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Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

thehill.com

1–10 of 64 posts

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#3
post #2

The US has no federal laws AFAIK regarding use, only possession, which itself was reduced to a misdemeanor ages ago. Hopefully, the Congress will take a leaf out of the Alaskan legislature's book and simply stay out of its citizens' homes.

No. Hopefully Congress will roll back its decision and make it fully legal.

That way:

  * it's legal to grow
  * legal to sell
  * legal to sell across state borders
  * possible to get a bank account used in its financial transaction
  * we can start to undo the damages to 10s of millions who have experienced by
    either themselves, or their loved ones, being thrown into the prison system.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#4
The value was explained back in the Nixon era, and it was a BAD value:

" “You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities,” Ehrlichman said. “We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”"

https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-rich...

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#5
Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana.

It seems accepted as an inevitable progress.

But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#6
post #2

The US has no federal laws AFAIK regarding use, only possession, which itself was reduced to a misdemeanor ages ago. Hopefully, the Congress will take a leaf out of the Alaskan legislature's book and simply stay out of its citizens' homes.

Marijuana use essentially bars a person from working in the federal government or do any associated contractors

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#7
post #5

Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. It seems accepted as an inevitable progress. But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

Allowing drugs and other vices for the sake of economic prosperity is sad and goes against progress for humanity. I live next door to someone that smokes non-stop everyday and the second-hand smoke pisses me off to no end.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#8
It's not so much as punishing people for weed but punishing them for knowingly breaking the law right? Maybe locking people up is a bit harsh but people know the consequences no? Maybe we should recognize that there is value in having people in a society follow the rule of law.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#9
post #5

Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. It seems accepted as an inevitable progress. But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

You seem to be assuming that making it legal would lead to increased usage. And also that a person's individual right to do what they want with their own body and mind had no value.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#10
post #5

Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. It seems accepted as an inevitable progress. But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

It may not bring good, but using prison and ever-stricter laws have only introduced additional damage.

Entire vast populations are effectively under the control of drug cartels. Civil forfeiture is a product of the drug war.

Current efforts have not stopped the flow of drugs, most and especially marjiuana are easier to get than ever. Ask any public high school student.

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