Contact Your Senator - Stop New Drug Czar From Being Confirmed

[Pekka]

I think we could EASILY point out how much of a gateway drug it is. Let's find out how many people in this world has tried marijuana at least once, and how many people then proceeded into harder drugs. And we can't blame it all to marijuana, but let's assume some percent of the cases would be because of it.

I bet lots of folks here have tried marijuana. How many of us are addicted to heroin? I don't think very many.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Somehow I don't think Trent Lott would be moved by me writing to tell him to reject this nominee because she is too hardline.

Prosecutorial misconduct is not "hardline" - it is unlawful and a violation of professional ethical rules that should result in disbarment, not promotion.

If you want to be stone-cold pragmatic about it, you can make an argument for the extra wasted court time and taxpayer cost in correcting that misconduct via the appellate courts.

It is also the last thing you want in a law enforcement agency head - that signals the troops that "**** the rules, we make 'em up as we go along."

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Fez, you are morally no different from the Taliban. You're no different than someone who advocated executing people for engaging in homosexual acts.

Because drug use is morally repulsive, I don't see a problem with executing drug users possessing more than 200 grams of marijuana or other illicit drugs where ever they are.

[JCG]

Drugs should be legal basically to give some people the right to screw themselves up (which also happens with smoking and alcohol) and derive taxes from it.....

I personally find it disgusting, but well...prohibition's not working and probably never will (unless much more money and repression is used than ppl are willing to accept even in these days).

Besides, knowing that several forest reserves in the US have been hurt by the illegal growing of marijuana in them, legalization will at least remove the need for such vandalism.

Now that I think about it...with a little luck, tobacco could easily have ended up being illegal and weed legal, which would be better (even if it wouldn't stop addicts and we'd be having a similar debate over tobacco).

[Pekka]

Morally? You know homosexuality is moraly repulsive to many people. Yet we don't execute homosexuals. Why? Because that would be truly morally repulsive.

besides, what's stopping you from executing these people? It's not like you haven't broke the law before...

[Pekka]

And many other things are found morally wrong by other people. Like those who want to install sharia laws. THey execute people all the time for being morally corrupt and doing something like cheating their husbands or something.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Pekka
Morally? You know homosexuality is moraly repulsive to many people. Yet we don't execute homosexuals. Why? Because that would be truly morally repulsive.

Maybe I should just go back to my old ways? When I was far authoritarian? Singapore is a model country and the entire world should be modeled after Singapore. Look at its low crime rate, and excellent infrastructure.

besides, what's stopping you from executing these people? It's not like you haven't broke the law before...

As a hardline Machiavellian, I see no problem with taking a firm stance on anything.

[MichaeltheGreat]

You're not a hardline anything. Just a whiny brat who gets off on talking tough.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Evil Knevil
You should read my previous post. A release of neurochemicals does not equal an addiction.

No, but an induced abnormally LARGE release of neurotransmitters will ALWAYS create an addiction. It makes the dendrites less sensitive to the specific neurotransmitter being released, effectively "recalibrating" the brain.

[Pekka]

Fez, I'm not against homosexuality, but some people are that's what I'm saying. But it's no ones business what grown people do in their own time at their own places. We shouldn't intervene, let alone make it illegal, if it's not hurting anyone.

I don't think Singapore is a model country. I am not saying it sucks, but I don't think it's a model country.

If you define how good country is by it's crime rate, then you should consider other things as well.
For example, crime rate in here is VERY low. We are virtually crime free. Our punishments are the lowest ones in the world. How is that possible? And why there is so high crime rate in the US, and punishments are tough? It doesn't necessarily mean, that if punishments are hard enough, that crime rates would go down.

Sloww, I think you should write Fez's name down, because he could go nuts and start shooting weed smokers anyday. 24/7 surveillance would be good.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Berzerker
So, they tried to eradicate the production of booze and discovered they couldn't after about a decade, but after about 70 years of failure, you think pot can be eradicated?

I have the feeling that the efforts towards Prohibition were far greater than those towards getting rid of marijuana.

And what does that tell you? It ain't the drug, it's the person using the drug.

No, you didn't read it carefully. I said that the drug CHANGED PEOPLE who wouldn't have done things like heroin into people who would.

HUMAN NATURE! Just look at my argument about athletes and think a bit about why some people play all sorts of sports while others don't. There is nothing in pot that induces the user to desire other drugs they've never used. Their nature is what induces them to experiment...

I didn't see how it followed from what you had just said. I don't even remember what it was about anymore.

Then don't complain when the freedoms you cherish are done away with by people who share your contempt for freedom.

Slippery slope? On the drug war? Come on...

Skywalker, how many people have died from the "toxicity" in marijuana? How many have died from aspirin? How many have died from your drug war?

Marijuana - I don't know. I DO know that it is toxic.
Aspirin - few, as almost nobody abuses aspirin.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by DanielXY


Same goes for marijuana. At least the last part. Its not as easy to grow weed as it is to make alcohol. You need some knowlegde about growing and seeds of course. Other stuff is optional. But a full functional, secure Indoor-Growroom able to provide enough weed for the grower, all of his friends and more can be build for as little as 300$.

Of course you can jail everyone and his dog who is in possession of marijuana. Bu tell me is there now less marijuana around than 10 years ago or is it even more? Did all those tough laws and enforcent change anything (Dispite having about 1million ppl. who did no harm to nobody in prison)?
Unlike "real" drugs like heroin, which has to come from sources outsite the US, Marijuana is provided by normal everyday folks. Maybe your neighbour has a secret grow-room. There is no way you could really enforce the ban (enforce meaning in this case, to make sure noone or close to noone is smoking anymore...).

You have to actually get the marijuana plant. Plus, it is a larger investment of time, and far more easily detected, to grow plants. I could stick a machine that distilled 200-proof alcohol behind the furnace and no one would find out. I could make it in about half an hour at no cost to myself (and small cost to my parents ).

[Pekka]

Prohibiton was good...... for the mafia.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Fez


Because drug use is morally repulsive, I don't see a problem with executing drug users possessing more than 200 grams of marijuana or other illicit drugs where ever they are.

You've not justified why it is any more morally repulsive that homosexuality, alcohol use, or picking your nose. You just say it's bad, and ignore the arguments that it's not nearly as bad as a lot of things that are legal. This just continues to highlight your hypocrisy and freakishly fanatical attitude on the subject.

You keep mentioning 200 grams...why this limit? Why not 198? Or 100? or 50? What's the difference between the amounts? Singapore executes people for 500, not 200. How can you execute someone for a non-violent offense? It's insane.

You also keep mentioning Singapore as an ideal, but in Singapore you would have been thrown in jail for life by now for being homosexual.

So would a cocaine user be executed, too?

[DanielXY]

Marijuana - I don't know. I DO know that it is toxic.
Aspirin - few, as almost nobody abuses aspirin.

Marijuana - none
Aspirin (+ other similar stuff) - 7600/year

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/causes.htm