“U.S. Customs agents got a surprise on April 9, when they checked a trailer of an 18-wheel truck crossing into El Paso, Texas, from Mexico and found more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana hidden among auto parts bound for U.S. factories.”
Reason why I posted this is this simply points the fact I and many other Americans know about if marijuana was legalized and taxed that these types of problems with the cartel would no longer be a problem being the legalization and taxation would strike a saver blow to the cartel taking away their over 60% annual profit from keeping marijuana illegal which if legalized and taxed would be like cutting off the legs of a chicken to the cartel. But hey what do we know after all will the govt listen to us? May be now they will and if not the only thing the Govt. is doing is suppling the cartel which gets more stronger drugs from the Taliban in which is also suppling the Taliban. What we and the Govt. need to be doing is not suppling them but helping our nation by taking away the cartels 60+ % annual profit which would also cut off the Taliban which would make it muh easier for our Govt. to fight terrorists who pose a threat to our nation. Not only that but the American people are wanting marijuana to be legalized and taxed. By doing this the FACT that it will not only help out our nation be stronger but will also make it more safer in this day and age. Alcohol & Tobaco are more addictive and more dangerous than marijuana ever could be combined yet marijuana which has a 0 death number is keep illegal when Alcohol and Tobaco
causes more death and violence yet alcohol and tobaco are legalized and taxed.
The main reasons why marijuana is illegal are:
From a prohibition-based perspective, marijuana is illegal in the United States primarily for these reasons.
1. It is perceived as addictive.
Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug on the basis that is has “a high potential for abuse.” What does this mean?
It means that the perception is that people get on marijuana, they get hooked and become “potheads,” and it begins to dominate their lives. This unquestionably happens in some cases. But it also happens in the case of alcohol–and alcohol is perfectly legal.
In order to fight this argument for prohibition, legalization advocates need to make the argument that marijuana is not as addictive as government sources claim.
FACT: Marijuana is not physically adictive. Alcohol and tobaco are more adictive and deadlier than marijuana will ever be.Heince this is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
2. It has “no accepted medical use.”
Marijuana seems to yield considerable medical benefits for many Americans with ailments ranging from glaucoma to cancer, but these benefits have not been accepted well enough, on a national level. Medical use of marijuana remains a serious national controversy.
In order to fight the argument that marijuana has no medical use, legalization advocates need to highlight the effects it has had on the lives of people who have used the drug for medical reasons.
FACT: Marijuana does have medical properties and can be debated with facts on NORMLs web site. Heince this is another BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
3. It has been historically linked with narcotics, such as heroin.
The first piece of federal legislation to formally regulate marijuana was the Narcotics Act of 1914, which regulated heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. The only trouble is that cocaine and marijuana are not technically narcotics; the word “narcotic,” when used in English, has historically referred to opium derivatives such as heroin and morphine.
But the association stuck, and there is a vast gulf in the American consciousness between “normal” recreational drugs, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, and “abnormal” recreational drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Marijuana is generally associated with the latter category, which is why it can be convincingly portrayed as a “gateway drug.”
FACT: Marijuana is no more a gateway drug as milk is to alcohol and tobaco . Heince is another BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
4. It is associated with unfashionable lifestyles.
Marijuana is often thought of as a drug for hippies and losers. Since it’s hard to feel enthusiastic about the prospects of enabling people to become hippies and losers, imposing criminal sanctions for marijuana possession functions as a form of communal “tough love.”
FACT: This is against our 1st amendment in the constitution and is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
5. It was once associated with oppressed ethnic groups.
The intense anti-marijuana movement of the 1930s dovetailed nicely with the intense anti-Chicano movement of the 1930s. Marijuana was associated with Mexican Americans, and a ban on marijuana was seen as a way of discouraging Mexican-American subcultures from developing.
Today, thanks in large part to the very public popularity of marijuana among whites during the 1960s and 1970s, marijuana is no longer seen as what one might call an ethnic drug–but the groundwork for the anti-marijuana movement was laid down at a time when marijuana was seen as an encroachment on the U.S. majority-white culture.
FACT: This is against our 1st amendment in the constitution and is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
6. Inertia is a powerful force in public policy.
If something has been banned for only a short period of time, then the ban is seen as unstable. If something has been banned for a long time, however, then the ban–no matter how ill-conceived it might be–tends to go unenforced long before it is actually taken off the books.
Take the ban on sodomy, for example. It hasn’t really been enforced in any serious way since the 18th century, but most states technically banned same-sex sexual intercourse until the Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas (2003).
People tend to be comfortable with the status quo–and the status quo, for nearly a century, has been a literal or de facto federal ban on marijuana.
FACT: IF this is so then why was alcohol illegal and is now legal yet alcohol kills more people than marijuana can ever do yet marijuana is safer yet is kept illegal. Heince this is also a BS reason for marijuana to be kept illegal.
A much better argument for marijuana legalization, from my vantage point, would go more like this: “It makes some people happy, and it doesn’t seem to be any more dangerous than alcohol. Do we really want to go around putting people in prison and destroying their lives over this?”
Comments (15)
They had to outlaw marijuana because Hemp was such a sturdy plant. Hemp wears well, clothes made from it outlast cotton and silk! It makes cheaper paper, and is an outstanding fuel.
Do you see the special interest groups participation in the outlawing of Hemp?
http://www.enddrugprohibition.com/
http://www.enddrugprohibition.com/
Yeah the laws against Marjuiana need to be removed. It has been in use for thousands of years the Egyptians used it.
Lets face it people any medicine, elixir, food, or drink that mankind has made, has a side effect, or some kind of downfall that we live with to maintain our health. Now on the other hand, anything that can be eaten, drank, or used in any way, for our health, that came from mother earth, seems to have no other hazards. Does this tell you something? Man made is not good for you, and mother nature is. I think I just stepped on the chemical industries toes. It is true, think about it. Every percription, has some kind of bad side effect, and all percriptions are man made.
To correct the above, there has never been a recorded case of an overdose of cannabis or cannabis compounds in history. In over 10,000 years of use, not a single overdose.
NOT ONE.
If you went to look up the LD-50 rating of aspirin, you will find it...but you will not find a confirmed LD-50 rating for cannabis which is anywhere near the realm of possibility for a person to injest.
It is suggested that you would need to smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole (approximately 1500 pounds) in a single sitting in order to injest enough to kill you, and even that is only a guess...but I've only seen medical cannabis patients and true Rastafari in Jamaica smoke 5 or more GRAMS a day.
To put that in perspective, there are 28.35 grams in an ounce, and 16 ounces in a pound. 1500 pounds is 24,000 ounces, or 680,383.555 grams. In my college days, I could smoke one joint and it would cause me to simply go lay down until morning, so from my own ancient experience, I can't even see how someone could even consider the statement that cannabis kills seriously if they had even the slightest clue as to the facts of the matter.
Forgot to mention; for those who wish to get the REAL FACTS about cannabis/hemp, here are some valid links to check through:
http://JackHerer.com - The truth behind cannabis/hemp's THOUSANDS of uses, and why it really came to be illegal. Hint: trinketssweetie was dead on the money!
http://PhoenixTears.ca - One cure for cancer...KNOWN!
http://PhoenixTearsMovie.com - FREE download, and freely redistributable
http://NORML.org - National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
http://NORML.ca - Canadian site
Anyone who thinks they know something should hit any or all of the above web sites...either your thoughts will be confirmed, or you will go away with a new and CORRECT way of thinking about cannabis, and many of the related topics that caused the current situation.
Marijuana needs to be legalized,Taxed and decriminalized to be able to
stop the cartel...
Legalize: To be returned to a state of free access.
Decriminalize: To remain illegal, but to eliminate or (more likely) reduce the penalties people must suffer for "breaking the law."
Please, people...learn what the words mean if you're going to use them!
As far as taxation goes, if cannabis were instantly made legal once again (as it was for thousands of years before the last 70 or so) taxation would follow without forming new regulatory regimes, no new tax bodies or codes would need to be implemented at all.
As nearly 100% of the current cannabis market is underground--hence 100% tax-free--simply bringing it into the realm of legal cultivation, distribution and sale would instantly impart taxability for both federal and state governments, at preexisting rates. This would also, as a matter of course, preclude "drug cartels" from their existing income because they would no longer be able to sell to foreign countries, and the obvious result would be the folding of the cartels due to simple lack of funds.
The fact that legalization would also eliminate the waste of billions of dollars anuually wasted in prosecuting "drug offences" which have no confirmable victims, and the billions of dollars wasted on the courts to try these cases, and the billions of dollars wasted on incercerating non-violent "offenders" who have injured noone...well, this would simply be another reason to legalize.
To recap: legalization of cannabis would, first and foremost, save a boatload of currently wasted money. Secondly, it would enable governments to profdit through the normal course of commerce, and without the requirement of creating new regulations, regulatory bodies, or other political means. Thirdly, and most important for the individual, it would restore the right of the people to decide their actions for themselves, also placing the responsibility for their actions into their own hands.
I believe that the vast majority are simply afraid to take responsibility for their own choices, and therefore, they believe that others should be restricted for their misguided perceptions of other people's failures. This, in psychological circles, is termed "Projection" and it really has absolutely nothing to do with the other person, but with the person who is afraid, for whatever reason, or whatever subject is being discussed.
Again and again people need to understand that it is LEGALIZATION, and NOT decriminalization which needs to occur in order to fix the problem.
Marijuana prohibition continues even though it empowers Mexican drug cartels. Approximately 60-70% of the profit of Mexican drug cartels comes from marijuana sales. If marijuana were taxed and regulated, this black market would virtually disappear, Mexican drug cartels would be much weaker, and our border would be much more secure.
I'm afraid you're mistaken. If cannabis was "taxed and regulated" it would change nothing other than that the government would receive more of your money to do with what it pleases. There would still be an underground market which paid no taxes, and the cartels would still not only derive income from "illicit sales", but would continue to bring in anything else at the same time they brought in their "illicit goods."
The ONLY real solution is to quash the existing regulations and statutes (they are not, in actual fact, laws, though they doth loudly protest so) and make it legal for personal use.
This is not to say that regulation is not in the cards, as in the case of commercial dispensation, people have come to expect reliable supplies with verified potencies, guarantees of strain, certified as naturally grown, etc., but for personal use, it should be 100% legal on all fronts.
There is no argument other than full legalization for personal use that holds any weight when compared with the historical fact that prohibition has NEVER worked, and it is obviously failing yet again, otherwise so many people wouldn't understand that the truth IS getting out, and there wouldn't be so many people trying to ignore the facts of the matter and repeatedly stating that giving the government money is the only answer...and that is EXACTLY what is being said whenever someone mentions "decriminalization" (as that does NOT mean "legalization" or "personal freedom") or "taxation" (which also does not mean "legalization" or "personal freedom") or "regulation" (which also--strangely enough--does not mean "legalization" or "personal freedom").
Until people, at the very least, understand the words they choose, they should refrain from speaking on the subject. (Typos notwithstanding.)
Not me I simply posted a quote from an article on NORML found here:
http://blog.norml.org/2009/06/23/the-law-and-marijuana-chronicles-why-marijuana-remains-illegal/
As for my own personal opinion I believe it should have never been illegal in the first place. Alcohol and tobacco do more harm and even kills people yet is legalized yet Marijuana has never killed a single person yet is illegal. Also on a personal note I see your point and others and agree that it would help our nation at least put a hurting on the cartel if not do away with it all together it all deals with how it is done...
Do not as I said get me wrong for I do see your point of view and do also agree with what you are saying I am simply stating that there is more to it than just what you pointed out.
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=71554350&blogID=496644644
This is a recent blog by Jack Herer pointing to a United Nations study which still believes that "decriminalization" as well as "legalization" are bad ideas, despite their amazingly outlandish costs to the world as a whole.
The problem is that, whenever politicians and regulatory bodies make any decisions without first consulting the people--and making sure they've actually rhought about all sides of the issue before being asked their opinion--obviously their decisions are based on either flawed logic or incomplete information. In either case, the resultant decision has no other choice but to be severely flawed.
Hopefully, enough people are willing to inform their friends and families about the truth on all sides of the issue, so that a firm, intellligent and workable resolution to this issue can finally be reached.
I've looked at it from all sides, and no matter how you slice it, the only intelligent answer to the problem is full legalization for personal use. I was absolutely against legalization for "recreational use" and always for "medical use" but the fact remains that as long as either of those two remains illegal in any form, "the system" can and will be abused, and people WILL suffer losses because of it. Either their legally grown plants will be destroyed and they will not be compensated, or their homes will be "raided" and damaged or destroyed...the list is truly endless.
I can't personally smoke the stuff, but I would be quite interested to find out what purified products made from cannabis might help me with maintaining my health, and to be specific, as a smoker (tobacco) I would definitely try purified cannabis/hemp oil as a preventative measure to ward off any possibility of getting cancer. The trouble with this logic is simple: I am currently smoking a legal product whis is known to cause cancer, and addictive, and since cannabis is currently illegal, I am not allowed to use it to fight any potential cancer which the legal product introduces into my system.
Where is the logic in keeping a natural cure for cancer from people, while allowing them to consume a known cancer-causing agent?
Put another way, if cancer is truly caused by tobacco, and the tobacco lobby (OBVIOUSLY!!!) wants to keep their revenue stream intact, why are they fighting legalization of a cure for cancer? Doesn't it make a lot more sense to keep your customers BREATHING LONGER so that you can continue to take advantage of their addiction to your products? I admit that is a rather crass and insensitive way of looking at the situation, but still, as I've said before, I try to look at it from all angles to see all possible rationales, and all possible solutions.
Everyone should do the same...you'll be surprised how quickly the world changes in your eyes once you look at a single situation from all possible perspectives before deciding for yourself.
I agree with you being educated in it is the first step and after being educated and knowing the truth then decide for their self. After all their are other ways to use MJ other than smoking it such as edibles to name but one. I think the legalization and taxation of MJ would be good for all of humanity from the sick to the just wanting to use it to relax it is after all a lot safer than alcohol and tobacco which we all know that tobacco and alcohol causes cancer and even death but yet MJ is illegal which it should never have been in the first place. I simply say people should get educated through NORML and other places and know the true facts and if wanting it legalized to join the cause being we all agree it should be legalized and taxed but we all have our own reasons for it being so from medical reasons all the way to violation of our rights as Americans...
Marijuana POW dies in custody in Houston
June 25th, 2009 By: Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator
(Raw Story) A woman serving a short sentence in a Houston, Texas, jail for possession of marijuana died in custody over the weekend, and officers are not saying how or why.
The 29-year-old, identified as Theresa Anthony, had expected to spend just two and a half weeks behind bars in the Harris County lockup. On Saturday, Cynthia Prude, Theresa’s mother, received a phone call from the jail’s Chaplain informing her that her daughter was dead.
Theresa Anthony, victim of prohibition
Theresa Anthony, victim of prohibition
Prude has not been allowed to see the body, nor has the Harris County Sheriff’s Department even spoken with her, according to area media.
On 4 June 2009, the Justice Department concluded a 15 months-long investigation into the Harris County facility and determined in the subsequent 27-page report that over 142 prisoners had died there since 2001. Most expired due to lack of medical care, the report claims.
The Associated Press noted that after the Justice Department declined to make its findings public, The Houston Chronicle was able to obtain a copy, which it released on the Internet.
Wait a minute, how is this possible? According to our last Drug Czar, John Walters, finding a non-violent offender in jail or prison for simple possession is like finding a unicorn.
Theresa Anthony could be you or me. Or could have been a young Barack Obama. Just another dead unicorn, expiring in a cage for the crime of preferring the safest choice of social relaxant or therapeutic medicine.
President Obama, if you can stop giggling for a moment, could you please put “legalization” back on the table? Director Kerlikowske, could you please find the time to add “decriminalization” to your vocabulary? You have the power to see to it that Theresa Anthony is the last unicorn to die in a cell.
And yet the prohibitionists think keeping MJ in prohibition is a good thing. What a screwed up would we are living in. This would have never happened to her IF MJ was decriminalized at least if not was legalized and taxed yet her story proves the facts of what could have prevented this. Yet does our govt. listen? How many more stories like hers is not being heard but are out there and some still to come. Yet Our govt. does not listen.
We need MJ to be at least decriminalized if not legal and taxed to prevent any others that will be most likely to come if they are not as it is.
After this do you think our govt. will listen or when will be enough 10 people how bout 10,000 people for the govt. to listen to us?How many more arrests and prisons do we need?How much more money out of the taxpayers pocket on such a wasted cause such as prohibition?
To see others view as well on this topic visit:
http://blog.norml.org/2009/06/25/marijuana-pow-dies-in-custody-in-houston/
Marijuana POW dies in custody in Houston
June 25th, 2009 By: Russ Belville, NORML Outreach Coordinator
(Raw Story) A woman serving a short sentence in a Houston, Texas, jail for possession of marijuana died in custody over the weekend, and officers are not saying how or why.
The 29-year-old, identified as Theresa Anthony, had expected to spend just two and a half weeks behind bars in the Harris County lockup. On Saturday, Cynthia Prude, Theresa’s mother, received a phone call from the jail’s Chaplain informing her that her daughter was dead.
Theresa Anthony, victim of prohibition
Theresa Anthony, victim of prohibition
Prude has not been allowed to see the body, nor has the Harris County Sheriff’s Department even spoken with her, according to area media.
On 4 June 2009, the Justice Department concluded a 15 months-long investigation into the Harris County facility and determined in the subsequent 27-page report that over 142 prisoners had died there since 2001. Most expired due to lack of medical care, the report claims.
The Associated Press noted that after the Justice Department declined to make its findings public, The Houston Chronicle was able to obtain a copy, which it released on the Internet.
Wait a minute, how is this possible? According to our last Drug Czar, John Walters, finding a non-violent offender in jail or prison for simple possession is like finding a unicorn.
Theresa Anthony could be you or me. Or could have been a young Barack Obama. Just another dead unicorn, expiring in a cage for the crime of preferring the safest choice of social relaxant or therapeutic medicine.
President Obama, if you can stop giggling for a moment, could you please put “legalization” back on the table? Director Kerlikowske, could you please find the time to add “decriminalization” to your vocabulary? You have the power to see to it that Theresa Anthony is the last unicorn to die in a cell.
And yet the prohibitionists think keeping MJ in prohibition is a good thing. What a screwed up would we are living in. This would have never happened to her IF MJ was decriminalized at least if not was legalized and taxed yet her story proves the facts of what could have prevented this. Yet does our govt. listen? How many more stories like hers is not being heard but are out there and some still to come. Yet Our govt. does not listen.
We need MJ to be at least decriminalized if not legal and taxed to prevent any others that will be most likely to come if they are not as it is.
After this do you think our govt. will listen or when will be enough 10 people how bout 10,000 people for the govt. to listen to us?How many more arrests and prisons do we need?How much more money out of the taxpayers pocket on such a wasted cause such as prohibition?
To see others view as well on this topic visit:
http://blog.norml.org/2009/06/25/marijuana-pow-dies-in-custody-in-houston/