Tim Pawlenty doesn't believe in medical marijuana - thinks users should be arrested

[BoberFett]

It was recently ruled that California's penal system was in serious violation of Constitutional rights due to overcrowding. They were ordered by the USSC to reduce their prison population by 34K. And they're not the only state facing this problem. With problems like these, putting people in jail for smoking a plant is assinine. We need that space for serious criminals who actually pose a threat to society.

What's more likely is to let rapists and murderers out while keeping druggies locked up.

This country is it's own parody.

 

[Cutterhead]

You forgot the big money option c) Big Pharma. If something is available that's grown for pennies on the dollar when compared to the research and manufacturing costs of designer drugs and has the same basic effect, who's going to buy the latter? That's what they fear at least and I have little doubt they're pumping lobbying dollars into politicians that will keep up the WoD so they can maximize profits.

Good point. Regardless of his reasoning, he still came to the wrong decision IMO.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Medical marijuana, and legalization don't cut into individual cops operating budgets.

I honestly don't think that's an accurate statement.

The 'war on drugs' has cost something to the tune of $1trillion since Nixon. Much of that is for hiring/equipping/training police offers in the name of stopping drugs. Take that away, and you can rest assured just about ever police department in the country is going to feel a pinch.

 

[TechBoyJK]

What's more likely is to let rapists and murderers out while keeping druggies locked up.

This country is it's own parody.

That, and in doing so that could be the reality bitch smack that the public needs about the costs of the drug war.

It's such a short sighted policy it makes me sick. It's like making an excuse of burning down your neighbor's house with them in it because their house might have asbestos. Claiming 'but the house had asbestos' might seem like a worthwhile cause until you reveal how you did it.

Hi! We're the united states. We've managed to incarcerate nearly 1million people each year, for the past 40 years, spending nearly $50billion each year doing so. The results are amazing! Drug use has gone up.

 

[TechBoyJK]

What I don't understand is why cops don't spin this to their favor.

Say

With all the money we save by legalizing drugs, we can hire more cops and give them better technology to better enforce laws that matter. Common math easily shows how every 2 prisoners costs the same as a typical police officer.

More cops/more funding and focus shifted towards violent crime eq win for all??

 

[jackstar7]

What I don't understand is why cops don't spin this to their favor.

Say

With all the money we save by legalizing drugs, we can hire more cops and give them better technology to better enforce laws that matter. Common math easily shows how every 2 prisoners costs the same as a typical police officer.

More cops/more funding and focus shifted towards violent crime eq win for all??

As I understand it, lots of budgets are supplemented with cash from drug seizures. Not as a rule or anything... but there are departments that go this way and losing that cash looks like more of a loss than just ignoring drug users -- oops, illegal drug users altogether.

 

[ShawnD1]

God bless Tim Pawlenty for saying what we're all thinking. Medical marijuana is bullshit and you all know it.

We also need to take down medical opium. Being able to get oxycodone, hydrocodone, or fentanyl just because you had major stomach surgery is bullshit. It's against god's will for you to not feel pain. If you get shot in the leg in Iraq, you should feel the pain of Jesus in you. That's how God wants it.

 

[Zebo]

I wish all these fundis would move to Afghanistan. Just a slight tweak in language and they'd be right at home, course with our poor k-12 education we are utterly deficient in foreign languages and its' hard to learn as a adult.

 

[nobodyknows]

god bless tim pawlenty for saying what we're all thinking. Medical marijuana is bullshit and you all know it.

We also need to take down medical opium. Being able to get oxycodone, hydrocodone, or fentanyl just because you had major stomach surgery is bullshit. It's against god's will for you to not feel pain. If you get shot in the leg in iraq, you should feel the pain of jesus in you. That's how god wants it.

^^ lol!! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa!

 

[ShawnD1]

What I don't understand is why cops don't spin this to their favor.

Say

With all the money we save by legalizing drugs, we can hire more cops and give them better technology to better enforce laws that matter. Common math easily shows how every 2 prisoners costs the same as a typical police officer.

That's not how prohibition works. During alcohol prohibition, organized crime went through the roof. It was like current gang warfare but it was with alcohol instead of coke/heroin/other. During that surge of organized crime, there had to be more police. Keeping drugs illegal drives up the demand for police and security forces. Right now the US has an entire federal agency devoted to current drug prohibition (DEA).

If all drugs were suddenly legalized and a company like Bayer made a billion dollar cocaine factory that could produce stuff that was better, cheaper, and safer, then organized crime would fall flat on its face and need to find some other way to make money. Thousands of police would eventually be let go. Prison guards would be let go. Lawyers would be let go. The whole justice system would shrink. Instead of arresting 20 people for doing cocaine, they would only arrest the 1 guy who freaks out and stabs someone while high on cocaine. They would only arrest the 1 pothead who.... sits on his couch all day and refuses to get a job because that's like being part of the system, man.


It's worth noting that studies have mixed conclusions about whether or not alcohol prohibition actually worked. On one hand, really up tight people who would never smoke a joint or do a line would stay away from alcohol just because it was illegal. The other side is that making it illegal made it cool because it was rebellious (example: underage drinking is still super cool). People who had alcohol problems were not able to get help. If you want to stop a legal drug like nicotine, you go buy a nicotine patch and try your best. If you want to stop something illegal like heroin, there's no patch or gum to buy and people won't help you; you'll probably just die on the street or something.

 

[xj0hnx]

People who had alcohol problems were not able to get help. If you want to stop a legal drug like nicotine, you go buy a nicotine patch and try your best. If you want to stop something illegal like heroin, there's no patch or gum to buy and people won't help you; you'll probably just die on the street or something.

Is that still sarcasm? Or just ignorance? Right now there's a number of programs to help people, ranging from medicated rapid detox, and prolonged rehabilitation, to replacement therapy like Methadone, and Suboxone. While I do agree that it's pretty disgusting the way our society at large treats people with drug problems, they are hardly left to die in the streets. A large part of why it's as hard as it is, is because of political reasons, government regulation, and big pharma.

 

[NeoV]

While I'm for legalizing drugs and ending this shameful 'war on drugs' - some of the BS statements the pro-drug crowd use do nothing to swing people.....

and BS sob stories like "I personally have three friends that would be alive right now if they had access to regulated drugs instead of scoring some insanely pure dope. These weren't weekend warrior kids either, they were hardcore, long time users that just got the wrong stuff. This kind of shit has claimed MANY lives in the Bay Area too, Chicago as well, other places I'm sure. "

Give me a f'ing break - you are going to blame your idiot friends' deaths on anything other than their own stupid actions? Cry me a river - stupid people make stupid decisions, period.

 

[xj0hnx]

While I'm for legalizing drugs and ending this shameful 'war on drugs' - some of the BS statements the pro-drug crowd use do nothing to swing people.....

and BS sob stories like "I personally have three friends that would be alive right now if they had access to regulated drugs instead of scoring some insanely pure dope. These weren't weekend warrior kids either, they were hardcore, long time users that just got the wrong stuff. This kind of shit has claimed MANY lives in the Bay Area too, Chicago as well, other places I'm sure. "

Give me a f'ing break - you are going to blame your idiot friends' deaths on anything other than their own stupid actions? Cry me a river - stupid people make stupid decisions, period.

You sound like a clueless moron. Yes, because heroin is not regulated in anyway the doses people take are not metered, and those people that died got some that was ridiculously pure, and overdosed.

 

[ShawnD1]

Is that still sarcasm? Or just ignorance? Right now there's a number of programs to help people

Bullshit. One of my internet friends was in some detox place to deal with drug addiction and he said it cost his family something insane like $20,000. That's not within reach of most people. If you're an average person and you're addicted to smack, you are totally fucked and there's no way out. You can't tell anyone you have a problem because they'll take your kids away, you might be kicked out of your apartment, you'll lose your job, and you might get a criminal record for drug possession. Notice how NONE of that happens when you try to stop smoking, which is just as difficult. My internet buddy was lucky enough to be a rich kid with rich parents. He had no kids to take care of, no bills to pay, and could afford to stay in rehab for a couple months.

 

[Darwin333]

Wait, why does "law enforcements" opinion even matter when discussing a medical issue? Does he consult his local police department on the most effective treatment for his kids broken leg too?

 

[OCGuy]

Good luck with that buddy.....as someone who generally votes (R) because he is forced to, I can say this man stands no chance.

 

[ShawnD1]

Wait, why does "law enforcements" opinion even matter when discussing a medical issue? Does he consult his local police department on the most effective treatment for his kids broken leg too?

Goes in the same category as asking politicians about guns or asking soccer moms how a car works.

 

[dali71]

There is absolutely no valid reason for marijuana to be illegal in a country where alcohol and tobacco can be freely purchased. Pawlenty can kiss any chance of election goodbye.

 

[Kadarin]

The problem is that is was mishandled or the idea was hijacked to the point that the abuse of it overrides the benefits in the public eye.

The problem I see here is that "use" = "abuse" to far too many people. In other words, recreational use of marijuana does NOT by definition equal abuse.

 

[ahenkel]

It doesn't matter what he thinks the tide has shifted and people are sick of supporting prohibition of marijuana with little to show for it.

 

[Linflas]

Bullshit. One of my internet friends was in some detox place to deal with drug addiction and he said it cost his family something insane like $20,000. That's not within reach of most people. If you're an average person and you're addicted to smack, you are totally fucked and there's no way out. You can't tell anyone you have a problem because they'll take your kids away, you might be kicked out of your apartment, you'll lose your job, and you might get a criminal record for drug possession. Notice how NONE of that happens when you try to stop smoking, which is just as difficult. My internet buddy was lucky enough to be a rich kid with rich parents. He had no kids to take care of, no bills to pay, and could afford to stay in rehab for a couple months.

I'm not going to dispute anything you stated above rather I will ask a simple question: We have had "prohibition" for opiates and narcotics in place for around 100 years now yet your friend managed to get himself addicted despite it being illegal so how exactly did the law against heroin stop him or help him in any way? Seems to me all the law did was criminalize something he was doing to himself without even being a consideration in his decision to engage in the activity.

 

[Darwin333]

I honestly don't think that's an accurate statement.

The 'war on drugs' has cost something to the tune of $1trillion since Nixon. Much of that is for hiring/equipping/training police offers in the name of stopping drugs. Take that away, and you can rest assured just about ever police department in the country is going to feel a pinch.

You are only half right.

The other half is the fact that cops get to keep/sell/profit from your "stuff" when they bust a person for a lot of drug offenses. Everything from cash to cars to houses can and is confiscated and kept or sold by LEO, some departments even blatantly commit armed robbery if they find large amounts of cash on you regardless if any proof of a criminal activity is found.

It is actually profitable for your local LEO to bust you for non violent offenses.

 

[piasabird]

I think the providers of the Medical MJ and the government officials should all be put in jail, along with the Governor and the people that voted for it in the state legislature. What the Feds should do is arrest the Governor for signing it into law and throw that person in jail to start their big sweep. The private users are just the pawns in all of this. If the state does not enforce the federal law, then the state is to blame for the problems.

 

[piasabird]

How are illegal drugs a non-violent offense? Ask the innocent children that are shot down in the crossfire in gang turf wars?

 

[ShawnD1]

How are illegal drugs a non-violent offense? Ask the innocent children that are shot down in the crossfire in gang turf wars?

LOL

So you're saying that if I want to buy a joint or something, I'm required to shoot children before I can get one. I'm sorry you live in Detroit where this may be true, but most of us don't.