Over at thepartisandialogues.com, I am having a bit of a discussion about the merits of legalizing marijuana.
One problem with that site is that the screen jumps and everything I’ve written disappears, (actually, the problem is probably with my computer as I have trouble leaving comments at Huffpo and Wonkette sometimes, too) so I keep my comment s real short.
On Microsoft word, my cursor still jumps around a lot, but it’s not as bad, so I will leave the long version of my comments here.
There are many reasons why it should be legalized. The reasons people have given against it are few and not very compelling. There is the guy who doesn’t want his (adult) children experimenting with it and fears they might if it’s legal. Well, he’s right. They might. There’s the girl (I’m guessing from the screen name) who is worried that if marijuana is legalized, heroin will be next. And the one who is worried about the freeways being overrun by dope fiends.
Basically, they all watched Reefer Madness in Junior High School and bought it hook, line and sinker.
There are so many reasons for legalizing marijuana that I must categorize them. First, there are the financial reasons. The cost to the police in paid man-hours looking for and arresting potheads, the cost to the courts of having all those trials, the cost to the prison system of housing those individuals could all be saved.
It could be taxed.
There would be a wave of new products. Hemp clothing, hemp seeds (a nice, crunchy addition to a salad), cooking oil and rope are just a few. New products give people something interesting to buy, thus stimulating the economy and creating jobs.
Pizza sales would increase.
Then, of course, there are the medical reasons. Not only can marijuana be a cure for specific conditions, but it also keeps the stress levels low in general, and that’s good for you, no doubt about it.
Then, there are the social reasons. First, it’s just better to live in a society where people are allowed to do what they want. Second, legalizing pot would reduce violent crime, by allowing the police to focus on it, and increasing the willingness of your average citizen, who may or may not smoke pot but usually knows somebody who does, to co-operate with them.
Party on, people!
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