Originally Posted by teethandclaws

I found this on one of my news updates, so it's new.

I do have to wonder what the world would be like if there was one less crime to worry about.

Here's the link:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/o...per04.html

This guy looks like a pretty big weapon for the legalize crowd. He seems to make a lot of sense.

Originally Posted by tyreay

I will agree you, Ridin', that the younger generation is impressionable.
I believe through proper education we can influence this generation into making the right choices. But I don't agree with your view on decriminaliztion.
I certainly don't think that anyone under 21 should be able to buy anything other than maybe marijuana (18 for this). We should make the harder drugs only purchasable at a pharamacy. Do as England and Holland have and make the drug addicts register. We need to make laws that anyone registered who is buying drugs for anyone who is not registered will have to really pay the price. Make these addicts lose their right to buy drugs for two years. Keep them locked up in a program to get off the stuff and then make them go out into the community to do community service by going to the elementary schools to help educate the young about drugs and how they mess you up. I bet some of these addicts would pick staying away from drugs if they weren't too far gone to start with. They atleast will think twice about buying drugs for someone else. I think that anyone who is going to pick doing drugs as a life choice is going to be less likely to do so, if the drugs were decriminalized and we were really educating people on the subject. We would be in a better position to stop underage drug use, simply because we will be in control of the drugs. At the least it would stop the street level crime associated with the street drug trade. I think we have more of a chance to head these people off through education before the fact, with a better chance of getting through to some, if we take the mystery, allure, and potental profit, out of the equation. Not to mention the fact that drug smugglers and dealers would not be able to make tons money off this trade. It also would take all that money spent on drugs that get marked up at every level of its distribution. That money is currently leaving the country for some smugglers bank account. The money would go back into our economy. Plus, this would free up our police forces to concentrate on real crime. Imagine that!
This guy is talking about decriminalizing. This means that the court will still be in place to step in with treatment and and any other social services these people may need. Certainly we should put any younger, unregistered offenders in a treatment program.
I think we should make marijuana totally legal. The Government should do all the growing, packaging and distribution. The income they could make on taxes alone would be enough to help get this country on the way to repairing it's economy. Plus, then we could think about growing tons of hemp for it's oil. Hemp oil burns 97% cleaner than fossil fuels and this would certainly help our enviroment.
I believe there are many, many, undercover pot smokers that wouldn't have to worry about losing there good job because they decided to smoke pot. That should be there choice. I believe the numbers on pot smokers are totally wrong. There are many more professional people that smoke marijuana than is recorded, due to the fact that these people worry about such stupid things as the fact that they could actually have their home searched and then lose that home to the government, over thier admission.
I think that if we are going to throw people in jail for simply using drugs than we should also lock up people that drink. There are so many people out there that totally screw up and end up commiting a crime because they drink in excess. Fair is fair. Right now the laws are a one way street in this aspect. Of course this approach has already failed during prohibition.
Clean out the jails and find a better way. This is my view. I see no middle ground here and I think that since the system, as it is, is not working, we should consider a change. Combine this change with educating our young criminals and I think our crime rate could be cut, by a large margin, very fast.

Originally Posted by hevusa

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

This is one of the main reasons why I am moving back to the Seattle area in January. They have their priorities straight.

In Seattle the possession of marijuana is given less priority than jay walking (in 2004, the prosecutions plunged to 59). When I lived there I would pass people on the sidewalk smoking a joint or a blunt, not hiding the fact whatsoever.

Legalized pot should be on the near horizon in America.