Support States' Rights - OK Medical Pot

Real Clear Politics ^ | 6/25/2006 | Debra Saunders

[bassmaner]

Ending federal prosecution of medical marijuana users is NOT a "liberal" position. We need to get beyond the 'maggot-infested, dope-smoking, FM type' stereotype of the typical pot smoker, and get behind the Tenth Amendment on this issue by getting the federal government out of it.

[bassmaner]

WOD bump

[mysterio]

Why stop there? End the entire failed war on some drugs.

But I agree with you. I think denying some sick cancer victim a substance that makes them hungry again and improves their quality of life is downright evil.

[CrawDaddyCA]

As it is, President Bush should direct the Justice Department to lay off medical-marijuana users -- because it is the right thing to do for sick people.

That's a laugh, when has the government been know to 'do the right thing'? It's all about money, the Almighty Dollar. If MJ were legal, then people could grow it in their backyards, without the government getting it's share (tax). Alcohol sales would plummet, along with the tax revenue it generates.

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Mr. K]

I agree

I used it in the past (15 years ago) and so I know from experience that is it far less harmful than alcohol when used in moderation

[mysterio]

You forgot to ping paulsen. He hates pot. He'll spend pages and pages debating semantics with you. Did I mention that he hates pot?

[Lexington Green]

''Polls show that some three out of four Americans support allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for patients who need it.''

... while a tyrannical, dogmatic minority of thugs [led by Bush] continues to persecute the sick, dying, and lame.

Bush to America - ''Screw the Will of the People.''

[MAD-AS-HELL]

WE abolutely need to legalize illegal drugs because they are doing the jobs Americans wont!!!!

[fr_freak]

If the Bushies can look the other way when well-heeled employers break the law, they can look the other way when sick people try to relieve unnecessary pain.

The Bushies? Why did this woman have to go and screw up an otherwise sensible article by resorting to the same whiny name-calling that the libs do?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Even recreational marijuana use should be allowed. Any argument to keep marijuana illegal can be applied to alcohol (times 10).

[Diogenesis]

Stopping marijuana smoking is more important than going after the New York Times' treason. [/sarcasm]

[bassmaner]

Why did this woman have to go and screw up an otherwise sensible article by resorting to the same whiny name-calling that the libs do?

To be fair, our side does has some pretty choice names for the Administration when we discuss illegal immigration.

At least she didn't say 'Chimpy McHitlerburton' ... :^)

[donh]

That's a laugh, when has the government been know to 'do the right thing'? It's all about money, the Almighty Dollar. If MJ were legal, then people could grow it in their backyards, without the government getting it's share (tax). Alcohol sales would plummet, along with the tax revenue it generates.

That's not why. The reason why is that civil seizures of property associated with marijuana arrests is a massive windfall for law enforcement that is, as a bonus, largely ungoverned by detailed legislative oversight. If you took marijuana out of that picture, you'd scale back civil seizure income to about 1/10 of what it is now since, according to DEA figures, there are about 30 million marijuana "addicts", and about a million combined heroin/cocaine addicts.

[atomic_dog]

Why did this woman have to go and screw up an otherwise sensible article by resorting to the same whiny name-calling that the libs do?

It is in their genes to do that. You can sometimes mess with them by feeding it back to them carefully. I got ripped off by an illegal alien and when discussing it with my ultra-liberal acquaintances I say "I guess that's just the bushies charging me to support their open border policy." They go for the bait and jump right in, then it slowly dawns on them that they have wandered into a conundrum and after 3 or 4 sentences start stuttering. Heh.

[donh]

I used it in the past (15 years ago) and so I know from experience that is it far less harmful than alcohol when used in moderation

It is, on available statistics, far less harmful than alcohol even when used in immoderation. No amount of marijuana will, for example, despite the best efforts of the Calif. Hwy Patrol, and others, to demonstrate otherwise, significantly impair the safety of a driver. In fact, in many of the tests they ran, the marijuana users were safer than non-users, because they became more deliberate and more in-the-moment than the control drivers--the upside of lowered short-term memory. You might ask yourself why alcohol is, according to the CHP, impairing above a .02 blood level, but no such measure exists for marijuana--CHP put a lot of expensive effort into establishing just such a number, and failed.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

Ending federal prosecution of medical marijuana users is NOT a "liberal" position. We need to get beyond the 'maggot-infested, dope-smoking, FM type' stereotype of the typical pot smoker, and get behind the Tenth Amendment on this issue by getting the federal government out of it.

i've always believed that these issuse of "medical marijuana"/states rights have gotten Libertarians off message. This is the same situation for articles touting the benefits of marijuana.

The Libertarian message was, is now, and always should be that ...It is none of the government's DAMNED BUSINESS, what, if any, intoxicants a free adult individual consumes on their own time if they are causing harm to no individual. If they commit a crime, then they are responsible for their behaviour, and should be prosecuted for that crime.

It is high time (pun not intended), that the drug warriers stop prosecuting the substance for the bad behaviour of the individual using it. Prosecute the INDIVIDUAL for his/her crimes, they are no less responsible than the person who has committed crimes while 'under the influence' of alcohol.

[Mr. K]

Although I agree, I would never advocate driving while under the influence of anything.

[mugs99]

The Bushies? Why did this woman have to go and screw up an otherwise sensible article by resorting to the same whiny name-calling that the libs do?

Because during his campaign for president, Bush promised that his administration would support the right of the states to "do as they so choose" with medical marijuana.

We all know just how well he kept that promise. His administration is arresting and prosecuting medical marijuana users in states where medical marijuana is legal.

Ran as a Conservative...Governs as a Liberal.
.

[donh]

Although I agree, I would never advocate driving while under the influence of anything.

I would never advocate driving. It has far more stupifying effect than most recreational drugs.