What is Digg?123 Comments
- ajb2015, on 10/12/2007, -2/+41All this money and effort and I could still get some within about 15 to 30 minutes, much more easily than I could get alcohol.
- nydrak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+43My biggest disappointment with Bill Clinton was that he did not write an executive order at least decriminalizing pot. After all, he knew all these facts and he knows that Hemp is a suitable alternative to petroleum products. He really let us down.
In my opinion, the reason a Constitutional Amendment was needed to prohibit Alcohol and none was needed for Drug prohibition was that the feds learned we could repeal an Amendment and they weren't about to let that happen a second time. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+44Hemp is not legal since it would make a huge dent in the cotton, plastic, fuel, etc. industry's wallets. Talk about a miracle plant. Personally, I had my fill of smoking it in college. The last thing I want is something that makes me lethargic and hungry.
BUT, I think it's your right to do so if you choose. It was good enough for George Washington. Then again, what did he know?
The war on drugs is as big a farce as the war on terror. Both cooked up to keep people afraid and to pick their pockets for tax money. Government was not granted the right to tell us what we can ingest, imbibe, etc. One more example of tyranny. - spiritamx79, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38people who smoke pot end up in more trouble than people who rape, murder, and beat their spouses.
its a damn shame. the most a pot smoker is gonna do is eat too much. - OBDriftwood, on 10/12/2007, -5/+36Clinton? That was something Carter was supposed to do. I don't remember if it was part of his platform, or just a tacit assumption because of statements made by his advisers, but the Peanut Farmer was set to decriminalize weed. Of course, he eventually wussed out, just like the rest of his tenure as president. He could have done something genuinely helpful to America. Instead we got the hostage crisis.
- ashlvsya, on 10/12/2007, -2/+29It's easier to get because the minimum age to by pot is $10.
- Aeiri, on 10/12/2007, -0/+25Executive orders shouldn't be used for permanent laws... they should be used as temporary solutions to a more immediate problem that congress isn't able to react to quick enough.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Prisons are privatized institutions now and are BIG business. They have no interest in reforming prisoners, in fact, they would like it if MORE people became criminals and were jailed in their prisons.
More prisoners --> need for more facilities --> more contracts given to private companies to build/operate said facilities --> increased stock due to higher number of facilities in operation --> more profit. Guess where some of that profit goes. That's right, to the campaign funds of your favorite politicians who happen to be "tough on crime" and want to implement crazy sentences for minor crimes.
And this is all before you start looking at the prison-work programs. Pay prison company xxx amount of money for landscaping, janitorial duties, minor road work, etc. which is less than hiring a profesional. How much do you pay the prisoners for this work? A couple of dollars/week..which goes towards them purchasing over priced items from commissary. Talk about a good hustle.
For god's sakes there's even a video game (from the "tycoon" series) about it!
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/prisontycoon/index.html
[edit] sorry for the rant but the criminal justice system here (though better than 3rd world countries or dictatorships) borders on being disgusting - Aeiri, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Uhh... He could easily have been drunk instead, but should we make alcohol illegal?
making marijuana legal != making driving under the influence of marijuana legal - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20It's already illegal to drive under the influence of any substance, so that part is pretty much taken care of.
As stated, doesn't matter if it's weed, liquor, or f'n benadryl. If you're hopped up on something and it impairs your driving, it's illegal.
Has NOTHING to do with weed. While it is unfortunate what happened to the 11 year old, I don't think a lot of people appreciate it being tossed around as an excuse to keep it illegal.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but people drink to get buzzed or drunk. To alter their state of being. You don't drink because it's nutritious.
It's no one's business what another person puts in or does to his body. Period. And that is the fundamental idea behind all of this. You can't argue that. - scotus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20legalize it. tax it. then instead of being down a billion bucks and ruining people's lives we could be in the black from a new revenue source and wouldn't have so many overcrowded prisons.
- spiritamx79, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18actually i work at a radio station, and alot of news stories pass by w/ someone caught w/ a gram of weed gets a week in jail, 5 thousand dollar bonds, has to pay other court fees, pay police 'search' fees, and gets 6 months probation. thats harsh for a gram.
even repeat drunk drivers dont pay that much - cybortrip, on 10/12/2007, -13/+27do you have any idea how much pot you could buy for a $1 billion? we could use the money to make the biggest peace pipe ever...puff, puff, pass...to each and every human on this planet in protest of all that is wrong with the world today. we would become better people, love one another, and then hit up the dollar menu at mc donalds...
- ezweave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15Guys... sorry but the law says otherwise!
The production of hemp (cannabis growth) is heavily regulated. I.e. illegal in most states. This is because it's too easy to confuse them and makes law enforcement difficult. So he is right and you guys need to actually do some research. The few Hemp products we can get are very expensive, comparatively, because of the higher cost of production.
See:
http://www.naihc.org/hemp_policy/index.html - voteforblank, on 10/12/2007, -8/+20How else are you going to fund the SS of the US... the easiest targets of the population. Ones that are doing no harm, taking a drug that you can never overdose from. A drug that does not cause you to rob stores, act agressive, start fights.... just gives you the munchies.
The knowlegable folks of this Country know the truth about Weed. They don't trust the B.S. coming out of the ONDCP, MADD, Police Cheif's Association, but read the truth from Medical Reviews, reports from other Countries that have learned about the benefits of it.
I would much rather they get rid of Alcohol. I've had my fair share of wasting my money on it. Drank my teens - my 20's, wasted on booze, lucky to be alive after drinking and driving thinking I wasn't drunk... when I was. At the least, I know when I'm stoned, I'm STONED and I won't drive. Wow- the injustice of it all. - toasty168, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17i really can't understand why pot is criminalized. you'd think this facsist government would want it's citizens to be lazy, compliant, pot heads.
- d1ricks, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16Is it worth it? can any sane person claim it to be? the corruption, bribes, and the loss of liberty?
- musters, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15the same rules obviously would apply as drunk driving... driving under the influence of anything is wrong. I don't see how you can relate your story to legalization though...
- dstz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Not only that, but the war against marijuana actually had a great boost under his mandate.
FBI Data Confirm Clinton's Marijuana War To Be Toughest In Nation's History
http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/norml/weekly/97-10-07.html - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Expensive wines exist because people are stupid.
Let's put it this way, why drink wine? Why not drink grape juice instead?
Answer? Because people like to get buzzed. Or they do it for the health effects, but mainly to get buzzed.
Claiming there's a use for alcohol other than altering your conscious state is just silly and you know it.
Pot has the same purpose as alcohol: it's relaxing (in moderate amounts) and alters your consciousness. In fact, alcohol impairs your judgement WAY more than weed. Have you ever even smoked it before? - euphoria922, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11@pumacub
"Pot does not, it's sole purpose is to impair your judgment."
You are just being ignorant
some people smoke because it eases very real medical conditions
some people smoke because they truly love the complex flavors or different strains
(yes, just like fine wines! there is an extremely broad spectrum of flavors and highs)
also like alcohol, there is a social aspect to it - socokoolaid, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12As an intelligent consenting adult, I reserve my God given right to use upon myself any chemicals I see fit.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12@spamhater
It's not about that. Hemp has other uses. Like replacing cotton. You musta been high when you typed that... - Burly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10So it is the most "villianized" of all drugs because it is as harmful as cigs? Do you even read what you write?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11It should be legal for a few very good reasons.
One, it's no one's business to tell you what you can or cannot put in your body. Period.
Two, obviously all the money and manpower tied into police busting people, judges and prosecutors for court appearances, and money for jail/prison upkeep. This could be better spent on other, more important things. Treatment for those who feel they need it, perhaps. This also counters the argument, "Well they're wasting time and money for their health problems" - no different than addicted smokers or drinkers. So that argument is trash.
Another argument is that it will encourage use, which is false and nonsensical. It wouldn't make people use it any more than they currently want to. If you wanted to smoke weed right now, trust me, you could. You know someone that can get it, and even if you don't, you could find someone in no time. It being illegal won't stop you.
It's not exactly an open invite for everyone to just join in, either. Case in point: cigarettes. We know they're bad and harmful, yet people continue to smoke. They made the choice. No one forced them. More of a curiosity - "Hey, everyone keeps tellin me it's bad.. but they do it a lot, I wonder what it's like.."
Does the legality of cigarettes appeal to people? Do you see them flock to the store to get a pack because it's legal? No.
In fact, there's no reason for it to be illegal. There's really no good argument for it. - NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11so lets ban alcohol too. And cellphones while were at it.
Edit: Wow two peopel beat me too it. - NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9ok lets do some math.
1 billion a year while they are in prison, 8 billion to put them into prison. That makes 9 billion. With 300 million Americans that means on average each American paying $3,000 a year for this *****! - NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Id like to see a bill that legalized pot and make harder drugs (Crack and heroin ect) even more illegal. Think of all the wasted police efforts busting pot heads when there is a crack house two blocks down. Taking pot out of the black market would also keep most Americans out of it and thus they would not be introduced to harder drugs.
- peritonlogon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10How else is the prison contracting market going to achieve growth? Think about the stock holders man. Why is everyone so biased against executives and stock holders? And why does everyone put themselves before the wealthy? (/sarcasm)
In reality that the point of this country "We the wealthy and powerful people of the United States of America...." And the message of our leadership is this "Suck it up pussies and wax the floor this time."
We won't have meaningful change until we have new leadership, we won't have new leadership until we have honest debate and transparency, we won't have honest debate and transparency until we have meaningful change. It's a vicious cycle. I haven't given up all hope that the Internet will solve this countries woes, only most hope. - TopherT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7He wasn't arguing for the abolition of alcohol, he was just saying it causes more problems for society.
- jblade, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9You can't get addicted to POT, period. No if ands or buts. There is plenty of research backing this. The only thing you have is bad self control.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Making it more illegal would only further fuel the black market, leading to more gang violence, etc. I'm not in favor of legalizing crack and heroin and such, but I worry what the social consequences of such actions would be.
- Doghound, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10"Almost ALL of that billion dollars is to incarcerate people with major drug trafficking offenses, NOT simply possession charges."
Do you have any evidence to back THAT up?
lakawak, if you bash someone for not having proof and then make a statement without proof, you kind of give your comments absolutely no credit. - ezweave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@pumacub
Not trying to flame you, just a point I think you are missing.
If I go to the bar and have a couple pints, I have a little buzz. It's part of why anyone drinks, even that little buzz. But guess what, I am totally okay to drive and way under the legal limit. Maybe you never get that, I don't know. But it feels good. (I have one of those key chain breath-a-lyzers cause they are funny at parties.)
Similarly, those who "toke up" can do the same thing. A mild buzz is quite different from being "baked out of your mind". Much like a glass of wine or something. So of course the purpose is "to get high", but even one beer makes you feel a little something.
Medical evidence also points to legit uses for it as well. I think your feelings are clouding objectivity and your lack of familiarity results in the "it shouldn't be legal cause it has one purpose" argument. No hard feelings, just think about it that way, okay? - jonj, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8i imagine that the goverment could make a lot more than $1billion a year in tax revenue if they were to legalize pot and turn it into a regulated drug, like tobacco.
- socokoolaid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Just ponder how much of that billion dollars per year is being funneled to congress men's family members with no-show jobs. How many drug and mental treatment facilities are dependent on these Pot Criminals to be court ordered to their treatment facility to maintain revenue. The justice system is all about spreading the money. Give and take deals. Support my election with campaign donations, and I'll funnel your treatment facility all the money you need through court ordered patients.
- Gimmic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@pumacub
Really, enlighten me. What other uses of (drinking) alcohol are there? It's a drug designed to alter your state of mind. That's it.
Wine is a poor example because you're still drinking to enhance something. The alternate to that would be to quote half baked (paraphrased)"the guy who thinks everything is better on smoke" or someone who lights up before a meal because it makes it 'taste better'. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Have you never heard of "medical marijuana" programs? Excluding their intoxicating effects, pot actually has MORE benefits than alcohol. It treats symptoms like nausea/vomiting, at least one bone disorder, glaucoma, leprosy, asthma, actually exhibits a slight anti-cancer effect (or has no statistical difference, depending on the study) unlike tobacco, and has several other medical benefits.
On the other hand... alcohol, when used in moderation, decreases the risk of heart disease... and, IIRC, that's pretty much it. Everyone else drinks it because of the intoxicating effects.
So, beer has less positives and it can cause some severely dangerous conditions... including liver failure and alcohol poisoning... and it lowers your inhibitions, making you more likely to do something stupid. Which one is better? - NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5No the department that seized it gets to spend that how they like.
- RckmRobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@techwrekfix
Apparently you don't know too much about the issue. Legalizing it doesn't give the government the power to tax it. It's currently listed on the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule 1 drug. Legalizing it means to take it off schedule 1 so it can be used for medical purposes (e.g. cocaine). To tax it requires taking it off the CSA list (e.g. alcohol and tobacco).
Legalizing it must come first. Not just first, but way before taxing it can even become possible. - ezweave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5You're opinion on what people do with it has nothing to do with the law.
The crime in your example was driving... your opinion on drunks/stoners are two very different things. There is a level of personal responsibility with everything. If it had been an alcoholic the only difference would have been that his "drinking" in and of itself was not a crime.
I am sure there are lots of legal activities that you disagree with, but the law shouldn't cater to what you prefer. That only results in hypocrisy and another kind of immorality. Read some Chomsky!
The racist attitudes and corporate interests involved in the war on drugs is just immoral and flat wrong. Even hard drugs: junkies are not criminals, they have a problem. The anecdotal part: I had high school friends whose lives were ruined by jail sentences related to this. Ruined as in: seventeen year old white kids... you fill in the blanks.
Uh and, there are many many different levels of "high" just like alcohol, smart guy. - jblade, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@pumcab
With your horrible argument towards alcohol, the same can be said for weed.
People smoke cause of depression, to eat more, and even to do artistict things such as make music.
Some people buy weeds that give them more muchies, less laugher.
Some smoke weed strains that gives them the gigles.
Some dont care and just smoke to get high
Some even smoke because they have a freaking illness and its all they can do instead of being in the hospital with Morphine. - LogicBomB, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4My friend does a lot of research on this subject exactly. I think the rape/murder vs weed comments primarily stem from the descrepency between setenced and served time.
A good example would be a murderer in for 20, out in 10 vs a casual pot dealer in for 15, out in 15.
Again I'm not expert so if you have some hard numbers I'd be glad to hear them. - techwrekfix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3We have laws now that protect against DUI, the problems is there are holes in those laws. Other countries have lower age limits on drink and some have legalize marijuana and they don't have the DUI problem we have. I can't watch the news in Texas without seeing some jackass wrecking his car while drinking drunk.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@rmazel
The point regarding drugs shouldn't be the highly speculative viewpoints on if they are good for one or not, but rather the freedom to make that choice yourself. It is a property right that if you don't have (present laws) means you are not free because you don't even own your most important piece of property, yourself. - voteforblank, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5They use it in the department to fund Speed Traps! Gotta make sure you cover all the 'Real Criminals', Terrorists (I mean)!
Keeping Dunkin Dougnuts safe 24/7 - Glandmaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7071
Original article with more depth. Amazing that sites can copy press releases word for word but are too lazy to copy hyperlinks or link to the original... - donolsen1155, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Darn, I thought this was a Digg about a buddy of mine that spends about that on pot every year!
- jhug, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Smokers certainly aren't punished more harshly than murderers and rapists. It's just an easy way for them to snag a few dollars. Thats all the courts want. Money. I've spent well over a few thousand dollars through court fees, bonds, police department fees, probation charges and even a few bucks for my lawyer. I'm sorry that was a lie. He was expensive as hell and didn't do a thing that I couldn't have done myself at that time. All of that was for $20 worth of weed.
The worst part is I was almost kicked out of college for it. That would have been another, oh, 30 grand down the hole. - masterspeaks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't think they mean a drug posses ion nets the same punishment as a violent crime. It is just that statistically, nearly six out of every ten federal prison inmates are there for non-violent drug-related offenses, it's clear that drug prohibition is the primary source of prison over-crowding. I am 100% for legalizing marijuana and instituting some penalties similar to alcohol abuse. Each prisoner in the system costs taxpayers $40k a year. Instead of incarcerating them they should be out in society working to put money into the economy.
What's more, drug prohibition also inflates the cost of drugs, leading users to steal to support their high priced habits. It is estimated that drug addicts commit 25% of all auto thefts, 40% of robberies and assaults, and 50% of burglaries and larcenies. -
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