Smoke 'em if you got 'em
The Obama administration this week broke with the Bush administration on the issue of medical marjiuana. Under Bush, medical marijuana dispensaries in California were targeted by federal authorities, even if they were in compliance with state law governing such operations. New Attorney General Eric Holder says that won't be the case anymore, unless the dispensaries are violating BOTH state and federal laws. Said Holder, making perfect sense, "Given the limited resources that we have, our focus will be on people, organizations that are growing, cultivating substantial amounts of marijuana and doing so in a way that's inconsistent with federal and state law." The nation's so-called war on drugs has always been an expensive failure. Those who want drugs continue to get them, and no matter how much tax money we spend, they always will. Predictably, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa thinks the change in policy on medical marijuana is a bad idea. He trotted out the old chestnut that marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs. Sometimes it does, but in many cases, it doesn't. That's like saying beer leads to whiskey. Maybe our state and federal governments should consider getting into the ganja business themselves. You could restrict purchases to people over 18 and still try to enforce laws to keep it away from kids. State governments already make billions annually in taxes on alcohol. Imagine the revenue from marijuana sales. Prohibition was repealed even though it was clear that alcohol use contributed to health problems, family strife and crime. Casino gambling was approved, despite the associated negative effects on our society. Why not marijuana?
Labels: Government
posted by Brant at
10:17 AM
3 Comments:
in my own personal experience, i'd rather be around a pot smoker than a drunk. lol
i don't smoke it, but i don't see it anymore or less harmful than alcohol or the overabundance of presciption meds abused today.
Last week, National Public Radio aired a story about efforts to market Bob Marley's image by his family, and they talked to someone from a conservative think tank who, predictably enough, lambasted Marley. Never mind the great music he made - he was a dope smoker!
I suppose it's better to celebrate Elvis, who died with a veritable pharmacy in his system, or Edgar Allan Poe, who was often found in the gutter.
--Brad Hundt
When I was in college, I would not have minded if marijuana was legalized. Now I feel differently. It's not because it would be a gateway to harder drugs, it's just a stupid idea.
Do you want the doctor who is about to take your appendix out to be high, or the dentist who is about to do your root canal? Do you want to put your child on a bus whose drive toked up with his morning Cheerios?
That's what you can expect with legalization. And don't tell me it would only be a weekend recreational drug for most because we know that isn't going to be the case. Once legalized, it would not be controllable.
You want to decriminalize it, be my guest. Too much time and money wasted on court appearances right now. But legalization is just a bad idea.
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