Last week, I warned of marijuana legalization.
Not that I’m against it. But how much will actual freedom be increased?
Note: I’m not bemoaning, as one activist friend argued, that “if you can’t toke up and celebrate in public when it passes, it’s not legalization.”
One cannot now legally smoke tobacco in most public buildings (meaning those open for business as well as government-owned structures) or drink a beer in most public parks or while navigating sidewalks. But you can smoke and drink at home or on certain types of private property.
Ending the drug war and treating newly legalized marijuana pretty much as we treat alcohol and tobacco seems like a long overdo common sense approach.
There’s also the freedom of home cultivation. I have friends who make wine at home, for private consumption. It’s legal; it’s proper. It should also be legal to grow cannabis at home. Yet, many a politician thinks otherwise.
And they are inspired, in a sense, by the popular legalization mantra, “legalize, tax and regulate.” That sends an ominous signal: in order to maximize revenues, politicians see the revenue advantage in forbidding hard-to-tax home cultivation — cultivation that is, let’s face it, a traditional freedom, a right “retained by the people.”
The excuse for this continued prohibition could be “think of the children.” But it’s probably just greed for revenue … and the even more hidden enticements of “crony capitalism,” which plagues almost all industry.
You should be able to grow a plant. And self-medicate. These are basic human rights, and the state should work around those.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “Legalize, But Prohibit?”
I attempted to explain to a dear friend why Nancy;s “Just Say NO” campaign was t terrible idea an paved the way for all the horrors the War on Drugs unleashed. But how banal she made the opposition sound. But we were anything but banal. WE have fought against a tyranny we could not even imagine in the beginning. It has been a worthy effort finally reaping some wins. Still quite a ways to go. Hang in there. I d not fight this articular battle for me personally except that the principle of self ownership is in jeopardy…
“…treating newly legalized marijuana pretty much as we treat alcohol and tobacco seems like a long overdo common sense approach.” Totally Agree! As far as the government’s desire to tax & regulate, I am convinced if government could put a meter on your nose to measure, regulate & tax the amount of air one breathes, they would.
And speaking of taxing & regulating, Paul, I wish you would look into & comment on the proposed CA legislation SB350, “The CA Gas Restriction Act of 2015.” Talk about regulation & privacy reduction.…
‘You should be able to grow a plant. And self-medicate. These are basic human rights, and the state should work around those.’
I don’t know about this. Didn’t the federal government come down on a rancher who was growing hay for his own use? They said he was impacting the price nationwide. Our basic human rights have been disregarded for many decades, by government at all levels.
“But it’s probably just greed for revenue … ”
No “probably” about it.
As I show here: http://xfoolnature.org/?p=52
Evolution makes us stupid and obedient to authority. Government is a large hierarchy, and hierarchies cultivate and promote psychopathy. As do hierarchical religions. It is what they do. It is how they work.
We need to move towards a more networked (feminine) culture. Fortunately we are doing exactly that. And by the way. Hillary is not a female. She is a man in drag.