State Marijuana Laws Weakening

USA Today:

LOS ANGELES -- James Gray once saw himself as a drug warrior, a former federal prosecutor and county judge who sent people to prison for dealing pot and other drug offenses. Gradually, though, he became convinced that the ban on marijuana was making it more accessible to young people, not less.

Read the whole story: USA Today

Comments

[johnian smith]

12:23 AM on 03/23/2010

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[Malcolm Kyle]

06:13 AM on 03/13/2010

Prohibition is a sickening horror and the ocean of human wreckage it has left in its wake is almost endless.

Based on the unalterable proviso that drug use is essentially an unstoppable and ongoing human behavior which has been with us since the dawn of time, any serious reading on the subject of past attempts at any form of drug prohibition would point most normal thinking people in the direction of sensible regulation. By its very nature prohibition cannot fail but create a vast increase in criminal activity, and rather than preventing society from descending into anarchy, it actually fosters an anarchic business model - the international Drug Trade. Any decisions concerning quality, quantity, distribution and availability are then left in the hands of unregulated, anonymous, ruthless drug dealers, who are interested only in the huge profits involved.

Prohibition ideology is based on lies and the 'War on Drugs' is a de facto 'war on people' (some might even successfully argue that it's a de facto race war). Prohibition has decimated generations and criminalized millions for a behavior which is entwined in human existence, and for what other purpose than to uphold the defunct and corrupt thinking of a minority of misguided, self-righteous Neo-Puritans and degenerate demagogues who wish nothing but unadulterated destruction on the rest of us!

[MarkEntry]

02:12 PM on 03/10/2010

The move to re-legalize cannabis has been a 74 year process. So, this movement is most certainly not an overnight event. The majority of American voters have tried cannabis & know the sky will not fall when it's legalized. What will happen is it will be regulated just like the other recreational drugs, alcohol & tobacco. A critical issue if for well meaning people to stop saying, "legalize it & tax the H*LL out of it". This idea will doom legalization as one of the most important regulatory controls to prevent illicit trafficking is to avoid over-taxation. The over-taxation of cigarettes directly lead to the death of 4 RCMP Mounties by cigarette smugglers on the US/Canada border. Americans are familiar with, comfortable with, & will support cannabis legalization via the regulatory system we have in place for alcohol & tobacco. But, we must lower the taxes & keep them low enough to avoid criminals getting back into these industries. Over-taxation is why moonshiners & cigarette smugglers are proliferating. Some people will home grow cannabis, as do some home brewers make beer. But, most people want convenience & are busy working & raising families. This is why the sale of cannabis to adults by licensed merchants is certain to be a favored method of acquiring cannabis. Quality & potency will be best guaranteed this way if we demand they don't adulterate cannabis like they do tobacco. I'd favor bulk packaging for use via vaporization. Legalization has reached critical mass.

[fumes]

10:02 AM on 03/10/2010

the big problem with marijuana is that it changes your perspective..

suddenly everything becomes wonderful and everyone becomes nice!

and that's just not true..

people for the most part are nasty pricks and the world sucks!

omg.. where'd i put that pipe?

[pointyheadprodigy]

10:25 PM on 03/09/2010

Legalization is the only sane thing to do. Criminalization and the ensuing "war on drugs" has been a utter catastrophe.

[Jack II Herrer]

09:26 PM on 03/09/2010

Vote to legalize:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/legalize_the_medicinal_and_recreational_use_of_marijuana

If anything, a very high number will continue to send the message and the media will continue to help us keep the pressure on them.

[Jack II Herrer]

08:12 PM on 03/09/2010

Its about time. We've spent 90 years on this bogus drug war that consumes 40 Billion dollars a year of my siphoned income. 40 Billion is a lot of it take our population of 304 million subtract 30% for children and senior citizens and divide it.

40,000,000,000/ (304,000,000 x .75) =

40,000,000,000/ 228,000,000

= $175 per taxpayer a year.

And that doesn't even include the costs of Welfare, Foster care, and other costs for convicted drug user's families. These are all byproducts of the drug war. Its a perpetual cycle where kids grow up in single families surrounded by violence and drug dealing. They end up looking up to the corner dealers as a father figure who plies them with money and hopes of a better future.

Our system is completely broken and costs us hundreds. End the drug war.

[beckpod1]

06:08 PM on 03/09/2010

Unless it is legalized correctly...and not over-taxed...it will still be easier to buy...and grow without the new laws!
We know the government will screw it up somehow!
I don't care!

[tones]

05:45 PM on 03/09/2010

Things i can do very well while High
Math
Read
Homework
Writepapers
house work
conversations
Drive
ride my bike
pwn in video games
Things i can do well while drunk
Throw up
Stumble
Fall down
see multiples of the same thing
watch the room spin
and sleep

[disintaGreatNation]

05:44 PM on 03/09/2010

Don't look for the freedom loving Dixie states to change their rotten laws against cannabis.

[msjimmied]

05:31 PM on 03/09/2010

It can't happen soon enough. Just do it. Legalize marijuana! Everyone here has been saying it for the longest time. The people who lose their jobs in the war against drugs can spend their time more profitably chasing down real crooks. We have too many darn prisons, spend the money on schools. The jobs the marijuana industry can create would be a great boost to the economy. There are so many economists who say we need a new driver to spur growth. Well, here's one just staring you down. Go for it!

[TheWanderer]

04:54 PM on 03/09/2010

Proposing to raise taxes from selling marijuana is ridiculous. What are they going to do if you choose to grow it at home - raid your vegetable garden? It's like trying to tax your tomato patch because it's hurting the local grocery's business.

All marijuana use is medical.

[Katco]

05:06 PM on 03/09/2010

No different then making home brew!

Do you honestly think that the populous will all of the sudden turn into home gardeners if they have the opportunity to go to the store and sample endless strains with differing effects?

[Pegi]

04:51 PM on 03/09/2010

I have been saying since the 70's that marijuana should be legal. It would raise some much needed cash in this country and people wouldn't be filling up the ocurtrooms because of weed. Would even create some jobs. I am all for it, have been for over 30 years.

[spytheweb]

04:20 PM on 03/09/2010

Why not pass a law for drugs that will help you. instead of approving drugs that harm you.

Fosamax, one in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, is supposed to make bones stronger. Now doctors worry that staying on the drug for more than five years can cause some women's bones to become more brittle.

[Pegi]

04:52 PM on 03/09/2010

absolutely!

[Anne Johnson]

04:14 PM on 03/09/2010

I live in CA where medical marijuana has been legal for fourteen years but it seems that only in the last two or three years it has become more accessible. But for all intents and purposes marijuana is still illegal. I am wondering though; If marijuana is still illegal, why is it so easy to get? And why is it in this recession, with people losing their jobs and businesses closing the only small businesses that seem to have any staying power these days are the smoke shops where you can buy paraphanelia used to consume pot? Is this some poorly kept secret of our economy? What's going on here?