cannabisnews.com: Pot: Make It Legal
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Pot: Make It Legal
Posted by CN Staff on November 30, 2009 at 08:28:14 PT
Editorial
Source: Charleston Gazette
Charleston, W.Va. -- Each summer, West Virginia State Police helicopters search state hilltops, and tons of prime marijuana plants are seized and destroyed. Thus the state's most valuable agricultural crop -- which could provide enormous tax revenue -- is wasted.Meanwhile, thousands of luckless young West Virginians sit in prison cells on "pot" charges, while taxpayers cough up millions for their keep. When the convicts eventually are released, they are partly unemployable and their lives are permanently marred.
This costly police-and-prison "war on pot" is somewhat a reprise of Prohibition, when America foolishly tried to stamp out alcohol. Prohibition created organized crime, causing bootleg murders and payoff corruption -- yet it failed absurdly.Pot prohibition doesn't work any better than alcohol prohibition did. Billions of dollars could be gained if states simply legalized marijuana, regulating and taxing it like beer, whiskey and cigarettes. The problem of prison overcrowding would be relieved. Families would be spared the nightmare of seeing their children locked in cells.Public sentiment for legal pot is spreading rapidly in America. A Gallup poll in October found that 44 percent of adults now support full legalization -- up 13 points since 2000. "The majority of Americans could favor legalization of the drug in as little as four years," Gallup commented.In western states, more than half already back decriminalization. A bill in California's legislature would allow legal sales, regulation and taxation. Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged serious debate of the question. The state's tax chief estimated that it would bring $1.3 billion new revenue to the bankrupt state government.Bills decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot for personal use have passed in 14 states. More than a dozen states now let hundreds of "clinics" sell "medical marijuana" to people with prescriptions for it -- and conservative columnist George Will says the operations are mostly a sham, serving clients who "really just want to smoke pot." Some of the "patients" arrive on bicycles, skateboards and roller skates.On the same day that Maine voters rejected gay marriage, they overwhelmingly approved the sale of medical pot at state-licensed outlets. And the American Medical Association recommended that the federal government stop ranking marijuana alongside heroin as a Schedule One dangerous drug.America's culture is changing. Acceptance of pot is rising. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama nonchalantly admitted puffing. "As a kid, I inhaled," he said. "That was the whole point." As president, he halted federal prosecutions for medical marijuana sales in states where it's legal.Slowly, legalization is arriving. If West Virginia joined the trend, plenty of revenue could be reaped from a major agriculture crop, and taxpayers would save the costs of prosecution and incarceration. Newshawk: Sam AdamsSource: Charleston Gazette (WV)Published: November 29, 2009Copyright: 2009 Charleston GazetteContact: letters wvgazette.comWebsite: http://www.wvgazette.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/UMkaZQLJCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by rchandar on December 01, 2009 at 11:36:09 PT:
FoM
...and how many of us STILL love Patti Davis?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 01, 2009 at 04:57:26 PT
museman
Everybody is somebody's child.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by museman on December 01, 2009 at 00:25:24 PT
So, if...
"No one's child is more important then any other person's child." -then it is no great leap to imagine that "no 'person' is more important than any other person, because we are still those children. And going along with that, it is logical to see that no persons time is 'worth' more than any other person's for the same basic fundamental reason,see what cannabis does to your mind?dangerous thinking, and we all know thinking is dangerous, and illegal obviously, because it seems that the only intelligent thoughts seem to come as contrary polar opposites to the mainstream comfort zone, therefore the 'huh?' suffices to end the attempt -in most cases- but not in this one.Cannabis.But seriously...Cannabis.I mean it. If it weren't just a plant it could easily be made into a religion, or something beyond its earthly use and attribute, but that surely does not lessen its inherent sacredness?Cannabis has a unique interface with us, we share. Not a requirement perse'-just an effect. Often the smoking naturally creates what is referred to as "The Sacred Circle" -show and compare that with any of the 'drugs'-legal or otherwise- that are out there.In the police state, the consciousness of 'sacred' is at best a mocking snigger, at worst,..well we don't call 'em 'pigs' for nothing! The concept that something is "sacred" must be catalogued in some list, registered as such, with all the proper forms, fees, and a-gentry, before it can be recognized and given its token of respect. A begrudging token of respect. Not acceptance of the reality of the wonderful properties and uses of cannabis, not sincere and humble opologies for all the damage done,..just a token.But "Thats better than nothing!" some say, and it might be true, that, but free thinking goes to another possibility, far beyond the acceptable, which sees the goals beyond that which we achieve in freedom, and that which must still be achieved.Cannabis.To me, it is liberty, and freedom in action. You can medicate yourself, inspire yourself, relax, and enjoy some moments of your life, you can prevent some nasty diseases, mitigate others, and calm an epileptic, as well as help with some psychosis. The list is of course, lenghty.Cannabis and Freedom. Somehow just accent each other in a very complimentary (for peaceful people -and it helps with that too) way. IMOEquality does not end with childhood.FREE CANNABIS FOREVER
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 19:02:24 PT
kapt
I really do believe we need to ask questions in debates about punishment and how much should be used. No one's child is more important then any other person's child.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by Universer on November 30, 2009 at 19:01:56 PT
FoM
Indeed. A question that should have been put to George H. W. Bush.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by kaptinemo on November 30, 2009 at 18:50:36 PT:
FoM, they've already answered
Politicians' Children's Encounters with Marijuana Prohibition: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4440 (ca. 2000; plenty has happened since then, such as the Noelle Bush incident, but it follows the exact same pattern)So long as its' other people's children, they don't mind. Lock 'em up and throw away the key!But if it's their own? Why, they'll get the lightest touch the law will allow.Hypocrisy, thy name is Drugwar...and the biggest hypocrites are those pols beating the drum for it.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 18:20:59 PT
Universer
I like to throw out a question to Republicans or Conservatives that goes like this. I understand that you are against marijuana use but what if your child gets caught with marijuana? How long should your child serve in prison for using marijuana?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by Universer on November 30, 2009 at 17:46:21 PT
Another proud Virginian
Like the good Kaptin, I too am happy to have James Webb as my Senator and glad that I voted for him.But moreover, I want to point out that this letter FoM has graced her site with, under which we're now posting, originates in West By God Virginia.Rural. Christian. Conservative. Bible-belt. Yep.My intrigue is piqued most when a piece (LtoE, op/ed, newsy) is posted from a West Virginia, a South Carolina, a Florida, a Texas. That's the sort of mainstreaming penetration we need, both for medicinal acceptance and recreational normalization.The libertarian West and the liberal Northeast are proceeding, and that momentum must be maintained and embellished. The pragmatic Midwest is showing life-signs, and that growth must be encouraged and fostered.I don't think its premature for us to be bold and brazen enough to strike at the heart of neoconservative turf -- the aforementioned states and their surrounds -- and breathe truth into that dogmatic religion-dominated power structure.Nothing is won yet. It will, for the rest of all of our natural lives, be an ongoing intellectual struggle versus a strain of irrational ideology.But it can only be a God-send if these words -- our message -- are reaching the eyes and minds of those most intractable ... and, more importantly, their youngins.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 15:33:30 PT
kapt
I am half Scots-Irish. I know that is where I get my stubborn side. LOL!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by kaptinemo on November 30, 2009 at 15:26:49 PT:
Senator Webb is Scots-Irish
And anyone who's ever had any dealings with such know they're blunt speaking, combative and tenacious. Senator Grassley foolishly tried to muzzle Webb's committee, and got his arse chewed for his efforts. But Sen. Webb can't do it alone.I'm proud to claim him as my Senator, and implore all, fellow Virginians and not, to support his efforts. For this is quite possibly our best shot at the Federal level of changing the laws that we'll have in a generation.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 12:16:36 PT
James Crosby
That's good news. I really respect Senator Webb and his efforts to reform our criminal justice system. I hope we get an article from the MSM soon.URL: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00714:
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Comment #7 posted by James Crosby on November 30, 2009 at 12:05:51 PT:
ZOMG!
Check out this news just posted by NORML!!! http://blog.norml.org/2009/11/30/this-thursday-us-senate-committee-to-debate-reevaluating-the-drug-war/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by museman on November 30, 2009 at 09:51:15 PT
from link in #1
"Violence can only be concealed by a Lie, & the Lie can only be maintained by Violence. ... Any man, who has once proclaimed Violence as his Method, is inevitably forced to take the Lie as his Principle" – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.Can you say "Law Enforcement"?FREE CANNABIS FOREVER
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on November 30, 2009 at 09:43:26 PT
link
oops, now it's working again, oh well
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by Sam Adams on November 30, 2009 at 09:40:53 PT
new link
wow, great article by Paul on the feds' brazen lying!the link appears to not work anymore, this is the new one:http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/144243/the_feds_are_addicted_to_pot_--_even_if_you_aren%27t/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by paul armentano on November 30, 2009 at 09:26:43 PT
The Feds Are Addicted to Pot -- Even If You Aren't
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/144243The Feds Are Addicted to Pot -- Even If You Aren'tBy Paul Armentano, AlterNet. Posted November 30, 2009.The government keeps pushing the BS that pot is addictive and has serious
health consequences. And no wonder -- lying about pot is a lucrative
business.
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/144243
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 09:05:12 PT
News Article From The Huffington Post Blog
Centennial Marijuana Law Suit: Colorado Lawyers Plan To Sue Town Over Medical Pot RestrictionsNovember 30, 2009URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/30/centennial-marijuana-law_n_373817.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 30, 2009 at 08:59:58 PT
George Will: Get Off My Lawn You Hippie Dope Fiend
November 30, 2009URL: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/rights/144245
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