Not much good has come out of Texas for a while (understatement), but Ron Paul makes sense on legalizing marijuana. He doesn't limit this legalization to medical uses either. He wrote the column below and posted it today. You can find the original at the House's official website. OS has never struck me as a place that pays much attention to Ron Paul, but you ought to read his thoughts and reflect on Obama's flippant treatment of the issue last week.
Realize that Paul is also one of the few elected officials demanding truth from the Fed and Treasury on the bailouts. He also votes against funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and he voted against the Patriot Act and FISA.
Instead of giggling, more politicians should take this issue seriously. Hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens lanquish in prison for doing the same thing Obama, Bush and Clinton have done. An estimated 900,000 citizens will be arrested in 2009 for marijuana violations. This is a fundamental injustice, not a joke.
Texas Straight Talk
A weekly column
End the War on Drugs
We have recently heard many shocking stories of brutal killings and ruthless violence related to drug cartels warring with Mexican and US officials. It is approaching the fever pitch of a full blown crisis. Unfortunately, the administration is not likely to waste this opportunity to further expand government. Hopefully, we can take a deep breath and look at history for the optimal way to deal with this dangerous situation, which is not unprecedented.
Alcohol prohibition in the 1920’s brought similar violence, gangs, lawlessness, corruption and brutality. The reason for the violence was not that making and selling alcohol was inherently dangerous. The violence came about because of the creation of a brutal black market which also drove profits through the roof. These profits enabled criminals like Al Capone to become incredibly wealthy, and militantly defensive of that wealth. Al Capone saw the repeal of Prohibition as a great threat, and indeed smuggling operations and gangland violence fell apart after repeal. Today, picking up a bottle of wine for dinner is a relatively benign transaction, and beer trucks travel openly and peacefully along their distribution routes.
Similarly today, the best way to fight violent drug cartels would be to pull the rug out from under their profits by bringing these transactions out into the sunlight. People who, unwisely, buy drugs would hardly opt for the back alley criminal dealer as a source, if a coffeehouse-style dispensary was an option. Moreover, a law-abiding dispensary is likely to check ID’s and refuse sale to minors, as bars and ABC stores tend to do very diligently. Think of all the time and resources law enforcement could save if they could instead focus on violent crimes, instead of this impossible nanny-state mandate of saving people from themselves!
If these reasons don’t convince the drug warriors, I would urge them to go back to the Constitution and consider where there is any authority to prohibit private personal choices like this. All of our freedoms – the freedom of religion and assembly, the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to be free from unnecessary government searches and seizures – stem from the precept that you own yourself and are responsible for your own choices. Prohibition laws negate self-ownership and are an absolute affront to the principles of freedom. I disagree vehemently with the recreational use of drugs, but at the same time, if people are only free to make good decisions, they are not truly free. In any case, states should decide for themselves how to handle these issues and the federal government should respect their choices.
My great concern is that instead of dealing deliberatively with the actual problems, Congress will be pressed again to act quickly without much thought or debate. I can’t think of a single problem we haven’t made worse that way. The panic generated by the looming crisis in Mexico should not be redirected into curtailing more rights, especially our second amendment rights, as seems to be in the works. Certainly, more gun laws in response to this violence will only serve to disarm lawful citizens. This is something to watch out for and stand up against. We have escalated the drug war enough to see it only escalates the violence and profits associated with drugs. It is time to try freedom instead.
Posted by Ron Paul (03-30-2009, 11:01 AM)
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The Best of OS on this Issue, A pot Compendium:
Wayne Gallant
Romancing the Stoned
In which Gallant lays out "the political and economic reasons for the prohibition, a history of the racist and other lies of the prohibitionists, and the present-day economic justification of repeal of these draconian measures."
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freedomisgreen
The Marijuana Bailout
Provides an economic snapshot. 260 billion dollars yearly. Backed up with facts and figures. Also the Youtube of Harvard Professor of Economics Jeffrey Miron on CNN explaining the numbers.
Commentary: Let Them Smoke Cake
Has the Youtube of Obama giggling at the question of legalization as an economic impetus.
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Brinna Nanda
Saying “something about the online community.”
Effectively decimates Obama's diss of the online community.
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Hobolawstudent
Pot, Wheat, Guns, Pedophiles, Rape, and Steamboats.
H. Lawstudent concisely connects the freedom dots and delivers an excellent primer on the commerce clause and how it has been used to screw us over from Pot to the Patriot Act.
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Ardee
The unspoken reason for keeping pot illegal
Provides yet another theory on why marijuana is illegal and makes a convincing argument that Americans need to chill the hell out.
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ghost writer
All You Potheads Should Plant a Victory Garden
In which GW encourages potheads to grow their own to decrease the need for imports and thus correspondingly decrease the violence caused by professional drug trafficking.
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marytkelly
4/20: Boulder's Record Breaking Pot Puffing Gathering
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Danny Danko
High Time to Start Growing Pot
High Times' Senior Cultivation Editor, Danny Darko, explains how to put GhostWriter's plan of growing your own into action.
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Paul Levinson
Obama's Missed Opportunity at Online Townhall
Worth reading just to take in the comments section where Professor Dennis Loo tears Professor Paul Levinson a new asshole for being an Obama apologist.
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David A. Love
U.S. Drug Policy has Gone to Pot
The war on drugs and its impact on prisons.
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Patrick Hahn
War On Drugs = War On Sanity
Reminder of the farcical bust of the mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland. Brings up important points about the legal drug trade in America.
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Joe Blow
DEA Douche-Bags Off to End Afghan Opium Trade...HAH!!
DEA Douche-Bags Off To End Afghan Opium Trade, Part Two
Proposes an elegant solution to the problem at one tenth the cost of what the DEA will spend.
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And now for the Nudity:
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Chauncey DeVega
Winterene
def
the traveler
James and Lois Cowan
Redpossum
Salon.com
Comments
Also...why the fuck a plant is illegal is just beyond me.
rated.
Romancing the Stoned
In it I lay out the political and economic reasons for the prohibition, a history of the racist and other lies of the prohibitionists, and the present-day economic justification of repeal of these draconian measures.
I cam across this pdf while writing my post; it's the UN per capita (non-pharm) drug use across the globe, numbers from 2004:
http://www.unodc.org/pdf/WDR_2006/wdr2006_chap6_consumption.pdf
Some highlights: The US (2004) had twice the per capita usage as The Netherlands (2001), where pot is legal and controlled (12.6% vs 6.1). But! We are behind Canada in the same year (16%), and the place to go for widespread pot usage: Ghana, circa 1998, with over 21% per capita pot usage. I didn't use the study, since the dates were all over the place, but it was interesting to check out. It's got numbers for opiates, amphetamines and ecstasy as well.
Yes, persephone, it is not only against the law to use pot, it is against the law to be pot.
And I like the naked peace sign.
Obama, a Harvard lawyer and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations has been groomed by the oligarchs and spooks for the last 30 years. His first job after law school was to work for Henry Kissinger, a war criminal and one of the principal architects of the neocon corporatist cabal. We're still in deep shit. They've just made it smell sweeter.
I would have voted for a Kucinich/Paul ticket. Anyone serious about ending the illegal wars in Afghanistan & Iraq would have. Not having that choice, I voted for Ralph. Obama is a right of center corporate owned shill who is now guilty of the same crimes as the Bush regime. (torture, rendition, perpetuating an illegal war, and unlawful detentions) Anyone who thinks he will bring about any significant change is a deluded fool. I am surprised some very pissed off Vietnamese or Cambodians haven't taken Kissinger out. He is responsible for the deaths of millions there. Some of them have to be carrying a grudge. Just as millions of Iraqis and Afghanistanis do/will. We're busy creating enemies faster than we can kill them - as usual.
I read up on Harry J. Anslinger today. If I knew where he was buried I'd go piss on his grave.
For those who are not aware, Brinna Nanda blogs with consistent excellence on this topic. She's been through the wringer with her family and medicinal marijuana. She knows her stuff.
If you haven't watched them yet, season one and two of Weeds were better than decent. I am not so high on season three.
That UN consumption document Ardee gave the link for was irritating. The info was good, but the header for each page of data leads off "Annual prevalence of abuse." ABUSE? That is a huge assumption and negatively loaded language.
That peace symbol is pretty cool. The gratuitous nudity is always purposeful.
I'd like to see all drugs legalized. None of them can compare to the death statistics of cigs and booze. Prohibition of any sort is doomed to failure.
BTW, that "Weeds" chick is a "charmer"
Rated
The History Channel has an hour on the demonization of marijuana right now, Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way. That Ansinger was a right bastard. Learning all about the history of meth as well.
It is all about the cut and paste, Kay. I copy the avatar photos from their home page. Like giving credit were credit is due and the pics help.
I wonder if we'll see some traction?
Although Greenwald over at big Salon had a column this past week concerning Senator Webb taking point on prison reform. His push includes drug sentencing reform which would be a start.
Jim Webb's courage v. the "pragmatism" excuse for politicians
It would be a hell of a thing if Jim Webb's legacy was decriminalization.
Also, that second pic exploits mammalian chauvinist stereotypes against reptiles.
Link to your post: War On Drugs = War On Sanity
Also, Joe Blow has written two posts this week about the cash cow that is our so called fight against opium in Afghanistan that are worth reading. He proposes an elegant solution to the problem at one tenth the cost of what the DEA will spend:
DEA Douche-Bags Off to End Afghan Opium Trade...HAH!!
DEA Douche-Bags Off To End Afghan Opium Trade, Part Two