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ANother on off teh St. Cloud Cronicle-
I've always trusted that the U.S. government knows what they are doing and I've trusted they will make the right decisions that, in the long run, benefit me and my country.
With this being said, why then does the government refuse to legalize marijuana? The decision to keep marijuana illegal is hurting the country more than helping it.
Millions of dollars are spent each year charging, trying and imprisoning those arrested for possession of marijuana without intent to sell. If all of this money and time were used in efforts to fight drugs that pose a real threat, such as the methamphetamine problem sweeping across the Midwest, perhaps law enforcement agencies would be making a difference.
One reason marijuana is illegal is because many people in the United States have classified it as a drug and, according to South Park's Mr. Mackey, "Drugs are bad," so therefore marijuana is bad.
I don't agree.
I have never seen anybody break into a car for a bag of weed, or prostitute themselves on the street just to smoke a bowl. I have never heard of anybody stealing a car for the parts to get money for pot, but I've heard of many people who were driven to do these things for a gram of cocaine or meth.
It makes me feel very safe to know that while a police officer is distracted by a lonely pothead with 3.5 grams of weed, a meth addict is breaking into my car, stealing my CD player and all the while thinking, "If this person knew how bad I need this money, they would want me to have it."
Police arrest over 700,000 Americans each year on marijuana charges. Imagine the vast amount of burglaries that could have been stopped with the time it took to arrest these people.
Not only will the legalization of marijuana free up officers and funds to fight real problems, but it would give money to fund the real war against real drugs.
The government could heavily tax the sales of marijuana, like they do with liquor and tobacco, and make a fortune off the 11 million Americans who admit to smoking pot at least once a month. Along with the legalization of marijuana, many new, cheaper products would become readily available, saving the tax payers even more money.
If marijuana was legalized, paper could be made out of hemp. Hemp paper is more economical than paper made from wood. One acre of hemp produces up to 11 tons of usable fiber per year while one acre of forest, which takes 20-30 years to grow, only produces four or five tons of usable fiber. Hemp paper is also proven to be a better product than wood paper because it has greater strength and uses less energy and fewer chemicals to process.
The main reason marijuana should be legalized is because another "drug" commonly served in bars is legal, and when comparing the two, anyone can see alcohol is worse than marijuana.
I have never heard a pothead say, "last night I was so stoned that I got up on stage and flashed the crowd." Nor have I heard, "I was so stoned last night that I got into a fist fight with my best friend and I don't even remember why."
Surprising as it may sound, I've actually pulled these quotations straight out of the mouths of people who went to the bar and got loaded with alcohol.
Usually a pothead would say, "Last night I was so stoned that I fell asleep on the couch," or "I didn't even go out last night cuz I was so lazy."
In fact, I don't think I've ever heard a person say they did something they regret while they were stoned.
The loud obnoxious man in the grocery store telling you a long story about "when he was a young" did his breath smell like weed? Oh, that's right, he smelled like alcohol.
We all know alcohol ruins your liver and weed affects your memory, but at the same time, I believe your liver is slightly more important than a stunted memory.
With all of these facts in mind, it's obvious pot is a pretty harmless drug. So why is it so bad? The world may never know.
Some very solid points!
I've always trusted that the U.S. government knows what they are doing and I've trusted they will make the right decisions that, in the long run, benefit me and my country.
With this being said, why then does the government refuse to legalize marijuana? The decision to keep marijuana illegal is hurting the country more than helping it.
Millions of dollars are spent each year charging, trying and imprisoning those arrested for possession of marijuana without intent to sell. If all of this money and time were used in efforts to fight drugs that pose a real threat, such as the methamphetamine problem sweeping across the Midwest, perhaps law enforcement agencies would be making a difference.
One reason marijuana is illegal is because many people in the United States have classified it as a drug and, according to South Park's Mr. Mackey, "Drugs are bad," so therefore marijuana is bad.
I don't agree.
I have never seen anybody break into a car for a bag of weed, or prostitute themselves on the street just to smoke a bowl. I have never heard of anybody stealing a car for the parts to get money for pot, but I've heard of many people who were driven to do these things for a gram of cocaine or meth.
It makes me feel very safe to know that while a police officer is distracted by a lonely pothead with 3.5 grams of weed, a meth addict is breaking into my car, stealing my CD player and all the while thinking, "If this person knew how bad I need this money, they would want me to have it."
Police arrest over 700,000 Americans each year on marijuana charges. Imagine the vast amount of burglaries that could have been stopped with the time it took to arrest these people.
Not only will the legalization of marijuana free up officers and funds to fight real problems, but it would give money to fund the real war against real drugs.
The government could heavily tax the sales of marijuana, like they do with liquor and tobacco, and make a fortune off the 11 million Americans who admit to smoking pot at least once a month. Along with the legalization of marijuana, many new, cheaper products would become readily available, saving the tax payers even more money.
If marijuana was legalized, paper could be made out of hemp. Hemp paper is more economical than paper made from wood. One acre of hemp produces up to 11 tons of usable fiber per year while one acre of forest, which takes 20-30 years to grow, only produces four or five tons of usable fiber. Hemp paper is also proven to be a better product than wood paper because it has greater strength and uses less energy and fewer chemicals to process.
The main reason marijuana should be legalized is because another "drug" commonly served in bars is legal, and when comparing the two, anyone can see alcohol is worse than marijuana.
I have never heard a pothead say, "last night I was so stoned that I got up on stage and flashed the crowd." Nor have I heard, "I was so stoned last night that I got into a fist fight with my best friend and I don't even remember why."
Surprising as it may sound, I've actually pulled these quotations straight out of the mouths of people who went to the bar and got loaded with alcohol.
Usually a pothead would say, "Last night I was so stoned that I fell asleep on the couch," or "I didn't even go out last night cuz I was so lazy."
In fact, I don't think I've ever heard a person say they did something they regret while they were stoned.
The loud obnoxious man in the grocery store telling you a long story about "when he was a young" did his breath smell like weed? Oh, that's right, he smelled like alcohol.
We all know alcohol ruins your liver and weed affects your memory, but at the same time, I believe your liver is slightly more important than a stunted memory.
With all of these facts in mind, it's obvious pot is a pretty harmless drug. So why is it so bad? The world may never know.
Some very solid points!
