Drug legalization

[El Jefe]

John Stossel did a really interesting piece on the decriminalization of drugs tonight. I'm just curious as to people's stance on drug use and legalization.

For me, I choose not to use illegal drugs. Not because they are illegal, but because I don't want to take the risk of hard drugs, and when I tried pot it just made me cough...and I hate smoking anyway.

I don't want the pilot flying me in a plane, or a cop on patrol to be drunk, stoned or tweaking, but if they want to use on their own time, I'm fine with that. I say tax the hell out of drugs like the government does alcohol and gasoline, and the national debt will shrink like George Costanza's weenie in cold water.

[BMXman]

Originally posted by El Jefe
John Stossel did a really interesting piece on the decriminalization of drugs tonight. I'm just curious as to people's stance on drug use and legalization.

For me, I choose not to use illegal drugs. Not because they are illegal, but because I don't want to take the risk of hard drugs, and when I tried pot it just made me cough...and I hate smoking anyway.

I don't want the pilot flying me in a plane, or a cop on patrol to be drunk, stoned or tweaking, but if they want to use on their own time, I'm fine with that. I say tax the hell out of drugs like the government does alcohol and gasoline, and the national debt will shrink like George Costanza's weenie in cold water.

I say legalize them all....It helps to control the population:devil: :dead:

[Evan]

I have never done any drug. I would have no problem with them being legal if people just sat around their homes while they were under the influence, but we all know that isn't going to happen. I just think that legalizing them all would cause more harm than help.

What I don't understand is why you can drink yourself to death yet you can't have one puff from a marijuana cigarette.

[northshorerat]

if the US would just follow suit with the brits. i think it would make a major difference. dont legalize pot, but make it a lesser offence. much like public intoxication. put the enforcement into the hands of the officers and let them decide what to do with it. kinda like when you deal with minors and beer. small amounts you let them go. case upon case plus an attitude to boot and you are going to spend the night in lockup with the drunks.

[Mr. ShockWave]

I posted no drug use and no legalisation

by experiance :dead:

[Flyin' Polack]

The crime rate in Amsterdam is about .0002%
Nuff Said....

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by seanaza
The crime rate in Amsterdam is about .0002%
Nuff Said....

I would like to see proof of that number and please define what that is a percentage of.

[The Toninator]

drugs are bad mmmkay

[Phlavorman]

Legal or not, people are still going to do them. I think that anyone who has smoked pot at one time or another would agree thry would rather see a stoned person behind the wheel of a car than someone who is drunk. People make more poor and violent choices while drunk than stoned anyways.

Tax the hell out of them, make some profit people will do it no matter what. Alchol is legal, some people drink socially, some abuse it, some don't drink it all. Same will go with drugs, some will use it socially, some will abuse, most will chose not to use it. Legalize it, ticket the abusers who decide to drive or incapacitateed by it, just like DUI, DWI's.

Crime rates will drop, prison systems will be less full. No more people serving 5 years because of possession of Marijuana. No more drug deals gone bad and inocent bystanders getting shot. No more parents not talking about it with there children hoping they will never find out or be exposed to it.

The average cost of a prisoner per a year is $20,000-$30,000 in the US.

Do you think it is worth paying $100,000-$150,000 in tax dollars to send a person to prison for possession of pot for 5 years. Also the people they met and the coruption that happens in prisons, most of them are worth less to society after prison than before. Most of them will have dificulty get a decent job due to there criminal report and are forced to go back and do something illegal to even make a living.

Legalize it, tax it, watch prison population drop and tax revenues grow. It is a win win situation.

[Phlavorman]

Originally posted by Mr. ShockWave
I posted no drug use and no legalisation

by experiance :dead:

You said by experience, meaning even though it was illegal you still did it or new someone who did it. So legal or not it would have been done, atleast if it was legal it could have been checked for quality, purity. It could have been taxed. It could have been bought/sold in a safer more secure place(i.e. local convenience store).

I do not do drugs, I do not drink, I do not smoke, but I do believe we would be better off legalizing drugs.

[ohio]

Originally posted by Phlavorman


You said by experience, meaning even though it was illegal you still did it or new someone who did it. So legal or not it would have been done, atleast if it was legal it could have been checked for quality, purity. It could have been taxed. It could have been bought/sold in a safer more secure place(i.e. local convenience store).

I do not do drugs, I do not drink, I do not smoke, but I do believe we would be better off legalizing drugs.

He meant "legalisation by experience" not "drug use by experience", in that he lives in a country where marijauna is effectively (officially?) legal , and is not the success we sometimes make it out to be. Not sure if I agree with him, but wanted to clarify that point.

[El Jefe]

Originally posted by Phlavorman
Legal or not, people are still going to do them. I think that anyone who has smoked pot at one time or another would agree thry would rather see a stoned person behind the wheel of a car than someone who is drunk. People make more poor and violent choices while drunk than stoned anyways.

Tax the hell out of them, make some profit people will do it no matter what. Alchol is legal, some people drink socially, some abuse it, some don't drink it all. Same will go with drugs, some will use it socially, some will abuse, most will chose not to use it. Legalize it, ticket the abusers who decide to drive or incapacitateed by it, just like DUI, DWI's.

Crime rates will drop, prison systems will be less full. No more people serving 5 years because of possession of Marijuana. No more drug deals gone bad and inocent bystanders getting shot. No more parents not talking about it with there children hoping they will never find out or be exposed to it.

The average cost of a prisoner per a year is $20,000-$30,000 in the US.

Do you think it is worth paying $100,000-$150,000 in tax dollars to send a person to prison for possession of pot for 5 years. Also the people they met and the coruption that happens in prisons, most of them are worth less to society after prison than before. Most of them will have dificulty get a decent job due to there criminal report and are forced to go back and do something illegal to even make a living.

Legalize it, tax it, watch prison population drop and tax revenues grow. It is a win win situation.

Well put. In this program last night, drug use and crime statistics were compared. Amsterdam vs. USA. In the USA it is reported that 35% of Americans have used drugs. In Amsterdam, only 20%. Crime rate, especially violent crime is considerably lower in Amsterdam as well. Most of Europe is following Holland's lead. If not legalization, most are de-criminalizing drug use. (semantics I guess, but I guess there is some subtle difference.) The overall drug use in Europe is far less than in America.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by Phlavorman
Legal or not, people are still going to do them. I think that anyone who has smoked pot at one time or another would agree thry would rather see a stoned person behind the wheel of a car than someone who is drunk. People make more poor and violent choices while drunk than stoned anyways.

people are killing people why not make that legal.
I've smoked pot and i dont not agree.
and people make poor and violent choices while stoned and on the heaver drugs more often than drunks.

[Phlavorman]

Originally posted by The Toninator

and people make poor and violent choices while stoned and on the heaver drugs more often than drunks.

I disagree I know of more fights more overly emotional mistakes, accidents, fights, and crimes because of drunk people.

Most people who smoke pot, that I know, don't cause to many problems. The have heard of very few people getting in car accidents due to being stoned, I have heard of very few people beating there children or wife because they were stoned, I have heard of very few people getting into fist fights because they were stoned. Yet, I know of numerous occassions of drunk people cause serious problems in those three arenas, and that is just a few of them. Of course the problem is I am genralizing by saying people who drink crash cars and beat there wives. At the same society generalizes by thinking pot heads are lazy and contribute nothing but trouble to society. That is unfair and not true, yes there are some "stoners" who are worthless there are also alot of "drunks" that are worthless. I am just stating that I believe someone who is stoned can make better decisions than someone who is drunk. Also when was the last time you heard of someone dieing from smoking to much pot. Wish I could say the same about people getting to drunk. Or for that matter, how many people have had deaths attributed to smoking to much pot, where as alchol people get heart and liver disease just to mention a few of the many troubles.

As for people are going to kill people anyways might aswell legalize it, that is an ignorant response because that is effecting someone elses well being on purpose where as drug use is only effecting your own personal well being. It is expected that it may also effect other people, but how many people have you heard say,"lets go out, get trashed and run someone over with my car", that is an acident that should be severly punished, where as murdering someone is a direct choice.

[The Toninator]

Phlavorman i don’t think you read my statement correctly. I didn’t say being Pot high was worse than drunk. I merely stated that the same things happen while drunk that happens while pot high. Also if you will notice i did draw a line between the two, pot high and heavy drug high.
Also you keep comparing the side effects of pot to alcohol. I don’t really get the comparison but do you want to make alcohol illegal too? I'm down with that.

[Phlavorman]

Not at all I am not trying to say make alcohol illegal, I am saying that alchol is allready legal and the side-affects, aftermath of alchol is much worse than pot. So if you think alcohol should be legal so should pot.

This is just one my arguments of why all drugs should be legal.

[The Toninator]

great great. then we're on the same page. Ban the bottle.

[Mr. ShockWave]

Originally posted by ohio


He meant "legalisation by experience" not "drug use by experience", in that he lives in a country where marijauna is effectively (officially?) legal , and is not the success we sometimes make it out to be. Not sure if I agree with him, but wanted to clarify that point.

stimmt, I never used it and never will, and the soft drugs is legal for just small portions, but still we are worldleader in the production, exportation and quality of XTC

[Skookum]

On the 21's of July I celebrated 10 years of being clean and sober. I'm proud of the fact the I quit drugs and alcohol at the age of 21. Trust me when i say i almost did it all, and if i had not of changed my lifestyle, I know for a fact I'd be dead or in prison. Now i'm a bikaholic.
Strangely enough I do think drugs should be legalized. Simply because the fact that they are criminalized is an insult to our freedom of choice. If they were legal I still would have nothing to do with them. I have abstained from alcohol, and have parted ways with nicotine for over four years now. People however believe that if they became legal there would be droves of addicts all over the streets. Ask yourself honestly if you do not use, would you go to the store and smoke crack if it became legal. Of course not.
Now for people who do use, I believe their will be resources to help people who suffer from addiction, possibly even more of them since govt money could be funnelled to treatment centers etc. instead of prisons. I don't believe that addicts should expect to have it easy, I know that businesses will still test and require employees to abstain. And any irresponsible, and/or criminal behavior that stems from addiction should be punished just the same as it is now. In other word, legalization would not be a free pass to be a junkie/criminal idiot.
Casual users nothing would change, except for the fact that what your doing now is not illegal.
Now for my main belief of why it will never come to pass that drugs are made legal ever???????(though I know there are many more) Money.....
Our tax dollars go to support our fight against drugs, but we also sustain a large section of peoples livelihoods. Judges, Lawyers, Police officers, Govt. Jobs, Prison Employees, DEA, Politicians. Alot of people would find themselves in the unemployment line if this ever came to pass. To summarize the people might benefit financially but the government certainly would not.
O and pot smokers yes you are just as dangerous and and in some ways even more annoying than drinkers, just in a more sublte sublime way. Hehe just hadda throw that in there pot heads are so sensitive y'know.

[El Jefe]

Originally posted by Skookum
On the 21's of July I celebrated 10 years of being clean and sober. I'm proud of the fact the I quit drugs and alcohol at the age of 21. Trust me when i say i almost did it all, and if i had not of changed my lifestyle, I know for a fact I'd be dead or in prison. Now i'm a bikaholic.
Strangely enough I do think drugs should be legalized. Simply because the fact that they are criminalized is an insult to our freedom of choice. If they were legal I still would have nothing to do with them. I have abstained from alcohol, and have parted ways with nicotine for over four years now. People however believe that if they became legal there would be droves of addicts all over the streets. Ask yourself honestly if you do not use, would you go to the store and smoke crack if it became legal. Of course not.
Now for people who do use, I believe their will be resources to help people who suffer from addiction, possibly even more of them since govt money could be funnelled to treatment centers etc. instead of prisons. I don't believe that addicts should expect to have it easy, I know that businesses will still test and require employees to abstain. And any irresponsible, and/or criminal behavior that stems from addiction should be punished just the same as it is now. In other word, legalization would not be a free pass to be a junkie/criminal idiot.
Casual users nothing would change, except for the fact that what your doing now is not illegal.
Now for my main belief of why it will never come to pass that drugs are made legal ever???????(though I know there are many more) Money.....
Our tax dollars go to support our fight against drugs, but we also sustain a large section of peoples livelihoods. Judges, Lawyers, Police officers, Govt. Jobs, Prison Employees, DEA, Politicians. Alot of people would find themselves in the unemployment line if this ever came to pass. To summarize the people might benefit financially but the government certainly would not.
O and pot smokers yes you are just as dangerous and and in some ways even more annoying than drinkers, just in a more sublte sublime way. Hehe just hadda throw that in there pot heads are so sensitive y'know.

Great post! Congrats on getting sober by the way. One point I disagree though - I disagree that pot smokers are more dangerous than drinkers (though sometimes more annoying) in that pot does not impede one's physical abilities nearly to the degree alcohol does. (See numerous studies, recently Alison Smiley at Univ of Toronto, 1999) I'm not saying it's OK to drive stoned, but you don't hear of too many cases of someone getting really stoned from smoking a bag of pot and going on a violent rampage...unless someone stands in the way of his munchies raid.......

[El Jefe]

After 24 hours (OK, so I'm an auditor nerd...shadap!)

The interim results are that 85% of the respondents do not do drugs at all, but of this group, 58.8% want at least pot legalized, with 29.4% of non-drug using respondents wanting all drugs legalized.

Overall, there were no reported hard drug users, but 15% of respondants report using pot. Overall, including pot users, 65% of respondents support the legalization of pot, with 25% of all respondants wanting all drugs legalized. Interesting enough, non-drug users supported the legalization of all drugs more readily than did pot smokers.

Call your friends! Have them vote. This is kinda cool!

[Mr. ShockWave]

Originally posted by Skookum
On the 21's of July I celebrated 10 years of being clean and sober. I'm proud of the fact the I quit drugs and alcohol at the age of 21. Trust me when i say i almost did it all, and if i had not of changed my lifestyle, I know for a fact I'd be dead or in prison. Now i'm a bikaholic.
Strangely enough I do think drugs should be legalized. Simply because the fact that they are criminalized is an insult to our freedom of choice. If they were legal I still would have nothing to do with them. I have abstained from alcohol, and have parted ways with nicotine for over four years now. People however believe that if they became legal there would be droves of addicts all over the streets. Ask yourself honestly if you do not use, would you go to the store and smoke crack if it became legal. Of course not.
Now for people who do use, I believe their will be resources to help people who suffer from addiction, possibly even more of them since govt money could be funnelled to treatment centers etc. instead of prisons. I don't believe that addicts should expect to have it easy, I know that businesses will still test and require employees to abstain. And any irresponsible, and/or criminal behavior that stems from addiction should be punished just the same as it is now. In other word, legalization would not be a free pass to be a junkie/criminal idiot.
Casual users nothing would change, except for the fact that what your doing now is not illegal.
Now for my main belief of why it will never come to pass that drugs are made legal ever???????(though I know there are many more) Money.....
Our tax dollars go to support our fight against drugs, but we also sustain a large section of peoples livelihoods. Judges, Lawyers, Police officers, Govt. Jobs, Prison Employees, DEA, Politicians. Alot of people would find themselves in the unemployment line if this ever came to pass. To summarize the people might benefit financially but the government certainly would not.
O and pot smokers yes you are just as dangerous and and in some ways even more annoying than drinkers, just in a more sublte sublime way. Hehe just hadda throw that in there pot heads are so sensitive y'know.

Glad you quit it, and a good constructive post, althow i do not agree on legalisation, because there will be an increase of users, not that everybody will start running to the first dealer they can find on the block, but there will be an increase, and especially in the teenagers and people around their 20's will start using it.

Also the increase of treatment centers has to start yet, next to that there is still an increase in prisoncells they are building.
Also the law here is to soft, you can get something between 6 months(will be out in 4 months on good behavior) till a few years(whereas 3 years prison will mean more like about 2 years on good behavior), I know the law is much harder in the states, but that has not stopped them now.

Next to that how much do you like to be legalised, and what would be the rules to work with for them, eather way the rules will walked over by 5 mileboots.

glad we could be the pilot for legalizing drug :dead:

[laura]

25% of inmate in jails are in jail because of some kind of drug conviction. us dept of justice, dept. of statistics

since 1989 the number of drug offenders sentenced to prison exceeds the number of violent comitments every year. us dept of justice, dept. of statistics.

in 1998 the police arrested 682,885 people on marajuana charges, more than the arrests of violent crimes combined including rape, murder, robbery, and agravated assault. DOJ, dept. of statisics.

1 in 7 prisoners in jail for pot. doj, dpt of statistics.


tell me why some person selling weed, coke, or crack on a corner in his neighborhood should have to go to jail. him going to jail isnt taking any of the drug use out of his neighborhood. and he most likely wont be reformed when he gets out of jail.

it is a futile war and a waste of money. there is constant overcrowding in jails and people in on murder, rape, assault chardges are getting sentences cut in half because they need to move them on through.


they arrest the little guy to fill their quotas and then they let them back on the street to start the cycle all over again.

its just a game.

[robsta]

Legalize the Herb for personal use if your over 21 yrs.
Then pardon all of the non-voilent pot offenders. Clean out some space in the DoC, we already pay more than enough taxes. The other drugs seem to cause many more social problems, the herb just makes you a little....huh?
But I think that the person using has a lot to do with it. If you some pot and it makes you truly disfunctional then maybe you should touch it. That includes drinking also.

[kitchenware]

Originally posted by The Toninator

people are killing people why not make that legal.
I've smoked pot and i dont not agree.
and people make poor and violent choices while stoned and on the heaver drugs more often than drunks.

That's the funniest post I've ever read here!

Pot smokers more violent than drunks? Come on, wake up.

jim

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by kitchenware


That's the funniest post I've ever read here!

Pot smokers more violent than drunks? Come on, wake up.

jim

It does NOT say that, < edit rude comments > acquire some cognitive skills.

[kitchenware]

Originally posted by The Toninator


It does NOT say that, < edit rude comments > acquire some cognitive skills.

Acquire some writing skills first.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by kitchenware


Acquire some writing skills first.

R e T ar d.:"!@1

[kitchenware]

Originally posted by The Toninator


R e T ar d.:"!@1

I'm quite sure 99 Helens would agree that your post was written very poorly if that's what you were trying to convey. Go back, edit it, and start all over.

Thanks for playing.

jim

[mr_dove]

The majority of my opinion comes from an economics point of view, being an economics graduate.

Supply and demand is VERY powerful. We can see that clearly from the current drug situation. Our war on drugs has only suceeded in making drugs more expensive. They are NOT harder to get and we are not safer from drugs in any way. By making drugs more expensive, we also make it more profitable. We make it possible for drug dealers to become millionaires. Your corner thug can make hundreds of thousands just dealing on a corner. Arresting drug sellers does not deter them. The financial incentive is more powerful than the chance of going to jail.

By legalizing some drugs, we take away the money factor. If drugs are not profitable, the drug trade goes away. If you could grow pot in your basement, there's no need for dealers to get in a shootout over it. There's no need for addicts to steal or mug for drug money, because it's affordable.

I think that there might be a slight increase in actual use, but the tradeoff would be a huge decrease in the crime rate and billions of dollors to spend on other things (or rehab for addicts). Think of the tax revenues alone.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by kitchenware


I'm quite sure 99 Helens would agree that your post was written very poorly if that's what you were trying to convey. Go back, edit it, and start all over.

Thanks for playing.

jim
I'm not playing any game and no thanks i dont need to change a thing.:dead:

[kitchenware]

Originally posted by The Toninator

I'm not playing any game and no thanks i dont need to change a thing.:dead:


Your internet persona needs work.

Use some more smileys or something to help convey your rambling thoughts.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by kitchenware



Your internet persona needs work.

Use some more smileys or something to help convey your rambling thoughts.

I was not being funny, or what you imagine i was being, therefore my comments didn’t necessitate emoticons. My "internet persona" is very much in check. You insulted me with "That's the funniest post I've ever read here!

Pot smokers more violent than drunks? Come on, wake up.

jim" and i replied.

[kitchenware]

Originally posted by The Toninator


I was not being funny, or what you imagine i was being, therefore my comments didn’t necessitate emoticons. My "internet persona" is very much in check. You insulted me with "That's the funniest post I've ever read here!

Pot smokers more violent than drunks? Come on, wake up.

jim" and i replied.

Very good, that's the perfect emoticon for you. I understand now.

[The Toninator]

Originally posted by kitchenware


Very good, that's the perfect emoticon for you. I understand now.

the macinator says "put down the blunt and back away,,, mmmmkay."

[Tenaciousle0]

I don't "smoke the drugs" but I think they should all be legalized and taxed. That way we would know who was doing drugs and lower income taxes --insert Dick vitale slam dunk quote here--

[laura]

Originally posted by Tenaciousle0
I don't "smoke the drugs" --

then what do you do with them man?:cool: :evil:

[Tenaciousle0]

Originally posted by laura


then what do you do with them man?:cool: :evil:

well there's this wallaby and it all gets kind of complicated after that

[TN]

Legalize pot & only pot.
It is not as harmful as Ephedra/Ma Huang, & you can get a bottle of that at the health food store (or the truck stop).

I know this is not an Alcohol vs. Pot debate but....
Have you ever seen/heard of someone stoned, piss on themselves?
Have you ever seen/heard of someone falldown b/c they are stoned?
Have you ever seen/heard of someone choke on there own vomit on pot?

shifting gears....

Pot was not illegal until 1930-something RIGHT after prohibition was over....coincidence....I think not.
Liquor makers & beer companies didnt want to compete with a weed that grows wild, almost in every climate. Still today Anhieser-Busch (sp?) is one of the biggest advocates of keeping "the evil-devil weed" illegal. They would lose alot of money if pot were legal.




And from the "OK.....but...." files-
In the USA it is reported that 35% of Americans have used drugs. In Amsterdam, only 20%. Crime rate, especially violent crime is considerably lower in Amsterdam as well.
yeah, but what is the percentage of people living at or below the poverty level?? That has alot to do with crimes comitted, drug realted or not.



shifting gears again....

Why I wouldn't legalize hard drugs.
Most drugs make you want them more & more until it gets out of control (ie: spending your car note or grocery money for some more coke/smack, stealing to get more money/drugs, etc...).

AND....most coke heads, if it were legal, would go out & buy a HUGE bag & start blowing rails of the stuff, b/c it would be readily available. Then they would more than likely go into cardiac arrest & their heart would blow-up & shoot out their ass :eek:.
Same thing with smack/meth/xtc...
This would cause a health crisis.



again with the shifting of the gears....

The bad side of pot.
It robs you of your motivation...unless your motivation is to watch TV ;).
We are already a nation of lazy fat asses.
AND weed does make you lazy.....if not, please share your stash!
It also makes you paranoid, but I blame that on it being illegal.
Communcation can be a problem too.

"huh?.....wha?.....are you talking to me?.....sorry, I kinda' spaced out."

And smoking anything aint good for you.

Oh Yeah!! It makes you a horrible typer/speller :D.



But, the pros outweigh the cons.


But there is hope....see the next post by me.

[TN]

This is from the Las Vegas Review-Journal-

CARSON CITY -- Nevada voters will be asked in November whether adults should be allowed to possess small amounts of marijuana, the secretary of state's office announced Tuesday.

Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement turned in 74,740 valid signatures on petitions to change the state's marijuana laws, Deputy Secretary of State Susan Bilyeu said. The organization, an offshoot of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, needed at least 61,336 valid signatures to place the question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

The proposal to allow adults to possess as much as three ounces of marijuana without police interference needs approval in the November election and again in 2004 to become part of the Nevada Constitution.

"The success of our petition provides solid evidence that most Nevadans think it is a waste of their tax dollars to arrest people with small amounts of marijuana," said Billy Rogers, a spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement.

"Nevadans support this initiative because it allows law enforcement the resources to track down terrorists, murderers, rapists and other violent criminals."

FBI records show the number of people arrested on marijuana charges nationally reached nearly 750,000 in 2000, up from fewer than 300,000 in 1991.

Until last year, Nevada had the strictest marijuana law in the nation. People possessing any amount of marijuana could be charged with a felony, although most received lesser charges in exchange for attending drug treatment programs. Possession of one ounce or less of marijuana in Nevada is now a misdemeanor, punishable by a $600 fine.

Under the Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement proposal, adults would not be arrested if they possessed three ounces or less of marijuana. They still could not use the drug in public places or while driving.

The petition also calls for the state to set up a distribution plan to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients.

Currently, 185 people in Nevada have permission to use marijuana for medical reasons. They must grow their own marijuana. How they acquire seeds is left up to the qualified users.

Besides meeting the total signature requirement, Bilyeu said Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement met a second requirement by collecting a sufficient number of signatures in 14 of the state's 17 counties, falling short only in Douglas, Elko and Nye counties. Under state law, sufficient signatures had to be collected in at least 13 counties.

While permitting adults to use small amounts of marijuana, Rogers said this proposal recognizes the need to prevent irresponsible use of marijuana by minors and drivers.

"Today, responsible and other law-abiding citizens face arrest and imprisonment for possessing small amounts of marijuana," he said.

"This initiative will protect responsible people and punish those who use irresponsibly."




*I love it they consider "a small amount", up to 3 OZ.

*and what about drug testing in the workplace....how will this be affected??:confused:



Better head back,
TN_Fred

[Lucee]

For those of you who would like to see medical marijuana use legalized I've attached some text.
This was taken off of their website, mpp.org. In addition, you can sign up for the e-newsletter which keeps you up to date on this issue.

July 9,2002

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, amidst a mob of reporters, microphones, and TV cameras, the Marijuana Policy Project delivered 39,000 petition signatures to the D.C. government, virtually ensuring the placement of our medical marijuana initiative on the November 5 ballot in our nation's capital.

Please see http://www.mpp.org/dcinitiative/news.html for a catalogue of the print media coverage so far. In addition, four out of five local TV networks and three talk radio stations covered our news conference.

And there is sniping already between MPP and Congressman Bob Barr (R-Georgia), who has sponsored all of the bad medical marijuana amendments on the federal spending bill for D.C. since 1998. I was quoted in The Washington Times today as saying that we submitted far more signatures than were required because "We did not want some bad guys in Congress to challenge us on this." Bob Barr responded by saying, "The D.C. initiative is another attempt by the drug- legalization movement to move its agenda forward, to legalize marijuana under the pretext of 'medicinal' use."

After MPP successfully sued the federal government in March and defended itself against a lawsuit by a squad of mean-spirited local activists last month, we finally began our signature drive on June 13 to collect 17,500 valid signatures from D.C. registered voters. In only 25 days, we collected 39,000 total signatures, which will translate into roughly 20,000 valid signatures -- far more than are needed to qualify the medical marijuana measure for the ballot. The success of this drive would not have been possible if not for the 18-hour-a-day work of MPP's Kat DeBurgh, who coordinated the signature drive from the MPP office.

This signature drive cost approximately $60,000 -- $50,000 for 39,000 total signatures, plus another $10,000 for hotel and travel costs for professional petitioners. Of this $60,000, approximately $40,000 is coming from the Campaign for New Drug Policies, which is supporting various ballot drives across the country. In addition, MPP received a $4,000 check from an individual philanthropist and another $3,000 from the rest of MPP's nationwide membership.

Hence, the D.C. signature drive is about $13,000 in debt, and we need to raise an additional $5,000 to print 10,000 signs to hang up around D.C. later this month. (The signs will say, "This is OUR District, not Bob Barr's! Vote for medical marijuana AGAIN.") If you are interested in donating some of the $18,000 that we need to finish this campaign in D.C., please visit http://www.mpp.org/dcinitiative/contribute.html at your earliest convenience.

The D.C. government is expected to certify in early August that our initiative will appear on the November 5 ballot, and a super-majority of D.C. voters will surely pass the measure at that time. (A similar ballot measure passed in D.C. in 1998 with 69% of the vote, but that initiative was subsequently blocked by Congress from taking effect.)

MPP is already lobbying Congress not to block or overturn this year's initiative. We have had meetings with 80 congressional offices on Capitol Hill since April, and we are arranging meetings between constituents and 120 key U.S. House members in their local offices between now and Labor Day. If you are interested in meeting with your U.S. House member on this issue in his or her local district office, please respond to this message.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote in September on whether it will (1) allow D.C. voters to pass a medical marijuana law on November 5, or (2) overturn the will of D.C. voters even before we have a chance to vote on the initiative this November. To fax a pre- written letter to your U.S. House member on this issue, please see http://www.mpp.org/DCI/action.html.

Now that the intensive, 39,000-signature drive in D.C. is over, the fight in Congress is beginning. Please donate money now, please contact us about meeting with your U.S. House member personally, or please use our Web site to fax a pre-written letter. By taking action now, we can increase our chances of victory when Congress votes on the medical marijuana rider to the D.C. spending bill this September.

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project


P.S. For more information on the D.C. medical marijuana initiative and/or to make a donation, please see http://www.mpp.org/dcinitiative/contribute.html.




This initiative has been largely staffed
and funded by the Marijuana Policy Project.

[Motionboy2]

Originally posted by BMXman


I say legalize them all....It helps to control the population:devil: :dead:

Exactly:devil:

[ClumpRider]

Here's the most direct and basic opinon you'll get:

a couple of people that smokes in their basement, without telling anyone, never hurted ( not that I'm part of them). But if everyone is always on drugs, when you can't speak to someone that has all his head, well... I'm moving to another country if it's being legalized, that's as simple as that.

[a13x]

since my roommate (not seth) starting smoking pot alot he now just sits in his room, smokes 4 times a day, and doesn't talk to us anymore. he also is WAY more lazy than before.

legalize pot. then i don't have to listen to ppl say 'ever tried <insert anything here> on weeeeeeeeeeeeeed maaaaaaaan!'

[ClumpRider]

Originally posted by a13x
since my roommate (not seth) starting smoking pot alot he now just sits in his room, smokes 4 times a day, and doesn't talk to us anymore. he also is WAY more lazy than before.

legalize pot. then i don't have to listen to ppl say 'ever tried <insert anything here> on weeeeeeeeeeeeeed maaaaaaaan!'

Yup. This stuff is gonna destroy way more social lifes than computers or internet :( :devil: :( :(


Probably the lamest line ever invented...

[northshorerat]

you show me a violent pot smoker and ill show you someone that got more then they barganed for. is it even possible to be enaged when your stoned. i never experenced that emotion, damnit i feel ripped off.

[Ian F]

HELL YEAH, legalize pot. Here is this HUGE tax income we are not collecting! :mad:

[WTGPhoben]

the de jure goal of keeping drugs illegal is to protect citizens, right?

If so, then whether or not something is legal should be a function of the cost/benefit ratio. If you take cigarettes and alcohol, both have considerably worse consequences than marijuana (and I'm gonna throw mushrooms in there too because I see them as relatively harmless and extremely eye opening). As examples, I think I heard the number that 10,000 deaths are attributed to booze annually, and I know the # for cigarettes is at least that high. There are few, if any, deaths attributed to mushrooms or weed, and neither have the properties of making people violent, and neither have significant chemically addictve properties.

From an economic point of view, the government could make huge amunts of money regulating these substances instead of wasting money on a fruitless drug war.

It also would be easier to keep these things out of the hands of kids because the black market would shrink... I'm 20, and it's easier for people my age to get weed than booze.

[TN]

There are few, if any, deaths attributed to mushrooms

Just be sure what you are eating.....eat the wrong thing & :dead:



(and I'm gonna throw mushrooms in there too because I see them as relatively harmless and extremely eye opening).

eye opening....yes indeed....is that a gnome over there? no it is a lerperchaun.....no wait it is a gremlin!!!!!
Why am I melting into the couch???:confused:
ewwww.....purty colors!
-TNF

[WTGPhoben]

Originally posted by TN_Fred



eye opening....yes indeed....is that a gnome over there? no it is a lerperchaun.....no wait it is a gremlin!!!!!
Why am I melting into the couch???:confused:
ewwww.....purty colors!
-TNF

I knew i was gonna get it for that one.

[TN]

Originally posted by WTGPhoben


I knew i was gonna get it for that one.

that was from a true life experience!!!
mmmmmmm.......fungi........
-tnf

[Lucee]

Originally posted by WTGPhoben
From an economic point of view, the government could make huge amunts of money regulating these substances instead of wasting money on a fruitless drug war.


We all say legalize it & tax it. It's a good idea. But, who's going to be able to regulate something that you can grow in your garden? Maybe if we can figure that out, we'd be one step closer to having it legalized.

[-BB-]

Originally posted by Lucee


We all say legalize it & tax it. It's a good idea. But, who's going to be able to regulate something that you can grow in your garden? Maybe if we can figure that out, we'd be one step closer to having it legalized.

a Smoker could grow tobacco too, but they don't.
You can brew your own beer too... Most people don't.

[WTGPhoben]

Originally posted by -BB-


a Smoker could grow tobacco too, but they don't.
You can brew your own beer too... Most people don't.

agreed

[Skookum]

i'm growing a strange purple fungus on a plate of month old food underneath my bed. Is that illegal?
Anyone wanting samples send address will ship in another month(waiting for spores to spread to another week old plate next to it).

[Lucee]

Originally posted by -BB-


a Smoker could grow tobacco too, but they don't.
You can brew your own beer too... Most people don't.

Good point, now go back to harrassing Yeti.:eek:

[bikebabe]

Originally posted by -BB-


a Smoker could grow tobacco too, but they don't.
You can brew your own beer too... Most people don't.

Don't know how easy tobacco is to grow but pot, it grows... well...like a weed. It's very easy to grow, at least in CA, and much less time consuming than brewing beer.

I agree it should be legalized and taxed...though there still will be a lot of black market activity/homegrown stuff. Imagine going to a farmers market to buy an ounce of organic pot!:D

As for shrooms, personally I think they are much more dangerous than pot and have more concerns with legalizing them although they are a natural product. A friend of mine ate a bit too much one night and was hallucinating for 6 months. She still has "flashbacks" and while she doesn't regret the experience, you'd never have that sort of reaction from pot.

[Skookum]

Six month high???? Holy Cow! How many did she eat the whole damn field??? I mean i used to splash in the water myself but it sounds like she was deep sea diving!:D
Yes all things in moderation or not at all, but again i think its up to an individual adult to decide.

[Yeti DHer]

Originally posted by Lucee


Good point, now go back to harrassing Yeti.:eek:

Who, me? How did i get dragged in to this?

[bikebabe]

Originally posted by Skookum
Six month high???? Holy Cow! How many did she eat the whole damn field??? I mean i used to splash in the water myself but it sounds like she was deep sea diving!:D
Yes all things in moderation or not at all, but again i think its up to an individual adult to decide.

OK...she had way too much, in my opinion-- a good serving of mushroom honey. Until that happened, I never thought it was a really dangerous drug--- that invincible feeling. Now I stick with the legal stuff but I agree that an individual should be able to make the decision whether or not to indulge.