But won't there still be the same amount of legal needs, courts, cops, jails, etc., for the "controlled substance" violations like, DWS (Driving While Stoned)? For every problem legalization solves, another problem is created. Again, I'm all for legalization. I just would not like to preface my support with a debate about the pros. Because again, for ever pro, there is a new con.
Why is there any reason to think there'd be more people "driving while stoned' than there are now? There's no evidence that legalization would lead to more people doing drugs. Look at the Netherlands where their marijuana use rate is actually lower than ours. Plus if more people were driving stoned rather than drunk, that would be a good thing.
There isn't any more reason to think that there would be any more people driving stoned. The point is, there would be a new thing to look for, and a new Under the Influence substance to track, police and prosecute. I've looked at the Netherlands. The argument is hardly worth comparing given the population and other factors too numerous to list. Of course one would have had to have been stoned to have come up with Legos. It gives stoners something to do while they wait for their frozen pizza to cook.
And the new cons are like a teaspoon of salt thrown into a river. There'll always be new problems when responsibility is given to the people, but to lesser degrees. Surely you can't suggest the cons of ending the prohibition of alcohol outweigh the pros.
You already get charged with DUI if you get caught driving while you're stoned. That's a moot point. And, just to let everyone know, in the Netherlands, it is not legal to smoke Marijuana, it is merely tolerated.
Obama is now running GM and he's trying to sell cars. Obama pitched, "If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired, just like always," http://voices.washingtonpost.com/roughsketch/2009/03/obamas_unbelievable_offer.html Imagine if we had someone in the Whitehouse that was governing the country rather than trying to run private business.
I had a dream last night that Obama resigned. It's the same thing when I think of him bein gin the White House running the country instead of trying to run a private business.
At first, legalizing pot in the USA will help the economy. If it's taxed like cigarettes, there will be a spike in tax income for the government. Also, we can expect to immediately see record profits for Nabisco, Frito Lays, and anyone who sells potato chips. It's not unreasonable to expect Taco Bell to become the biggest corporation in the USA. But soon after, a general malaise will set into the economy as people start showing up late for work or not at all. In supermarkets, fights will break out in the cookie aisle over the last box of Mallomars. Eventually, expect an overall lack of motivation as people who are easily distracted spend hours staring at the lines in their hand or just giggling to themselves for no apparent reason.
Obama is the CEO of GM. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the same thing occured with gin. It was so cheap that people stayed drunk and didn't work. Eventually the English Parliment imposed the Gin Tax to regulate the market. The issue with 'weed' is that it will grow anywhere. What makes you think that weed smokers want to pay taxes?
An update on Obama's approval rating: 61% It seems to be holding pretty steady despite all of the trash being thrown his way and the fact that he's upset some of his biggest supporters with his response about marijuana legalization. I think his trip to Europe will improve his approval ratings further, seeing our President respected by people all over the world sure is a change. We finally have a President that Americans can be proud of again.
lol, this is the best they can come up with to criticize Obama. They are a fringe floundering party that the American people have voted out of office in droves during the past 2 election cycles. With more to come. Did you hear about their economic plan? They've been getting beat up for being the "party of no" and taking 3 months to realize they couldn't just keep bashing Obama's plan without one of their own. And guess what they came up with. A vague plan with the core means of stimulus being to.... drumroll..... give tax breaks to the rich..... again...... and "undo" Obama's stimulus plan. So after all that waiting the republican's big plan..... is to basically do whatever is the opposite of what Obama's doing and oh yeah let's give those tax breaks back to the rich... plus some. Let's be serious for a second. How stupid do you have to be to come out with a plan that involves giving tax breaks to the rich after being voted out of congress and losing the presidential election because the American people rejected it? How stupid do you have to be to give tax breaks to the rich (not the middle class and poor) in the midst of this economic meltdown where all the rich who took advantage of the lack of financial regulation are jumping ship like rats and taking multi-million dollar bonuses as the American people watch in outrage? So when people take their weak jabs at anything and everything Obama remember that this is the party they support and oh by the way, they also voted for the worst president in modern history..... twice. And oh double by the way, the same people who were on this forum during the lead up to Obama's election arguing that Sarah Palin (remember her?) was qualified to be a heart beat away from POTUS won't even touch the subject of her now. So don't let these guys get under your skin Zibblu. Feel bad for them.
The Democrats passed the 2010 budget today that spends $3.6 trillion and forecasts a deficit of $1.2 trillion. Where's the money going to come from? Let's see how popular Obama is when the bill comes due.
I have read a couple of times that you can easily detect a drunken driver by breath analyzer, but you cannot detect a pot smoker. Its impossible coz there is no bad breath.
George, it is just like pretty much every cycle of 8 years. A Democrats stick around for 8 years as pres, 6 years in congress, than the reps. Than the dems, than the reps. Pretty much our country has ADD and can't keep on track lol. I'm not saying Bush was the best. However, he was definitely not the worst in modern history. That is a bit biased and I would love to know where you based your OPINION (as it is not a fact). I just love, the man has been in office how long? And he's already had his budget (thats what the news tells me it is, so like you guys, I'm going to believe it) passed. This budget alone will double the deficit in 5 years, and triple it in 10. Source? The bipartisan budget committee. And, as state, I can find you 61% of americans to say obama is a tool. Or I can find oyu 61% of americans that say he is the second coming of the messiah. It's all in demographics. If I'm trying to paint him as a better president, I will ask a vast majority of democratic voters how they think he is doing. I don't see how 1k or 1500 can = the way america thinks. But, if you all are really willing to believe that is the actual numbers, you guys really need some life experiance, especially in how polls work. If it they said obama's approval rating was 30%. I still wouldn't believe it. That would just mean they called a majority conservative based people. And, until they ask every single American out there what they think. The numbers are not accurate, not matter what the people that make them say.
I am a certified drug recognition expert. It is not that hard to detect that someone is under the influence of marijuana, and people get charged with driving under the influence of it all the time. There are certain factors that stand up in court to determing whether or not that is true. On of them is the horizantal gaze nystagmus. This is mostly for a person UI of Alcohol. However, there is a technique to test for it during the HGN. The bad thing about the HGN is certain things, such a contacts, diabetes, etc. can throw the test results off. With MJ it is really easy to tell if someone is high, especially if you have received training in the matter.
We (Australia) have swab testing for drivers (which detect all types of drug use including marijuana) for over a year now so it is certainly possible, & even used, on large scale. They also say drinking a little vinegar before the swab is a good way to beat them.
The thing about doing tests for these drugs is you can smoke mj, if your a regular user, up to 45 days ago, and not have smoked it since, and it will still appear in your system. That is just your urine. Blood is even longer. Hair folecules are as pretty long. Unless you have cut below the point the hair was at when you did the drug, it will appear.
MJ is in the hair for 3 months.... ;-) Anyway, what difference does it make how long ago it was. 45 days is not going to say to an employer, "like they're clean man, its been a month and a half".. WOW.... No trace of anything shows? Its pretty evident there are no problems. Either way, the people that should be drug tested are the ones in public office starting with the President on down. Let's start where it matters the most. God forbid we pay these idiots to do their job if they are baked. If they are, it sure as shit would explain a hell of a lot.
And your counter argument to that is what... NOBAMA? Give tax cuts to the rich that are 10% more than the 4% Bush already gave them? Where's the money gonna come from to pay for that? Republicans so blindly follow the "smaller government" "less spending" banner it's astounding. Yeah there's an idea.... when the public needs us most, let's shrink government in size, power, and revenue while the population grows..... That's just genius. Let's let the big corporations enjoy as much "free market" as they want and run butt naked and crazy with our investments and life savings. Then... let's freeze government spending on everything but the defense budget. Sure the Dems don't have all the answers either. And you're right eventually that bill is going to come due. But what Republicans don't realize and the reason their the fringe party that I described above..... is that average Joe voter really could give less than a damn about the deficit right now. They need financial help, they need medical help, they need jobs, and they need them now. As long as the Republicans stay out of touch with that reality and continue to put their ideology over reality they'll continue their death spiral. People don't have time for trickle down economics to fail again (remember the Bush tax cuts and deregulation? Where are all those jobs now?) and they'll gladly accept the trade-off of helping pay down the deficit in the future if you give them financial help, or help them pay for college, or give them a job that can feed their family now.