$10.7 billion a year

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$10.7 billion a year.

That's the amount it costs the United States to arrest, process, try, punish and incarcerate marijuana users. In 1970, there were 300,000 people in U.S. jails. After the war on drugs, it has skyrocketed to 2,000,000 people today. 829,627 people were arrested with marijuana charges in 2006, 829,627. That's more people then were in jail in 1970.

I for the life of me cannot think of any valid reason why marijuana should be illegal, and I don't even smoke the stuff. After doing some research (two seconds of using google), I came across this link.

So, do any of you feel marijuana should be legalized in the United States? Do any of you think that there's a chance that it could actually happen?


For those of you who are wondering where I got these figures, click here.
 
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The police here don't really bother harassing people with pot, so long as you're not smoking it out in public. While the law says you're not supposed to have it, nobody really enforces it. The law here is a lot more lax than it is in the States though.

It is legal for medicinal use, and our government makes 400 kg of the stuff each year in a mine in Manitoba for that purpose. They even have a website with information on cannabis.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/index_e.html

Really though, there is no reason for it to be illegal, and what you do with your body is no business of anybody else, provided you're not affecting them. America is probably the only reason it isn't legal here, that and the fact that the Conservatives are in power right now.
 
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I dunno... i dont see a problem with it i guess. I also think the drinking age should be lowered to 18 also. 21 is just overkill in my eyes.
 
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They tried lowering the drinking age to 18 and car crashes within that age group increased significantly. Once they raised the drinking age, car crashes were reduced significantly. I think their conclusion that perhaps 18 year olds weren't responsible enough to do both was correct.
 
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If it's as good with medicine as I've heard, then using it medicinally is okay with me. Personally though, there are enough things already available in the US to **** up someone's mind and cause car accidents without weed being available at the local liquor store.

@frsblch: Heh. The day we let the liberals usurp control is the day our very humanity is doomed. Conservative all the way. I don't even give a **** if they're Democrat or Republican anymore, as long as we get a conservative president in '08.
 
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@frsblch: Heh. The day we let the liberals usurp control is the day our very humanity is doomed. Conservative all the way. I don't even give a **** if they're Democrat or Republican anymore, as long as we get a conservative president in '08.
I'm leaning more towards libertarians as conservatives have forgotten what it means to be conservative. Neo-conservatives are a cancer and we need to remove it before it it's too late. Hopefully the damage they've done is reversible. That said, Ron Paul is running as a conservative Republican, and I'll end up voting for him.
 
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I'm leaning more towards libertarians as conservatives have forgotten what it means to be conservative. Neo-conservatives are a cancer and we need to remove it before it it's too late. Hopefully the damage they've done is reversible. That said, Ron Paul is running as a conservative Republican, and I'll end up voting for him.

What in the world are you talking about? I'm talking about certain radical ideas being squashed before the liberals turn our nation into a morally defunct Godless sesspool, what with all the unthinkable things that would be approved under a majority liberal America...
 
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Oh, I thought you were talking about a certain neo-con responsible for more than one million deaths in a certain middle eastern country.

I understood you perfectly well. I was simply stating I believe the people responsible for steering my country away from democracy and towards fascism should be ousted, or at the very least kept away from positions of power until they realize their own self interests do not supersede those of our nation and it's people.

Rather than blindly hate an entire ideal, it might benefit you to judge people on a person by person basis. Or you can take the Christian approach and not judge anyone at all, for only your God can judge.
 
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All I know is that while Bush is a moron, he's at least been keeping the United States from becoming "New Sodom". I think he's incompetent, but I still prefer him over Kerry. Personally I like the candidates I've seen so far for '08 in general. They at least LOOK competent. I need to research the individuals sill of course.
 
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J-Dude said:
@frsblch: Heh. The day we let the liberals usurp control is the day our very humanity is doomed. Conservative all the way. I don't even give a **** if they're Democrat or Republican anymore, as long as we get a conservative president in '08.
I wouldn't worry about them usurping control of the government... however, them being elected is certainly a possibility. The odds of a Democrat winning in '08 actually looks a hell of a lot better than the odds of you getting a conservative president, as there likely won't be one after the primaries. Don't worry, some of the Democrats scare me too. The only difference is that I'm afraid of them because of what some of them would do to the world. In the past 8 years, you've had your freedoms repealed, and your government has gotten you into a war that has no winning outcome, strengthens your enemies, and kills more innocent people than you would believe. If you took more than a cursory glance at most of the Conservative candidates, you would see that they are more of the same, if not worse. Competency isn't something I would want to see in these guys anyway. Do you really want a president who can do a better job of ordering torture, limiting freedom, killing people, and starting wars? You say Bush was incompetent, but look how good a job he did at it.

All I know is that while Bush is a moron, he's at least been keeping the United States from becoming "New Sodom". I think he's incompetent, but I still prefer him over Kerry. Personally I like the candidates I've seen so far for '08 in general. They at least LOOK competent. I need to research the individuals sill of course.
I have no doubt that the morally healthy state you envision would be nothing short of an intellectually stifled, discriminatory hell. ***? Too bad. Don't want your children being taught unscientific creationist theories? Too bad.

What business is it of yours how other people choose to live their life? What part of the word "freedom" involves dictating right and wrong? When did Jesus ever teach intolerance?

While I do not understand why you would chose to live with such blind eyes, I value your right to live however you want. Is it so much to expect the same consideration in return?
 
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before the liberals turn our nation into a morally defunct Godless sesspool, what with all the unthinkable things that would be approved under a majority liberal America...
gah, don't start with that cristian conservative moral **** again.
I personally see no problem with marijuana being legal anywhere. It works well in the netherlands for instance.
The real problem aren't the drugs itself but the people who abuse them due to a lack of responsibility. Its pretty much the same for everything that can be potentially dangerous .. alcohol, guns, cars, etc...
Seriously, you guys can carry weapons in lots of states but not smoke weed? Kind of sad when you really think about it ;P
 
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To ban it because it can cause addiction or is unhealthy is stupid.
I mean there are enough legal things that can get you addicted and kill you at the same time.
I read somewhere that it was banned in the US because it was a danger to the normal textile industry (the plant, not the drug), and the US (mainly the big textile companies) then pressured other countries to ban it too. (not 100% sure though)
 
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The only reason it's illegal atm is because they can't make any money off it. If they could somehow control it and tax it it'd be perfectly legal, I mean alcohol ****s up so many more people people, but that's all good coz they get their slice.

Them/They/Their = Government btw.
 

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What in the world are you talking about? I'm talking about certain radical ideas being squashed before the liberals turn our nation into a morally defunct Godless sesspool, what with all the unthinkable things that would be approved under a majority liberal America...
America should be a "godless sesspool" religion has absolutely no place in ANY government whatsoever, religion leads to violence, history has proven that, keep religion in your home and in your church and off of my ****ing constitution.

---

Marijuana isn't mentally harmful in the least, it'll slightly affect short term memory (barely) after heavy use, but it'll work itself out after slowing down, as for as the body, aside from the usual smoking of things, there's honestly nothing to worry about, alcohol is WAY more harmful to the body than weed is, ever. Take Joe Rogan for instance, the guy is in amazing shape and smokes weed every day, it's the dumb****s who decide to drive while they're baked (just like drunk driving) that ****s it all up.

Someone show me a poll of husbands that beat their wives due to marijuana-ism...please.

And the gateway drug thing is bull****, the only reason it's considered the "Gateway drug" is the fact that it's obtained illegally, therefore most dealers h ave access to other illegal ****, like dope (crack, crank, meth, speed etc...which is something I've never done and I'm not stupid enough to ever touch.)

I mean, Peyote is legal for indian tribes who still use it for spiritual use, and peyote is one hell of a psychoactive drug, it completely tops LSD and DMT ( I had a nice sip of pure peyote before, wow, it was downright amazing.)


I honestly think as long as no one else is being harmed, people should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies, the war on drugs is retarded, and having alcohol legal while others aren't is just pure hypocracy.

And yea, my part time job outside of college is shutting down, so I had to stop smoking weed for a month to clean my system up in case my next job drug tests, which is bull****, I don't ever come to work stoned, what I do at home should be my business, **** int hat case they should take blood tests and any alcoholics shouldn't be hired...it's the same damn thing. (I know that's extreme, but I'm just using it as a comparison.)

So yea, I'm not telling anyone to go out and smoke weed, I'm just a supporter of it, heh. That and psychoactive drugs shouldn't be outlawed, either. LSD was used to treat alcoholism in the 50s, and hell the doses of LSD that we (we meaning, me and whoever else does acid) use a hell of a lot smaller dosage than the woodstock hippies in the 60s do, LSD also has absolutely 0 harmful effects (unless some brainiac thinks he's a chemist and mixes his own **** into it, causing allergic reactions and killing people.)

Hell, when I did LSD I can honestly say it was the best 8 hours of my life, it completely changed my perspective on life, I was at peace. Euphoria is a very nice thing to revisit as an adult, feeling like a kid again with no worries at all, seeing crazy things, having my mind taken onto a whole other plane of thinking, this may get hippy sounding but ****, I sure as hell felt in tune with the Earth more than ever before, I Could see the planet breathe, I saw veins grow on trees, felt the interlinked consciousness between me and my friends, it was amazing, and I've never put myself, or anyone else at harm due to the use of marijuana and other psychoactive drugs, ever, heh.
 
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America should be a "godless sesspool" religion has absolutely no place in ANY government whatsoever, religion leads to violence, history has proven that, keep religion in your home and in your church and off of my ****ing constitution.

---

Marijuana isn't mentally harmful in the least, it'll slightly affect short term memory (barely) after heavy use, but it'll work itself out after slowing down, as for as the body, aside from the usual smoking of things, there's honestly nothing to worry about, alcohol is WAY more harmful to the body than weed is, ever. Take Joe Rogan for instance, the guy is in amazing shape and smokes weed every day, it's the dumb****s who decide to drive while they're baked (just like drunk driving) that ****s it all up.

Someone show me a poll of husbands that beat their wives due to marijuana-ism...please.

And the gateway drug thing is bull****, the only reason it's considered the "Gateway drug" is the fact that it's obtained illegally, therefore most dealers h ave access to other illegal ****, like dope (crack, crank, meth, speed etc...which is something I've never done and I'm not stupid enough to ever touch.)

I mean, Peyote is legal for indian tribes who still use it for spiritual use, and peyote is one hell of a psychoactive drug, it completely tops LSD and DMT ( I had a nice sip of pure peyote before, wow, it was downright amazing.)


I honestly think as long as no one else is being harmed, people should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies, the war on drugs is retarded, and having alcohol legal while others aren't is just pure hypocracy.

And yea, my part time job outside of college is shutting down, so I had to stop smoking weed for a month to clean my system up in case my next job drug tests, which is bull****, I don't ever come to work stoned, what I do at home should be my business, **** int hat case they should take blood tests and any alcoholics shouldn't be hired...it's the same damn thing. (I know that's extreme, but I'm just using it as a comparison.)

So yea, I'm not telling anyone to go out and smoke weed, I'm just a supporter of it, heh. That and psychoactive drugs shouldn't be outlawed, either. LSD was used to treat alcoholism in the 50s, and hell the doses of LSD that we (we meaning, me and whoever else does acid) use a hell of a lot smaller dosage than the woodstock hippies in the 60s do, LSD also has absolutely 0 harmful effects (unless some brainiac thinks he's a chemist and mixes his own **** into it, causing allergic reactions and killing people.)

Hell, when I did LSD I can honestly say it was the best 8 hours of my life, it completely changed my perspective on life, I was at peace. Euphoria is a very nice thing to revisit as an adult, feeling like a kid again with no worries at all, seeing crazy things, having my mind taken onto a whole other plane of thinking, this may get hippy sounding but ****, I sure as hell felt in tune with the Earth more than ever before, I Could see the planet breathe, I saw veins grow on trees, felt the interlinked consciousness between me and my friends, it was amazing, and I've never put myself, or anyone else at harm due to the use of marijuana and other psychoactive drugs, ever, heh.
You win this thread!

CONGRATULATIONS.

Now everyone gtfo.
 
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All I know is that while Bush is a moron, he's at least been keeping the United States from becoming "New Sodom". I think he's incompetent, but I still prefer him over Kerry. Personally I like the candidates I've seen so far for '08 in general. They at least LOOK competent. I need to research the individuals sill of course.
J-Dude, are you old enough to vote?
 
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legalising it = street value drops

street value drops = certain government organisations which gain funding through ilicit activities lose money

government loses control over income = wants to keep it illegal.
 

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