Pot Prisoners Cost Americans $1 Billion a Year

It makes a lot of sense to bust pot if you are lying to the American public about what the 'War on Drugs'" either costs or accomplishes. The government acts like it is fighting against hard drugs, like herioine or alcohol, while it wastes the taxpayers' money on pot busts. This is just another scare tactic, like WMD. The money they are wasting on incarceration, which is known to be ineffective, could easily fund programs which are known to be effective. But like a dysfunctional abusive parent, it has no limit for what it will spend on punishment, while cost-effective rehab goes begging for funds. As long as incarceration is America's shameful number one growth industry, those whose interests pay off our fraudulent electoral system will continue its war on the American people, the real war they fund.

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Think about the money that is generated form most of the arrests. There is cash and property confiscated by the police. The cash and property confiscated is kept and autioned off with the proceeds going back to the police department budgets. Attorneys fees, court costs, fines, probation and the monthly payments that go along with it.Then prison, which evyone knoews is a corporate enterprise that if making huge profits for investors. There's probably more.
Welcome to the Police State.

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in Holland we have legalized "coffeeshops"" to sell marihuana,
if the shopkeeper sells alcohol or cocaine or sells to minors the police closes the shop.
In your house or garden you may have 4 plants.
The strange thing is that the number of users before and after the legalization stays constant, only the number of drugaddicts diminised.
In our society we consider the marihuana not as innocent but on the same level as tobacco.
I fear the present american political leaders use their policy to betray and surpress the population and in all Europe there is no admiration for this fascistoide behaviour

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By the time you reacj my age (I'm 48) you've known personally at least a hundred people in your life who have died as a result of ciggies and booze. Not only have I never known anyone to die as a result of too much pot, I'm not even aware of it happening in all recorded human history!

Last year, on the Imus In The Morning radio program, David Crosby bought up what I thought was a very viable point: As best as I can remember it he said, "Every culture in the history of the human race has come up with some means of getting high. Of the hundreds of substances cooked up by man, marijuana is the least harmful".

Why are we still, in 2008, throwing people in prison for smoking a weed that is harmful to no one??? It just boggles the mind!

Lenny Bruce once predicted that marijuana would one day be legal because "every law student I know smokes pot. They'll eventually become senator and will legalize ot to protect themselves" Sadly, that never happened. Maybe George Carlin was more on target:

"The reason it's still illegal is because all you potheads keep forgetting where you put the petitions".

Pray for peace.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
"The Rant" by Tom Degan

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Ending Cannabis prohibition is the most proximate and fundamental challenge facing our world. Nothing mankind is doing compares in effectiveness for rebalancing the Earth's environment, global economics, and human social evolution. Discarding counter-productive statutes that impose essential resource scarcity would end the black market, realize a truly free market, quickly shifting values from chemicals to organic agriculture.

A critically determinate agricultural resource, Cannabis is mankind's best bet for avoiding synergistic collapse of complex, integrated systems, based on immutable laws, relevant to Earth's ecosystem. We call this the Natural Order, but as a species, we consistently disrespect its laws.

If we did, we would not drain the petroleum from under our feet, nor produce radioactive waste, when we could be farming our energy, improving the soil, and securing the world's most nutritious seed. Cannabis is the only common seed with three essential fatty acids in proper proportion for long-term consumption. It's also the world's best available source of organic vegetable protein.

The greatest harms of prohibition have to do with the global food insecurity, malnutrition, and illness that are resulting from seventy years of imposed Cannabis scarcity. Until the true value of Cannabis is recognized, respected, appreciated, and celebrated, our species will not have a snowball's chance in hell of achieving sustainability on this planet.

Time is the limiting factor in the equation of survival. I invite meaningful alliance from anyone who is serious about healing these imposed imbalances in the shortest amount of time.

for peace,

Paul J. von Hartmann
ecologist, photojournalist, biodynamic agriculturist, Cannabis scholar and minister
Project P.E.A.C.E.
Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
http://www.webspawner.com/users/projectpeace
http://fundamentalcoot.blogspot.com/

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We have to go back and look at the history of Prohibition in all its forms to understand the current stituation. The rise of Standard Oil and other industrial concerns at the turn of the 20th century led to many things - including a prohibitive and controlling cultural norm that was best described by George Orwell - the power would rest in the hands of the few, and whether they were the captains of industry on Wall Street or the chairmen of the Central Soviet Committee made little difference to those who lived under their thumb.

Consider for a second that here in the US, the 'beacon of liberty', we have a greater percentage of our population in prison than anywhere else on earth - and that's largely due to the "War on Drugs" initiated by Nixon and carried ot by Reagan and Bush. It has helped spawn the surveillance society - the Drug Enforcement Agency and state and local police operate massive undercover programs in which they are free to spy on people, infiltrate people's lives, and monitor every aspect of a person's financial life - and all they have to do is state that they suspect that 'drugs are involved' to be allowed to do this. The political abuses are legion.

The explanation given is 'to keep the people safe from drugs' but at the VERY SAME TIME, the pharmaceutical industry provides more drugs to people than you can imagine - the pilots who killed the British convoy in Iraq were on amphetamines, according to one news report: Old technology, poor training and drug use raise concerns February 7, 2007

Children and adults are fed amphetamines as well, under the guise of ADHD treatment (Ritalin, Adderall), and then there are all the pain pills, from morphine to oxycontin. Meanwhile, the the war in Afghanistan has led to a new flood of Afghani heroin into California. Who is behind that? Where is our new Gary Webb?

Then you have the legal drugs - alcohol and tobacco - which kill thousands every year from cancer, heart, lung and liver diseases - all perfectly legal.

Personally, I find that smoking pot slows my mental functions down and I generally avoid it (coffee, on the other hand, is a vice I seem unable to set aside - oh well...), but no more than I avoid alcohol - special occasions only. The fact that people are locked up for something so innocuous, while the pharma business goes around unmolested pushing meth on children, is one of the most ridiculous and insane situations that exists in US society.

Of course, what really freaks the power structure out is the use of pyschoactive hallucinogens - certainly not recreational drugs, but effective at de-brainwashing the subject... they recognized this of course, and even wrote a little book on it: "LSD: Some Un-Psychedelic Implications" - a product of the CIA interrogation program...related to the Frank Olsen story - an Army biowarfare scientist who was slipped LSD in 1953 by Sidney Gottlieb and suddenly realized he had picked a very bad career path...

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In 2004 a house I was renting a room in was raided by the police. The search warrant claimed they were looking for pot. My roommate was being accused of selling and because I lived there too I was also on the warrant. A search of the entire house turned up less than 3/4 of an ouce and several pipes.

I took almost 2 years for all the court proceedings to finish up with me having earned a $700 fine for possession of THC (seeds) and paraphanelia (a pipe). My (ex)roommate is still going through his court hearings and will most likely be spending 6mo - 1 year in prison.

I had decided that while I was 'guilty' of possession of a pipe and seeds (a small amount of actual pot too, but the police left that sitting on my desk ?), that I had done nothing wrong. So I refuse to pay the state anything.

I had offered to serve jail time myself, but the clerk of courts informed me that in 02, WI passed a law forcing 'offenders' to pay the $$ amount or go to jail for contempt of court. And still owe the $$ amount. I was told the contempt of court charge would be for not paying the fine amount as ordered.

And to add insult to injury, there is also a mandatory 6 mo. suspension of drivers license.

Having lost my drivers license, I lost my job. I worked in town but when the company I worked found out I didnt have my DL, I was fired and left looking for another job. I was finally able to find another job when I had gotten my DL back but then my DL was suspended again 3 months later for having an outstanding fine.

Needless to say, I dont live in WI anymore. Yet the tolerance elsewhere in america isnt much better.

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Marijuana decreases the intelligence of those opposed to its use.

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Alcohol, cigarettes, and prescription meds are far more dangerous than pot!

Legalize pot. Tax it like other consumable goods but use all the pot tax to fund education and health care.

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...with the money we've spent on Iraq we could have arrested every man woman and child in the US for marijuana posession TWICE.

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i can only imagine a vast majority of resources within the juvenile justice system goes towards incarcerating kids for smoking pot. teens shouldn't be smoking weed but teens DO smoke weed. shame that more $ is spent on incarceration than education.

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The Drug Enforcers that have come of age those of the DARE Generation, those guys that nobody liked anyway in high school, now control the lives of Physicians and other people trying to eliminate pain for really sick people.

Like Nixon said..... .....we drink to relax....THEY smoke to get high. Forgot the exact quote.

I read today an article on MAP Drug News... Cannabis is the #2 CROP in New York State after #1 HAY. Where is it all going?? Too bad Gram and Gramp can't relax with a little spliff and watch David Letterman!!!!

Those that control our lives are a JOKE.

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Marijuana should have been legalized long ago...or, more correctly, it should have never been criminalized...The government should not have the power to deprive people of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"...

Government is made up of people, and people don't have the right to mind other people's business, or to tell them how they should pursue happiness, or live their lives. What is good for one person may be bad for another, but that choice is up to each of us, not up to busybodies trying to manage our lives!

Marijuana is less dangerous and causes fewer problems than alcohol, so why shouldn't it be treated like alcohol? Adults should have the choice to smoke if they wish!

Gary

Gary J. Minter
http://aidsvillagechina.blog.sohu.com
www.healthchina.org

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...in whatever manner they see fit. I will fully support ending any and all "wars on drugs" with two conditions:

1) Harsh penalties (up to and including execution in extreme instances) for adults who sell illicit drugs to minor children.

2) No public assistance going to support someone's habit. I likewise promise never to ask you to pay for my once-in-while double whiskey, straight up with ice--MY chosen method of self-destruction.

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Drug enforcement makes more revenue that what it spends into enforcement or it just wouldnt work. The money you pay in taxes has nothing to do with it and never goes there,, it pays for itself... The purpose is jobs for police personnel and profit for government treasuries.

Its not my opinion, its historical fact.

Drug enforcement is a very lucrative business

After Jimmy Carter decriminalized maryjane in the 70s, the tens of thousands of out of work "DRUG ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS" simply lobbied to have it criminalized again so they could get their jobs back. Republicans promised and provided a drug war for them and wa la.

The question really is, '"is it ethical to allow the police to prey on the public at large for profit and job security"?

Wouldnt this suggest that the POLICE are operating as a for profit corporation?

If taxes were really paying for this "SYSTEM" wouldnt we have more control over whats going on?

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Let's face it, if weed was made legal and modified to stimulate high in varying degrees similar the ways we dole out booze to oursleves not only will Tobacco lose revnue but so would Big Booze. Plus, hemp would steamrole over cotton as the fabric of choice. Hemp can even become a viable fuel alternative to to the gashole producers Exxon-Mobil.
What a fucked up path our nation is on.

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I am 68 years old and have been getting high with weed off and on for over 44 years. I started getting high when I was in an infantry outfit stationed near the Imjin river in South Korea. Most every body drank copious amounts of booze AND got high quite regularly. It was the booze that screwed people up. Some would start off getting high and then ruin a good thing by getting drunk on beer, macolay (cheap Korean beer made of rice which left you with a terrible hangover) saki or various whiskeys and wines. When I finally left the military, after a 14 month tour in Vietnam in 65-66 I left the military for good and tried my hand at being a civilian.

To make a long story short, I stayed out of the military for good, became a social justice activist and peace promoter (not a pacifist) and though poor and could very easily end up homeless if the rent and cost of living goes up much higher, I am not sorry for the choices I made. I like "peace people"'
and living with and organizing with working class folks in working class neighborhoods as well as family farmers and ranchers and Mexican farmworkers. Every where I went the
"good folks" liked to get high. Some a lot and some like myself only occasionally (like maybe 2 or three times a month) but it was other substances that folks used along with the "good herb" that caused the problems...mainly booze but certainly speed, crystal meth and wierd concotions some folks thought were acid or some other "psychadelic". If one watches out for wierd drugs and "mind alterers" you can get by I find...with a little help from your friend.

If we legalized the herb and allowed anyone to grow it for their own personal use (and to share) than I truly believe this would be a whole lot better country than it is now.

Jose

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Would God put an evil plant on the planet?

Imagine Jesus came back for a second coming, walked among us and saw people in pain smoking a joint. Ask yourself: What would Jesus do? Call a cop? Throw the users in jail?

Since Jesus allegedly hung around with beggers, prostitutes and thieves, my hunch is he'd toke up with them.

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Those billions aren't wasted, they help protect the profits of the alcohol and tobacco industries. Someone zoned-out (perhaps "zoned-in" is better) on pot doesn't need to spend money on beer or cigarettes. Then there are all those taxes collected on alcohol and tobacco sales to consider. Sheesh, a billion seems downright cheap. If we start letting people enjoy themselves without maximizing profits and taxes, that's like, uh, like a democracy or something.

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Far more people are in jail from cocaine and heroine than marihauana, suspiciously if your form of cocaine is "crack" you will do far more time than a person who has/sells powder cocaine. And why are these drugs illegal anyway? To protect those precious minorities from themselves? To protect our teenagers who don't have the sense to figure out 'when to say when'? To protect those dastardly poor people who can't be trusted (after all their poorness shows their moral bankruptcy)? Legalise them all. Eliminate 'street' dealers as you have eliminated Appalachian bootleggers, rum runners, Irish bootleggers, etc.....and legalise them all. Even better if people could develope a 'new drug' that would mimic the effects of the illegal ones but not have hang-overs, addictions, etc. In the immortal words of Huey Lewis- We Need A New Drug.

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Americans can go to war, kill tousands of people with the blessings of the idiot in the white house, and do nothing about it. But when peaceful people use Mary Jane, they get arrested and put in jail like murderers.
What irony. I have heard of no one who has killed others because of using it. (But then again, that is the very reason for it being outlawed... people won't make willing soldiers when using it.)
MaryJane is very effective baked in brownies.

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Dunno about people not making good soldiers smokn' weed. I was in Afghanistan in the 70's, and their population was always stoned on hash. One of those things that doesn't hit the mass media.

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Politicians who are anti-pot are usually evil in other related ways. They usually have pro-corporate positions; pot is a threat to the profits of the alcohol, tobacco, textile, and pharmaceutical corporations. Anti-pot politicians generally have an allegiance to the corporate power structure, and receive most of their funding from corporate sources.

The corrupt alliance of government and corporations is one of the defining characteristics of fascism. An anti-pot position is a reliable marker for fascist politicians.

Anti-pot politicians also show an indifference to the senseless suffering the so-called war on drugs has caused. Such people will generally show a similar indifference to other suffering.

A stated anti-pot position by a politician instantly marks them as someone to avoid voting for.

The Green Party (www.gp.org) has long advocated marijuana legalization.

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A government for the people and by the people can determine through rule of law what is acceptable for its populace. hence, cocaine was removed from coca cola at the turn of the century. Therefore, an enlightened country would demand of its government that if a substance is not allowed, it can only be confiscated, but that is all. Nothing more. It can be taken, but we should all demand the our citizens are not arrested, having their freedom, lives, property confiscated to feed police forces to arrest more cannibis users. Certainly the police are having no luck with gangs dealing cocaine and heroine, or maybe its just easier to not endanger themselves and that is why they focus on the easy marks. Explotative to be sure under the guise of "serving and protecting"
Puleeze...none of us buy that crap anylonger. with police swat teams looking more like they should be entering baghdad than our local malls, perhaps their confiscation of property and the police auctions have created this police state. It certainly isn't anything we've voted for.

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Be interesting to know just how much keeping pot illegal keeps people employed in legal, law enforcement and prison system. Seems alot of people would be out of work if pot was legalized. Maybe they could find employment in one of the many industries that could be created by U>S> farmers being allowed to grow the non-euphoric cousin to pot. It's a crime that the special interests have such a stranglehold on the economic potential of this wondrous plant, not to mention the economics of legalizing and taxing her psychoactive cousin.
None of the arguements for keeping pot illegal I've ever heard hold enough water to be considered anything other than bad science, propaganda. Downright hogwash!!! Where is the truth in the facts that are waved about.
It is long past time for the people of this country to take a hard cold look at the facts, and decide for them selves in a national referendum, honestly counted.
What exactly is the problem here....we have the truth to set the plant free, and unleash a wealth of green technology,sutainable agriculture,and a mildly euphoric, easily taxable luxury item that is in high demand here and world wide. We need to take action as a nation if you believe it is wrong to keep the plant an outlaw...write your reprresentatives. What about a national referendum? Let the people decide, after they know all the facts. This could make a huge difference in the future of this country and the world.

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Once-Secret "Nixon Tapes" Show Why the U.S. Outlawed Pot

By Kevin Zeese, AlterNet. Posted March 21, 2002.

[Excerpt]

Nixon's private comments about marijuana showed he was the epitome of misinformation and prejudice. He believed marijuana led to hard drugs, despite the evidence to the contrary. He saw marijuana as tied to "radical demonstrators." He believed that "the Jews," especially "Jewish psychiatrists" were behind advocacy for legalization, asking advisor Bob Haldeman, "What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob?" He made a bizarre distinction between marijuana and alcohol, saying people use marijuana "to get high" while "a person drinks to have fun."

He also saw marijuana as part of the culture war that was destroying the United States, and claimed that Communists were using it as a weapon.

"Homosexuality, dope, immorality in general," Nixon fumed. "These are the enemies of strong societies. That's why the Communists and the left-wingers are pushing the stuff, they're trying to destroy us." His approach to drug education was just as simplistic: "Enforce the law. You've got to scare them."

Unfortunately, Nixon did more than just "scare them," whoever they were. His marijuana war rhetoric led to a dramatic increase in arrests. One year after his "all out war" comments, marijuana arrests jumped to 420,700 a year -- a full 128,000 more than the year before. Since then, nearly 15 million people have been arrested for marijuana offenses.

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The building of early American colonies as well as the American Revolution would not have been possible if it were not for a very special plant.

The Cannabis / Hemp plant was used throughout the world since the beginning of time for just about everything that mankind needed. Paper made from hemp was used for books, bibles, maps, and money. You can produce 4 times as much paper from an acre of hemp as you can from an acre of trees at 1/4 the cost, 1/5 the pollution, it is 10 times stronger and lasts up to 1000 years instead of only 50. And it can be recycled 4 times as many times as paper from wood pulp.

The Constitution was printed on hemp paper as well as the first 3 drafts of the Declaration of Independence. Even great sailing ships like the U.S.S. Constitution were made primarily out of hemp.

Hemp is the STRONGEST natural fiber on the planet. Hemp is 26 times stronger than cotton and 10 times longer lasting. The first Levi jeans were made out of hemp as well as all of the soldier's clothes for the Revolutionary War. It requires no chemicals to grow, has very few natural enemies, and grows in the widest variety of climates of any weed or plant. It is also the FASTEST GROWING plant on the planet, growing 4 times faster than corn. The seeds from the hemp plant provide the highest source of complete vegetable protein of any food source on earth. Even higher than soybeans. It has also been re-realized lately that the hemp seed is the highest source of Essential Fatty Acids in the world. ESSENTIAL, meaning :NECESSARY FOR LIFE, Fatty Acids are necessary for us and beneficial for cleaning the cholesterol out of the arteries naturally. All oils in the supermarket are bad since they are placed in clear plastic containers and exposed to direct sunlight. They become as bad as saturated fats, and end up CAUSING cholesterol buildup, leading to heart attacks, etc. Hemp seed oil can even be used as a machine-grade lubricant for engines and other machines replacing petroleum oil from the ground.

Henry Ford built his Ford Model-T using hemp to line the side panels. The impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel alone. This would eliminate many vehicular deaths today. The Model-T was also designed to run on hemp fuel which Henry Ford grew. This was displayed in Popular Mechanics in Feb. of 1938. Concentrated extracts of Cannabis from the flowers were the 2nd most used medicines in America for 150 years for over 100 separate medical illnesses. It is probably the best natural medicine for Glaucoma, stress, and controlling nausea, and works very well for arthritis , asthma, and epilepsy. It is estimated that Hemp would have at least 50,000 commercial uses if it were legal in America today.

The reason that Hemp is illegal in America today is because the main families in America (Masons), the Harrimans and Rockefellers (Standard Oil), the Whitneys (Eli Whitney-Cotton Gin), Dupont (Chemicals in wood pulp processing and cotton pesticides), and Hearst (Newspapers, Media) find it more profitable to sell us unnecessary chemicals, unneeded dug-up petroleum oil, immune system destroying pharmaceuticals, and axed up trees cut into real thin slices, all at over-inflated prices and at the expense of our health and living environment. For these companies, the real problem is that one cannot patent a natural plant. Almost everything produced in America by large corporations is exported for sale on the world markets. The total value of oil, petrochemicals, and pharmaceutical sales totals hundreds of billions of dollars. However, with the availability of over 50,000 new products and the necessity to manufacture them, America would be a much richer nation if the farmers and the average citizen were allowed to grow this valuable crop.

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But then again so would "conservatives" who falsely claim to hate big government.

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would put a lot of chemical companies out of business.

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Surprised noone has mentioned another twisted government attempt at deterring the marijuana smokin...student loans. Anyone charged with a drug offense, from simple possession of a joint to mass cultivation and global trafficking of cocaine, is automatically disqualified for any student loans/gov't assistance...ever. Seems innocent enough, but consider how many students there are out there both funding their educations with government money AND smokin doobs that could potentially eliminate said money. The thing is, these aren't just grants and giveaways they take away. You can't get a friggin LOAN, those things that the lender actually makes money on. Hostile punishment? A capitalistic gov't hellbent on making cash denies a stoner a loan he'll spend his entire life working and paying taxes trying to pay off?

Only in America.

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As a couple of people here have mentioned, there is one and only one reason that marijuana is illegal. The tobacco industry is scared to death of legal marijuana. Marijuana is literally a weed and just about anyone can grow it without too much effort. Tobacco, on the other hand, is not easy to cultivate (which is why you don't see people growing the stuff at home). If marijuana were difficult, Phillip Morris and the like would get it legalized, grow it themselves, and reap the profits. Anyone who claims to fight the war on drugs against marijuana is being paid (by the tobacco companies) to distract you from the real reasoning behind it. That's it. That's the whole debate, but you won't catch any of "our" politicians addressing what's really going on.

I recommend checking out Eric Schlosser's book, Reefer Madness. It tackles marijuana, pornography, and illegal workers, presenting a pretty clear reasoning for the legalization of marijuana. (He wrote Fast Food Nation as well).

Fight the Youth

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Pot will remain illegal because of these "reasons"

1. The DEA and all other law enforcement agencies would have to let many "lawmen" and other peripheral employees go. They will fight to their dying breaths to hold on to their jobs, so they will report 10,000 tons of pot "confiscated" and burned, when the actual amt of real pot with any THC content is about 10% of that figure. This is how they justify needing so many narcs, but obviously it is an inflated figure, which brings us to our second point.
2. The government and the elite will not legalize pot because it would reduce the overall U.S. police force, and then would lessen their stranglehold on America. They want to TIGHTEN not relax their death grip, so this would be counter productive to the minority, even tho it would be beneficial to the majority, but hey, in the U.S. the minority rules, right? Hence the Electoral College, the "Christian" right, and the many state, local and federal police agencies, etc.
3. There's more money in keeping pot illegal in police budgets(see above) fines, penalities and confiscations than in taxing a weed that can grow practically anywhere with a little water and sun.
4. The drug companies wouldn't make all that much, so they are not pushing for legalization. Remember, if pot is legalized or even decriminalized, the government would have to let folks grow at least a couple of plants each. Even if the gov't didn't let folks grow a couple of plants, the act of legalizing or decriminalizing pot would knock the bottom out of the market any way you look at it.
5. The country is still run mainly by Puritans (see above). Who founded this country anyway? Puritans. Even tho they are in the minority, they wield enormous power.
6. Propaganda. "Oh my gawd, the liberals want to legalize marihuana!" "My little Jimmy/Susie will be able to go buy pot down on the corner!!" Nothing could be further from the truth. Kids can buy pot NOW easily. In fact, from my experience, the HS kids always had the best stuff at the cheapest prices. Legalizing pot would take it OUT of the hands of the criminals selling to children because there would be NO PROFIT in it, and could be tightly regulated. Severe penalties could be put in place for selling to children the same as is done now for example, as when adults sell booze to kids. The goverment could make the penalties even stricter if desired and I don't think
there would be any opposition to that, but things will never progress to that point anyway...

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Nearly all of the comments are against the Prohibiton of Cannabis, yet most everyone seems resigned to living another day in such fascist conditions.

WHY?

It's like the war in Iraq, but this one has been going on for more than 70 years now.

Personally, I feel it's because the average US'A citizen is little more than a domesticated animal, herded and harvested for their energy in the forms of labor and wages.

Two years ago a couple of Medical Marijuana patients from California made it to SCOTUS, hoping that their impeccable facts would win out.

Cannabis actavists learned a hard lesson about the political games played in D.C., and the lack of value that "The Truth" has when it comes to the Courts and the "Rule of Law."

The saddest thing for me was when I found myself concuring whith CJ Rehnquist, and of all people Clarence F'in Thomas!

In case you missed the money quote from Justice Thomas' dissent, here it is...

"Respondents Diane Monson and Angel Raich use marijuana
that has never been bought or sold, that has never
crossed state lines, and that has had no demonstrable
effect on the national market for marijuana. If Congress
can regulate this under the Commerce Clause, then it can
regulate virtually anything— and the Federal Government
is no longer one of limited and enumerated powers."

Now try putting that in your pipe and smokin' it!

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It took just one of these people that you want to protect and release from jail to kill my father... in a car accident over 30 years ago. $1 Billion a year doesn't seem that much to me. Maybe you should all consider worrying about someone other than pot-smokers.

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Ralph Nader said years ago----

that solar energy would have a sudden breakthrough just as soon as the big companies figured out how to make a PROFIT on it.
The LAST thing they want to do is develop a technology that is cheap and free!
Pot is a weed. Anyone can grow it. So there is no PROFIT in it either.
CAPITALISM LEADS TO ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION.

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SOURCE: Nixon quotes

"You know, it's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana are Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob? What is the matter with them? I suppose it is because most of them are psychiatrists." (May 26, 1971)


Other quotes, Nixon On Jews:
"But, Bob, generally speaking, you can't trust the bastards. They turn on you. Am I wrong or right?" (Speaking about Jews)

"Jewish families are close, but there's this strange malignancy that seems to creep among them - radicalism."

"The Jews — the Jews are, are born spies. You notice how many of them are just in up to their necks?"

“What about the rich Jews? The IRS is full of Jews, Bob." September 14, 1971

"The Jews are irreligious, atheistic, immoral bunch of bastards." February 1, 1972

"Now here's the point, Bob. Please get the names of the Jews. You know, the big Jewish contributors to the Democrats. Could you please investigate some of the cocksuckers? That's all."

"You can never put, John, any person who is a Jew on a civil rights kind of case, or freedom of the press kind of case, and get even a ten percent chance.... Basically, who the hell are these people that stole the papers? It's too bad. I'm sorry. I was hoping one of them would be a gentile."

"As long as I'm sitting in the chair, there's not going to be any Jew appointed to that court. [No Jew] can be right on the criminal-law issue."

Responding to Rev. Billy Graham's assertion that the Jews have a "stranglehold" on the media that "has to be broken or the country's going down the drain." Nixon: "I can't ever say that, but I believe it."

"Many Jews in the Communist conspiracy...Chambers and Hiss were the only non-Jews...Many thought that Hiss was. He could have been a half...Every other one was a Jew - and it raised hell for us. But in this case, I hope to God he's not a Jew."
Nixon, Haldeman, and Ronald Ziegler, 2:42-3:33 P.M. Oval Office Conversation #524-7; cassette #775 (17 June 1971)

"Colson, he's a clever bastard. He had his office call the Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . . Goldstein. . . . I said, "Were they all Jews?" He said, "Yes. Every one of them was a Jew."

__

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Up to a trillion dollars a year is washed and cooked thru money center banks and Fortune 100 companies every year in the U.S. alone. Much of this trade handled by the CIA (still one of the largest drug dealers on earth) MI5, MI6 and Mossad. In case this is too subtle a point: “War on Drugs” is every bit as phony as “War on Terror”. And the results are paid for at public cost for private oligarch greed.

It’s no accident a lapdog USA government run by international oligarchs is at conflict with or occupying any country with large amounts of Big Oil or Big Drugs (or both).

Cartel dominance of off-the-books wealth generated by drugs makes monopoly oligarchs richer and the poor that much poorer and more ignorant. The British East India Company was the first to enslave populations through enforced drug traffic. And it hasn’t gotten much better for the folks at the bottom.

In an American nation with an economy cooked by a private bank monopoly better known as the “Federal Reserve” Corporation (a bunko sting not federal and without reserves) the plutocracy in charge always seeks more power over its brainwashed patsies.

In sum, this is about a nation brought from Freedom to Fascism . And the answer is to abolish the choke points that organized corporate crime has used to kill democracy, generate endless war and beggar the people.

Washington, Big Oil, Big Media, Big Pharma, and the rest are de facto monopolies that all take their cue from the parasite master cartel at a “Federal Reserve” Corp, World Bank, IMF and Bank for International Settlements that run the carny show.

Again, if this is too subtle a point: free market capitalism and open democracy DO NOT EXIST in the west. They are only monopoly slogans no better than PR killing jokes used by cartel oligarchs for their own ends. Ditto for “globalization”, etc, etc.

An overthrown democracy and economy under parasite criminal rule remains unconstitutional. But it is also an obscene trap that has caved humanity to its knees.

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Yeah, and the author forgot to mention NORML's "alternative" to today's horrific "war on drugs" is to continue to arrest "only" 400,000 people for marijuana every year. Half of all people arrested for marijuana are under age 21 and, despite repeated requests, NORML has refused to publicly declare its opposition to arresting young people for marijuana. In fact, NORML has supported measures (such as Nevada's ballot measures) which would explicitly continue to allow the felony arrest and even imprisonment of persons under 21 merely for possessing a tiny amount of pot. This is policy insanity, since teens use marijuana and other drugs more responsibly than adults by almost every measure we have. NORML's excuse is (their responses have treated the arrest of young people as a joke) is that the "politics" aren't right--which, of course, is exactly the excuse politicans give for supporting the drug war. To be honest, NORML should rename its policy, "We support HALF the War on Drugs".

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Although smoking marihuana is legal in Holland, there are restrictions; you buy and can smoke in a coffeehouse but since alcohol and marihuana together is forbidden and the shopkeeper doesnot want to lose his permission ; so no beer, no minors no prostitution, no hard drugs.

Prostitution is legal in Holland but the brothel owner doesnot want to lose his permission so: no minors, no hard liqor, no hard drugs.

Alcohol and stress and marihuana can work as a triggermechanisme for psychose, so use things moderate.

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...that is willing to throw 400 BILLION down the toilet formally known as Iraq and now wants 7 BILLION a month more, will care about an extra 1 billion a year? Even the 8 billion per year necessary to put them there is bargain to control the masses and be able to have another reason to strike fear.

In addition, it is a Catch 22. Can you imagine the reduction in police that may occur if they had to actually work to nab real criminals. Not to mention the easy money lawyers make "defending." It is called job security.

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The reason pot is illegal is due to the fact that HEMP products such as, rope, cloth, cosmetics and many other useful products are huge business. If everyone were allowed to grow hemp this would cause an economic slump to big business.

The side effect is of course that many people would consume this weed to get high and then sell of the parts of the plant used for commerce.

Stoners would have a source of income that the government would be embarrassed by.

Sorry, just to say something funny here!

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It's obvious that there's a lot of profit in keeping all drugs illegal (for both criminals and law enforcement). Drug prohibition is a bad policy but a separate economy all it's own that both the good guys (police agencies) and bad guys (gangsters ) support. Neither entity wants drugs legal for this reason, and there are very powerful interests on both sides of the "war on drugs", so I personally believe drugs will NEVER be legalized, and this includes pot, even tho I don't classify it as a "drug", per se. Would ending drug prohibition work?
Would gangs be off our streets or at least the number of gang members be reduced? Would our children be safe? Would drug use soar? It's easy to get an idea of what the answers to these questions might be, simply take a look at other countries that have decriminalized drugs. Sure, there are some difficult drugs like crystal meth and crack, but pot? Give me a break. Even heroin could be decriminalized by setting up a gov't program where addicts register and walk into centers where they are allowed to purchase their daily fixes for a fee that would ultimately cover the cost of the program, and would be much cheaper (and safer) than purchasing heroin off the street for both addicts AND citizens. There are a lot of nit-wit hand-wringers who would never support the idea of this, even tho it has been estimated that it would save the U.S. something like 50 BILLION dollars a year in burglary, auto theft, shoplifting, etc, but there we go again, stuck in the gangster-police profit loop of illegal drugs...

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Download PDF

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We all have heard the myths and legends, the ‘Reefer Madness” and the evil’s of Marijuana use. And there are hose truths. Marijuana contains a lot of tar, which is unhealthy for the inhaler. Smoking is unhealthy. Can we all agree? Drinking is unhealthy, you damage your liver, your insides, your body is a temple right? Have you checked the stocks of Phillip Morris lately? Check it out, http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=MO&time=5yr $$$ Big money.
How much more cigarette addiction is their compared to Marijuana addiction? Addiction is not the issue. Sure you can get lung cancer maybe, although many study’s disapprove this, in reality, the amount a person who smokes Marijuana is most likely less then a the amount a cigarette smoker smokes on a daily basis.
San Francisco, Denver among many major cities in the United States have began to legalize medicinal marijuana, and for the most part it has been a success. Say Marijuana is legalized as Holland does it. Say it is government regulated, taxed highly, and sold like cigars in a cigar shop. Same influence laws should apply as alcohol, and 21 and up should have access. Look at many studies of market prices, and growth cost, for instance a recent article http:// economics.about.com/od/incometaxestaxcuts/a/ marijuana.htm on about.com about the revenue Canada would make from taxing cannabis. Its serious money. Money that could go to education, healthcare, poverty, anything, at what cost to the government? It is a persons choice to inhale what they chose to inhale, and marijuana is not crack. The study’s are everywhere and the majority proves what the government does not want to be proved, that marijuana is not the devil. The stats are out there.
It’s a major issue in the media, and science world, millions are being spent on research, major outlets are giving press that isn’t negative http:// archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/alternative/11/20/ medical.marijuana.ap/index.html
Maybe they are scared, wouldn’t you be? Like earlier posts on this article, Hemp is a natural resource, with many benefits see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp .
The major tobacco companies that fund many politicians throughout the country know it could cause change. They could lose clients. I mean, it’s another option of smoking. They are whispering in their politicians ears, while stuffing their pockets full of cash.
But think of the possibilities, its nothing but profit. If we didn’t have such a self oriented government, that actually cared about its people, they could help with all the money they could receive from marijuana. Besides the Billions saved from the prisons, more billions would be put into the economy. Is the message bad? Not as bad as alcohol advertisements catching the attention of kids during the super bowl, or Joe Camel. The positives outweigh the negatives by over 50%.
My only fear would be an evil tobacco company getting exclusive rights to sell to the public, mixing a natural organic plant marijuana, with chemicals, preservatives, and other agents, either causing addiction, other kinds of cancer, and other health risks. That is the biggest negative, the evil ones profiting more.
For now, those trying to stay out of prison, but ease their wounds with Marijuana, go to Amsterdam, or move to the Bay Area, get your Cannabis Card and watch out for a federal agent or raid. More information provided at http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/coops

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Sure, marijuana should be legalized. But then, invading a country and slaughtering its people for no particular reason should be criminalized.

Don't see either happening any time soon.

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The war on drugs is in a lot of ways like any other war. Those who are leading the fight have no real interest in actually winning, since it would be destroying their own raisons d’etre. Wars always have victims. Wars are a tremendous burden for society at large, but immensely profitable for certain very influential segments of those societies, which is really what they are all about.

- Lee McCormick

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The obscene laws against the cultivation and use of a harmless plant, are more proof, if anyone needed it, that there is nothing like a democracy in America.

This is social control not crime control.

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Alongside many roads in Cambodia grows in the wild between other herbs marihuana, so nobody sells or buys since you can take it from the fields.
Nowadays the Americans try to press the cambodian government to make the smokers criminals??
Bt why they do this, is it because mr.Bush fears for the health and the human rights??

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How many of these are in Privatized Prisons?
Now, there's another big business the government is going to "protect". After all they provide funds for elections.
Always follow the money.

WEAR BOOTS!

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