As an "innocent little Christian" girl, I have never heard most of these terms. Yet, to anyone who has smoked marijuana or spends time with people who do, they may recognize these. Today in my AP Language and Composition class, we were disgussing a passage from the book "Freakonomics" and somehow got on a tangent about making marijuana legal. While those who are fond of the drug brought up some good points for making it legal, it is my opinion that we are better off without this drug.
First of all, they did bring up some strong reasons for it. The original reason they brought up was to decrease the number of people in prisons. If weed was made legal, people would not be arrested for using it or selling it. This could help to decrease the cost of prisons ($25,000 per prisoner for a year), and benefit taxpayers. Also, this is a valuable industry, and the government could take advantage of it to raise money for themselves. So, the first general reason is that it would save money, and probably make more.
Another reason they brought up is that it can be beneficial. Supposedly, there is a book that states that pot can improve math skills (of course, I'd love to know if that is only the people who sell it.. I mean, after all, they must have to use some math to keep up on the accounts). If not used regularly, it does not cause much damage.
Of course, my favorite was the defense against addicts. They mentioned that people can be drunks, and they do not function any better than a weed-addict, so why isn't alcohol illegal. When someone said that they would not want a government leader smoking pot, the others argued back that some leaders drink, but that does not mean they will be a drunk, or a pot addict.
I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons that marijuana could be made legal. Here are my arguments against each of these, though.
There are other ways for the government to make money. We should not have to depend on a drug to help us. Also, if we make marijuana legal, it might help the government for a while, but eventually, we will need to have more money. Will they not then make the next harder drug legal? Already tobacco is legal, weed is just a step up from that. What is the next step? (obviously, I have no clue, but I'm sure there is something that is a little worse). At this point, marijuana is not too bad, while cocaine, meth and heroin are still considered dangerous. After marijuana is made legal, in several years, maybe one of those will be "not too bad." What will happen eventually? Will all drugs be made legal?
I think I covered the second point they made, so I'll go on to the third.
If I had my way, alcohol would be illegal, along with tobacco. These drugs are not really useful, except in temporarily relieving stress. They are a waste of people's money, and can cause serious problems. Parents can only have alcohol once a month, but what if when they have children a child gets into the cabinet and takes some? Have a lock... well, kids are pretty smart these days, they can get around locks. And if mommy and daddy are doing it, isn't it okay for them to? Alcohol is a lot more dangerous to a small child than an adult. Cigarettes cause problems for everyone. Second hand smoke can be very dangerous, and once again, if we want to protect American children, we should not allow them to be exposed to that, especially in the home and in cars. Is marijuana any better for you than cigarettes? I really doubt it.
I know very little about drugs, as I said before. Perhaps there is some truth to the book my classmate read, maybe marijuana is not that bad and can even be benneficial for some people. However, I do not think that it should be made legal.
~Keri~
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Weed is also used to help those with diseases, im not sure which ones, but ive heard some ppl have prescriptions. How can it be legal for them and not all? I have not smoked pot before but i see the benefits of it. There are some cigarettes that have an effect on visuals and feelings yet not strong enough for it to be banned. Weed seems like it would help our government and society. People kill over this stuff. Other drugs are more harmful to our systems like cocaine and heroin. Believe me, those will most likely never be legal. Also, weedis natural unlike alot of other drugs. Cigaretes are the main killer and developer of lung cancer and weed would not have half of the effect of tabacco. Go figure. LOL It doesnt sound so bad. I believe if Alcohol is legal then make weed legal also. More money for the government, not necessarily a main source of money but hey if it works out, you know? Sorry. Im not fighting for it to be legal, but i dont see a problem with it. ~<3~Love and be loved!~<3~
As a pot smoker, I see absolutely nothing wrong with the smoking of marijuana...in proportion of course. As much as I would like to see marijuana legalized, there is no possible way that the government could tax it, and even if they could, there are people out there that would find loopholes in the policies, and avoid paying those taxes. So unfortuanately, marijuana will not be legal any time soon. Probably not in our lifetimes.
But, there are people who find loopholes, now. Wouldn't the government make some money off of it through taxes?
I don't think it is unfortunate that it won't be legal, though, if that's what you think.
Do you, as a smoker, see any benefits to smoking pot? What do you get out of it?
~Keri~
Marijuana is being studied as a possibly very effective treatment for glaucoma, and also as one of few pain-relief options that are effective for diseases like advanced cancer and fibromyalgia. When prescribed medicinally, it is typically very well-controlled and documented, and sold in amounts too small for recreational use.
I really dont think legalizing marijuana is taking a step closer to legalizing other drugs such as meth or cocaine. Marijuana is on a total other level, in my opinion. Meth and cocaine are both physically addictive and have caused numerous deaths. No one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana, its a plant, it comes from the earth. I think it should be legalized. If not for the entire population then at least for those who are sick.
Natural doesn't mean safe...
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/poison/poison.html
But, yes. No one has died from marijuana. Is death the only bad result, though? Are things okay if you don't die from them?
People who are sick already can have access to small amounts marijuana if it is necessary to help them.
~Keri~
I agree with the above post. You can't just assume everything will get out of control if marijuana is legalized. There are also opinions that believe the fact that marijuana is illegal makes it more of a problem.
(Ker, this is Goon. May I put in my two cents?)
I think there is a good deal of truth to some of the arguments of your classmates, though I haven't heard the revenue for gov't argument as a primary reason to legalize it. There seems to be a pretty good deal of evidence that there are various medical benfits of marijuana, and its true that some of the effects are not as severe as those of alcohol or tobacco. I mean, you don't see people smoking 20 or 30 joints a day - you just don't have to smoke as much weed to get your effect, as you do with tobacco.
Another point is that resources like money and police force would be able to concentrate on other pressing and more serious issues other than busting potheads and weaining them off their drug of choice.
But just as your starting to think I'm advocating the legalization, I'll say that I do not think the benefits outway the costs of legalization. The huge and unavoidable danger of pot is that it is a gateway drug. One needs more and more marijuana to acheive a high, and after a while pot is no longer enough to satisfy... so the next step is to move to a harder drug which will be effective, and as you can see, its a downward spiral. Does this happen to everyone who smokes? Of course not. But its happens enough that it constitutes major consideration when thinking about the legalization of pot. Also, to counter the argument that the legality of alcohol and marijuana should go hand-in-hand - I disagree, and I do so on the grounds that while alcohol is widely abused, it also has uses apart from just getting drunk, while pot is only used by the masses for... recreation. (I know some also use it for medicinal purposes, but they are a minority and will not make up most of the people who will use pot should it become legal). Wine, for instance, is used to enhance food, as are some other alcoholic drinks, and this is a healthy use. Sure, a huge amount of people sue alcohol for the sole purpose of getting hammered, but that is not its sole use. Pot is used to get high. Period. Now, I could definitely see a case made to link the legality of tobacco and pot, but i won't go into that now. This is already a titch lengthy, so i'll end here.
Keri, its alright you don't know about drugs.. its not your fault you've been wrapped in cotton wool your whole life :)
I think pot should be legalized for many reasons. Pot is everywhere and if it was legal the government could make alot of money on taxes. It should have an age requirement like cigarettes and you should't be allowed to drive while on it. When is the last time you heard of someone giving a blowjob on the street for pot. Never. You never hear of someone smoking pot and beating there wife. Like you may with alcohol. In your last point you say it isn't useful. Many things are legal that aren't useful. The government should not be able to control that, and I don't believe it is up to the government to control if I can smoke cigarettes. I have to disagree with the comment saying the government could not make money, they do with cigarettes, it would be the exact same thing with marijuana. Also the comment about wine being used to enhance foods, think how many people that drink wine actually use it to enhance foods. Some yes, but not many.
So wine can be "used properly to enchance food"? Marijuana can be used properly to enchance food. Ever hear of the "munchies"? Marijuana also enchances sex and music. You haven't listened to music until you've listened to it when you are high. If you believe in prohibition of marijuana, go burn every single one of your pieces of good music: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix. You don't deserve to listen to the products of a stoned mind.
It's not a gateway drug either. Jesus, I though that people stopped spreading that little piece of propaganda years ago. Yes, almost 100% of heroin addicts started with marijuana, but less than one percent of marijuana smokers will ever use heroin. It's not a slippery slope, and it's the person that dictates what drugs he uses, not the starter drug. Besides, nicotine is the first drug used by most, or alcohol. Or caffiene.
It's about personal freedom. It used to be a given, that if what you did didn't hurt anybody but yourself, it would be legal. But the government has gotten too big.
Marijuana is smoked by millions in this country. We've developed our own culture. We have rules, customs, and traditions when you start a rotation. We even have a holiday, called 420. These people are from all walks of life. You have the burn outs, you have lawyers, you have presidents, teachers, etc. Apart from their marijuana use, they are law abiding citizens. Why are they considered criminals? Who have they hurt?
Marijuana would not cause a slow path to heroin and cocaine legalization. You can see many many protests for the legalization of marijuana, but NOT ONE protest for the legalization of cocaine. Everyone, even the addicts, know that these drugs are horrible for your body.
Marijuana has less harmful affects than alcohol. When you drink too much, you get stupid, you can't even make a coherent sentence. When you smoke too much weed, you will still talk in complete sentences, about random things. You will appreciate everything around you. The music that you hear will surround you and you will be "inside" of the music.
I wouldn't drive around with a high driver, but I'll tell you that driving drunk is many many times worse. I've driven high and played video games high, and from what I can tell, I'm better at both.
Why is marijuana illegal? I want you to look it up. The reason it was made illegal (LOOK IT UP) was because of a propaganda machine. Headlines stated "PLANT FROM HELL CAUSES MURDER." There was a fear of black people, who had just started the jazz movement. If white women smoked marijuana, the newspapers reported, they would actually (gasp) tap their feet to satan black music from hell! Another racist factor that played into it's illegalization was Mexican immigrants who smoked it and worked on the railroad. People were racist back then, and if marijuana was illegalized, we could send them home.
Another reason it was made illegal was because William Randolph Hearst didn't want to compete with hemp paper in his newspaper business. He actually made up stories in his newspaper to make it look like smoking marijuana caused insanity, death, and murderous rampages.
Are those good reasons gfor illegalization?
The fact is, marijuana is safer than alcohol. Imagine replacing all bars with smoking cafes, every shot of whisky with a bowlpack of marijuana. It would be a better world. There would be much less fighting. Marijuana is a drug that makes you mellow and non-violent, relaxed and laid back. There would be no puking on the streets. There would be much less car accidents.
I'm not saying that if marijuana was legal, people would stop drinking. People will always drink. But if marijuana is put into the legal Friday night scene, a lot less people will be drinking. Many universities across the country, recognizing this, are actually advocating smoking marijuana instead of drinking.
Marijuana is the second largest cash crop in this nation. The marijuana trade is the largest black market in the world. Think of the economy when this is legal. Think about how much human potential has been wasted because of jail time for a non violent offender.
Marijuana does not enhance music; MUSHROOMS enhance music!
--Mike
So wine can be "used properly to enchance food"? Marijuana can be used properly to enchance food. Ever hear of the "munchies"? Marijuana also enchances sex and music. You haven't listened to music until you've listened to it when you are high. If you believe in prohibition of marijuana, go burn every single one of your pieces of good music: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix. You don't deserve to listen to the products of a stoned mind.
It's not a gateway drug either. Jesus, I though that people stopped spreading that little piece of propaganda years ago. Yes, almost 100% of heroin addicts started with marijuana, but less than one percent of marijuana smokers will ever use heroin. It's not a slippery slope, and it's the person that dictates what drugs he uses, not the starter drug. Besides, nicotine is the first drug used by most, or alcohol. Or caffiene.
It's about personal freedom. It used to be a given, that if what you did didn't hurt anybody but yourself, it would be legal. But the government has gotten too big.
Marijuana is smoked by millions in this country. We've developed our own culture. We have rules, customs, and traditions when you start a rotation. We even have a holiday, called 420. These people are from all walks of life. You have the burn outs, you have lawyers, you have presidents, teachers, etc. Apart from their marijuana use, they are law abiding citizens. Why are they considered criminals? Who have they hurt?
Marijuana would not cause a slow path to heroin and cocaine legalization. You can see many many protests for the legalization of marijuana, but NOT ONE protest for the legalization of cocaine. Everyone, even the addicts, know that these drugs are horrible for your body.
Marijuana has less harmful affects than alcohol. When you drink too much, you get stupid, you can't even make a coherent sentence. When you smoke too much weed, you will still talk in complete sentences, about random things. You will appreciate everything around you. The music that you hear will surround you and you will be "inside" of the music.
I wouldn't drive around with a high driver, but I'll tell you that driving drunk is many many times worse. I've driven high and played video games high, and from what I can tell, I'm better at both.
Why is marijuana illegal? I want you to look it up. The reason it was made illegal (LOOK IT UP) was because of a propaganda machine. Headlines stated "PLANT FROM HELL CAUSES MURDER." There was a fear of black people, who had just started the jazz movement. If white women smoked marijuana, the newspapers reported, they would actually (gasp) tap their feet to satan black music from hell! Another racist factor that played into it's illegalization was Mexican immigrants who smoked it and worked on the railroad. People were racist back then, and if marijuana was illegalized, we could send them home.
Another reason it was made illegal was because William Randolph Hearst didn't want to compete with hemp paper in his newspaper business. He actually made up stories in his newspaper to make it look like smoking marijuana caused insanity, death, and murderous rampages.
Are those good reasons gfor illegalization?
The fact is, marijuana is safer than alcohol. Imagine replacing all bars with smoking cafes, every shot of whisky with a bowlpack of marijuana. It would be a better world. There would be much less fighting. Marijuana is a drug that makes you mellow and non-violent, relaxed and laid back. There would be no puking on the streets. There would be much less car accidents.
I'm not saying that if marijuana was legal, people would stop drinking. People will always drink. But if marijuana is put into the legal Friday night scene, a lot less people will be drinking. Many universities across the country, recognizing this, are actually advocating smoking marijuana instead of drinking.
Marijuana is the second largest cash crop in this nation. The marijuana trade is the largest black market in the world. Think of the economy when this is legal. Think about how much human potential has been wasted because of jail time for a non violent offender.
Marijuana is a cash crop. Hemp can be used for clothing, marijuana smoke helps ease cancer patients and helps in the treatment of cataracts, and legalizing it would cancel off much of the crime associated to illegal peddling. California is commonly know as the "weed state" because if pulled over, 1 oz. can earn you a "warning" or a small ticket. Because it is a lesser "natural" drug it's only logical the punishment be less than a square of heroin or a meth lab found in your own basement. Alcohol and cigarettes come with no medical perks whatsoever, both proven harmful to the liver, lungs, brain cells, sexual potency, level of inebriation and skewed perception upon usage, etc. That is why there are legal limits to consumption and the age in which you can use these substances. So why should controlled substances that have no potential to help others remain legal while a helpful and natural substance remains illegal because of the social stigma? Prohibition caused an era of gangsterism and speak easies, moonshiners, etc. which were literally wiped away after the 18th ammendment was dropped. Dropping the illegal clause to marijuana would do much the same for the gangs, prostitution, and smuggling of the substance into US borders. With these issues eating away at American life, it's not so much appeasement as it is an alternative control to the problem. I think the misconception many hold against marijuana is that if legal, we would shove it into the hands of everyone and of every child, but there would be stipulations to the legalization. After the 18th ammendment was "cancelled" they weren't holding keggers for the kiddies.
If money that the government got from legalizing marijuana went to educating everyone about responsible use of marijuana and alcohol, then we would be better off all around. 90% of the problem with marijuana is that it is illegal. People have to conduct in activity that is illegal to get it, and that will all stop. As far as leading to other drugs, well, life leads to other drugs. Should we ban life? One could say that Advil leads to people getting all riddled up on over the counter drugs with much worse side effects than marijuana. Do we get rid of all drugs? Where does one draw the line?
Legalize it, it has medicinal purposes. I don't smoke it but i know i am borderline for glacoma and i don't want to have that anytime soon.
I say legalize all drugs, then we'll rid ourselves of the people who do the drugs and don't contribute to society. Sorry for being a social darwinist...
--Mike
There's nothing wrong with a little reality check for people. I agree. Legalize drugs then prices will go down, the useless will die from overdoses (I can hope), this will clean the gene pool, and it eventually will be like alcohol. It works economy wise as well as social darwinism wise.
Not to mention the positive change for drug education. It would be nice for them to tell you how to safely use those drugs, what to do in the event of a bad trip or OD. I think most importantly, it would be more effective because the education would be based on actual facts and contemporary research rather than oudated information and scare tactics. One of the main problems with the drug culture today, especially among the youth, is that people are just so stupid, so they end up doing really stupid things like taking 20 hits of acid or snorting Xanax.
--Mike
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Ok first off... Legalising ALL drugs would be the worst possible thing that anyne could EVER permit to happen.
Second... here are my reasons for making marijuana legal:
1. The drug trade will be a LOT easier: It is not a gateway drug. The reason WHY it is, is because some dealer sells it to a kid, and most likely theyll have other drugs too. They offer it to adolescent buyers, and they eat it all up.
2. Black Market: No Drug Lord would EVER want to sell Marijuana after legalization. By legalising it, wed make more money than we are trying to illegalize it.
3. No good reasons!: Marijuana was illegalized after the prohibition. The only reason was so the government was another way to control people. By legalising it now, they would be saying they were wrong. Now, the government cant be wrong, can it? I mean, look how long it took to get troops out of Vietnam, and Now look at iraq!
4. Health Benefits: Deaths in USA per year
Tobacco: 340,000-395,000 deaths
Alcohol: 125,000
Prescription drug overdose:24,000
prescription drug death: 100,000
Illegal drug overdose: 3800
Marijuana: NONE
Its safer than aspirin for goodness sake!
5. Hemp: Enough said. Im not EVEN going to talk about that. Hemp would be a mass produced, GOOD selling crop. And everyone knows it.
6. Its not addictive. Maybe psycologically dependant, but so is sex, and food, and pop tarts, or pringles.
7. one joint equals ten ciggarettes, or smethinmg close. NO ONE has gotten cancer from it. Hell, cancer, and AIDS Patients take it for the pain!
If you want ANYTHING to be legal, make it this, because the stuff that is now, is way worse than this drug could ever be.
P.S. If marijuana is illegal, why is Salvia Divinarum Legal?
"3. No good reasons!: Marijuana was illegalized after the prohibition. The only reason was so the government was another way to control people. By legalising it now, they would be saying they were wrong. Now, the government cant be wrong, can it? I mean, look how long it took to get troops out of Vietnam, and Now look at iraq!"
What someone else said was correct, there were many reasons some people wanted marijuana illegalized in the 30's. It threatened the oil companies, Hearst's title as a newspaper magnate, and was depicted to the public as a plant grown by Mexicans and harvested by Indians, one that made people go insane overnight. There are plenty of other reasons concerning the economy and the segregated state of the nation at the time.
"7. one joint equals ten ciggarettes, or smethinmg close. NO ONE has gotten cancer from it. Hell, cancer, and AIDS Patients take it for the pain!"
Not at all. Marijuana can contain up to fifty percent more of some of the chemicals found in cigarettes, the resin being like tar. However, studies show there is no link between marijuana use and lung cancer whatsoever.
I argue in support of the legalization of the cannabis plant altogether. While hemp (which is not a drug) is illegalized here, our country imports it from China and other foreign countries that grow it as a cash crop so that we can make clothes and other products with it. Someone please point out some logic in this concept because it just seems too dumb.
i agree that there is in fact a good side to using marijuana. It does in fact help with diseases such as glacoma and some cancers. But, let those people use it. I say if you're don't need it; don't use it.
what's wrong with a life without weed?
i know that most times its used when just chilling with friends, but is it so different to go without it? is it worse hanging out with friends without weed?
i guess i shouldn't say anything because i don't know.
but will someone please help me understand.
what's so good about weed?
is it something you could live without? or do you need it in your life?
i know it's not addicting and it's not as dangerous as other things such as meth or cocaine; but still.
i'm trying to be as open minded as possible, but so far all iv'e got is that people smoke pot because it makes them feel good.
is that the only upside for a person whose not sick and doesn't really need it in thier lives?
if so, then couldln't you just do something else that makes you feel good?
"color me life!" - katchafire
I used to smoke pot as often as I could. I became reckless and ended on Barge holidays smoking weed near children. I just didn't realize it until one of the moms approached me and said: "If you don't mind, I use the tree-house to smoke so that my kids don't see me. Would you please do the same?". I was in a boat. Maybe she wanted me to swim to the nearest tree-house.
Well, legalizing drugs may be the best solution to all the problems. Lets remember about American prohibition… after the alcohol was allowed, the sales dropped. I think the drugs are so tempting just because they are forbidden.
Ada association
Well.things changed...people changed...everything is changed since than... i think if we would legalize drugs...we would only have high people everywhere.
Then I guess we should start training engineers for growing marijuana at a high performance rate using our fields, right?
The real problem isn't just the billions of dollars being wasted by the government, regardless of the possible financial gain a government could make from taxation isn't a real reason to legalize weed. The genuine problem is that, regardless of what weed itself may or may not be doing to someone's life; prison is going to destroy them entirely.
Hundreds of thousands of people being locked away for years. Not for stealing, or fighting, or hurting anyone, but for smoking a plant. Some of these people are regular people who just enjoy smoking. Others are extremely sick and use it for medication, which they are then deprived of in prison. The problem with prohibition supporters is that they somehow think they're making the problem better, that they're fixing it and helping these poor 'addicts'. You're not, you're not making weed go away, you're just destroying the lives of people who use it. You can't just legislate things into disappearing, society and governance aren't that simple. People will still keep smoking it, it's pretty much everywhere at this point, it's just that since it's illegal, your fate is no longer in your hands, you could be a model citizen, do everything right in life (except you smoke weed), but you're still getting thrown in a box and branded for life if you get caught.
Even if you manage to survive prison, you can never get a student loan (even though people accused of violent offenses in many states are able to get student loans), you're barred from most jobs with any real income, you'll get turned down from 90% of the jobs you'll apply to because of your record. Your life is destroyed, even if you had planned to just be a regular person who smoked from time to time, its all over for you. Why ? Because you got caught, your other weed smoking friends may have gotten to college and jobs. Your life is over, you have a mark that will follow you the rest of your life. People will persecute you and discriminate against you, and the government encourages this, because potheads are 'evil'.
So now Joe Pothead, who smoked a joint once a week, but got caught smoking at a park, who had good marks in school and was on the football team, is now Joe Ex-Convict who has to live off welfare because nobody he knows hires people with drug charges.
You're not wasting money, you're wasting people's lives over something that is ultimately completely trivial.
Prison propagates sexual abuse, violence and crime. Marijuana is one of the most benign chemicals available.
Two young women were found killed execution style in Granbury and three Dallas children were shot in the backseat of their mom's Mercedes recently. Stories of violent attacks, hate crimes and murder fill the media.
Steroids show a strong connection in the news lately to violent behavior among pro-wrestlers and body builders. Alcohol makes domestic violence 8xs more likely; marijuana does not according to a 2003 study.
Going postal is not slowing down and is often triggered by prescribed drugs. There is a link between pharmaceutical psychotropic drugs and violence including school violence!
http://video.google.com:80/videoplay?docid=-3609599239524875493
Do we have to let the carnage escalate to the blood baths of violence during alcohol prohibition? Mexico is already experiencing it.
Snipers, killers and violent sexual and other hate filled predators roam free, while we use up limited resources policing individual medicinal and recreational drug use. Drug warriors don't have to look far for something better to do.
Alcohol drug reformers used the slogan, "Save the Children from Prohibition."
http://mccoolportraits.com/wildcreations.htm
Enforcement did not work for alcohol and prohibition will never work for any drug. Making a product illegal increases violence and corruption for its market. It decreases public safety, ruining lives instead of saving them.
Let's let history repeat itself, repeal prohibition. Gain better control by regulating all drugs like we do pharmaceuticals, tobacco or alcohol. We tolerate the salesmen of these drug gangs that cause more death annually than all illicit drugs.
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm
Regulation and offering compassionate treatment to abusers will seriously cool drug problems. It would freeze the racism and violence triggered by a policy that ignores history and common sense. It would melt the gargantuan iceberg of official corruption and stop cold terrorists' sources of funding worldwide. We want drug laws that don't kill our troops by giving money and power to terrorists.
Science based education & harm reduction is a better drug policy. The truth about drugs will keep our children off them. Sound medical and unbiased scientific knowledge are the most effective moral persuasions. Present policy falsehoods and scare tactics undermine our credibility.
The tool we need to fight drug abuse is compassion. Treat nonviolent abusers as patients not criminals. Fight use with factual evidence! We are diminishing the use of tobacco with the campaign; Knowledge is Contagious, so Infect Truth!
Effective drug education based on medical science builds student's confidence to make informed responsible choices. We want to encourage drug free behavior not awaken their curiosity. Truth, trust and reason encourage open communications between youth, parents and faculties.
It is a fallacy to believe the evils of the drug war are unintended. Felony convictions disenfranchise mostly poor and minority Americans.
Dick "Tater" Nixon was really good at hiding tyranny under the guise of good intentions, a con used by the servants of tyranny, throughout history. He said on a white house tape "marijuana was the drug of choice for Mexicans, hippies and black people," making perfectly clear his racism and authoritarian leanings.
The DEA he started could be called the Drug Encouragement Administration. Use of drugs in the last 35 years has increased. Drugs are more potent and available. Disband the DEA.
http://mccoolportraits.com/disband.htm
We are punishing people because leaders who ignore science says their choice is unwise when in fact it is a scientifically proven safer, wiser health choice, compared to legal alternatives. We owe reparations to people for this tyranny.
Research it and you will find, there were few overdose deaths before prohibition. New Mexico recently passed legislation to protect Good Samaritan 911 Calls, many European countries have had similar policy for decades.
We want a better drug policy. We want: to restore justice by constructing science based drug policies about saving and rehabilitating instead of ruining lives. Celebrate our similarities, build bridges of tolerance to differences in religion, race and lifestyle; create a world of abundance and peace.
All major religions believe that life is sacred. Save the Children, from Prohibition! People of all faiths and goodwill can stand together for a more just, science based and compassionate alternatives to the current senseless policy.
Colleen McCool is a portrait artist, poet and peace activist. http://mccoolportraits.com/2008rebelwithjustcause.htm
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http://mccoolportraits.com/LatestDrugNEWS.htm
Member - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
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