It strikes me that if there’s ever been a good & useful time to legalize pot, now might be it. The economy could use the huge boost, and we could tax the hell out of it to make up for some of the insanity of what we’ve spent in Iraq.
I’m not a pot smoker, myself. I had an interesting moment waiting for Betty to get her cast put on yesterday; one of the admins there saw me smoking and said,
“I’m going to have to take that up.”
“Smoking?”
“Or drinking,” she replied. “I just need a vice.”
And I thought about it a minute later, and really, smoking and drinking are a lot worse for you than pot, but they’re both legal. I mean, none of it’s good for you, but neither are cheeseburgers or chocolate cake.
At the very least, it needs to be decriminalized (a fine, instead of jail time, for posession).
For Massachusetts voters, the coming election includes a ballot question about that. It would be cool if we could break ground on this issue as well.
Can’t agree more. For a rivieting and horrifying description of how NYC arrested 300,000 people for pot in the last 10 years (as compared to 30,000 in the 10 years before that) read this report. It’s worth your time.
MARIJUANA ARREST CRUSADE
RACIAL BIAS AND POLICE POLICY IN NEW YORK CITY
1997 – 2007
http://www.nyclu.org/files/MARIJUANA-ARREST-CRUSADE_Final.pdf
You’d think that, as someone who gave up recreational drugs and alcohol ten years ago,that I’d be more of a hardass about this,but I agree with you. I do thank that pot, just like cigarettes and alcohol (and cheeseburgers and chocolate cake) can be abused and that some can indeed be addicted to it; I know this from personal experience. I think pot used to excess is a complete ambition killer, for one thing.
That said, I think it’s a waste of law enforcement resources to chase it down all the time.
Want to end a lot of the street violence in Tijuana and Northern Mexico that spills over to the US? Make pot legit nationwide.
I live in California where it’s semi-legal. If you have a “prescription” for it(oh so very easy to get) you can’t be busted for possession. If you are in possession of less than an ounce, it’s essentially like a traffic ticket,and not a bad one.
We had a DUI in the family and that’s the wrath of God; we estimate that’s cost us upwards of $30,000 in legal fees, mandatory classes,fines and increased car insurance; that family member still drinks, but does not drive when drunk, however.
Yeah, I’m with Peter Tosh(we have the same birthday);legalize it.