Up In Smoke
I dunno.
Except one issue—the laws are Draconian because, in the early days, it was a bunch of Darkies smokin’ the stuff.
Now it’s White Trash.
P.S. I’m serious about the early days.
Posted by Oink
03/26/2006 at 06:18 PM
Hmmmmmm. White
Trash. Yep, you’ve got a point there, Oink. But doesn’t White Trash have the right to make a personal choice that affects no one but themselves?
Absolutely. Damn right! 100%. So did The Darkies. Try telling that to the lawmakers.
Where-the-hell is OCM? I thought I’d be hearing about Pink Trash by now.
Posted by Oink
03/26/2006 at 07:13 PM
My guess us he’s off breaking the law somewhere.
nip.
Y’a Think??
It’d really piss me off if he got busted.
Do we have a Contingency ”OldCatMan Defense Fund”?
Posted by Oink
03/26/2006 at 08:18 PM
Maybe we better pass around the plate ... just in case.
I’ve never used, nor had any desire—but I just don’t think growing or using the “weed” should be illegal. Tobacco sure isn’t. You make totally sound points, Skipper. And ya—where the hell is everybody?
Personally I’m against it’s use but respect other peoples ‘right’ to use it if they so desire with some caveats-
1) Need to be an adult of minimum 21 years of age.
2) Severe fines & imprisonment for being under the influence if there is accident or injury caused by the users imparement.
3) Severe fines for providing access to a minor.
Posted by gdonovan
03/27/2006 at 06:43 AM
Here’s another thought on why pot, heroin etc are not legalized - the pharmaceuticals couldn’t make the big bucks like they do on their “researched’ and ‘manufactured’ drugs.
The pharmaceuticals make big bucks on infant formulas which are crap, lead to juvenile diabeties, high cholesterol, obesity and lower IQs, yet even the AMA is swayed by their money against a free and healthier option [human milk - which is #1 {directly from mother}, #2 {mothers milk given by bottle, etc} and # 3 {another mothers milk given by bottle} on WHO’s infant feeding recommendations, infant formula is #4].
Money talks and sadly the pharmaceuticals and AMA and FDA really don’t give a crap about our health and well being - but about who has the most money and how can more be made. As a result herbs, organically grown foods, homeopathic and natural products,alternative medicine, exercise, lessening stress, meditation etc etc etc which are readily available and cut out so much of the ‘processing’ aspect are not promoted or encouraged enough by those enities which really should be promoting them.
And I can’t believe that I’m on the side of legalizing pot. What is the world coming too????
Again, why is it necessary for me to make certain that everyone else is living right?
Just stay away from machinery, like cars & airplanes, when you’re stoned. The same would apply to me if my diabetes was uncontrolled—altho my disease per se is no one’s problem but mine. Seriously restrict access to anti-biotic drugs!
Posted by Oink
03/27/2006 at 09:36 AM
OCM - and why is that such a dang problem right now in this country???
I’ve always believed a government can not legislate morality - which is why the prayer issue and abortion are ‘legal’ decisions that I disagree with completely.
Pray, don’t pray, believe in God, don’t believe in God, have an abortion, don’t have an abortion - drink, don’t drink etc etc etc. Why legislate it???? Legislate problems (hack abortionists, drunk/stoned driving, forcing children to pray during school hours) but the basic tenet/issue should not be a legislated.
O’hara and roe need to be overturned just as prohibition was. Then we can work on the stupid ruling on eminent domain for developers and the ‘blighted’ area crap. Smells like moneyed interests once again supersceding common sense and the American citizen.
Is the pot of “today” 10 to 100 times more powerful than the pot of the “‘60s”? I know this is one of the anti-pot movement’s talking points, but I don’t know if it’s true.
OCM: At least we agree on something.
Posted by gdonovan
03/27/2006 at 05:08 PM
Ok, I’m weighing in now. These are my observations after nearly 20 years as a lay counselor for drug and alcohol abuse:
Wardmama - you’re a breath of fresh air. You just can’t legislate morality (unless you’re the Taliban).
Yeah, the stuff today is generally stronger than 40 years ago. Big deal, there’s not that much difference.
I have personally seen people destroy their lives by use of alcohol, cocaine, methedrine and heroin. I have never seen anyone destroy their life with marijuana. As far as I can see, marijuana presents little danger to society.
Draconen laws or not, all of the illegal recreational drugs are readily available virtually anywhere in the United States. The only visible effect of them has been to put a lot of people in jail.
The gateway drug for most drug and alcohol abusers isn’t marijuana. It’s generally either alcohol or tobacco.
A lot of drug dealers have made a lot of money.
As far as I can tell, the “war on drugs” has been a useless, damaging exercise. Again, the only net effect has been a lot of jail time for a lot of people. Ghetto kids aspire to being rich dealers before they go to jail - hardly something that we want to encourage.
Given that the difference in availablity between legalized recreational drugs such as beer, coffee, cigarettes and whiskey and illegal ones like marijuana is about nil, if we sold the stuff in regular stores, at least we’d be collecting taxes on it and regulating the quality. Eighty years ago, alcohol was illegal in the U.S. You’d think that we would have learned from that experience.
The stuff should have been legalized a long time ago. Why it hasn’t, I couldn’t say.
