Also due to our 70-80% recidivism rate, you are locking up kids who have done nothing but smoke pot and turning them into REAL criminals.

Agreed with Vash and the others. Recreational legalization on the state level should hopefully lead to legalization on the Federal level and an end to the ridiculous Prohibition-era "war" on marijuana use.

Like old man Curly, I don't care for marijuana use personally, but I do enjoy a nice Old Fashioned or a good sipping rum. To me, they should be treated equally.


Prohibition of marijuana has many of the same real costs (in terms of human resources) that the Prohibition of alcohol had. The sooner it ends, the better in my opinion.

In my small county today: 4 of the 25 cases for arraignment are cannabis

While I don't personally condone the use of marijuana, I understand its benefits to certain high-strung personality types in the prevention of fractured metacarpals.

I would prefer its legalization and large-scale domestic cultivation over the proliferation of international and local criminal enterprise and the ensuing loss of innocent and not-so-innocent life. I still feel that consumption of cannabis while it is illegal unfairly risks the well being of Customs and Border Patrol officers and local law enforcement. The drug trade has cost the lives of countless thousands of civilians and officers and that is why I consider use of illegal drugs a selfish act. That being said, I am generally for the deregulation of both illegal and prescription drugs as a matter of freedom and as a solution to the problem. I have no problem with free will that does not compromise others. And I would fight to defend those freedoms even if I did not like the path others chose. But always first change the law so that others are not harmed by your choices. I agree with the passage of these new laws.

One important point in addition to sixshooter's. Legalization > decriminalization.

Decriminalization is good, but it still keeps the distribution and profits in the hands of criminals. Decriminalization means that there will still be wars fought in northern Mexico. It needs to be fully legalized, not just decriminalized.

I know nobody said anything about that, but it is a distinction that not many people make.

Can you expand on the distinction?

Decriminalization is removing the penalties, which keeps it still illegal. It makes possession a ticketable offense, but it is very much still illegal.

For instance, in January, Chicago voted to decriminalize amounts less than 1/2 ounce. If you are carrying less than 1/2, you get a $250 ticket. Better than jail time, yes, but not as good as buying it from the store.

Obviously both are better than the current circumstances in most of America, but only one removes the distribution and means of production to the legal side. Really I see that as just as big an issue. I love smokin me some dope, but I don't like to have to buy it from drug dealers. Mine aren't even shady. But the fact that the money I spend is untraceable, and that I don't know what it is going towards, makes me nervous.

Better to tax it and reduce other tax burdens anyway.

I have never in my life met an angry pot smoker. That is enough for me to support legalizing it.

Let's see if that asshole Eric Holder, with Obama's blessing, will go and prosecute vendors in WA and CO.

Sometimes I think the Fed Gov is an imperial master occupying the 50 states.

I’m thinking the fed gov will stand down. Surely there not stupid enough to spend money and effort continuing prohibition with the past failures the Idea has had and the current unpopularity of them perusing that action. Now if we elected conservatives to the Whitehouse that always seem to want to micromanage privite individual behavior based on their BS feeling of moral superiority things might be different.

How do you explain the Holder-led Justice department going after medical marijuana dispensaries in other states?

Seeing as the Obama administration only cracked down on distributors who were breaking state law, I see no reason for that to change.

People love citing the statistic that the Obama administration has shut down more mmj than Bush, what they miss is that the number of shops NOT shut down has gone up exponentially.

Three points.

One: I hang out with left of Lenin liberals during my work week and right of Atilla the Hun rednecks on weekends.
Not to hijack to far, but the left-wingers are far, far more self-righteous that the right wingers. This is not some shade of grey. It's distinct and frequently enough to make me just tune them out. Nobody thinks that they are dogmatic. Yet most people are, and totally subjective on stuff like this. I saw a survey where like 80% of respondents said they were above average drivers in terms of safety. Personal experience from someone who hates the GOP: I get lectured almost daily by some holier-than-thou liberal.

Two: The only reason D.C. will likely (not certainly) back down is popularity. You were right on that particular reason. Don't credit anyone there (of any political bent) with any real restraint in screwing with your life. If they can and think its good for their ideas, they will.

And I guess number three would be that if they do crack down on this I will laugh my ass off at your post. And they might. Since those darn pot-smoking slackers are driving up premiums through Obamney Care (or even the old health insurance system) they are infringing on you there Bob. Good thing liberals don't try to force people to modify their behavior through taxes and regulations and laws and stuff. That's the providence of those horrible conservatives.

Slooooowly moving away from prohibition on cannabis?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1353093106

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/wp-cont.../gallup-21.jpg

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1353093106

Obama speaks:


President Obama Says Marijuana Users Not High Priority in Drug War - ABC News