Maybe we're finally coming to our senses about the decriminalization of marijuana. The New Hampshire House of Representatives has passed a decriminalization bill, although The Senate and the Governor are opposed. Twelve other states have already decriminalized possession. Massachusetts has a binding decriminalization question headed for November's ballot. And now Cong. Barney Frank, D-MA, has announced he's going to introduce a federal bill decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.The Drug War Chronicle is doing its usual excellent job tracking decriminalization efforts and has this to say about politicians speaking out against decriminalization:
Right now politicians on either sides of the aisle in both states are talking a lot of madness, its all over the place. I recommend checking out the MA and NH sections of Mapinc.org to see some of the offenders. However if you really want to see someone make a fool of them self in public check out Democratic Representative Martin Walsh from Dorchester Testify his take on the bill he "knows nothing about." He is quickly becoming an internet star at http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kx4gM_B17RE
Image from Ablogination.
2 comments:
God bless Barney Frank, futile though his efforts may be.
I don't know, Tom - I don't think it is futile. I believe that eventually mari will be decriminalized in all 50 states - if only for medical purposes. It should have never been made completely illegal to begin with - for many reasons.
I'm not one to condone drugs, including mari, but why condemn it and yet allow alcohol to remain legal? Alcohol is the *drink of choice* by our society, yet it destroys more lives and causes more deaths than mari ever has or ever will.
In my opinion, mari is the lesser of the two evils. Yet alcohol is constantly promoted to the public as a good thing:
Note Jack Daniels commercials:
"Drink Responsibly"
To someone who hasn't developed a problem, this is a good message. But I've never seen one alcoholic who 'drinks responsibly'. Not one.
But an alcoholic doesn't go to jail for being an alcoholic. Get caught with a few rolled mari's and one goes to the county jail, or worse, to prison.
And it doesn't help...my point being that making mari illegal and giving jail time doesn't deter one from smoking mari.
I would feel much better if more concentration was spent on the real demons - heroin, crack, ice, meth, etc...I lost faith a long time ago that jail time would stop people from using even these drugs..It's not working.
I've seen too many people self destruct, and jail, it's just not working.
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