Just wanted to explain myself. The paragraph I wrote wasn't from personal experience. I have never driven drunk nor stoned. I don't smoke...it's just not for me. If others want to, that's fine. I hope that everyone is smart of enough to not get into a car if they're not sober. But, if I had to choose the lesser of two evils, people who have smoked usually are more in control than someone who is drunk. (usually being the keyword as it's not the same for everyone)

It's true that the law is the law but there are people out there that don't want to face up to the consequences because they don't feel the laws are just.

I personally don't feel the laws surrounding pot are jreasonable and I think people should keep fighting to have them changed. Many popular ideas begin as an unpopular opinion.

If alcohol and cigarettes are legal I feel pot should be legal as well.

Feeling or even knowing that a law is unjust is no reason not to live up to the consequences of breaking it. Civil disobedience is at its best when those who break the law are willing to pay with their time or money or even their lives. Possibly the best modern American example of this would be Dr. King who did not try to avoid the consequences of his actions, nor, did he whine while he was in jail.


Legalize pot but don't allow the government to grow through its regulation.

I understand what you are saying but it's still true that some people do not want to or feel like living up to the consequences of being caught with "the pot." ;)

I'm just speaking from experience because I have several friends that smoke pot on a regular basis and a few of them have been busted before. One of them received a $350 ticket for having 1 1/2 grams on him (that's not even enough to get some people blazed).

Now if you get caught totin' a pound around you should probably own up to that because you know you are up to no good.

I agree with you. The fines suck! I know I wouldn't want one. I still think old fashion civil disobedience on a large scale might get the message across. Maybe I'm wrong. Add civil disobedience to ballot initiatives, along with getting our elected officials in line and we may have something. I know, getting elected officials in line is a bit of a dream at times.

I am 100%, unequivocably, in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana. A lot of time and money in this drug war (which is a big effing joke) is spent prosecuting users of a relatively harmless drug, when that time and energy could be used in preventing recidivism and treating hard drug addicts (like crack or heroin).

If it's going to be legal, the government should definitely be involved in it. If they're not, then it can't be taxed and there are no real benefits to legalization.

Decriminalization for personal and private is a more realistic option and IMO the only way we'll see the reform of marijuana laws.

My points were actually not meant to be my personal argument for or against, but to point out that societal trends and political culture right now don't seem to be even close to legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana. There has been at least one state that legalized it for medicinal purposes, after a ballot proposal and the Supreme Court struck it down saying a state can't override federal drug laws.

Dee

AGDee
 

But where does the Constitution give the Federal Government the right to regulate drugs? It doesn't that's why it is a states right's issue due to the 10th admendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved
to the states respectively, or to the people."

So if any State wanted to fight the Supreme Court they can....b/c the power of our government lies with the States not the bureaucracy they call the "Federal Government"

Just my $.02
-Mark