High Time!

Well, when even old George Will thinks Mary Jane is riding the Freedom Express, you know that national legalization can't be too far away. Or at least we'd like to think so. Aside from the obvious health benefits marijuana imparts, the reasons to normalize our consumption of the herb are legion, not least of which would be a sharp smack to the heads of those interested in killing other people to get it across our southern border.

Perhaps Breckenridge's insanely grassrooty, small towney, get big guv'ment off our backy vote will convince conservatives that weed deserves its fair shake in the constellation of legal goodies we now enjoy ... but, (yes, you saw it coming), I'm not holding my breath.

 

Comments

[Rojellio]

Now for the "brilliant" scheme Californians want. Please dont insult MJ with that bit of Californication. Arent we supposed to be "Trusting God" , opposed to trusting man and his mad science alcohol concoction?? And you would want to legalize, by virtue that a godless tax will be levied?? Californians are begging to Legalize, holding a tax carrot out "please tax our pants off". Obviouusly, with MJ legal, and sold in a legal, free market, competitive marketplace... prices wont be anywhere close to current street prices. Current street prices are the ones that liars in California are promising legislators, a huge tax would be presumably added to the existing $400 per oz price. And to "Toke thier way out of recession". In the real world, I anticipate paying $60 - $75 per ounce for legal, grade A sticky. $15 for the grower, $15 for the retailer, and $30 for the tax man. Were not toking our way out of recession any time soon. Better yet, leave the tax man and big guvment out of the picture entirely. I can do just fine with 3 or 4 plants, stay out of my garden and mind your own business.

[Rojellio]

Conservatives aren't as unfriendly as you assume. So far, Republicans are the ONLY ones who have accomplished being on the right side of the Industrial Hemp issue. State Rep Alexander in the 90's introduced legislation to be laughed at and demonized by Dems. Ron Paul currently has the Industrial Hemp Act .. Salazar with a supposed farming background has failed to sign onto the bill. Ironically, and this is what makes Congressman on both sides of the aisle ignorant... the best thing to ruin a home garden, or a crop in the forest, BLM etc... Industrial Hemp. Spewing off all that pollen. Keeping plants un-polllinated would require serious HEPA filtration and indoor gardening. So I kind of wonder what kind of gifts Congressman get from the Growers lobby.

Lefties whine when I use the characterization "Cowardism" to describe Clinton.. OK fair enough. Clinton "bravely avoided" the Hemp and MJ issue. Al Gore cares so much about the environment, that he avoids the industrial Hemp Issue. Even if Hemp only has 1/100th of the potential that Hemp activists claim.... that is still big enough, and compelling enough to legalize Industrial Hemp immediately. Al Gore is the savior of this planets environment right?? What is the {expletive deleted} hold up?? Obviously Bush was beholden to pharmicutical and big oil.... at least we can identify his problem. The Democrats have no excuse. Hold them to the fire.

[f0rTyLeGz]

Imagine the billions of dollars spent pursuing pot smokers for the last fifty years!

And yet pot has been as easy to buy as a quart of milk for all of those years. Ask "Who profits from pot being illegal?" Who makes the big bucks? Isn't it the lawyers who get wealthy users off? Isn't it the big importers?

[Anne Johnson]

Obama, Bush and Clinton have all smoked marijuana and not one of them has ever endorsed taking another look at this useless, pointless, costly war on weed. It's like they completely ignore all the overwhelming evidence that marijuana is not harmful.

[Shan Wells - Huffpost Blogger]

Ironically, I think that fiscal pressures will probably tip the balance towards legalization long before common sense will.

[Gover]

Even with the prison-industrial complex lobbying against it? I'm not so sure.

They're well financed, well connected, they can put on the guise of morality and if you think you heard ever "Canadian Health Care Horror Story" that existed in the few short months of this health care debate just imagine what they're going to come up with against marijuana.

You're going to have to ex-cons on TV swearing up and down marijuana ruined their lives and turned them to a life of crime. You're going to have Hearst-style insinuations that minorities get high mainly to muster the courage to rape white society women. It'll be polished up a bit but it'll be there. It worked the first time.

Plus they deal with a bunch of hard core criminals with nothing to lose. If they wanted to play dirty, I can think of a number of prison gangs that could do a few favors for special treatment. Marijuana incarcerations represent a huge, huge majority of their profits. I wouldn't put it past them. The least crooked people in that industry are the prisoners.

I'm just not so sure that massive economic and social advantages are going to win out versus fear tactics.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Home of the free. Sure.