Seattle Times Calls For Marijuana Legalization

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 03:22:26 PM EST
Tags: marijuana reform (all tags)

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Is the time right to legalize marijuana? Should it be legalized? The Seattle Times makes a powerful argument for legalization now and passage of Washington state's HB 1550. Can Washington succeed where California failed? An analysis of the bill is here. The Times says,

Pass HB 1550. Legalize cannabis, regulate it, tax it. It is radical, yet commonsensical.

Its reasons: The cost of marijuana prohibition: [More...]

A cost to the people arrested and stigmatized as criminals, particularly to students who lose university scholarships because of a single conviction;

A cost in wasted police time, wasted court time and wasted public resources in the building of jails and prisons;

A cost in disrespect for the law and, in some U.S. cities, the corruption of police departments;

A cost in lost civil liberties and lost privacy by such measures as the tapping of private telephones and invasion of private homes;

A cost in the encouragement of criminal lifestyle among youth, and the consequent rise in theft, assault, intimidation, injury and murder, including multinational criminal gangs; and

A cost in tax revenues lost by federal, state and local governments -- revenues that for this state might be on the order of $300 million a year.

It will be interesting to see how the feds react if the bill passes. Will they go to court to enjoin it? Seek to have it held unconstitutional?

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Seattle Times Calls For Marijuana Legalization | 13 comments (13 topical)

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Well, it's only radical... (none / 0) (#1)
by Dadler on Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 04:28:30 PM EST

...if you choose to keep your head in the sand about, say, how many people die from alcohol every year compared to pot. The only thing radical is how long it's taking a supposedly free and enlightened nation to get to a rational state of being on the issue.

I ran the numbers today, (none / 0) (#2)
by pcpablo on Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 06:01:18 PM EST

and pot is as American as corn & cotton...combined!
Probably for farmers too.

: Speaking of Cotton (none / 0) (#8)
by ScottW714 on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 10:41:25 AM EST

They were one of the industries behind marijuana's bad reputation campaign of the 30's. They realized hemp's commercial value in textiles and could not have it.
Side Note, cotton is one of the worst products in regards to the environment; it uses massive amounts of chemicals and energy to produce.
Cotton still has their hands in the debate, along with Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and the real threat, Big Pharma. Paper in in there as well, but they aren't nearly as influential as they used to be.
Common sense only goes so far when you are competing against some of America's most powerful.
Pretty sure you aren't suppose to link to your own site or that your numbers on your site are accurate, a link to something legitimate would have been better.

Feds are more concerned about coke (none / 0) (#3)
by Yes2Truth on Mon Feb 21, 2011 at 07:47:42 PM EST

IMO, the feds are more keen to make sure that coke
and smack remain illegal, and though they'll put up a fight about maryjane, they probably will yield to public demands, provided that only a very small
amount of grass can be legally possessed (not sold) by adults.

Their biggest money makers are horse and noze candy,
so that's where they'll draw a very firm line in the sand - no pun intended.

"I'llbomya" will be put in a tough spot. He'll lose no matter what position he takes, so he'll
do his best to avoid the whole issue.

I have a related question. (none / 0) (#4)
by observed on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 07:53:53 AM EST

I'm all for marijuana legalization. In fact, I've been swayed by arguments on drug policy I have read here over the years. I used to think that some drugs were such a harm, the government had a duty to stop their distribution. Well, that doesn't work (not that I ever thought MJ use was more than a venal sin).

I'd like to know Jeralyn's position on drug policy in general. Do you favor legalization or decriminalization? My first thought about legalization is that I don't see how you can legalize "recreational" drugs without allowing sale of ANY pharmaceutical for ANY purpose.
Even today there are a lot of quack remedies on the market---some of them quite harmful, by the way. I'm not a lawyer, but if my very first thought on the question of legalizing recreational drugs is whether it would lessen restrictions on selling quack drugs or removing the need for prescriptions, then other people are having the same thought.
And of course, quite a few recreational drugs are also prescription drugs.
So when I see someone advocate blanket drug legalization, I am extremely uncomfortable.

far too "commonsensical" (none / 0) (#5)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 09:28:09 AM EST

I fear. I hope I am wrong

Let the Feds take it to court! (none / 0) (#9)
by SeeEmDee on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 10:58:03 AM EST

It's long past time that the factual basis for cannabis prohibition be exposed in court as the racially bigoted fraud it is, in an environment where the lies about cannabis can be exposed and punished as such.

So long as the prohibitionist liars feel no pain for telling and re-telling their lies, with no legal penalty for doing so, the lies-as-policy will continue.

actually your argument (none / 0) (#11)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 11:32:25 AM EST

is what is silly.

Really? (none / 0) (#12)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 11:36:36 AM EST

You think ingesting chemicals into your lungs that alter your mood, your brain, your heart rate, etc. really have no effects on your health?

uh huh.


in fact (none / 0) (#13)
by Capt Howdy on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 11:43:30 AM EST

I think it can have positive effects on your health
related to the effects it has on your brain.

I can tell you this, whatever deleterious effects it might have should have shown up long ago for me.

I have literally smoked pot every day for more than forty years.

I have never spent a night in a hospital and I bet I am healthier than you.


So? (none / 0) (#14)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 12:03:05 PM EST

I've never spent a night in a hospital either and I've never, ever partaken of any illegal drugs. I know smokers and alcoholics who have lived to be 90. I'm glad you're healthy but your anecdotal evidence does not prove your argument.

Without even doing any research, a person with any intuition has to understand that putting more than 400 chemicals in your body every time you light up can't be good for you. The amount of THC in today's joints is also much greater than when you started smoking. Smoking marijuana also leads to short-term memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills, decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate, and anxiety. If I recall, you yourself posted an article about MJ use and possible impotence.

Again, you can argue the policy - such as that if adults are responsible to partake of alcohol and cigarettes, then they should be able to smoke weed. Or that the costs of arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating those with small amounts of weed is money that could be better spent in society. Or that if we legalize MJ and tax it, we could overcome budget shortfalls.

But please don't try to argue that MJ is not bad for you, or worse, that it's actually good for you. It may have some medicinal uses that are good, but geez, even stuff as benign as aspirin or Tylenol is not all good for you and can have bad long term effects.


this is absurd (none / 0) (#16)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Feb 23, 2011 at 03:41:59 PM EST

The amount of THC in today's joints is also much greater than when you started smoking. Smoking marijuana also leads to short-term memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills, decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate, and anxiety. If I recall, you yourself posted an article about MJ use and possible impotence.

one at a time

THC in today's joints is also much greater

its been higher for a long time.

Smoking marijuana also leads to short-term memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills

so by that math I should be Steven Hawking now and I am not. my memory is as good as it ever was and my company seems to think I am pretty good at problem solving and motor skills. if my perception is distorted or not is debatable. I think yours is.

If I recall, you yourself posted an article about MJ use and possible impotence.

yes I posted it to make fun of it. I trust demonstrations are not necessary.


: oh (none / 0) (#17)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Feb 23, 2011 at 03:43:18 PM EST

and you put more than 400 chemicals in your body by walking down the street and breathing the air.