Individual Liberty for Democrats #1

[Yamato]

Individual Liberty for Democrats Too #1: End Marijuana Prohibition

This is part one of a three part series "Individual Liberty for Democrats Too" highlighting some of the important issues that Democrats profess to care about in words, but go on to betray in actions.

Leaning left is no excuse not to love liberty. I'm living proof of that. More videos to come. Stay tuned.

FREEDOM (It's good enough for Democrats too!)

[+and-then]

Decriminalizing marijuana would be a good first step towards a more sane policy on drugs. Treating it equal with alcohol as far as penalties for abuse in public would satisfy most Americans these days. It would cause some increase in need for treatment of abusers but that expense could be offset by limited taxation that actually was reserved to deal with such problems. 'course the politicians would have to be grown ups about the use of those funds...

I stopped using this drug about 30 years ago but I still cringe when I think that I could've been jailed and had a budding career destroyed due to the silliness of these laws.

[Damrod]

This is true.

If we decriminalize Marijuana and set it up on an even keel with alcohol, it can be taxed and controlled...this has a exponential effect on things that includes, but not limited to...

Increased revenue to put toward counseling and addiction/mental illness therapy.

A reduction in the costs of "the war on drugs" due to the fact that there would be a narrower focus toward the "hard" drugs...meth, cocaine, heroin, crack, PCP...etc..etc...etc...not having to include this particular one in that fight would allow more focus on the others.

A reduction of prison populations for non-violent offenders...which means the judicial system and the prisons cost less money.

A reduction in organized crime, the violence associated with it and the liquid revenue these organizations will have available to carry out their agendas.

Just a thought.

I cringe when I hear that people think that "legalized weed" is the only reason people support Ron Paul...it is not. I agree with it as a former "partaker" from years ago but it is not the foundation of why I like his platform...it is just one part of it. The "real" reason is I believe in personal liberty...the ability to choose and then live with the rewards or consequences of those choices.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Damrod

[Yamato]

Not to mention the free marketplace, which as we all know is self-regulated, will bring its safety to the consumer. If people wind up getting a bad product that's laced with anything and wind up having a bad reaction, that supplier will be prosecuted appropriately and pay the price. As things are now, people don't know what they're smoking and where it's coming from unless they take the massive legal risks by growing it themselves. Thus, it is far more punitive in our society to use it safely than use it riskily. The nature of its illegality perpetuates its own danger. The plant isn't dangerous. The black market caused by its prohibition is. Drugs are for doctors and their patients and the free market's justice. Not clueless bureaucrats in Washington DC who love to control where the money is going but have precious little expertise on the substances and subjects they control.

[cerberusxp]

The only reason hemp was criminalized in the first place was due to special interest power brokering Du Pont petrochemical, GM, the Rockefellers, and a number of other industrialists. This was the beginning of the end of a free people and a free society. Here is a quote from an essay>>

Ok. So we have an elite group of special interests dominated by Du Pont petrochemical company and it's major financial backer and key political ally, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. LINK

[Yamato]

The only reason hemp was criminalized in the first place was due to special interest power brokering Du Pont petrochemical, GM, the Rockefellers, and a number of other industrialists. This was the beginning of the end of a free people and a free society. Here is a quote from an essay>>

Ok. So we have an elite group of special interests dominated by Du Pont petrochemical company and it's major financial backer and key political ally, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon. LINK

+1

[Mr_Snstr]

[ninjadude]

This is part one of a three part series "Individual Liberty for Democrats Too" highlighting some of the important issues that Democrats profess to care about in words, but go on to betray in actions.

I don't think you understand how this works. Can you show me where the Democratic party has a plank that wants to decriminalize it? Certainly there are many individual opinions Democratic and otherwise. If you want to decriminalize drugs and make it a political issue then you have to get the DNC or RNC or some other party to add that as something they stand for. If RP wants to decriminalize drugs that's dandy. But without the support of his party members as something the RNC stands for, it's nothing more than something he wants in a vacuum. Nature abhors a vacuum. So I'm not sure at all why you feel "betrayed".

[Yamato]

I don't think you understand how this works. Can you show me where the Democratic party has a plank that wants to decriminalize it? Certainly there are many individual opinions Democratic and otherwise. If you want to decriminalize drugs and make it a political issue then you have to get the DNC or RNC or some other party to add that as something they stand for. If RP wants to decriminalize drugs that's dandy. But without the support of his party members as something the RNC stands for, it's nothing more than something he wants in a vacuum. Nature abhors a vacuum. So I'm not sure at all why you feel "betrayed".

Sorry I don't do planks. Unless it's a whaler walking on one. The DNC and RNC are staffed with shills not worth anyone's time. I would never go to either of the two parties to expect them to do anything. There is nothing there but betrayal, hypocrisy, immorality, corruption, insolvency and disappointment from bad results. Therefore if I want the federal government out of the states' business, I vote for the only man running who will see that through. If you watched the video it obviously isn't Obama or Romney. I can show you it's not Gingrich either if you're interested.

There is a tri-county area in California where an enormous supply of domestic outdoor (legal) marijuana production comes from. For instance, over 80% of Alameda county California voted for Barack Obama. These are democrats. This area of California is famous for its liberal democrat leanings. President Obama is overriding California state law that legalized their medical marijuana distribution. Of course the two major parties are going to agree with not legalizing marijuana (or at least keeping their grubby nubbies out of it) because like all other issues there's not a dime's worth of difference between them.