Thread: CA: Pot city in north screwing up town & quality of life

Originally Posted by Richard

I wonder what Ron Paul and Dana Rohrbacher would say about this?

http://www.ontheissues.org/Ron_Paul.htm
Ron Paul on Drugs

War on drugs is out of control; revert control to states. (Dec 2007)
Repeal most federal drug laws; blacks are treated unfairly. (Sep 2007)
Inner-city minorities are punished unfairly in war on drugs. (Sep 2007)
$500B on War on Drugs since 1970s has been a total failure. (Sep 2007)
Legalize industrial hemp. (Jan 2007)
Drug War fosters violence at home & breeds resentment abroad. (Oct 2001)
Societal inconsistency on alcohol contributes to drug use. (Dec 1987)
Voted NO on military border patrols to battle drugs & terrorism. (Sep 2001)
Voted NO on subjecting federal employees to random drug tests. (Sep 199
War on Drugs has abused Bill of Rights . (Dec 2000)
Legalize medical marijuana. (Jul 2001)
Rated A by VOTE-HEMP, indicating a pro-hemp voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated +30 by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance. (Dec 2006)
Allow rehabilitated drug convicts get student loans. (Jan 200
Ban federal funding for needle-exchange programs. (Mar 1999)

The baby boomers are retiring and want to relive the 60s.

Originally Posted by WorriedAmerican

From your statement, I'm guessing you never tried it.

I've never tried it, or used it, but many people close to me have through college and even into their careers. Their minds were not altered, their scholastic achievement was not impaired, their work performance untouched, they're functionality unaffected. Some quit after awhile, some use only occasionally, others use regularly. There's nothing wrong with it for adults. Children shouldn't be allowed access to it or to use it, but they are now so legalizing medical marijuana for sick people or regular marijuana for people who aren't sick is definitely the way to go.

There has been so much anti-drug literature and campaigns out to support the violent, racist, futile War on Drugs, that it's to a point where people need to stand back and ask themselves one question:

Why do you want to lock someone up in a federal or state prison because they smoked marijuana or snorted some coke or took some speed and under what constitutional authority does that derive from?

I never thought too much about the War on Drugs because it didn't affect me, until one day we went to our favorite restaurant expecting our favorite waiter to serve us. His name is Adam. He wasn't there, and they whispered to us that he'd been nabbed by DEA in a sting operation for selling small amounts of cocaine to friends. This kid was in his 20's, lived with 2 younger brothers that he's raised since his parents had passed away, worked full-time at this restaurant, remembered everyone's drink and order and special needs like what condiments for your steak or burger, whether you used cream with your coffee or not, whether you wanted a glass of water or not and was just the greatest waiter ever.

He sold cocaine to a small group of friends and in return he picked up a little extra money and paid for his own cocaine that he would use on the weekends.

He was facing 10 years in prison for this. What kind of people are we that we want to take someone's freedom away from them for a over a decade, ruin their lives, leave their family without them and their income, because they enjoy some drugs, help their friends get some and pick up a little extra money in the process? We prattle about freedom and liberty and the Constitution, but yet, we want the power and authority using a police state to try and force someone not to use drugs, not to sell drugs to their friends, not to earn extra money doing so and if they dissent and do it anyway, we take the most precious thing we have in our lives away from, which is their freedom?

I totally support legalization/regulation/taxation of the illegal drug trade on the basis that it's all grown and produced here, it's grown, processed, manufactured, distributed and sold by US Citizens only, that the entire process is regulated by a civil code not a criminal code just like any other product is regulated, that we prohibit sales to minors, and regulate the quantity and quality to ensure small amounts for personal use, guarantee the drugs are safe with no bad cuts or contaminants, use part of the tax revenues to underwrite better education programs about the risk and consequences and fund the cost of rehabilitation for anyone who wants or needs it.

I support the FairTax, and a 23% FairTax on these transactions would not only cover all the costs of regulation, education and rehabilitation programs funded totally by the drug users who purchase the products, it would generate billions of dollars per year of needed tax revenue to pay down these horrible federal debts we have and retain our retain our money supply in our country that is now enriching evil criminal foreign violent drug cartels.

The business would create legal, safe jobs on farms, in processing plants and in regulated retail stores as well as other entrepreneurial opportunities in trucking and paraphenalia and so forth.

We would also shut down a stream of smugglers and illegal aliens crossing the borders hauling in their drugs and setting up shop here to distribute illegal drugs in our 200 cities where for example, the Mexican Gangs already have criminal drug operations well-established.

If people want to just start out with decriminalizing marijuana, that's fine with me, but for the record, I support an entire decriminalization of the entire drug industry and replacing the War on Drugs with a legitimate industry operating legally and safely in our country. The current system is a travesty and a perfect example of good intentions run amok.

I truly believe that when we legalize/regulate/tax the illegal drug trade coupled with good education programs and free rehab on demand without stigma all paid for by the drug users themselves through the FairTaxes they pay on the transactions, there will be a sudden and swift exodus of millions of illegal aliens from the United States who are here solely to work by day as their cover and run drugs by night.

I think the link between the illegal drug trade and illegal immigration is as strong or stronger than the link between Obama and the Socialists. I also believe our politicians are being paid and bribed by illegal foreign drug cartels whose power and influence both in their home country and ours is destroying not only our country but numerous nations around the world, not from drug use, but from policies dictated by political evil criminal corruption related in part to the global illegal drug trade.

Connect the dots, people. If you don't want to use drugs, as I don't, then don't buy them. If you don't want your kids using drugs, then don't give them the money or freedom to buy or use them. But lets don't lock up 850,000 Americans every year in prisons because they did want to. This cost our country over $70 billion a year and hasn't put a dent in the drug trade. 100 years ago the drug addition rate in the US was 2%. 100 years later after the War on Drugs and trillions of dollars spent trying to end drug use in the US, the addition rate is still 2%. The War on Drugs has been a total 100% well-intentioned but misguided flop.

Here's some information from an organization of Law Enforcement Officers who believe we need to legalize and end the prohibition on drugs. The organization is called LEAP and it truly opened my eyes to the reality of what we're doing. I discovered them searching for answers when Adam was arrested. I've learned since that he was thankfully able to work a plea deal and will not have to go to prison. But Adam was white. If Adam had been black, he would be in prison for the next 10 years. Blacks are sent to prison at 7 times the rate of whites even though study after study shows, blacks and whites use drugs at the same rates and blacks use even less in some categories like pregnant women.

LEAP webite: (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)
www.leap.cc

Must Watch Video:
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php?name=Content&pid=28

MPP website: Marijuana Policy Project
www.mpp.org

Vote Hemp website:
http://www.votehemp.com/mission_goals.html

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

The baby boomers are retiring and want to relive the 60s.

The 60's were great. The early 70's were even better. Everyone was nice, sweet, happy and free. Then I don't know what the hell happened to our country, it became rude, hateful, unhappy and suffocating.

Time for a Peaceful Revolution, Folks. Take your freedoms back, stop worrying about how other people live their lives, just whether they're living them here as US citizens or Legal Residents, and focus instead on the bad deeds of the government, power-brokers, opinion leaders and traitors selling out our country and stealing our liberty faster than we can count the ways, not each other or the neighbors down the street smoking some pot to relax or the friends next door snorting some coke to get pumped up.

Oh, and I'm a life-time Republican from North Carolina.

Originally Posted by Judy

The 60's were great. The early 70's were even better. Everyone was nice, sweet, happy and free. Then I don't know what the hell happened to our country, it became rude, hateful, unhappy and suffocating.

We added 100 million people.

Originally Posted by kniggit

Originally Posted by Judy

The 60's were great. The early 70's were even better. Everyone was nice, sweet, happy and free. Then I don't know what the hell happened to our country, it became rude, hateful, unhappy and suffocating.

We added 100 million people.

Yep .... that' exactly what happened alright, and they sure took the fun out of being an American didn't they?

Oh FGS. Legalize marijuana....finally. Tax it and sell it (to adults only) in Safeway. The safety issue has been overblown. The safety issue with cigarettes has been overblown as well. Sure ...it is better not to inhale smoke into your lungs at all...but in moderation you can get by with it. Drinking...same thing. Sugary snacks...ditto. I know people who have smoked marijuana AND cigarettes all their lives and they are old and healthy. I know people who drink soda and eat sugary snacks by the butt load and they are not fat or sick. The whole nanny law thing is out of control. And the pot laws are the BIGGEST AND OLDEST nanny laws. Time to tell the nannies....WE ARE GROWN UPS. We will decide what we do.

Originally Posted by redpony353

Oh FGS. Legalize marijuana....finally. Tax it and sell it (to adults only) in Safeway. The safety issue has been overblown. The safety issue with cigarettes has been overblown as well. Sure ...it is better not to inhale smoke into your lungs at all...but in moderation you can get by with it. Drinking...same thing. Sugary snacks...ditto. I know people who have smoked marijuana AND cigarettes all their lives and they are old and healthy. I know people who drink soda and eat sugary snacks by the butt load and they are not fat or sick. The whole nanny law thing is out of control. And the pot laws are the BIGGEST AND OLDEST nanny laws. Time to tell the nannies....WE ARE GROWN UPS. We will decide what we do.

I agree 100%, redpony!

Oh sure, why not make it easier for some drowsy doper to kill your kid and grandkids head on on some highway after he/she bought their latest score at the local Safeway store. Just add another inconvenience along with misused booze and guns to the dangers we all face today.

I wonder how legalizing drugs will factor into government run health care and wellness programs?

And I wonder why some people here think it's OK for "grown ups" to legalize drugs and not legalize illegal aliens???? Sounds like a peculiar hypocracy to me. After all, as we say, "the law is the law and it must be enforced".

If some want to take on another federal law change, you might consider joining up with the illegals and make your voice heard. The government is after the money either way. Some free enterprise this is!
I personally am against either of these issues.

Originally Posted by ShockedinCalifornia

Oh sure, why not make it easier for some drowsy doper to kill your kid and grandkids head on on some highway after he/she bought their latest score at the local Safeway store. Just add another inconvenience along with misused booze and guns to the dangers we all face today.

I wonder how legalizing drugs will factor into government run health care and wellness programs?

And I wonder why some people here think it's OK for "grown ups" to legalize drugs and not legalize illegal aliens???? Sounds like a peculiar hypocracy to me. After all, as we say, "the law is the law and it must be enforced".

If some want to take on another federal law change, you might consider joining up with the illegals and make your voice heard. The government is after the money either way. Some free enterprise this is!
I personally am against either of these issues.

Oh stop freaking out. Have a beer and relax. No one is goin to kill any kids. And legalizing pot will have no ill effects on any health care system we put into place. Btw, did you know that stress is the biggest killer? Calm down.