Is it time to rethink national policy on marijuana?
According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 56 percent of Americans would support legalizing marijuana and regulating it much as alcohol and tobacco are regulated, while just 36 percent say they’re opposed.
Those are pretty strong numbers, suggesting that criminal law in this country is strongly out of line with public sentiment. We’re sending people to jail — most of them basically kids — and in some cases sticking them with felony criminal records for involvement with a substance that a majority of Americans don’t believe such be criminalized, at least if you believe Rasmussen.
Of course, some people DON’T believe Rasmussen. As the Christian Science Monitor reports, critics of the Rasmussen results argue that the wording of the question skewed the final results. However, I’m not sure that the substitute wording that they suggest would pass muster as unbiased or balanced:
“If they had asked, ‘If you knew that a majority of homicide convicts in New York had smoked marijuana within 24 hours of their convictions, would you be in favor of legalizing it?’ they would have gotten a far different answer,” says David Evans, special adviser to the Drug Free America Foundation. “These questions are so biased and leading, it’s embarrassing.”
If that’s the kind of question that you have to ask to get the poll results you want, you’ve already lost the debate. I imagine that a majority of those New York homicide convicts had also eaten meat within 24 hours of their crime, but I wouldn’t necessarily draw the conclusion that meat had driven them to commit that crime.
And then there’s this, from Gallup:
In addition, marijuana has become Mexico’s leading agricultural export, and all of those “exports” are conducted through smuggling, most of it to the United States. Marijuana “generates billions of dollars in revenues each year for the brutal narcotics cartels,” NPR reports. “By some estimates, it is the most profitable product for the Mexican drug gangs.”
Given those numbers, it’s pretty clear that U.S. drug policy plays some role in the brutal carnage being wreaked in Mexico, where mass slayings occur with tragic regularity.
– Jay Bookman
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
660 comments Add your comment
barking frog
May 24th, 2012
1:47 pm
how do the police find so
many growhouses and not
so many imported pot
dealers? To paraphrase
Jesse Jackson, how can a
six year old find a drug
dealer when the police
can’t? All government is
trying to maintain illegal
drug status.
ODD OWL
May 24th, 2012
1:47 pm
Free the weed, tax the weed, pay down the debt… Oh yea, tax the rich too… Everyone must pay their FAIR SHARE… Do anyone disagree with me ???
JamVet
May 24th, 2012
1:48 pm
A dad, are you an ESL student?
I listed 10 states, not 10 counties.
???
Where pray tell did you pull that out of? (Don’t answer! LOL!)
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 24th, 2012
1:48 pm
Kammie:
“What does living in detroit have to do with liberalism?
It’s filled with “those people.”
Not “people” but culture and political viewpoint destroyed Detroit.
Many “people” of all races and ethnic groups got out when they could as they saw it coming.
LOL IMMA BARB
May 24th, 2012
1:48 pm
Click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click click
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
1:48 pm
jewcowboy – While the article about GM hiring a second shift is valid, the first about Ford is invalid considering they didn’t get bailed out.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 24th, 2012
1:49 pm
LOL IMMA BARB:
Now that post was brilliant. Anything else to contribute ?
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
1:49 pm
“The increase in gas prices which have caused the worst inflation in ten years have still not returned to the pre-Obama levels.”
Hmmm..yet another fib:
http://www.inflationdata.com/Inflation/images/charts/Annual_Inflation/annual_inflation_chart.htm
joe725
May 24th, 2012
1:49 pm
Just some more vile disgusting behavior from the liberals. You want to stop the increase of MJ use then give the user some real punishment.—–
I’m conservative–and like ron paul–think this whole criminalization thing is a waste of time and money–let’s put our resources–limited though they may be at this time–toward the real issues–economics, real pragmatic health care, getting out of the money pit/quagmire in Afhganistan, education……..
Mighty Righty
May 24th, 2012
1:50 pm
Here are the top ten cities with a populaiton of 250,000 or more worst poverty rates in percentage of poulation at or below the poverty line.
1.Detroit, Michigan 36.4
2.Cleveland, Ohio 35.0
3.Buffalo, New York 28.8
4.Milwaukee, Wisconsin 27.0
5.St. Louis, Missouri 26.7
6.Miami, Florida 26.5
7.Memphis, Tennessee 26.2
8.Cincinnati, Ohio 25.7
9.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 25.0
10.Newark, New Jersey 23.9
A dad
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
JamVet (you DADT flunk out you). I thought you might have been referring to article published today on MSH re the poorest counties of all 50 states.
But typically, you evade answering the question by insulting and attacking.
Have a wonderfuly day with your husband dude.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
Mick,
Actually an oversimplification would be Mississippi which has been poor forever. As for Detroit, DC, Philly, LA, Chicago, and many other cities run by Dems for decades those cities were vibrant, thriving places at one time. That’s the difference between my example and Jewcowboy bringing up Miss. It was mostly under liberal leadership over several decades that they turned to became completely mismanaged. Its a theme we seem to see in most of them.
JamVet
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
Everyone must pay their FAIR SHARE.
“Corporations are people, my friend.”
But because of the self-destructive right wingers in this country, those people, my friend, pay nowhere near their fare share.
In fact, they just suck you and me dry.
But not to worry, Righty has NO problems that we the real people pick up their share…
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
And Mississippi also was mostly democrat for the first 150 years of its existence was it not?
False equivalence.
Democrat doesn’t necessarily = liberal, especially prior to the 1960s — as was illustrated yesterday.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
(ir)Rational,
“While the article about GM hiring a second shift is valid, the first about Ford is invalid considering they didn’t get bailed out.”
Better?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/01/05/chrysler-to-add-1100-jobs-at-jeep-factory-in-detroit/
Just type in “US auto manufacturer adds jobs” into Google…there are plenty more examples out there.
Chuck
May 24th, 2012
1:51 pm
G.M and Chrysler should have been allowed to fail, so should have the banks, AIG, and any other company that was run poorly. In the short term it would have been a major blow to the economy, but in the long run it would have madde the economy much stronger. Poorly run companies need to fail, that is how a real free market corrects itself. The free market is suppose to be like the jungle, the strong survive and weak get eaten.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
1:52 pm
JamVet – I don’t really have a dog in this fight, but out of that 20% of the population living in poverty in Texas. How many of that group do you think are immigrants. And please don’t take that to mean I’m bashing immigrants I’m just stating something I see as true. A group comes in, it takes time for them to get jobs, get established and climb out of poverty. By the time they do that, another group (or more likely a few dozen other groups) has come in to replace them in the statistic showing that high of a poverty rate.
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
1:52 pm
MR
No problem. Zero tolerance laws kinda did away with the whole letting things slide.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
1:53 pm
Mighty Righty,
Gee. I wonder who runs most of those cities? And if we pulled up the 10 most broke cities in the U.S. I wonder who chiefly runs those cities?
Leeroy
May 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 24th, 2012
1:49 pm
LOL IMMA BARB:
Now that post was brilliant. Anything else to contribute ?
Doubt it since he probably has CTS at this point.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
jewcowboy – I was just trying to point out an error and give you a chance to correct it before those that take issue with everything “the others” say jumped on you for bringing up an invalid argument.
Mick
May 24th, 2012
1:54 pm
doom
So, when they were vibrant and ran by the dems, that doesn’t count? Illocial all the way my man but then, you are who you are…
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
1:55 pm
Doom — “You don’t think its odd that in all these big cities run by liberals for decades that they are generally broke, that their school systems are in shambles, that crime is rampant, and that urban blight and decay is everywhere. You don’t find that correlation the least bit odd?”
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation
JamVet
May 24th, 2012
1:56 pm
I thought you might have been referring to article published today on MSH
Don’t think homophobic meat. Just read and comprehend. What I wrote was in standard, written English, not in Aramaic or Republispeak.
MSH? (Melanocyte-stimulating hormone?)
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
1:56 pm
how do the police find so
many growhouses and not
so many imported pot
dealers?
Electricity usage, infrared imaging, the overpowering smell.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
1:56 pm
Kamchak
Then I guess Republican doesn’t necessarily equal conservative.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
1:57 pm
Thulsa Doom,
“Hard to climb out of that deep hole.”
It’s evidently not that hard to make excuses though. What about the Texas size deficit Texas has? Does that come from liberalism as well?
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2012-presidential-election/love-hate-thing-stimulus-money/
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
1:59 pm
Joe mama,
Correlation is not indeed the same as cause and effect. Suffice it to simply say that there is a very strong correlation between big cities run by liberals for decades and rampant crime, rampant corruption, broke finances, public school systems in shambles, and urban blight and decay. We’ll just leave it at a very strong correlation.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
1:59 pm
Then I guess Republican doesn’t necessarily equal conservative.
Correct, but unlike you, I didn’t make any such implication.
Erwin's cat
May 24th, 2012
1:59 pm
Jam – “…But not to worry, Righty has NO problems that we the real people pick up their share…”
Tax the corps and the peeps will still be the ones who pay the bill….no matter what you do, that will never change
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
2:02 pm
(ir)Rational,
“I was just trying to point out an error and give you a chance to correct it before those that take issue with everything “the others” say jumped on you for bringing up an invalid argument.”
Thanks. I understood..hence the Chrysler link. Unfortunately any more than 2 link in post gets caught in the spam filter. I apologize if my response seemed snarky.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:02 pm
jewcowboy,
Would you like to get into a comparison between the biggest liberal state California and the biggest conservative state Texas? We can compare the 2 in terms of economic growth, unemployment, deficit, population and jobs growth, etc. Do you really want to go there jewcowboy? Cause I don’t think you do.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 24th, 2012
2:02 pm
mighty righty:
“1.Detroit, Michigan 36.4
2.Cleveland, Ohio 35.0
3.Buffalo, New York 28.8
4.Milwaukee, Wisconsin 27.0
5.St. Louis, Missouri 26.7
6.Miami, Florida 26.5
7.Memphis, Tennessee 26.2
8.Cincinnati, Ohio 25.7
9.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 25.0
10.Newark, New Jersey 23.9″
TRANSLATION: “The South will rise again !”
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
2:04 pm
jewcowboy – No worries.
barking frog
May 24th, 2012
2:07 pm
0311
“The South will rise again !”
If you mean the Confederacy
that ship has sailed.
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
Then I guess Republican doesn’t necessarily equal conservative.
Historically, it did not. However, at the rate they’re getting rid of their moderates, the two will be interchangable before I die.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
2:08 pm
Thulsa Doom,
“Then I guess Republican doesn’t necessarily equal conservative.”
As Republicans have demonstrated for the past 30 years.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
2:10 pm
Thulsa Doom,
Would you like to get into a comparison between the biggest liberal state California and the biggest conservative state Texas?”
Not really…because any such comparison is pointless since neither is identical in population, industry, or economy. Which is what I was pointed out when I called your original statement about Detroit retarded.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
2:15 pm
K’Chak — “Electricity usage, infrared imaging, the overpowering smell.”
Somewhat apropos of the topic of electricity usage, I’ve been monkeying with LED lighting in the house for probably 5-6 years (it’s only in the last year or so that reliable, reasonably-priced LED fixtures and ‘bulbs’ have become available in the US market). Some months ago, I was having a look at one of the online LED producers/retailers that I’ve bought from in the past, and I noticed that they were selling squarish fixtures for the ceiling, but the photos showed the fixture emitting a reddish or pinkish light from an array of LEDs.
“Huh,” I said. “That’s weird-lookin’ Wonder why someone would want a pink lamp like this.”
My wife leaned over and took a look (again, she went to a West Coast hippie university).
“I know EXACTLY why someone would want lights like that,” she said.
My respect for the regulars here is such that I’m sure you don’t need me to explain any further.
That said, such LED grow-lights would eliminate that electricity-usage detection factor, would it not?
Jm
May 24th, 2012
2:16 pm
Regarding drugs, role models, and presidents
I’d have to say I would be able to tell my kids everything about Romney without shame
I couldn’t say the same about Obama
He makes an awful role model for kids, though I hope he inspires minority kids
Peadawg
May 24th, 2012
2:19 pm
“I’d have to say I would be able to tell my kids everything about Romney without shame
I couldn’t say the same about Obama”
I don’t think too highly of either one…but to each his own (blinders) I guess.
Mike-let's-legalize
May 24th, 2012
2:21 pm
I’m sick of being treated like a second class citizen for smoking marijuana. Prohibitionists: Mind your own damn business and stop forcing pot smokers to live in the closet like Jews under nazi rule. My choices harm nobody but this stupid morality crusade by prohibitionists want to take my job, house, money and freedom just because I enjoy pot. It’s not fair and I’m sick of it.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:21 pm
“Historically, it did not. However, at the rate they’re getting rid of their moderates, the two will be interchangable before I die.”
Brocephus,
You could say the same about the Democrats. I don’t see too many JFK or Sam Nunn or Zell Miller types anymore. Zell or Nunn would have been guys I would have voted for. In fact I did vote for Zell who was in my view a good man. Both parties are losing moderates. Matter of fact I’ve seen it posited a few times now that in the house that we are basically at about 65 house seats that are contestable each and every election. The rest are either solidly D or R. And that’s too bad for all of us.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
2:25 pm
That said, such LED grow-lights would eliminate that electricity-usage detection factor, would it not?
Probably so.
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
2:27 pm
Doom
To an extent you could say the same thing. There are still more moderate Dems in DC than Repubs though. We have nobody but ourselves to blame for that. That need for strict adherence to political ideology will ruin this country faster than gay marriage, legalized drugs, and illegal immigrants all combined.
That Black Guy
May 24th, 2012
2:30 pm
First, it’s past time to legalize weed.
Second, off topic.
Kyle has a article refuting the Obama has been frugal topic, incase anyone wishes to check it out.
http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/2012/05/24/about-the-idea-that-obamas-spending-has-been-tame/?cp=3#comment-115854
Sorry Jay
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
2:31 pm
That said, such LED grow-lights would eliminate that electricity-usage detection factor, would it not?
Depends. If you notice the size of the grow houses that get busted, they are not growing 10-20 plants. Their plant count usually starts in the triple digits. Unless they chop the roof off, any electrical light source is gonna leave a serious footprint on the grid.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
2:32 pm
Bro – I don’t know, that type of LED source wouldn’t be much more than a typical residential home or warehouse I wouldn’t think.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
Scout,
The 10 brokest statest in America as follows.
1- Illinois. Hmm. Barack’s home state is the brokest in the nation. Probably the most corrupt too.
2-California- crazy broke
3-NJ
4-NY
5-Texas. No state income tax did it for Texas. However, Texas also has a rainy day fund that last I checked had 9.6 billion in it. So the debt may not be as big when factoring in this fund.
6-Michigan
7-Nevada
8- Arizona- That’s now 2 red states on the list.
9-Oregon
10- Connecticut
8 blue, 2 red
http://thisorthat.com/blog/the-10-brokest-states-in-america
Peadawg
May 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
That Black Guy
May 24th, 2012
2:30 pm
I said yesterday there’s many ways to spin the numbers. The one number you can’t spin is $15 trillion in debt (plus $5 trillion since Obama took office by staying in Iraq and now Afghanistan, stimulus, extending tax cuts, etc.).
Doggone/GA
May 24th, 2012
2:34 pm
“That said, such LED grow-lights would eliminate that electricity-usage detection factor, would it not?”
Not neccessarily. The lights are not the only reason there is high electricity usage. The grow-house has to be kept pretty warm – over 85 or 90 degrees, something like that. Heat eats up a LOT of electricity – which is why incandescent bulbs use more electricity: heat output
Tundra Dude
May 24th, 2012
2:35 pm
TRANSLATION: “The South will rise again !”
Not in my lifetime.
Just saw a list of the bottom 10 (poorest) states.
8 are Red states. Plus, all the Southern Red states, except Jawja are net importers of Federal $$.
Not to worry, that shrewd bidnezzman from the Cayman Islands will fix that, probably by spinning off the nonprofitable states.
paulo977
May 24th, 2012
2:36 pm
You trample tobacco smothers but you will demonstrate to smoke weed
__________________________________________________________
Don’t think 2nd hand weed has the same ill effects as 2nd hand smoke!!!
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:36 pm
“That need for strict adherence to political ideology will ruin this country faster than gay marriage, legalized drugs, and illegal immigrants all combined.”
Brocephus,
Well we can agree on one thing then today. Of course I’ll also agree with the view that gay marriage, legalized drugs, and immigration aren’t going to ruin the country either.
JKL2
May 24th, 2012
2:37 pm
Doom — “You don’t think its odd that in all these big cities run by liberals for decades that they are generally broke, that their school systems are in shambles, that crime is rampant, and that urban blight and decay is everywhere. You don’t find that correlation the least bit odd?”
joe mama- Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
Translation: I got nothin’
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
2:44 pm
joe mama- Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
Translation: I got nothin’
Those that can’t read Latin shouldn’t be translatin’.
Just sayin’.
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
2:48 pm
(ir)Rational
Electricity use for grow houses go beyond lighting. There’s irrigation and ventilation. A small operation would be hard to detect. The ones getting busted tend to be larger operations that use more electricity. Cutting back by using LED’s still doesn’t negate the consumption from pumping water and running vents.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:49 pm
Good God. Nutting’s misleading and dishonest article from yesterday about Obama being the most frugal president just got vaporized, obliterated, eviscerated, and utterly annihilated. Kyle just launched one gigantic conservative missile of truth at yet another liberal wall of lies and blew it to smitherines
JKL2
May 24th, 2012
2:50 pm
Thulsa- 1- Illinois. Hmm. Barack’s home state is the brokest in the nation. Probably the most corrupt too.
Probably? Certified. obama is a crook run by crooks. If there was any justice, he would be sharing a cell with Blagojevich right now.
Not to worry Demwits, there are plenty of people waiting to fall on the sword for the teflon don.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
2:50 pm
JKL — “Translation: I got nothin’
Correct. Doom’s got nothin’.
A dad
May 24th, 2012
2:51 pm
So JamVet, when and where was your service. BTW, not homophobic. Don’t care to be honest. And I meant MSN.com. Sorry, I am typing challenged.
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:52 pm
JKL2, Scout,
If you haven’t done so go check out Kyle’s blog today on that article yesterday about Obama being the most frugal president ever. It has left our liberal friends speechless.
skipper
May 24th, 2012
2:53 pm
Dang, Jay;
You’ll have 20 pages if this keeps up, and it’ll really be interesting later when some of the folks have had their tokes! some columns bring ‘em out………
Thulsa Doom
May 24th, 2012
2:53 pm
Joe mama,
We already agreed. No proof of cause and effect. Just a very, very, very, very, very, very strong correlation.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
2:54 pm
Bro – Electricity use for grow houses go beyond lighting.
So you’re an expert then?
I wouldn’t actually know. The extent of my knowledge about that comes from the shows Weeds and The Wire.
JKL2
May 24th, 2012
2:55 pm
joe mama- Correct. Doom’s got nothin’
I don’t understand why you’re wasting your time on this blog. You should be on obama’s cabinet since you’re the second smartest man n the world.
or does obama have a jealousy that is hold you back?
That Black Guy
May 24th, 2012
2:55 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 24th, 2012
12:00 pm
If you think some of these blog subjects are bad can you imagine if Jay was stoned ?
__________________________________________________________________
Imagine if getalife WASN’T!
jms
May 24th, 2012
2:57 pm
Those polls are quite doobie-ous.
JKL2
May 24th, 2012
2:58 pm
Thulsa- If you haven’t done so go check out Kyle’s blog today on that article yesterday about Obama being the most frugal president ever. It has left our liberal friends speechless
Unforunately they are never speechless. They have to start with the name calling, lies and deflections.
josef
May 24th, 2012
2:58 pm
“Is it time to rethink national policy on marijuana?”
Well, duh.
Nice wiggly line graphics…
What were we talking about?
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
2:58 pm
That Black Guy – Imagine if getalife WASN’T!
He would actually write in complete, comprehensible sentences?
Fred ™
May 24th, 2012
2:58 pm
Granny Godzilla – Union Thugette
May 24th, 2012
9:09 am
Keep the government out of our backyard gardens!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LOL Granny, you give a whole new meaning to weeding the garden…….
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
Imagine if getalife WASN’T!
Imagine if you knew what the hell you were posting about.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
josef – Unrelated to anything, but is APS done for the summer?
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
3:02 pm
(ir)Rational
In my line of work, you gotta be able to spot them in order to bust’em. If you don’t know how they’re set up and work, you won’t find one if you’re sitting inside one.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
3:02 pm
JKL2 @ 2.58: “They have to start with the name calling, lies and deflections.”
Hmmm…
JKL2 @ 2:50 “Not to worry Demwits”
Fred ™
May 24th, 2012
3:03 pm
JKL2
May 24th, 2012
2:37 pm
Doom — “You don’t think its odd that in all these big cities run by liberals for decades that they are generally broke, that their school systems are in shambles, that crime is rampant, and that urban blight and decay is everywhere. You don’t find that correlation the least bit odd?”
joe mama- Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc
Translation: I got nothin’
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Translation of jlk2: He hasn’
t a clue what tyhe hell any of that means, it’s way over his head so he posts more of his useless drivel.
Here ya go sport. I feel sorry for you in your ignorance though so here is what Joe Mama was talking about, (if you read it you could actually learn something useful):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
3:03 pm
josef,
“What were we talking about?”
How naughty that graph looks…
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
3:04 pm
Bro – Sure. I “believe” you. Now, what will $250 get me?
Brosephus™
May 24th, 2012
3:06 pm
(ir)Rational
$250 wouldn’t even cover your fines for a possession charge.
josef
May 24th, 2012
3:06 pm
THULSA
“It has left our liberal friends speechless.”
Liberal me? Speechless? Shirley, you jest!
TUNDRA
2:35 pm
“TRANSLATION: “The South will rise again !”
Not in my lifetime.
Just saw a list of the bottom 10 (poorest) states.”
I take it you ain’t seen the illiteracy stats, eh? The South’s already losing to states Up Nawth in the bottom rankings…
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
3:07 pm
jewcowboy/josef – How naughty that graph looks…
Something is wrong with me, I didn’t even notice the graph’s shape. What 27 year old guy wouldn’t notice that?!?!
JoeDaWg
May 24th, 2012
3:08 pm
I’m getting a little tired of reading these absurd comments by nanny staters who keep pretending to be Republicans. I’ve been a Republican my entire life, the next “liberal” I vote for will be the FIRST liberal I have ever voted for. There is nothing even remotely “conservative” about marijuana prohibition. These nanny state ideals do not represent conservatism or me. I don’t have any interest in funding these asinine laws, or the 50 billion dollars in tax money that get wasted on this issue every year. That’s waste, nothing productive has ever come from prohibition, its as simple as reading a history book. If you believe its any of Obama’s business what kind of plants you own, what you eat or drink, what you smoke, what kind of medicine you take, you are not a conservative. That’s called federalism, that’s big government, that’s anti freedom, and most of all that’s a moronic way to look at life. The founding fathers didn’t fight and die so I could live under the thumb of some half brained politician. The people own this country, the people are changing these laws, I say bravo to the places like Colorado and California, liberal as they may be. If you don’t like that, you don’t like democracy. It doesn’t take a rocket scientists to see through the holes in our marijuana laws. They are anti American, anti intelligence, and most of all they are coasting us over a hundred billion dollars every two years. This madness will end, people have had enough.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
3:08 pm
(ir)Rational,
“Now, what will $250 get me?”
That reminds me of a column I read.
“Generation X is beyond all that bulls*** now. It quit smoking and doing coke a long time ago. It has blood pressure issues and is heavier than it would like to be. It might still take some ecstasy, if it knew where to get some. But probably not. Generation X has to be up really early tomorrow morning.
Generation X is tired.”
http://tinyurl.com/6xpdafa
HillWilliam (The Educated Hillbilly)
May 24th, 2012
3:09 pm
I know many have said that they don’t trust government data, but I’m curious what the pro legalization crowd’s reponse to the following is: (and for the record, I am currently neutral on the topic, so convince me)
http://www.justice.gov/dea/demand/speakout/index.html
Fact 4: Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine. Marinol, the legal version of medical marijuana, is approved by science.
According to the Institute of Medicine, there is no future in smoked marijuana as medicine. However, the prescription drug Marinol—a legal and safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active ingredient of THC—has been studied and approved by the Food & Drug Administration as safe medicine. The difference is that you have to get a prescription for Marinol from a licensed physician. You can’t buy it on a street corner, and you don’t smoke it.
Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the United States has wasted billions of dollars in its anti-drug efforts. But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem. Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction—whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering—government spending on drug control is minimal.
Fact 6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels of addiction. Legalization has been tried before, and failed miserably.
Legalization has been tried before—and failed miserably. Alaska’s experiment with Legalization in the 1970s led to the state’s teens using marijuana at more than twice the rate of other youths nationally. This led Alaska’s residents to vote to re-criminalize marijuana in 1990.
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model for America.
Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.
The Legalization Lobby claims that America’s prisons are filling up with users. Truth is, only about 5 percent of inmates in federal prison are there because of simple possession. Most drug criminals are in jail—even on possession charges—because they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking offences or more violent drug crimes.
josef
May 24th, 2012
3:09 pm
Coito, ergo sum.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
3:10 pm
Doom — “We already agreed. No proof of cause and effect. Just a very, very, very, very, very, very strong correlation.”
Objection, Your Honor. Opposing counsel is testifying to the jury.
exactly
May 24th, 2012
3:10 pm
I wish we would quit asking this damned question and just do it.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
3:11 pm
JKL — “I don’t understand why you’re wasting your time on this blog. You should be on obama’s cabinet since you’re the second smartest man n the world.”
It is good that you recognize and acknowledge your betters.
“or does obama have a jealousy that is hold you back?”
I think the issue is that he feels he needs to keep Michelle away from me.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
3:12 pm
Bro – I’ve never had to worry about that. I never had the desire to smoke it. I mean, I woke up a couple of times with contact highs, but I never intentionally went looking.
True story though: In high school (appropriately named per the scope of this blog topic), in front of one of the post offices in the county, there are some planters. Well, someone thought it would be funny to plant weed in each of the planters. No one recognized it (well, no one that cared), and one day some other local kids went and harvested it. Apparently, it went around the school as post office weed for a week or so, and was good stuff. We always laughed at the wonderful police work in the county where someone could plant weed on federal property and the police don’t even notice it being out in plain site.
josef
May 24th, 2012
3:12 pm
NOT HILLBILLY D…
As a wise man once said, “don’t bogart that joint, my friend…”
Excess verbalization is an indicator of controlled substance abuse..
–Thomas Jefferson
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
3:12 pm
JCB — “JKL2 @ 2.58: “They have to start with the name calling, lies and deflections.”
“Hmmm…”
“JKL2 @ 2:50 “Not to worry Demwits”
He’s not really even trying any more, is he, JCB?
barking frog
May 24th, 2012
3:13 pm
I read Kyle’s analysis of the
WSJ article and with no
malice toward Jay or Kyle
both posts show Nutting is an example of
“figures don’t lie but liars
do figure”.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 24th, 2012
3:13 pm
I’m getting a little tired of reading these absurd comments by nanny staters who keep pretending to be Republicans.
Self-righteous evangelicals took over the Republican party decades ago, sport.
You’ve only now just noticed it?
Boy, nothing escapes that trap like brain of yours.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 24th, 2012
3:15 pm
Fred — “Here ya go sport. I feel sorry for you in your ignorance though so here is what Joe Mama was talking about, (if you read it you could actually learn something useful):”
Actually, there’s a key distinction between post hoc ergo propter hoc and cum hoc ergo propter hoc, but both involve the incorrect assumption of causation due to unproven, yet proximate factors.
josef
May 24th, 2012
3:15 pm
jewcowboy
As my Mama told the flasher that night, “looks like a penis, only smaller.”
irRational
Today was the last day, free at last! Free at last! Praise G-d Alm-ghty, I’m free at last!
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
3:16 pm
jewcowboy – I’m 3 or 4 years too young to be considered in “Generation X,” but I understand. I think people are going to look and realize there is a miniature generation between X and around ‘89 though. Those kids ain’t nothin like us. Either that, or they’re going to have to expand X to include those born before ‘89.
(ir)Rational
May 24th, 2012
3:17 pm
Oh, actually, I just looked it up and discovered they call us Generation Y. I always thought I was somewhat crazy, but guess not.
jewcowboy
May 24th, 2012
3:17 pm
Joe Hussein Mama,
“He’s not really even trying any more, is he, JCB?”
I’m just trying to figure out if he thinks we are like goldfish and can’t remember something from a few minutes ago…on the same freakin page.
Adam
May 24th, 2012
3:17 pm
JamVet – and those 10 poorest counties are primairly populated by (1) democrats or (2) republicans. Go ahead, we know the answer. C’mon, you can do it. Those 10 counties just wait for the gov’t to take care of them. Sounds like a dem to me.
And you would be wrong. The FACTS show that the localities with the poorest people are mostly Republican in voting record.