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The Problem of Pot. A Reflection on the Increasing Legalization of Marijuana
Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 1/26/2014 | Msgr. Charles Pope

Posted on 01/27/2014 3:23:41 AM PST by markomalley

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To: Gamecock
Good to know. Then I can steal your car and get away with it, right?

sure...come on over. It's the F 150 in the driveway. ..... just ignore the guy with the Sig P226 standing next to you as you climb into the cab without my permission. I won't even call the police, I'll let your family file a missing persons report.

Any other idiotic faux arguments? What does theft have to do with legislating moral choices? Yeah, it's morally wrong to steal my stuff. I don't need the law on the books to know that.

The law is for society to protect you, the thief, from me the victim from hunting you down, killing you, your family and then taking all your stuff out of revenge... you know? Old school justice. It sets the parameters of what is acceptable punishment for offenses against individuals.

If this is your argument for smoking pot, brother put the pipe down and drink some Mountain Dew. hahahahaha.

41 posted on 01/27/2014 12:47:18 PM PST by Dick Vomer (democrats are like flies, whatever they don't eat they sh#t on.)
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To: livius

” “gladdens the heart of man””

No it doesn;t


42 posted on 01/27/2014 12:49:50 PM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans!)
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To: sphinx
users used to end up dead

The harsh but true reality. Now, we've become a "civilization" that expends most of its wealth enabling negative behaviors. It isn't sustainable.

43 posted on 01/27/2014 12:52:05 PM PST by grania
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To: Dick Vomer
Stealing is a moral issue. You can stick you head in the sand and come up with trite statements that we can't legislate morality, but the fact is that is what our laws do.

-Theft
-Perjury
-Arson
-Assault
-Murder

and on and on.

It is all a matter of the degree that we are willing to tolerate.

44 posted on 01/27/2014 1:03:47 PM PST by Gamecock (If you like your constitution, you can keep your constitution. Period. (M.S.))
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To: markomalley
I think every state should pass their own laws and we'll see what different approaches produce.

The federal government should continue to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug and do whatever they can to prosecute users and interfere with any state attempt to pass legislation that doesn't conform to federal policy, and overturn any that is passed.

45 posted on 01/27/2014 1:09:49 PM PST by tacticalogic
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To: markomalley

The legalized modern evils stem from a lack of hope which is eventually inevitably when people lose faith in God. And so they are told to have abortions because there is no providential God to take care of them. Before this, immoral sexual activity is oten engaged in because people don’t know that God’s Grace can strengthen them. Without Grace, marriages break down and divorce skyrockets, causing people to lose faith in marriage and the family. And so they say, why not go ahead and have gay marriage, what does it matter? Finally, without God’s Grace, life’s crosses are even heavier and really unbearable. So let’s legalize drugs, get stoned, and try to replace God’s Grace, prayer and contemplation, with the counterfeit, pseudo-mysticism of drug stupor. Through prayer and witness, we need to offer the hopeless, hope. They need to know that only the knowledge of God’s Love for us can give us lasting peace.

“My peace I leave you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” -John 14:27

“To live without God is to start down a path that can only lead to despair. ... The people of hope are those who believe that God created them for a purpose and that He will provide for them.” -Blessed John Paul II


46 posted on 01/27/2014 2:40:38 PM PST by MDLION ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart" -Proverbs 3:5)
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To: Dick Vomer

“You can’t legislate morality.” - Dick Vomer

All law is an attempt to legislate morality. Even speeding laws issue out of “Thou shalt not kill”, with the thought that speeding endangers the lives of others. Even the twisted laws liberals sometimes promulgate issue out of their confused morality. In Muslim countries where they cut off your hand for stealing, they don’t have much of a problem with stealing. I don’t agree with such a draconian punishment but they are effectively legislating morality. Many of the women having legal abortions now, would tough it out and not have an illegal abortion if abortion were still illegal. Many did when abortion was illegal and probably most are glad they did. Abortion laws legislate morality.

Thank you for your service to our country and I’m sure we agree about much more than we disagree about. But I just disagree with the idea that morality can’t be legislated.

“If you can’t legislate morality, what can you legislate?”
-Fr.George William Rutler

“The law is the great teacher.” -John Cardinal O’Connor


47 posted on 01/27/2014 2:56:45 PM PST by MDLION ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart" -Proverbs 3:5)
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To: MDLION; Gamecock
I really wanted to think this reply through, so I went for a little mind clearing jog, run, puke... and the more I thought about what you and I understand is " the law" and "morality" are the difference between a free man and a man that is dependent on others to place him in the right relation with others. This isn't meant as a "put down" but please read on and I will gladly read your reply.

First Gamecock listed Theft

-Perjury

-Arson

-Assault

-Murder

as "laws" and how we are trying to legislate morality. I say that I don't need a law to know that theft, perjury, arson etc.. is wrong. I know morally that it is not in keeping with my morals. I can kick the cr@p out of someone because I "feel" like it or as a defensive measure to prevent an attack. What my internal moral compass tells me is more important than a law in which I may kill someone but "my intent" was in the first case immoral and unlawful and in the second case moral but unlawful depending on the jurisdiction and the whim of the judge/prosecutors/cops.

So you can legislate that I shouldn't kill but that in NO WAY prevents me from killing. My moral code, my compass tells me that taking someones life is wrong and I don't need a law to tell me that if someone were raping my wife or beating my daughters to a pulp to not kill them is unlawful and immoral.

You CAN'T legislate morality, you can only show by the laws you pass and are willing to obey where your morals lay. My kids don't need a law to tell them not to rob a store, rape a woman, kill their babies, not pay bills... they will do what is morally correct to them. The law is just society's way of emphasizing what the collective thinks is "moral" and "just" in the form of defining the moral question and giving the moral punishment for an offense.

In the field in combat, I can shoot an enemy soldier and I feel that as soldiers we are honor bound to follow our oaths to defend country and family. While I can come upon a wounded combatant that is offering to surrender, with my support group 100 yards behind me, all alone and take my knife out and slit his throat.... one is murder the other is combat and results in the death of my opponent. Only God knows my intent, he is the only one that knows what motivation lies in my heart that results in death... but in either case I can be called up for violations of the ROE and end up in Leavenworth making big rocks into little rocks. Morally I know what the correct path is, but legally is where the ambiguity is.

So we come to marijuana. The libs want to stop all to stop smoking (evil corporations make to much money) and don't mind marijuana (benevolent drug lords handing out presents to children). huh? If those that support drug use can't understand that this is a means to control and destroy your souls then by all means fire it up and don't bogart the joint.

48 posted on 01/27/2014 5:04:04 PM PST by Dick Vomer (democrats are like flies, whatever they don't eat they sh#t on.)
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To: Dick Vomer

Well, you “caught me” in that I don’t own a lab, I’m not a scientist, and I can’t tell you the scientific reason why I don’t have siezures when I smoke pot, but I do when I don’t.

All that I do know is, it works for me.

And from what I hear, it works for other people too.

And I don’t think it’s any particular “strain”, as all of them seem to work as an anti-convulsant.

When I spoke to my neurologist about it, yes, my neurologist, the guy who probably *does* have a lab and knows all the names of the whositis and the whatsits, he told me that yes, cannabis *does* prevent seizures, but it can hurt your lungs. Whereas the synthetic medication can prevent seizures, but it wrecks my kidneys and my liver and gives me horrible, horrible mood swings.

Did you know that cannabis was used, successfully, to treat many neurologicial disorders during the 6,000 years of human evolution prior to the criminalization of cannabis in the 1930s because hemp was competing with nylon?

So you can go ahead and be smug and self-righteous and try to assure yourself that pot smokers are all hanging out in their parents basement munching on chips and watching the game all day, and you can go ahead and try to convince yourself that our “lack of ambition” gives you a leg up in the workplace. The truth is, you would probably be rather surprised at the professional careers that we hold. I don’t have to “compete” with you or your kin for a good career, I’ve already got one.

And this *is* all about people trying to push thier personal code of ethics on other people through legislation. Don’t like pot? How about you don’t smoke it? Should you ban alcohol because it can effect productivity in the workplace? Should you ban cigarettes in case someone flicks a smoke at a gas pump while they are working?

I prefer a world where I am free to make my own decisions instead of having Big Government tell me what I can and cannot do.

By the way, if you view everyone else in this country as “competition for creating wealth for you and your family”, you might have larger issues than I.


49 posted on 01/28/2014 4:57:03 AM PST by Ueriah
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To: Dick Vomer

All laws are essentially a legislation of morality, from the Thou Shall Not Kill laws all the way to the current Thou Shall Not Drink A 64 Oz Soda In Manhattan.

“You CAN’T legislate morality, you can only show by the laws you pass and are willing to obey where your morals lay. My kids don’t need a law to tell them not to rob a store, rape a woman, kill their babies, not pay bills... they will do what is morally correct to them”

This basically says that you will ignore unjust laws and do what you feel is correct. That’s kind of where I am with the cannabis laws.

Interesting that you continually referance violence as your way of enforcing the laws that you would like to see enforced.

“So we come to marijuana. The libs want to stop all to stop smoking (evil corporations make to much money) and don’t mind marijuana (benevolent drug lords handing out presents to children).”

Odd, I haven’t heard of liberals or conservatives or anyone else suggesting that we stop all cigarette smoking. I think we have reached a point in our country where pretty much everyone *knows* that cigarette smoking is bad for you and will lead to cancer, emphysima, and a number of other extremely unpleasant conditions. Scientists can show you a pretty direct cause and effect, yet it’s still legal to smoke, despite all of the smoking related deaths it creates.

Here’s a bonus question for you, worth double points. How many people died from smoking pot last year? How about the year before that? How about in the last hundred years? The last thousand?

Answer: Zero people have ever died from smoking pot.


50 posted on 01/28/2014 5:12:41 AM PST by Ueriah
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To: Ueriah

When I spoke to my neurologist about it, yes, my neurologist, the guy who probably *does* have a lab and knows all the names of the whositis and the whatsits, he told me that yes, cannabis *does* prevent seizures, but it can hurt your lungs. Whereas the synthetic medication can prevent seizures, but it wrecks my kidneys and my liver and gives me horrible, horrible mood swings.

Unless your neurologist is at a university med school he doesn't have a lab. But if he says it works then by all means, fire it up bra'.

Did you know that cannabis was used, successfully, to treat many neurologicial disorders during the 6,000 years of human evolution prior to the criminalization of cannabis in the 1930s because hemp was competing with nylon?

Again with the BS? Really, which neurological maladies were treated by pot.....successfully ? Please stop yapping about a subject, namely medicine , which you know nothing about. it really makes you appear to be a pot smoking advocate that is just parroting some bs factoids from High Times talking points. Jeez.

It gets you high, makes you feel good and forget about your problems. If you want to justify it by curing your seizures, go or it. That's my point.

And this *is* all about people trying to push thier personal code of ethics on other people through legislation. Don’t like pot? How about you don’t smoke it? Should you ban alcohol because it can effect productivity in the workplace? Should you ban cigarettes in case someone flicks a smoke at a gas pump while they are working?

that's what I said all along. Laws won't stop somebody from doing something, only their morals will. The law just punishes those who disagree with society's agreed upon rules and punishments. Like I said, if you want to crank up a joint.....by all means go for it. Just don't bathe your choice of escape in the pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo, it really makes you look like an idiot to anyone with a real medical or scientific background.

By the way, if you view everyone else in this country as “competition for creating wealth for you and your family”, you might have larger issues than I.

That's what we do. We compete for everything, even with ourselves in order to better ourselves . Educational opportunities, jobs, real estate, business, innovation, music, medicine,... Always improving or your wasting your time that you've been given in this life.

51 posted on 01/28/2014 5:31:23 AM PST by Dick Vomer (democrats are like flies, whatever they don't eat they sh#t on.)
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To: Dick Vomer

Then there’s the people who drink wine because someone said it was good for you.


52 posted on 01/28/2014 5:34:41 AM PST by tacticalogic
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To: Ueriah

Your post is rambling and disjointed. I never referenced violence as a way to enforce anything. That comment and the other about never hearing that anybody wants to make smoking illegal.... Really? Try smoking in california, or in a bar or public event.

As far as death on pot..... Hate to break it to you, but people fall down and even get in car wrecks and industrial accidents while smoking pot.
but what do I know,huh? I’ve only seen the positive tox screens.

Dude, put down the doobie and clear up your thinking. I’m out.


53 posted on 01/28/2014 5:53:07 AM PST by Dick Vomer (democrats are like flies, whatever they don't eat they sh#t on.)
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To: Dick Vomer

“Again with the BS? Really, which neurological maladies were treated by pot.....successfully ? Please stop yapping about a subject, namely medicine , which you know nothing about. it really makes you appear to be a pot smoking advocate that is just parroting some bs factoids from High Times talking points. Jeez.”

Gee, I’m sorry it rubs you the wrong way that I posted that my seizures stop when I smoke pot.

But they do.

And I have a friend with MS who gets wicked cases of the shakes, and they do stop when she smokes.

I’m sorry that my first hand experiances are not adequately referanced with medical terms, but that’s not where my background lies. But I don’t have to be a doctor to know that when I smoke, I don’t have seizures, but once I stop for about a week or so, they return.

I disagree that everything in life is a competition for resources. Sometimes it’s nice to just watch the sun rise and reflect on how beautiful it is to be alive, and what a gift that life is. But to each his own.


54 posted on 01/28/2014 6:01:45 AM PST by Ueriah
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To: Ueriah

“As far as death on pot..... Hate to break it to you, but people fall down and even get in car wrecks and industrial accidents while smoking pot.
but what do I know,huh? I’ve only seen the positive tox screens.”

The cause of death would be “car accident”, not smoking pot. Just like when someone has too many beers and drives drunk. It’s the car wreck that kills you, not the drinks that you had before driving off into the proverbial sunset.

One can sit down at a bar and literally drink oneself to death. The cause of death is alcohol poisoning.

One cannot sit down and smoke pot until death occurs. There is no such thing as “Death By THC” in history.

That’s my point.


55 posted on 01/28/2014 6:04:36 AM PST by Ueriah
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To: Dick Vomer

I’m kinda interested to see how the liberals who condemn smoking are going to be able to say pot is okay. They might try to say it’s the same but I’m hearing that pot today is considerably harsher than in the 60s and 70s. Very early reports say there has been a spike in driving-related problems in Colorado because of marijuana-intoxicated drivers. I’m wondering if groups like MADD are going to complain about drug legalization.


56 posted on 01/28/2014 4:18:31 PM PST by MDLION ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart" -Proverbs 3:5)
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To: MDLION
I’m kinda interested to see how the liberals who condemn smoking are going to be able to say pot is okay. They might try to say it’s the same but I’m hearing that pot today is considerably harsher than in the 60s and 70s. Very early reports say there has been a spike in driving-related problems in Colorado because of marijuana-intoxicated drivers. I’m wondering if groups like MADD are going to complain about drug legalization. ,

It's going to be an entire new industry in pot detection, defining intoxication on pot and on and on. Just introducing chaos into society. Mission accomplished.

57 posted on 01/28/2014 5:09:58 PM PST by Dick Vomer (democrats are like flies, whatever they don't eat they sh#t on.)
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