How do you feel about Colorado and Washington legalizing marijuana for recreatio

1. 76

   LupitaRonquilloposted 12 years ago

   How do you feel about Colorado and Washington legalizing marijuana for recreational use?
   
   Legalizing another "substance" to go along with alcohol and cigarettes that children can get a hold of is completely ignorant and simply the wrong path to take. What are your thoughts?

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2. 60

   Josakposted 12 years ago

   I think it's great and frankly a long time coming. It means fewer people in jail or with criminal records than can mess up their lives just because they make a personal choice to try a drug which is mainly harmless (certainly less harmful that alcohol or tobacco).
   The "for the children!" argument gets brought up a lot in the counter arguments but it's completely illogical, the drug is legal so now it will be sold by licensed vendors who get a massive fine or lose their job if they give it to kids, I imagine the vast majority of dealers on the other hand would be happy to sell to children for the profit so effectively it means fewer children getting access to it not more and when people do get access to it it won't be cut with another drug or incredibly powerful but safe and regulated.
   Pushers use weed as a way to introduce kids  to other drugs, if the pushers don't sell weed anymore it means they can't "gateway" people into harder things and we will save hundreds of millions in police costs on prosecuting weed users.
   It's a win win win win.

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3. 63

   xanzacowposted 12 years ago

   I think it doesn't matter what individual states say about the legalizing of weed. It is federal law that would have to be changed in order for it to be truly legal.

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      Old Empresarioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is a constitutional conundrum in our federal-style of government where states have substantial power to make their own laws of this sort. This is a Supreme Court issue.

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4. 0

   Old Empresarioposted 12 years ago

   I think history has shown that anytime you make something illegal that people like to use, you have just created a monster in the form of an organized crime-led black market. Alcohol prohibition in the 1920s was a disaster as the FBI tried to contain it and prohibition brought the Mafia to the US. Now we have US Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, CIA, ATF, DEA, TSA, the military, local law enforcement, and stricter punishments and we STILL can't stop the flow of drugs. Cartels are in the US now and we waste billions in trying to enforce these drug laws. Even making imported drugs like cocaine illegal has led to the creation of more dangerous drugs, like meth and crack. Drugs are like tornados, hurricanes, or earthquakes. They may have bad consequences, but you can't stop them and they are an unfortunate fact of life. Just legalize them and let nature take its unforgiving course.

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5. 66

   ThompsonPenposted 12 years ago

   I think it's a great idea!
   I have a hub on it, and it's the last one in a series which explains the 502 initiative in Washington.
   http://thompsonpen.hubpages.com/hub/Leg … -My-Review
   Feel free to check it out.

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   1. 76

      LupitaRonquilloposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think it is but I will read your take on it,  thanks for your feedback!

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      ThompsonPenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The amount of money it will generate will be immense!  on average 6200 ppl go to fed. prison on pot charges. If each 1 of them paid the first year license fee, it would generate $1.55 million, half what prisons spend on inmates each year.

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