Friday, September 28, 2012

Roundup: Debating pot prohibition

The Houston Chronicle's Baker Institute Blog has recently published a series of pro and con posts on marijuana legalization that may interest Grits readers:
From Jacob Sullum at Reason, "The Marijuana Rebellion: State ballot initiatives aimed at legalizing pot pose new challenge to prohibition."

In Colorado, where a marijuana legalization initiative is on the ballot, the Denver Post recently published this pair of pro and con op eds: "Amendment 64: Should pot be legal in Colorado? No; Colorado can't put our kids at risk" and "Amendment 64: Should pot be legal in Colorado? Yes; End senseless marijuana prohibition"

And in Washington State, where another legalization initiative is on the ballot, the Seattle Times published an editorial titled, "Approve Initiative 502 — It’s time to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana."
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous9/28/2012 08:53:00 AM

    If marijuana is legalized police will no longer be able to conduct searches of vehicles or get warrants to search homes on the basis that they smelled burned marijuana. Canines trained to alert for marijuana would have to be retired. It would set the wastful drug prohibition industry back in its ways to justify 4th Amendment violations.

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  2. Anonymous9/28/2012 10:17:00 AM

    Reading the articles, it is apparent mathematics and numbers get tossed around without a shred of proof. People try to use facts to justify their opinion when it should be the other way around.

    Most all the woes today stem from the government screwing around with the free market. Rediculous sin taxes, illegal substances, criminalization... In almost every case free market prevails over government's attempt to control it. Governments do succeed in twisting markets (at great expense) to pander profits to themselves or corporations who bought the law.

    Governments have plowed the field with debt and made a complete mess out of controlling people. Time to back off, let people take real world responsibility for their own actions (Not government imposed criminal responsibility). Real world social darwinism in a free market.

    I watch the shows and see the paramilitary LEO's rah rah attitude in pursuit of... POT! You would think it was the devil personified! I think wow, these guys use too many steroids, are really sick or are paid really well. We as a society need to grow up a little.

    California had a vote a few years back and legalization was leading in the pols. My NorCal sister, never smoked a joint in her life was ready to legalize it. She says you just don't go off hiking in the woods anymore. In the end, somehow, all these people came out of the woodwork to vote it down, altho the pols showed legalization by way more than the margin of error?

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