AlterNet: Dismantling the 5 Big Talking Points of Marijuana Prohibitionists

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Tony Newman and Stephen Gutwillig

Dismantling the 5 Big Talking Points of Marijuana Prohibitionists
Opposition to this reform has crystallized within the drug war establishment, and so has their spin.

April 23, 2010 |


The war on drugs will be on the ballot in California this November. The nation will watch the state decide whether to tax and regulate marijuana or continue to arrest adults for possession of this plant.

The vote on the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 will impact many of the most important issues in the country today. Californians will express how they want police resources used, if adults who consume marijuana should be criminalized, how best to deal with the tragic violence in Mexico, and what our priorities should be in tough economic times. It’s no wonder that seven months out, this issue has already generated thousands of news stories around the world.

Opposition to this reform has crystallized within the drug war establishment, and so has their spin. Here are their top five talking points and the truth beyond them:

Drug Warrior Spin #1: Why would we authorize another harmful substance in our society?

The reality is that marijuana is already widely available in our society. Like it or not, it’s a mainstream recreational drug consumed by millions, including one in ten Californians last year, according to federal data. The California ballot initiative simply acknowledges that marijuana is here and that it’s more sensible to regulate this massive market, like we do with even more harmful drugs like cigarettes and alcohol. Prohibition of highly popular substances never works and brings terrible collateral damage. Alcohol prohibition didn’t keep people from drinking, but it did give us Al Capone and gun battles in the streets. No one dies over sales of Budweiser today. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/146594/dismantling_the_5_big_talking_points_of_marijuana_prohibitionists

[Demeter]

1. I'm all in favor of what Amsterdam did

Let the losers drug themselves insensible and get them out of the way for the rest of us who don't need or want to escape reality.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

2. riiiiight

Yep, you sure have a deep understanding of how Amsterdam functions...:eyes:

I'll bet you're a real "winner" too.

On edit: you didn't bother to read the article, did you? The Moon Goddess should be shamed you represent her.

[Demeter]

3. Demeter is NOT a Moon Goddess

and I don't represent her.

[MisterP]

4. clarification of #3: the cartels's marijuana sector would be undermined by legalization

since marijuana is a temperate plant that can be grown beyond their reach (and beyond the reach of any white-supremacist gang)

legalizing, say, cocaine wouldn't "cripple" the cartels, since they have infrastructure and supplier/distributor contacts; and, like any good capitalists, they've diversified--and this gang war is 6 decades younger than marijuana prohibition