Norm Coleman(R-MN) opposes legalizing pot

ayabe

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2005
7,449
0
0
Angered by the senator's stance on marijuana laws, an old classmate of Norm Coleman reminded the Minnesota Republican of his college days smoking joints in a dorm room, Roll Call reports.

Norm Kent, Coleman's classmate at Hofstra University in New York, sent Coleman a letter reminiscing about their hazy times during college, such as when Coleman smoked pot while standing on the roof of a campus building during a protest.

"Welcome to the crowd of those who have become a likeness of which they despised," Kent wrote in the letter posted at celebstoner.com. "Welcome to the mindless myriad of legislators who gather in cocktail lounges to manhandle their martinis while passing laws against drunk driving."

Kent, who is a board member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was upset after receiving a form letter from Coleman noting his opposition to marijuana legalization. Coleman said it can have "serious adverse health affects (sic) on individuals."

"Years ago, in a lifetime far away, you did not oppose the legalization of marijuana," Kent says in the letter, reminding Coleman when "you, me ... and a wealth of other students smoked dope."

He goes on to remind Coleman that their friends who smoked pot all went on to successful careers, and he wants Coleman to speak against the government's efforts to demonize drug users.

"How about standing up and saying: 'I, Norm Coleman, smoked pot in 1969.' That 'I am not a gang member, a drug addict or a criminal,'" Kent asks.

Coleman's office could not immediately be reached for comment. But a Coleman spokesman apparently did not deny the senator's former drug use, telling Roll Call, "This advocacy group's desperate attempt to drum up publicity for their cause is anything but normal or acceptable."

Text

**********************************************************

This is pretty awesome and I wish more would do the same. A very large percentage of baby boomers have smoked pot in their lifetime and surprisingly, they aren't deadbeats.

Time to call out these hypocrites.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
0
This time when a Republican says "I don't remember" I'll believe him.
 

jonks

Lifer
Feb 7, 2005
13,918
20
81
I support the decriminalization of pot, and under a certain regime, all drugs. And I'm certainly not for criminalizing tobacco, but I'm not sure what you mean by oppose tobacco.' 9 out of 10 people with lung cancer are smokers. Coincidence?
 

GoPackGo

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 2003
6,519
595
126
Originally posted by: sirjonk
I support the decriminalization of pot, and under a certain regime, all drugs. And I'm certainly not for criminalizing tobacco, but I'm not sure what you mean by oppose tobacco.' 9 out of 10 people with lung cancer are smokers. Coincidence?

Can you be anti-smoking for tobacco while being pro pot-smoking?
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
As a citizen of MN, I'm embarrassed to have him as a senator. He's the lowest of the low when it comes to carpet bagging, flip flopping sacks of monkey shit that we call politicians.
 

alchemize

Lifer
Mar 24, 2000
11,486
0
0
People are allowed to change their mind, it's called "growing up". Not that I agree with his stance - I personally think medical marijuana is a must and recreational should be decriminalized, I just think that it's BS to say "well once you did X, but now you think X is wrong, therefore you are a hypocrite!"

For everyone who has driven drunk, do you support legalizing drunken driving?
 

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
11
81
Originally posted by: ayabe
"Welcome to the crowd of those who have become a likeness of which they despised," Kent wrote in the letter posted at celebstoner.com. "Welcome to the mindless myriad of legislators who gather in cocktail lounges to manhandle their martinis while passing laws against drunk driving."

While I agree with the rest of it, this part of the article is just dumb - there's nothing hypocritical about being a drinker and opposing drunk driving.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,359
126
When I was 15 I stole a couple packs of Hubba Bubba bubble gum.

I now think stealing should be legalized.
 
Dec 10, 2005
28,882
14,137
136
Originally posted by: blackangst1
When I was 15 I stole a couple packs of Hubba Bubba bubble gum.

I now think stealing should be legalized.

There is a difference between smoking a joint and stealing. Stealing has consequences that affect more than just the individual commiting the act. Stealing hurts the business or person that the action is taken towards. Smoking a joint in your home or with some friends hurts no one but one's self (and there has been little to no evidence that marijuana is harmful to people). By legalizing marijuana and other drugs, you can regulate their use, making them safer to the consumer, collect taxes on the sale of such drugs, and reduce the DEA's drug-enforcement budget. Obviously, you should retain laws that punish those that drive under the influence of drugs because that can harm others, but when the harm is only to the individual, what's the big deal. What about person freedoms and civil liberties? It's my body, I should be able to do what I want with it. The laws that ban the use and possession of these drugs are more harmful to society than the act of just allowing them to exist. Mind you, some drugs should not be legalized, but marijuana does not fall under that category.
 

BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
10,737
0
0
I still remember Coleman's hearings about the Oil for Food Program. He was grandstanding about the behavior of Saddam (and duplicitous foreign companies/individuals). Meanwhile, BILLIONS of US tax dollars were being wasted MONTHLY in Iraq.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,359
126
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: blackangst1
When I was 15 I stole a couple packs of Hubba Bubba bubble gum.

I now think stealing should be legalized.</end quote></div>

There is a difference between smoking a joint and stealing. Stealing has consequences that affect more than just the individual commiting the act. Stealing hurts the business or person that the action is taken towards. Smoking a joint in your home or with some friends hurts no one but one's self (and there has been little to no evidence that marijuana is harmful to people). By legalizing marijuana and other drugs, you can regulate their use, making them safer to the consumer, collect taxes on the sale of such drugs, and reduce the DEA's drug-enforcement budget. Obviously, you should retain laws that punish those that drive under the influence of drugs because that can harm others, but when the harm is only to the individual, what's the big deal. What about person freedoms and civil liberties? It's my body, I should be able to do what I want with it. The laws that ban the use and possession of these drugs are more harmful to society than the act of just allowing them to exist. Mind you, some drugs should not be legalized, but marijuana does not fall under that category.

Check your batteries, sir :D

Oh, and Im for NOT legalizing, but wont pick that fight in here :) I know a bum-rush when I see it lol
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
0
0
Heh, Norm Coleman didn't change his mind about pot...it's just the ultimate "image" issue. Everyone with even a partially functioning brain knows legalizing pot isn't going to destroy America, it's just that nobody wants to SAY it for fear of being "pro-drugs". It's really a catch-22, the only people openly advocating it now are not exactly upstanding citizens, so what politician wants to get lumped in with them? Even though I'm sure Norm Coleman could care less whether pot is illegal or not, he's got to take a strong stance against it for fear of ranting lunatic parents labeling him a "drug pusher" or some such.
 

manowar821

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2007
6,063
0
0
Originally posted by: GoPackGo
I wonder how many who support pot oppose tobacco?

I'm more in support of ganja than I am of tobacco.

It doesn't bother me that people smoke, just when they do it, blow it in my face, and throw their butts out the window.

At least pot is not as harmful, more fun, and there isn't anything to throw out on the sidewalk after you're done with a bowl. (People tend to keep it at home, too..)