From USA Today:
Attorney General Eric Holder last fall announced that raiding medical marijuana facilities would be the lowest priority for U.S. law enforcement agents — a major shift that is spurring many states to re-examine their policies. The American Medical Association recommended in November that Congress reclassify marijuana as a drug with possible medicinal benefit.
At least 14 states this year — some deeply conservative and Republican-leaning, such as Kansas — will consider legalizing pot for medical purposes or lessening the penalties for possessing small amounts for personal use. Fourteen other states and the District of Columbia already have liberalized their marijuana laws.
This is all to the good, of course. But it still bothers me that reasons like "pot is no worse than alcohol" are usually the only justifications offered for legalization. Why not argue that a government-issued uniform, shiny badge, and nightstick don't absolve cops from the moral law the rest of humanity is bound to? "Legalization" of victimless crimes is more properly understood as forbidding our "protectors" from grabbing, shackling, and kidnapping innocent people whose habits politicians disapprove of.
I heard on the radio today that 84% of Americans believe ganj should be legalized. Even if the stat is a little skewed and you add the margin of error, it MUST be over half!
It's about damn time!
Matt,
The reason to use the alcohol reference is to point out the hypocrisy of the laws. There is still 20% of the country who has not ever tried marijuana and most likely have horribly distorted ideas of its effects. Yet there is an even smaller percentage that have never used alcohol, so to me the comparison is the best you can make to try to convince people. Most of the time the only retort I recieve from this argument is "but marijuana is illegal" so it has its merits to use this argument.
Many people see the police as supremely benevolent and that any action they took is justified because the offender is a "criminal." So to try to label their activities as immoral is going to segregate many of those we need to educate. We have this double-think in this country where we believe both that following orders is an excuse, but when the nazi's did it it doesn't count. So police commonly say "I'm just doing my job." Though that job might be kicking in a door and shooting a dog he, as well as many others, see it as a necessary evil to "prevent crime." Until your morality is more proliferated through out America your arguement on moral grounds is just going to offend others.
For a little pepping up from your drug war blues I suggest you look into the story of Barry Cooper a former top narcotics officer now turned anti drug war activist. Though the writing was not as scholarly as I wanted there is a great article about his journey from a Maxim a few months back.
Finally, they come and arrest people for owning property. And a 100% naturally growing plant.
Making cannabis illegal is unconstitutional as you have a right to own property, and it violates natural law as it makes natural plants illegal.
In my opinion, this is exactly like the government telling me I can't grow an Oak Tree, or a tomato plant, or whatever plant I want to cultivate and enjoy.
Maybe they would like it if we all of the sudden made corn illegal.
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