should marijuana be legalized throughout the united states?

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

I really wish that a politician would actually address this question. I would really love somebody like Anderson Cooper on CNN to sit down a few key policians and simply ask them "What right do you, or any other adult, have to tell me what I can put into my body? Why do you care what I do with my body?"

Ann Coulter was on John Stossell's show last night, and her best response was "because."

It highlights the main hypocrisy of the conservatives/neo-cons; they preach individual freedoms, but then want to push their moral values on everyone.

They don't want people doing drugs because they think it's bad for you and society (conveniently ignoring the massive costs placed on society by the war on drugs).

It's their puritanical instincts popping up again.

[DwightShrute]

Ann Coulter was on John Stossell's show last night, and her best response was "because."

It highlights the main hypocrisy of the conservatives/neo-cons; they preach individual freedoms, but then want to push their moral values on everyone.

They don't want people doing drugs because they think it's bad for you and society (conveniently ignoring the massive costs placed on society by the war on drugs).

It's their puritanical instincts popping up again.

I don't think it's fair to lump all conservatives into one. I am a conservative and I believe people should choose for themselves. I disagree with Coulter on the pot thing if that's what she said and I know Stossell's for the legalization of pot so I obviously agree with him.

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

I don't think it's fair to lump all conservatives into one. I am a conservative and I believe people should choose for themselves. I disagree with Coulter on the pot thing if that's what she said and I know Stossell's for the legalization of pot so I obviously agree with him.

the neo-cons/conservatives in power all generally have uniform answers similar to Coulter's on this one, so I'm referring to those in DC.

[Dutch]

i dont want the day care that takes care of my kids to be handled by pot heads no way jose

Just because something is legal, doesn't give you the right to do it whenever. Xanax are legal, but a daycare worker can't pop a handful and expect to keep their job.

If a person shows up with blood shot eyes and acting all stoned, they wouldn't keep their job for too long. But after work that person should have the right to go home and burn one while watching a movie, same as the right to go home and kill a bottle of booze.

[nyed1010]

Sam Harris wrote a great piece of it in his book End of Faith. Too lazy to go find it and copy and paste it here, but the gist of it was(if I remember it correctly)
1) alcohol, cigarettes, and numerous legal drugs are far more dangerous to your health than marijuana.
2) the potential tax revenue from legalized marijuana sales would be a windfall for the gov't
3) plus the money that would be saved by the elimination of the costs of arresting and incarcerating marijuana related felons.
4) I think he mentioned something about the fallacy of the whole "gateway drug" argument, but can't remember his thoughts on that, but it's Sam ******* Harris were talking about here, so he probably eloquently destroyed that gateway drug argument.
BTW, I've never smoked weed and don't plan on doing it in the future, so I could really care less either way, but looks to me that it seems like a pretty stupid idea to criminalize marijuana use.

[PingPong]

i really don't care either way, but since liberals are so annoying about this topic i'm against it

[Andy117]

i really don't care either way, but since liberals are so annoying about this topic i'm against it

That's a mature way of thinking.

[PingPong]

agreed

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

i really don't care either way, but since liberals are so annoying about this topic i'm against it

Personally, I would consider myself landing well on the right end of the spectrum (siding with Libertarians on many issues these days) and I don't and haven't smoked in years.

Common sense is common sense and this country is broke, making no tax revenues on the millions of dollars of grass that exchanges hands every day here, and spending countless dollars and hours on prosecuting and keeping people locked up for crimes involving possession and sale of grass. Nothing about legalization doesn't make sense.

[DwightShrute]

[DwightShrute]

[Lockitup1x]

Yup, exactly. There's a really good website called LEAP - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition -

They have a link to a study/poll:

If hard drugs such as heroin or cocaine were legalized would you be likely to use them?
99% SAY "NO"

Zogby International asked that question of 1,028 likely voters. Ninety-nine out of 100 said "No." Only 0.6 percent said "Yes."1

Drug War advocates have always insisted that addiction would explode if drugs were legalized. But that argument comes apart under the weight of the evidence. While a poll can't predict actual drug use, it clearly shows that most of us avoid hard drugs because of common sense – not fear of arrest.

And that's always been the case. At the beginning of the last century when a virtual free market for drugs existed, use rates were lower than they are today.2 Drug use and addiction – along with crime, violence and corruption – only began to climb after the advent of drug prohibition in 1914.3

Do you actually believe that there would not be an increase in drug use and abuse if all drugs were legal?

[JohnGalt2341]

I don't think it's fair to lump all conservatives into one. I am a conservative and I believe people should choose for themselves. I disagree with Coulter on the pot thing if that's what she said and I know Stossell's for the legalization of pot so I obviously agree with him.

Are you sure you're not a Libertarian? Take this simple test to find out. I encourage everyone who reads this post to take this test. Feel free to post your score.

[DwightShrute]

Are you sure you're not a Libertarian? Take this simple test to find out. I encourage everyone who reads this post to take this test. Feel free to post your score.

the word Liberal doesn't mean what it meant decades ago. By definition I am a liberal but today to me and others that word has a whole new meaning. I am a fiscal conservative I would say. The test is ok but only allows a Y or N answer which can be slightkly inaccurate IMO. TY though.

My score is...
56

51-90 points: You are a medium-core libertarian, probably self-consciously so. Your friends probably encourage you to quit talking about your views so much.
.

[Optional]

I am a fiscal conservative I would say.

As would just about anyone who has been elected ever.

[Bankroll$10]

it should be legalized and it does not make sense that government has not legalized it yet because they would benefit from taxing it

[DwightShrute]

As would just about anyone who has been elected ever.

I am not so sure about that

Is being a liberal nowadays the same as the following? I don't think so


Liberalism (from the Latin liberalis, "of freedom") is the belief in the importance of individual liberty and equal rights.[2] Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but most liberals support such fundamental ideas as constitutions, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights, capitalism, free trade, and the separation of church and state. Theseideas are widely accepted, even by political groups that do not openly profess a liberal ideological orientation. Liberalism encompasses several intellectual trends and traditions, but the dominant variants are classical liberalism, which became popular in the eighteenth century, and social liberalism, which became popular in the twentieth century.

[Lockitup1x]

Are you sure you're not a Libertarian? Take this simple test to find out. I encourage everyone who reads this post to take this test. Feel free to post your score.

Scored 26

Although there were several I could have answered the other way with more info.

[SEAHAWKHARRY]

I scored 48

[Vaughany]

Education to the dangers of drugs is the answer, prohibition is not. Prohibiton does not work. It is a statistical and historical PROVEN FACT.

What a lot of people dont seem to be able to understand is that at least 50% of the population, whether it be in USA, England or wherever, are DUMB, ironically many of those no doubt come under this bracket which is why it is beyond their comprehension that education is the key! It is the same with anything, not just marijuana or drugs in general, it's all about education and common-sense with the latter being pretty much non-existant in today's world!

[juuso]

Some people are idiots and can't control anything, but decriminalizing personal drug use to would be a good step into right direction.

[Pabinator]

How about if you legalize pot, take away regular cigs

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

Do you actually believe that there would not be an increase in drug use and abuse if all drugs were legal?

case studies in The Netherlands indicated that after legalization of some substances, there was an initial spike in use, which then dropped off to "normal," pre-legalization levels. It's also worth noting that a higher percentage of our population admits to using illegal drugs in one form or an other in comparison to their population.

[chilidog]

Of course there will be a spike in usage, as people are now being told that these horrible substances are now okay to use, and can be conveniently bought at whatever corner store. But just as with anything else, it will be just a spike, and everything will settle down. I don't foresee any problems from this.

I do know that even if I could go down to the store right now and buy some meth, crack, heroin, painkillers, etc., I wouldn't, because that is my preference. I have no desire to try them, so why would legal availability change that desire? I can legally go down to the store and buy salvia, and I did one time. Tried it, it was okay, won't buy it again.

[Lockitup1x]

I realize that some of the arguments in this thread for legalizing all drugs are just B.S. and posturing, but just in case you truly are on the fence on the issue...

-Hard drugs are where they belong in our society... underground and illegal. If you really want to do them, you can. What more do you want?
-Obviously people have and always will use drugs, including many brilliant and successful people. It's not a question of common sense or intelligence. It's a question of restricting supply and availability, as well as setting a social standard.
-We are not the Netherlands... we are the USA. What do you want your country to be?

[Wrecktangle]

I realize that some of the arguments in this thread for legalizing all drugs are just B.S. and posturing, but just in case you truly are on the fence on the issue...

-Hard drugs are where they belong in our society... underground and illegal. If you really want to do them, you can. What more do you want?
-Obviously people have and always will use drugs, including many brilliant and successful people. It's not a question of common sense or intelligence. It's a question of restricting supply and availability, as well as setting a social standard.
-We are not the Netherlands... we are the USA. What do you want your country to be?

In the Netherlands, where MJ is legal but hard drugs is illegal, the hard drug usage rate is less than 1% of the population among the indigenous Dutch (i.e. NOT the drug trurists).

Much higher in the US where all is illegal.

"land of the free."

[Lockitup1x]

The Netherlands has half the population of California, and 52% income tax (just for starters). What works there would not work in most countries. Even in Europe, their drug policies are considered controversial, and they are a major producer of hard drugs. It's not all roses in the Netherlands. I guarantee you they have major political and social issues regarding drugs, even with their liberal drug policies, high taxes, and small size.

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

Of course there will be a spike in usage, as people are now being told that these horrible substances are now okay to use, and can be conveniently bought at whatever corner store.

this is a fallacy. just because something is legalized by a government, doesn't mean that's it's "okay" to use. I can't understand how one can make that conclusion.

We are not the Netherlands... we are the USA. What do you want your country to be?

I would like my country to be one that doesn't waste tons of taxpayer money, investigating, prosecuting, and jailing thousands of people for smoking grass. I would like my country to be one of common sense, not one pushing puritanical values on the populous.

[chilidog]

this is a fallacy. just because something is legalized by a government, doesn't mean that's it's "okay" to use. I can't understand how one can make that conclusion.

For the same reason why people feel that drugs are not okay to use - because the government has said so, and has made them illegal. Well, if the government made them illegal now, sure, all of the people who were curious about it, and were now able to easily buy it, would be trying it. So yes, I do think that were would be an initial spike in usage.

[bruceBRUCEbruce]

For the same reason why people feel that drugs are not okay to use - because the government has said so, and has made them illegal.

Same fallacy of government as big brother who knows all-and clearly, they don't.

[bconngemini]

No, what do you want us to become like Europe?

[obamaismyuncle]

84% say legalize it

[losturmarbles]

No, because it will send a message to the people thay the US government condones crimes and drgu smuggling.

If you cant beat it, join it saying should not be applied to this.

Besides, if its regulated how many stoners are gonna do things the legal way

But the US government does condone crime and drug smuggling

[oiler]

yes or no

never

[losturmarbles]

Are you sure you're not a Libertarian? Take this simple test to find out. I encourage everyone who reads this post to take this test. Feel free to post your score.

That's a really bad test. Libertarians are not Anarchists. Nearly every 5 point question I had to answer no and I'm 100% pure Libertarian. My score was 81 (out of 160).

Here's a better political test: