Why Marijuana Should Not Be Decriminalized Right Now

Short answer: Because we lack the maturity to do it now and we may never reach that point. Whenever you hear this debate, people talk about legalizing marijuana instead of decriminalizing it. Even the terminology shows what their thinking is on this issue.

Ask any Libertarian and we'll tell you we support decriminalizing marijuana which means nothing more than we don't want to throw people in jail anymore because they smoked a joint. It does not shield marijuana users from discrimination by landlords, employers, or anyone else. It does not absolve anyone of any crime they commit while under the influence of marijuana. It doesn't make the use of marijuana a right.

The Wacky Left has a different view on the subject altogether. We're talking about people who make up rights as they see fit. They will not be satisfied with marijuana use as an unsanctioned offense, they will want it to be a right. If you're an employer who wants a drug free workplace...too bad. If you're a landlord who wants to keep your property free of drugs...too darn bad!

There is something perversely sacred about marijuana on the Left. They literally worship the weed. They use it as a symbol of opposition against an unjust government. They go to hemp shops, study the various uses of cannibis, and remind everyone that even our Constitution was written on it, meaning even the founding fathers must have been head over heels in favor of lighting it on fire and smoking it.

We can't decriminalize marijuana because there are too many who will push it to the next level. That's my opinion.

 

What is this next level you speak of?

 

Oh I see what your arguement is. You would rather have the unoffical laws we use to apply to pot. While the govt. does nothing, we just shun the people that use it.

A probelm with your logic. What you need is public support in order to shun them.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1548/broad-public-support-for-legalizing-medical-marijuana

 

Wow. You must have read just the last line and responded otherwise you wouldn't have to ask.

Rush Limbaugh is right. You are "knee-jerk liberals."

Care to actually read the post?

 

I did. Twice, now. What is this "next level" you're speaking of?

Chalk it up to lousy reading comprehension on my part, if it makes you feel better. I don't mind. Just please explain what you actually mean.

 

Thank you for actually reading the post. (Pay attention, Daybreaker, Kranes can show you how to do it.)

There are two types that break down from your survey among those who want it legalized. There are those who want it decriminalized because they don't believe the federal government has the imprimatur of the Constitution to be regulating drugs and then there are those who just want to get high without any consequences, criminally or otherwise.

Of course, I'm addressing the latter. If we can decriminalize it at the federal level and let the states decide without making it an unassailable RIGHT, then I'm all for it. But I think that's beyond our level of maturity right now.

 

The next level is making it marijuana use a right.

 

What do you mean?

What's the difference between legalizing something, and making it a "right"? And why does it matter?

 

A couple of things.

1. The unoffical laws need one thing. And that is public support. People have been steadily wanting to legalize pot. If somebody wants to legalize pot, they don't have a probelm with it.

2. Don't you think, when there was prohibation in our country, people wanted a drink, because it violated the consuition, or because they just wanted to get drunk?

3.

 

I'm pretty drunk right now and my liver hurts. I'm also smoking a lot of cigarettes and coughing quite a bit.

Our soldiers are guarding poppy fields in Afghanistan as we speak.

<cough, cough>

 

It is different, the attitude toward alcohol vs the attitude toward marijuana use, and I can't exactly tell you why..mostly because the liberal mind still mystifies me. But there is a passion behind the "right" to smoke pot that simply doesn't exist for alcohol. It's axiomatic that you can't drink and drive and that you can be fired for showing up to work drunk. Drinkers have no protection beyond not being arrested for drinking. But that's not going to be the same for pot users, especially since so much hooplah is at play with medical marijuana. If marijuana is prescribed, then it has to be a right to use it. And soon it won't even have to be prescribed for it to be a right.

And the Left will make this transition as slick as butter.

 

Like...don't worry brah, the leftist authoritarians have no plans to legalize anything, even with his holiness, Obama, in charge.

They're on your side. You make all decisions on which plants can be grown on earth and/or consumed. Congrats.

 

What the heck does it mean for weed to "go to far"?

 

Marijuana should be legalized/taxed/and regulated in ways similar to alcohol.

As far as harder substances go, I'm in favor of a policy somewhat like Portugal's.

 

Are you kidding? I know I made my point clearly in the OP. I even dumbed it down a little so the pot crowd could understand it...to no avail.

But here we go for you, daybreaker, and anyone else struggling with this. I'll try to dumb it down just a tad more:

The Left would not simply decriminalize (make it so you don't go to jail) marijuana use, they would turn it into a right (nobody can be mean to you because you smoke it). I have no problem with the decriminalization of marijuana as long as it isn't turned into a right. But the Left will not be satisfied until they can smoke a joint and blow the smoke in their baby's face while driving 20 MPH faster than the speed limit to get around that slow moving police cruiser...and not get in trouble for it. (That's called hyperbole)

Does that help?

 

I'm actually pretty darn sure there will be laws and regulation when it comes to prescribing that as medicine. Common sense dictates that. If Pot is going to be used just like alcohol, then there would be rules to it as well.

 

Then you have more faith than I. This is why I'd like to immediately repeal the federal ban on all drugs and allow the states to pass their own laws. That way, states that legalize marijuana can be compared to those that don't. And those states that make it a right, well, I'd like to see how that plays out as well.

 

Just put two and two together. The left usually favors more govt. regulations, and they want to legalize pot. So it's only natural that there would be govt. regulations on it.

And you then want it to become a state's issue? A ton avis.

 

That's another key difference between libertarians and leftists on this issue. The Left seems to be begging for more taxes (just so we can smoke our pot, we don't care!) while libertarians are loathed to give the government any more control or things to tax. We want marijuana decriminalized and that's all.

 

Actually while there will proabably be a tax on it, like there is on alcohol, cigarettes, etc., it would overall save money. The police departement wouldn't have to deal with as many drug cases.

 

So, in one thread you whine about big government in the case of welfare in the UK, yet you support big government when it comes to tyrannical drug laws . Interesting.

 

But I think you'll agree that if taxes and regulation become unbearable, the government will yet again create a black market for unregulated untaxed marijuana and the Mexican cartels will be back in business.

 

this thread is confusing to me, because it is decriminalized in my state already

 

The war on drugs needs to end then if states want to legalize they can.

 

For anyone who doesn't know why marijuana was made illegal in the first place:

http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/why-is-marijuana-illegal/