with some regulation of course.
 
I think it should be legalized but be treated like cigarettes and only people over a certain age be allowed to purchase them, but I think if your underage and found with it you should be fined. It should also be taxed like cigs and you'd need a license to distribute it.
 
I'm more in favor of the Dutch model. The only problem is that possession of more than a tiny amount of marijuana is still technically illegal in the Netherlands. The police simply ignore it (even though you can smell it all the time in certain places).

Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to imagine police in the US to conform to this sort of policy. We Americans have been told since we were small that "drugs are bad!" and it's hard to change such a culture. We're just too closed-minded. :(
 
Well, the way its going now, its will not become actually legal, people will just not get a criminal record for possesing it. That seems to be a point many people skip over.

Personally I think it should be legal only as an extreme pain-killer, ie Morphine. (I think thats just herione anyway isnt?)
 
One is for the fourth option. If you are going to prohibit something, then do it properly and with extreme prejudice.
 
Legalise and tax it like hell. Make it prohibitivly expensive so people can try it but cannot afford to get hooked. I gave up smoking because it was too expensive.
 
legalize it and then tax it, like alcohol and tabacco. I mean we aren't a nation of drunks bums just because alcohol is legal, are we.
 
Seen too many people damaged by it - psychologically and physically. It's more carcinogenic than tobacco which is not well known

It does have therapeutic properties for some though eg MS sufferers and I'd allow its use on prescription.
 
This is such a massively useful medicinal substance that it is truly insane NOT to legitimize it. Smoking it has drawbacks healthwise, but if it is properly produced and screened like other pharasuticals, that can be much reduced.

To those that say we dont need any more stoners, I say we dont need drunks either. What is your point? With the avalability of the stuff now, a large increase is unlikely. besides it would lose its cache.

J
 
Possibly the third (prescription only) option, but probably the fourth.
 
The fourth. Punish the dealers severely - long jail time - maybe the nations that execute dealers/carriers aren't far wrong.... Users should get community service or something along those lines - no jail. As to prescription medication, i reckon that'd get abused too much. we need more research before we can tell for sure, but IF it ends up being beneficial, then it should be heavily regulated. Legalization/decriminalization would lead to a generation of stoners - after that there'd be no salvation for mankind.
 
With perscription only. 1st you can hardly use the Netherlands as a positive role model for the good of decriminalization. Parts of the area like Utrecht have violent crime levels far surpassing even East LA! 2nd the massive amounts of heath problems that would result later would tax our already over run medical system. Throat cancer would skyrocket! Marijuana burns at such a high temperature (392 degrees F) compared to tobacco's burn temperature of 255 degrees F. Also the mind altering drug in THC hangs around in the body for a week! Not to mention there would need to be a method to positivly test drivers of automobiles
for intoxication before it could be legalized.

**Disclaimer** This information came form a presentation by an anti drug group at my school, I attempted to edit out the moral and ethical opinions they included in the original presentation.:crazyeye:
 
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