Forum Post: honestly pointless DEA
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 20, 2011, 10:32 p.m. EST by 420
(40)
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I'm sorry but an annual spending of 7 billion dollars for something that will never go away is pointless. Why not make 7 billion off it! And anyone that thinks that legalizing weed is wrong then they should have the same opinion towards alcohol equal rights for drunkies and pot heads!
JANUS FORUM: Should the US legalize drugs? Glenn Greenwald debates former Bush drug czar John Walters
http://vimeo.com/32110912
Legalizing weed is a no-brainer, really. I haven't used it since 1996 back when I was in college, too, so I'm not advocating it for my own use. But, hemp can be used to make clothing, plastics, and paper, more efficiently and with less impact on the environment than trees and petroleum products. That alone should be reason enough. The tax revenues that could be raised from taxing it similarly to alcohol (and, of course, with similar regulations re: driving under the influence, age limitations on purchase and possession, etc.) should be, likewise, be reason enough. Now, while such legalization may save some resources for policing, it wouldn't or shouldn't completely do away with the DEA, however, because they'll still be needed to police substances that actually are harmful (unlike mj), like coke, heroine, meth, etc.
Add to that the money the government spends destroying the lives of people who view illegal pornography. (Not saying that those who produce rape and exploitation-based pornography should not be charged, they definitely violate the individual rights of others, but those who merely view said pornography, though morally wrong, do not necessarily violate individual rights)
I agree! I wonder if the 7 billion includes the cost of keeping Mommy or Daddy in prison, Welfare for the single parent and kids left behind, and lastly, the many years of an exconvict not being able to get a good job because of the criminal record.
WOW - I sure can support equal rights like those. Just a little concerned about having twice the chance of getting killed by a drunkie or a pot head.
Why don't we throw in free guns for everyone, legalize meth and a few other things. Might become a sure thing at some point. Then we wouldn't need Dr Kvorkian - just put grandma in a car and ask here to take a little drive into town. POOF - no more suffering.
There are other countries who have legalized or decriminalized and they have not experienced a huge increase in drug use.
Here's one reference:
http://www.economist.com/node/14309861
There are many benefits. As for marijuana-impaired driving:
"The federal government's Department of Transportation conducted research with a fully interactive simulator on the effects of alcohol and marijuana, alone and in combination, on driver-controlled behavior and performance. "The Effects of Alcohol on Driver-Controlled Behavior in a Driving Simulator, Phase I", DOT-HS-806-414. The study found that alcohol consistently and significantly caused impairment -- but that marijuana had only an occasional effect. Further, there was little evidence of interaction between alcohol and marijuana. Finally, speeding tickets and accidents went up with the use of alcohol, but no marijuana or combined alcohol-marijuana influence was noted. "
Thanks for the quote from the study. Sure can't argue with that. My opinions were based on a very limited study of one employee using marijuana who came to work, tried to focus on his work, couldn't staple two pages of paper together neatly, and was "interesting" to talk to. I know, tunnel vision, I need to look at the much bigger picture. But I still have this concern that I am not going to get hit by the big picture, only that one employee who drives 30 miles to work every day.
I get it! By not outlawing everything, we become enablers? If every American had a job now, the crime rate would climb because everyone could then afford to buy a gun? Guess maybe I dont get.