most "czars"in history...."change"you'll be forced into.

[sellnbama]

1-drug czar
2-energy & environment czar
3-health czar
4-urban affair czar
5-economic czar
6-regulatory czar
7-technology czar
8-govt. performance czar
9-border czar
10-WMD policy czar
11-itelligence czar
12-car czar
13-cyber czar
14-great lakes czar
15-stimulus czar
16-salary czar

YOU DID'NT KNOW "CHANGE" CAN MEAN ANYTHING??????
CZAR-EMPERORS,DICTATORS.   

[HoldAndBuy]

As far as I know, success has never been achieved through czarhood. The drug czar has been a complete waste of space ever since that position was created by Reagan. Get rid of the drug czar and his staff to help cut costs. I don't like pot or what it does to some people, but just make it legal already so that law enforcement can concentrate on the really dangerous stuff (meth). We could save so much money by doing this.

[Hooch]

I'm one of those radical far right wing wackos. More along the libertarian lines without the anti war crap. All drugs directly from a plant without modification should be legal in my book.

Interesting facts on nonviolent offenders.
http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

25% of all people in prison are there for drug law violations. At 50,000 a piece per year. Give me a break.

Stop the "drug war" and spend 1 tenth of the money (billions considering prison costs) on drug education, give us the rest back in reduced taxes.
 
Back in Abe Lincolns days, federal taxation was 5%. The entire government ran on 5%. Today our military alone requires 6%. So anything above 6% is theft in my book.

[sellnbama]

Hoosier,
Lol,yeah thats the list with number sixteen added a few days ago(while the media as usual was covering the muslim,piss on jews tour).I also was in a bookstore today,if you really wanna get sick drop by one sometime and checkout all the obama is the greatest crap.Funny thing is the number of books against him before the election way out numbered the two he wrote about himself,Now they are hidden behind all the ones praising the greatest day in presidential history.SOoooo sick of this BS!!If he really does pull a chavez and rig the election(aka acorn)I told the wife we may check out austrailia,or maybe china since they seem to understand economics more than the idiots in charge here.Frustrating,hoping a state will have the balls to get out of the union,could you imagine how booming the economy would be for that state?   

[Hooch]

I told the wife we may check out austrailia,or maybe china

I definitely wouldn't want to live in a country more socialist than here. China is to a great degree. Australia is basically being run by the ACLU. They even have bills in the works that ban it's citizens from carrying a tiny little pocket knife. The guns are already long gone from the law abiding citizens. The only people who have them are the criminals. They seem to have some pretty cool Bloaks there but in reality the libs are running that country.

I have been trying to find out what country in the world is more right wing than the United States and can't find one.

Frustrating,hoping a state will have the balls to get out of the union,could you imagine how booming the economy would be for that state? 

I would love that!

[PositiveOutlook]

Anyone who has seen first hand the effects of drugs on people view it differently than heavy or occassional users...  the damage drug use does is widespread... 

While I'm not in favor of locking up adults who use marijuana, I think what makes more sense is treating it along the same lines of alchohol abuse...  fines, loss of license if intoxicated while driving... same for giving it to minors...  public intoxication... treatment for addicts that THEY pay for...

But because it is part of the genre of drugs that we tell kids not to use, I think it would send a complete mixed message to kids to make it a legal substance... 

[Hooch]

I personally don't even know why marijuana is illegal. I don't smoke it and never will. Tried it many times as a kid and it really wasn't my thing. So, even if it was legal I wouldn't smoke it.

But I have no problems with those who do. It's far less dangerous than alcohol. You can't die from an overdose, it's not physically addictive, it doesn't start bar fights, and it is a good source for additional taxes (not exorbitant, just additional).

The only thing I see as a negative to marajuana is that it seems to make those who smoke it very complacent in their lives. You would think complacent is good but not when you are still living at moms house at 35 years old. Or not when you still have the exact same job and position since you graduated high school or college. And being perfectly happy with that.

The key in my opinion to solving the drug issue is education and rehabilitation, not imprisonment. And I am not talking about these ridiculous scare tactic type of commercials that often say things about the particular substance that are complete lies. Real education. Teaching people the negatives of getting addicted to any drug and letting the drug control your life vs you controlling your life, etc.

[justin0419]

The only thing I see as a negative to marajuana is that it seems to make those who smoke it very complacent in their lives. You would think complacent is good but not when you are still living at moms house at 35 years old. Or not when you still have the exact same job and position since you graduated high school or college. And being perfectly happy with that.

Hey, you gotta have someone to further the McDonald's empire!  If that's the road someone wants to travel, so be it. 

[Hooch]

LOL, you're right!

[HoldAndBuy]

I agree, that's not good. But I don't think they cause anywhere as much trouble as drunks do (domestic violence).  Anyone whose ever watched an episode of COPS knows what alcohol do! 

The only thing I see as a negative to marajuana is that it seems to make those who smoke it very complacent in their lives. You would think complacent is good but not when you are still living at moms house at 35 years old. Or not when you still have the exact same job and position since you graduated high school or college. And being perfectly happy with that.

[PositiveOutlook]

There have been literally thousands of studies on marijuana use and the one commonaility they ALL have is that it is not safe for a variety of reasons...  We tell kids not to smoke for two primary reasons... additction and desease...  marijanua is a little less on the addiction side, but over time MORE is needed to get the same high...  that considered, it's an INCREASED health risk...

From the below article on a 2007 New Zealand medical study... "Smoking one cannabis joint caused damage equivalent to smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes in rapid succession, researchers at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand found"...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/jul/31/drugsandalcohol.drugs

Combination of alcholhol and marijuana are a dangerous combo...  one desensities you, the other makes you feel like superman...

"In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than those of either drug alone."

Both impair your senses...  is anyone going to argue that driving while high is a good thing?

"Marijuana is the second most common drug, after alcohol, present in the blood stream of non-fatally and fatally injured persons."

If there weren't so many NEGATIVE aspects of marijuana, that cost TAXPAYERS money, I could care less if adults smoked it...  If it affected only YOU... knock yourself out...

[Hooch]

"""2007 New Zealand medical study... "Smoking one cannabis joint caused damage equivalent to smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes in rapid succession, researchers at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand found"..."""

And what is the point? The damage of 2 to 5 cigareettes in rapid succession. And what damage is that? They failed to mention. Hyperinflation of the lungs since they suck in and hold their breath. Getting too much air. Give me a break.

Anti marijuana propaganda is quite comical. Very similar to liberal economics. So divers and snorkelers in the tropics are all damaging their lungs by holding their breath for too long. Ohh my, the cannabis smokers experienced coughing when when they inhaled too much at one time. This is a perfect example of absolute desperation to keep it illegal by either the government of that country or some speical interest group like an alcohol manufacturer.

We should talk about the damaging effects of MOST VITAMINS if taken in access. They will KILL you.

"In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than those of either drug alone."


I don't know anyone that thinks that you should be able to drive on it. It should be treated the same way as alcohol.

"Marijuana is the second most common drug, after alcohol, present in the blood stream of non-fatally and fatally injured persons."

Completely useless and irrelevant quote. What is the second most common vitamin present in the blood of non-fatally and fatally injured persons? That only means that it is second most popularly used drug. It doesn't mean that they got killed or died because of it.

If there weren't so many NEGATIVE aspects of marijuana, that cost TAXPAYERS money

Please tell me exactly what those are. And build your case to a greater degree than alcohol on the cost to the taxpayer. If you don't than the reasonable assumption is that you want alcohol prohibited by big daddy.

[Hoosier4life2005]

To me, this is a issue of what you want to scope of the government to be.

Do you want a big government, that tries to correct moral habits that some polician thinks needs correcting, at the taxpayer expense?

 Smoking pot does not effect anybodys right to life, liberty, right to own property, pursuit of happyness (which i believe is the government primary, if not only, responsibility.)

Or do you want a small government, with low taxes, and allows personal responsibility and choice.

This issue comes down to personal choice.  Government should have no right to outlaw my right to smoke pot if I want to. AS LONG AS, I dont interfere with anybodys right to life or liberty.

Thats my 2 cents...

[HoldAndBuy]

Sitting around being stoned is not my idea of a life.

Having said that, we can't always protect people from themselves--that's being a Nanny State. Some do become dependent on it, but the vast majority of people use it briefly in high school or college and then walk away from it, or use it once in a blue moon. From what I've heard, heavy alcohol or cocaine use depletes dopamine levels in the brain--i.e.  you have less ability to experience pleasure without use those drugs. Much more addictive.

[PositiveOutlook]

Hooch...

No, I've already said that incarceration doesn't make sense for casual users (unless they are caught driving or committing a crime while using it), but the police aren't going into to peoples homes to find them smoking a joint, they are recovering it from busting them while driving under the influence... marijuana combined with alcholhol just makes it WORSE than either by themselves, which was the reason for the quote from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

I don't understand the relavence of taking too many vitamins vs. smoking marijuana... nobody sits around popping vitamins for fun or to get high... too much water can kill you also...

"So divers and snorkelers in the tropics are all damaging their lungs by holding their breath for too long."

Divers and snorklers aren't holding their breath with hot smoke (making the capillaries expand absorb to go into the bloodstream) in their lungs... if the divers had too much oxygen, it could also be fatal...

"the cannabis smokers experienced coughing when when they inhaled too much at one time"

That's known as your immune system rejecting what you are putting into it... 

Alcholhol vs. Marijuana

Drunk drivers are severey punished... loss of license, large fines, manadatory treatment, incarceration.... much more than those caught with a few joints... 

I don't have an answer regarding alcholhol legality... but I don't buy the argument that making marijuana legal at this point makes sense... If marijuana, why not all the other drugs?  And when kids watch you do this... what message does that send?  In a perfect world, there wouldn't be abuse of any drug, but along with it comes consequences...



Hoosier4life2005....

"AS LONG AS, I dont interfere with anybodys right to life or liberty"

Ufortunately, it is because it does which is why they are involved...


HoldAndBuy....

"we can't always protect people from themselves"

Here we can agree, but it is when it goes past themselves that it becomes the problem...  problem is about the same level of people who become alcholholics also become marijuana dependant which DOES cost us money in law enforcement, the courts, rehab, health insurance, etc...

"you have less ability to experience pleasure without use those drugs."

The same problem occurs with marijuana, but to a lesser degree than cocaine...