what happened at the meeting today?

[ds0110]

But if this is truly medical marijuana, shouldn't it be tracked like any other medication? We don't allow people to make pharmaceuticals in their homes and distribute them, regardless of how safe they are.

If you want to make fish oil or vitamin c, im sure there is no problem. Mj is more natural than both of those.

I disagree with you on stimulating growth, but let's turn the law of unintended consequences on it's head. If you remove marijuana from the black market, do we see a rise in illicit, highly addictive drugs? An increase in border violence as cartels struggle to retain power? I certainly wouldn't use either of these as arguments against legalization, anymore than say... a repeal of DADT may make some people uncomfortable, because it's the right thing to do. Unintended consequences are funny like that, though.

Should the government allow use of other relatively harmless substances, like LSD or mushrooms? MDMA? Do they have the right to tell you to wear your seatbelt? That you can't yell fire in a movie theater?

Just trying to get some bearings on where you're coming from.

YES, prohibition does not work. You got it. On anything. It only causes a black market which in turn causes violence. It creates and enables al capone and the mexican drug cartels. It does not decrease the supply, and actually if you look at the past 30-40 years, supply under prohibition has increased. Yes, this applies to all drugs. So making them legal isnt going to increase availability. If anything it will make it harder to buy these drugs, since youll need a license to purchase. (like how liquor is harder for a minor to buy than heroin) You can never eliminate drug use, as there has never been a 100% sober society in the history of mankind. What they need is to take all this money they spend on the drug war and use it on drug education and rehabilitation. Free needle exchange. Free hard drugs but the addict has to stay at the facility for a month out of the year and sober up. Cartels/Black market dies immediately, violence goes down, etc. Border violence is about control and debts, both of which are gone if the profits are eliminated. Its not about the drug, its about the money/profits. Society would not crumble from people getting too high, as drugs would be less available and less profitable under legalization. They would become boring.

Yelling fire in a theatre infringes upon other peoples peace, and therefore should get you kicked out. But its just speech, and should not be illegal.