The over-riding reason to end the War on Drugs is to re-establish the rule of law in this country.
From Nixon and Reagan to the present time, America has vastly increased the population of prison inmates, many of them for drug offenses. The “land of the free” shouldn’t boast a larger population (per capita and total) of unfree persons than any other nation on the planet.
Further, in the mania to apprehend contraband drug users, producers, and traffickers, we’ve pretty much lost Bill of Rights protections on our lives and our property.
We’ve armed nearly every conceivable division of government against us, turning local, state and federal police “services” into police state apparatuses that hound and steal from portions of our population — which turns them from citizens into fearful, resentful, servile subjects. Meanwhile, the use of civil asset forfeiture and other policing for profit schemes corrupt our police forces in a serious and fundamental and “King Georgish” way.
Sam and John Adams, Toms Jefferson and Paine — they’d all be aghast at what we have become.
But what of the growing tide to legalize/decriminalize marijuana? Reading a report by Steven Greenhut in Reason, it becomes apparent that not every step moves us towards a rule of law. Some steps in “regulating and taxing” cannabis may be more about using crony capitalism to choose winners and losers.
Let’s use some common sense from lessons learned with alcohol — er, with regulating alcohol, that is. Keep marijuana away from the kids and keep the over-regulation of marijuana away from adults.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “Cannabis and Kings”
While the federal government continues to insist on anything related to marijuana being illegal, the Department of Human Services has quietly applied for and been issued 2 patents for itself for cannabis oil, the non-high inducing extract that has been the rage for intractable seizures and pain.
This naturally occurring substsnce, in use for years, is now going to have to have royalties paid to the federal government for any commercial or retail sales, whether or not it does become legal.
No conflict of interest there.…
Wgy am I not surprised. Thanks for the Info
How do you ‘keep marijuana away from the kids’ when they already have access to it? We’re supposed to limit their access to tobacco products but that doesn’t work. Why would it work with marijuana? How do you limit production of marijuana at this late date? Are you going to restrict its production for sale to individuals to licensed drug companies? How do you keep the ‘over-regulation of marijuana away from adults’? Government at all levels won’t be able to resist the urge to tax and regulate to its heart’s content. People will find ways to avoid government intrusion, as they do with tobacco, by buying from lower-cost states or by buying individual cigarettes from ‘entrepreneurs’. Perhaps we should consider removing all restrictions and telling people of ALL ages: caveat emptor. It will be up to parents to protect their children. The only role for government would be to restrict sales to minors (which will have only a limited impact) and to enforce DUI laws for all mind-altering substances.
Second you motion.
Without a war on something or against someone, most of government becomes superfluous. And like a mother protecting her young or an engorged tick, they will do literally anything to keep the status quo and save their own job.