Canada to legalize Pot?

[drebo]

Why are you picking on the US? There aren't many places in the world where pot is legal, and even in the more lenient places like California, it is only decriminalized without a prescription.

Using drugs should not be a criminal offense anywhere, or for any drug.

Commission of a crime under the influence of a drug should be an enhancement of that criminal charge, but the drug use itself should not be.

We spend billions and billions of dollars per year housing perpetrators of victimless crimes like possession of marijuana. Our prisons are overcrowded and people with violent offenses are being let out to make room for the drug offenders.

Seriously, the government needs to just admit that the "war on drugs" has failed. Possession for personal use should be neither a crime nor an infraction. Possession with intent to sell with out a license should be a civil infraction with a steep fine. The industries should be regulated and taxed, à la cigarettes. Huge revenue stream, huge reduction in costs, and everyone is happy.

The only justification behind drug laws is a moral one, and morality cannot be legislated. The government has failed big time on this and needs to give it up.

 

[Saint Nick]

Legalization will never happen in our, our children's, and our children's children's lifetime, plain and simple.

 

[mooseracing]

The midwest still puts people in prison for holding personal stashes...

The entire U.S. still does, it is a Federal Law. The states can make their own laws all they want, but Federal is still trumping them.

 

[bfdd]

Using drugs should not be a criminal offense anywhere, or for any drug.

Commission of a crime under the influence of a drug should be an enhancement of that criminal charge, but the drug use itself should not be.

We spend billions and billions of dollars per year housing perpetrators of victimless crimes like possession of marijuana. Our prisons are overcrowded and people with violent offenses are being let out to make room for the drug offenders.

Seriously, the government needs to just admit that the "war on drugs" has failed. Possession for personal use should be neither a crime nor an infraction. Possession with intent to sell with out a license should be a civil infraction with a steep fine. The industries should be regulated and taxed, à la cigarettes. Huge revenue stream, huge reduction in costs, and everyone is happy.

The only justification behind drug laws is a moral one, and morality cannot be legislated. The government has failed big time on this and needs to give it up.

^^^^^^^^ a million times over. Not to mention it spits in the face of liberty and personal responsibility.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Legalization will never happen in our, our children's, and our children's children's lifetime, plain and simple.

Disagree. Tides are turning. I bet on legalization within 10 years if not less. Our economy can't sustain the war on drugs, simple as that.

 

[Smoove910]

Noone has mentioned all the jobs legalization would bring. There's a shit ton of farmers who need some sort of profitable crop to grow. How many jobs would this create? Once grown, there has to be someone who processes it all and package it for resale. Even more jobs created.

Then, you would have all the people who typically smoke/buy weed out of jails/prisons. This will allow them to keep their existing jobs, which is a taxable income for the government. The prisons would then only house the more deserving criminals (i.e. bad check writers, rapists, child molesters, etc).

Sounds to me the longer they keep it illegal, the longer we (as a country) continue to sit in debt with no foreseeable way of paying off the deficit. Why don't they at least 'try' it for a trial period to see how it works out. This way the idiots who are against it can see how fat their fucking pockets will get.

Didn't Oblama say something about 'change' in his schmeal while getting elected? Well, it's about fucking time to try a change.

 

[xj0hnx]

The entire U.S. still does, it is a Federal Law. The states can make their own laws all they want, but Federal is still trumping them.

Federal law is only as good as the locality that enforces it.

The prisons would then only house the more deserving criminals (i.e. bad check writers, rapists, child molesters, etc).

I agree with your post, just find it weird that you not only include bad check writers in with rapist, and child molesters, but listed it first. Not that writing bad checks is a good thing, but it is a far cry from a child molester, rapist, or murderer.

 

[xj0hnx]

Disagree. Tides are turning. I bet on legalization within 10 years if not less. Our economy can't sustain the war on drugs, simple as that.

I can see that, if not full legalization, at least a weak ass decriminalization. Personally I think all drugs should be legal, but pot is a good start.

 

[mammador]

Good. All drugs should be legal.