50% of Americans want to legalize marijuana

[Fleshofthegods]

Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use

If this many people want to legalize pot, then why is Obama still waging the "war on pot"?

 

[MKULTRABOY]

Id wager the political associations actual users of marijuana is somewhat diverse. Meaning legalisation does not mean a guaranteed +50% for him at the polls. Hes going to get pretty close to 50% anyways, why risk shaking the 1d paradigm too hard?

 

[Fleshofthegods]

Still if you endorse legalization obvoiusly you're going to get a lot more votes than you would have gotten say ten years ago. I don't know why most politicians keep their hands off of the issue when it's obviously a benefit to endorse it. If Ron Paul wins the election, then this is most likely going to be the overwhelming reason why imo.

 

[tessaesque]

Not sure we can single out Obama on this one. While I support the legalization/decriminalization of personal marijuana use, I think we have far bigger issues to address first. I'd rather the legislature focused on spending, economic recovery, re-evaluation of foreign aid, education, etc., before they go after marijuana.

 

[tessaesque]

Still if you endorse legalization obvoiusly you're going to get a lot more votes than you would have gotten say ten years ago. I don't know why most politicians keep their hands off of the issue when it's obviously a benefit to endorse it. If Ron Paul wins the election, then this is most likely going to be the overwhelming reason why imo.

If I listed the reasons I support Ron Paul in order of importance, his stance on marijuana would be at the bottom.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

Not sure we can single out Obama on this one. While I support the legalization/decriminalization of personal marijuana use, I think we have far bigger issues to address first. I'd rather the legislature focused on spending, economic recovery, re-evaluation of foreign aid, education, etc., before they go after marijuana.

What a lot of people don't understand is that the marijuana industrty is a 30 billion dollar a year industry, and that's only for medicinal and recreational use. Marijuana can be used to make paper, fuel, clothing, and fabric as well. It would create jobs and rake in billions of dollars in tax revenue every year.

 

[nijato]

Not sure we can single out Obama on this one. While I support the legalization/decriminalization of personal marijuana use, I think we have far bigger issues to address first. I'd rather the legislature focused on spending, economic recovery, re-evaluation of foreign aid, education, etc., before they go after marijuana.

If it were taxed like cigarettes, it could probably fund the whole DoD. I'm exagerating, but it would be huge.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

If I listed the reasons I support Ron Paul in order of importance, his stance on marijuana would be at the bottom.

That's my number one issue for any canidate, do you realize we have a war on our border that has so much to do with the marijuana trade?

 

[tessaesque]

What a lot of people don't understand is that the marijuana industrty is a 30 billion dollar a year industry, and that's only for medicinal and recreational use. Marijuana can be used to make paper, fuel, clothing, and fabric as well. It would create jobs and rake in billions of dollars in tax revenue every year.

I fully understand the financial implications tied to marijuana legalization. I also understand the months upon months of negotiating and legislating that would go into such an endeavor. At this point, it isn't worth a few days of the government's total spending to worry with it when we have much more pressing issues to attend to. Let's focus on pet issues when the issues threatening our safety and solvency have been handled appropriately.

 

[tessaesque]

That's my number one issue for any canidate, do you realize we have a war on our border that has so much to do with the marijuana trade?

Do you realize the funding for that war and the lives lost pail in comparison to the rest of our problems? I am a huge advocate of border security, but we can put other, faster solutions in place for that problem right now without neglecting our other needs. And neglected our other needs is almost assured if we decide to deal with the monsterous undertaking of legalizing marijuana right now when the legislature cannot even agree on a budget, a "jobs bill", spending cuts, or deficit reduction program implementation.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

I fully understand the financial implications tied to marijuana legalization. I also understand the months upon months of negotiating and legislating that would go into such an endeavor. At this point, it isn't worth a few days of the government's total spending to worry with it when we have much more pressing issues to attend to. Let's focus on pet issues when the issues threatening our safety and solvency have been handled appropriately.

There's already a bill that's going through congress right now, but most people in government won't give it the time of day. If legalizing it can create jobs and bring in tax revenue, than it kills two birds with one stone.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

Do you realize the funding for that war and the lives lost pail in comparison to the rest of our problems? I am a huge advocate of border security, but we can put other, faster solutions in place for that problem right now without neglecting our other needs. And neglected our other needs is almost assured if we decide to deal with the monsterous undertaking of legalizing marijuana right now when the legislature cannot even agree on a budget, a "jobs bill", spending cuts, or deficit reduction program implementation.

Border security is extremely important, and what are these "solutions" you're talking about? Like I said if legalizing pot can create jobs and create tax revenue and make our border safer it's a win win.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Id wager the political associations actual users of marijuana is somewhat diverse. Meaning legalisation does not mean a guaranteed +50% for him at the polls. Hes going to get pretty close to 50% anyways, why risk shaking the 1d paradigm too hard?

Yeah I doubt it could be guaranteed to turn into votes for anyone.

While I support the legalization/decriminalization of personal marijuana use, I think we have far bigger issues to address first. I'd rather the legislature focused on spending, economic recovery, re-evaluation of foreign aid, education, etc., before they go after marijuana.

While I think that there're other things that are more important, I think we can handle more than one thing at a time.
And legalizing pot would also free up some resources, time and money, to be applied elsewhere, or not spent at all. Most every jurisdiction has something they could do with the time and money that's currently allocated to winning the war on pot.
So legalizing pot could be a part of the efforts to eliminate government waste.

 

[mike2810]

First. 50% for legalization. That means 50% oppose legalization. Yes, the poll showed a trend towards favoring legalization.

If made legal, do you really think that will stop the drug cartels from bringing in pot and selling on the black market?
I agree that legalizing pot could generate tax revenue and create some jobs. Yet pot is such it can be grown at home without much expense.

While I am not agains the idea, there are many questions I have on how it would be managed to generate tax revenue. What would be the penality of growing your own, thereby bypassing the "tax". What penality would occur for the drug runners who sell on the black market?

 

[digsbe]

It's nice to see that the other 50% rightly oppose legalizing marijuana :mrgreen: People don't really realize the ethical and legal hoops behind this. It needs to stay illegal and laws need to be enforced against it. I support having no jail time for abusing marijuana, but instead they should be fined heavily and placed on probation.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

First. 50% for legalization. That means 50% oppose legalization.

No, it doesn't. There's always a (I don't care / unsure / no opinion) option. The graph shows a 46% opposed, not 50%.

If made legal, do you really think that will stop the drug cartels from bringing in pot and selling on the black market?

I think it would drop the profit margin to the point where it wouldn't be very lucrative. I don't see them bringing in tomatoes or collard greens, basil or w/e I can find at my local farmer's market.
I strongly suspect that they would shift their operations to focus on the more profitable operations.

Yet pot is such it can be grown at home without much expense.

So can tomatoes, collard greens, basil and w/e I can find at my local farmer's market. But the farmers stay in business down there because for some of us it makes more sense to spend money rather than time to acquire the produce.

What would be the penality of growing your own, thereby bypassing the "tax".

Akin to the penalty for growing your own tobacco--none.
the tax isn't actually on what we buy, it's on the transaction. No transaction, no tax.

What penality would occur for the drug runners who sell on the black market?

Wouldn't regular tax evasion penalties like what are used against people who smuggle cigarettes be acceptable?

 

[Fleshofthegods]

Yeah I doubt it could be guaranteed to turn into votes for anyone.
While I think that there're other things that are more important, I think we can handle more than one thing at a time.
And legalizing pot would also free up some resources, time and money, to be applied elsewhere, or not spent at all. Most every jurisdiction has something they could do with the time and money that's currently allocated to winning the war on pot.
So legalizing pot could be a part of the efforts to eliminate government waste.

Yeah, but that will mean that a lot of DEA agents and police officers will be out of the job because they have nothing better to do.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

First. 50% for legalization. That means 50% oppose legalization. Yes, the poll showed a trend towards favoring legalization.

If made legal, do you really think that will stop the drug cartels from bringing in pot and selling on the black market?
I agree that legalizing pot could generate tax revenue and create some jobs. Yet pot is such it can be grown at home without much expense.

While I am not agains the idea, there are many questions I have on how it would be managed to generate tax revenue. What would be the penality of growing your own, thereby bypassing the "tax". What penality would occur for the drug runners who sell on the black market?

The drug cartels would not be able to compete and make enough money, because the price would be greatly reduced. Well making moonshine is illegal, so why wouldn't growing pot be just as illegal?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Yeah, but that will mean that a lot of DEA agents and police officers will be out of the job because they have nothing better to do.

LOL.
More savings, or, if there're any other crimes, they could work those.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

It's nice to see that the other 50% rightly oppose legalizing marijuana :mrgreen: People don't really realize the ethical and legal hoops behind this. It needs to stay illegal and laws need to be enforced against it. I support having no jail time for abusing marijuana, but instead they should be fined heavily and placed on probation.

That's so wrong, and it's soooooo much better to be an alcoholic right?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

The drug cartels would not be able to compete and make enough money, because the price would be greatly reduced. Well making moonshine is illegal, so why wouldn't growing pot be just as illegal?

It's not illegal to make moonshine. It's illegal to sell moonshine w/o a permit/license.


ETA

it seems I am mistaken on this point.
It's also illegal to distill w/o govt permission for w/e reasons.

 

[Fleshofthegods]

LOL.
More savings, or, if there're any other crimes, they could work those.

Well in small towns where the only crime is drugs they would be out of business.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Well in small towns where the only crime is drugs they would be out of business.

As if. And, iirc, there are drugs that are not pot.

I suspect that you have not lived in a small town.

 

[digsbe]

That's so wrong, and it's soooooo much better to be an alcoholic right?

How is it wrong? Why equate things with alcohol, should we have another substance legalized? Let me teach you about drug class and laws on the books. You have your C class drugs with C3 and C2's being the highest controlled legal substances. Oxycodone, morphine, Lortab, and other narcotics belong to this class and they are heavily controlled by both the prescribing end and the pharmacy dispensing end. C1 class drugs are federally illegal. Drugs like cocaine, marijuana, heroine and the like belong to this class. Why should we take a schedule 1 class drug and bring it to OTC status? Logically, why not bring schedule 2 and 3 class drugs to OTC status if marijuana as a schedule 1 should be legalized because "people have the right to use marijuana and get high"? Legally it's absurd and inconsistent with the controlling of other drugs.

Ethically we are legalizing and distributing another mind altering drug. Not only this, but smoking it will deliver a myriad of carcinogens into the lungs. Smoking is unhealthy, alcohol outside of moderation is unhealthy. Marijuana is unhealthy, it's a mind altering substance filled with more unhealthy carcinogens. There is no medically logical reason behind legalizing it for OTC use. Ethically it's wrong to introduce another drug to the market like this. Legally it's inconsistent with the Controlled Substances Act, and lastly there really isn't a need for legalizing marijuana.

 

[Dittohead not!]

Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use

If this many people want to legalize pot, then why is Obama still waging the "war on pot"?

If Obama were to come out advocating legalization:

The Republicans would scream "soft on crime".
The evangelicals would say he was ruining the country.
The police would say he is anti cop.
The cartels would try to assassinate him to keep their profits going.
The pundits would call him a pothead.
His reelection would be in even more doubt than it is now.

That's why neither Obama nor any other politician who is actually in power is willing to end our absurd war on drugs.