WN: Majority of Americans favor legalized marijuana - Washington Time

[nebula]

 

I'm not following your train of thought with that comment, JD.

Those against the ban on large soda by in large were upset about more governmental control and intrusion into their lives.

Pot being illegal is governmental control and intrusion into people's lives as well.

Is pot so very different from alcohol that we can justify 50,000 people in our prison population being there because of it?

One more area the US excels at is putting people in prison, we have the highest incineration rate in the world, almost a full 20% higher than the next closest industrialized nation.

750,000 people are arrest each year for pot use/possession. Most are let go with a fine and community service. The cost of the arrest, paperwork and supervision far outweighs the small amount in fines.

Think about this, it cost roughly $150,000 to house, feed and guard one inmate in prison. That comes up to $7,500,000,000 spent yearly on people in jail becase of pot.

What benefit to society are we receiving from this $7,500,000,000 spent each year?

What benefit to society are we receiving from 50,000 people that could be working and paying taxes instead of being a drain on society.

 

OK, but how many illegal things should we make legal in order to decrease governmental interference in our lives?

 

This line of reasoning needs boundaries.

[Guest]

The irony of The People banning tobacco in public and then turning around and advocating legalizing marijuana is hysterical.  Shows how lost The People are.  The People ban tobacco smoking in public because it is so harmful, but want to be able to smoke marijuana legally.  I thought The People were in the process of banning tobacco outright.  Why are The People trading one harmful chemical for another?  The People are abandoning all pretenses of promoting the general welfare.  They just want to get stoned, apparently.

 

You're right, the hypocrisy is glaring.

 

I think that bolded statement says volumes, and I'm of the opinion that there are those in power who want marijuana legalized for one major reason: stoned people don't riot, protest, or cause too many problems. They'll basically go along with "whatever." It doesn't take much except some food and weed to keep them happy.

 

Stoned folks tend to be rather compliant so long as you don't get between them and the Doritos or Taco Bell.

[Steve_S]

 

 

I'm not following your train of thought with that comment, JD.

Those against the ban on large soda by in large were upset about more governmental control and intrusion into their lives.

Pot being illegal is governmental control and intrusion into people's lives as well.

Is pot so very different from alcohol that we can justify 50,000 people in our prison population being there because of it?

One more area the US excels at is putting people in prison, we have the highest incineration rate in the world, almost a full 20% higher than the next closest industrialized nation.

750,000 people are arrest each year for pot use/possession. Most are let go with a fine and community service. The cost of the arrest, paperwork and supervision far outweighs the small amount in fines.

Think about this, it cost roughly $150,000 to house, feed and guard one inmate in prison. That comes up to $7,500,000,000 spent yearly on people in jail becase of pot.

What benefit to society are we receiving from this $7,500,000,000 spent each year?

What benefit to society are we receiving from 50,000 people that could be working and paying taxes instead of being a drain on society.

 

OK, but how many illegal things should we make legal in order to decrease governmental interference in our lives?

 

This line of reasoning needs boundaries.

 

 

Things that are decisions of personal use are a good place to start. If you're actively seeking to harm someone else or putting someone else in danger (like driving while drunk) then of course there's a reasonable argument for illegality. "It's bad for you and the government knows better" is not a reasonable argument for illegality in my opinion.

[JDavis]

 

OK, but how many illegal things should we make legal in order to decrease governmental interference in our lives?

 

This line of reasoning needs boundaries.

 

 

I agree, and everyone has their "pet" issues they want the governmental interference and things they don't.

 

I would ask you though to answer the other questions...is the benefit of pot being illegal worth close to 10 billion dollars a year?

[JDavis]

 

The irony of The People banning tobacco in public and then turning around and advocating legalizing marijuana is hysterical.  Shows how lost The People are.  The People ban tobacco smoking in public because it is so harmful, but want to be able to smoke marijuana legally.  I thought The People were in the process of banning tobacco outright.  Why are The People trading one harmful chemical for another?  The People are abandoning all pretenses of promoting the general welfare.  They just want to get stoned, apparently.

 

You're right, the hypocrisy is glaring.

 

I think that bolded statement says volumes, and I'm of the opinion that there are those in power who want marijuana legalized for one major reason: stoned people don't riot, protest, or cause too many problems. They'll basically go along with "whatever." It doesn't take much except some food and weed to keep them happy.

 

Stoned folks tend to be rather compliant so long as you don't get between them and the Doritos or Taco Bell.

 

 

please explain where the hypocrisy is...people think that tobacco should not be smoked in public but it is ok in private.  These same people feel the same way about pot, so where is the hypocrisy?

 

I feel that it is wrong to be naked in public but it is ok in private, is that hypocrisy?

[alphaparticle]

 

 

 

I'm not following your train of thought with that comment, JD.

Those against the ban on large soda by in large were upset about more governmental control and intrusion into their lives.

Pot being illegal is governmental control and intrusion into people's lives as well.

Is pot so very different from alcohol that we can justify 50,000 people in our prison population being there because of it?

One more area the US excels at is putting people in prison, we have the highest incineration rate in the world, almost a full 20% higher than the next closest industrialized nation.

750,000 people are arrest each year for pot use/possession. Most are let go with a fine and community service. The cost of the arrest, paperwork and supervision far outweighs the small amount in fines.

Think about this, it cost roughly $150,000 to house, feed and guard one inmate in prison. That comes up to $7,500,000,000 spent yearly on people in jail becase of pot.

What benefit to society are we receiving from this $7,500,000,000 spent each year?

What benefit to society are we receiving from 50,000 people that could be working and paying taxes instead of being a drain on society.

 

OK, but how many illegal things should we make legal in order to decrease governmental interference in our lives?

 

This line of reasoning needs boundaries.

 

 

Things that are decisions of personal use are a good place to start. If you're actively seeking to harm someone else or putting someone else in danger (like driving while drunk) then of course there's a reasonable argument for illegality. "It's bad for you and the government knows better" is not a reasonable argument for illegality in my opinion.

 

I agree. The real problem is when we find some activity distasteful, so for that reason alone decide to impose force on others to stop them from doing it and have no other good reasons for making some activity illegal. We are far too comfortable telling others what to do *with the threat of violence*, which is precisely what happens when we make things illegal. someone who smokes pot in his house isn't harming anybody else. There is no good justification for making that activity illegal.

[JustinM]

quote jdavis:  "One more area the US excels at is putting people in prison, we have the highest incineration rate in the world, almost a full 20% higher than the next closest industrialized nation."

 

Man, I thought North Korean prisons were the worst in the world, apparently I was wrong.

 

All joking aside, to give up on something because it's too difficult to accomplish demonstrates a poor ethic and is lazy.  Why are more people using marijuana today, than they were in the 90's?  Well, it's the same reason why promiscuity is rampant and alcohol abuse starts at a younger age.

 

Urban society, with the influence of media (tv, music, movies) have been programmed to do what feels good instead of what is good.  The actual addiction may not be with the drugs, but with the emotional rewards that come with using them.  Unfortunately the emotional rewards are temporary, so these kids, who are still developing physiologically, continue to do this behavior to fill in the emptiness from being self-serving.  They need to learn how rewarding public service can be, which means we need to teach them to be better public servants.

[JDavis]

 

All joking aside, to give up on something because it's too difficult to accomplish demonstrates a poor ethic and is lazy.

 

I didnt say we should give up because it is too difficult to accomplish...I asked first why pot is illegal and not booze and smokes..

 

and mostly I think we need to do a cost-benefit analysis.  

 

What benefit does society gain by spending $7,500,000,000 to keep people in jail for pot?   does the benefit justify the cost?

 

what benefit does society gain by arresting 750,000 people a year for pot?  How much man power of our legal system is used to process these people and is the benefit of doing so worth the cost?

 

We should not continue with a policy just because we have always had it.  We should not ban things without a good, solid reason for doing so.  The simple fact that you and I may not think smoking pot is a good thing is not enough reason to make it illegal and to spend the money we spend on it.

 

So, I would ask you to lay out the benefit to society that is gained and show how it justifies the cost.

[ayin jade]

 

and mostly I think we need to do a cost-benefit analysis.  

 

What benefit does society gain by spending $7,500,000,000 to keep people in jail for pot?   does the benefit justify the cost?

 

That is the same reasoning by which health care plans and that includes govt ones decide who gets what kind of treatment.

 

Soon it will get even worse with so called death panels. Old people no longer benefit society so their health care costs do not justify their existence. It is coming. 

 

Hmm perhaps I shouldnt have said its coming. It has already happened in oregon with folks getting letters denying them cancer treatments because its not worth it. It was on the news, real mainstream media news not whacko sites. 

[JDavis]

 

That is the same reasoning by which health care plans and that includes govt ones decide who gets what kind of treatment.

 

Soon it will get even worse with so called death panels. Old people no longer benefit society so their health care costs do not justify their existence. It is coming. 

 

Hmm perhaps I shouldnt have said its coming. It has already happened in oregon with folks getting letters denying them cancer treatments because its not worth it. It was on the news, real mainstream media news not whacko sites. 

 

 

I would love to have a discussion about the topic of end of life medical care, but this thread is not about that.

 

But the cost/benefit analysis is how we determine a great many things.  It is a very useful tool. 

 

So, what is your opinion of the topic at hand?  Is there a benefit to society that matches the cost of keeping pot illegal?