Legalize Pot to Balance Budget?

are you just saying this to argue? You really can't believe this. If crack were legalized today, you don't think corporations would be rushing to produce it?

I can't believe there are actually still people out there who think alcohol, guns, and religion should be legal but pot shouldn't. alcohol, guns, and religion, have killed more people in the first day they were conceived, than pot has in it's entire existence.

 

prohibition wasnt a failure actually. it was repealed so that big business could tax it after the depression when money was scarce.

it was successful in getting many people to stop using it obviously which was the intent. if it had remained prohibited our views on alcohol would be similar to that of illegal drugs. we would have been conditioned like so many are on marijuana to think its evil, when in fact, its far less of a detriment to society if at all. it may even reduce violent crimes by a decent amount.

 

there is no such thing as a product that people want that no one will manufacture. even a child knows this.

if is legal, a corporation makes it. hell, i would start a company to make it no one else did.

 

i dont think there was any appreciable reduction in alcohol consumption during prohibition.

i agree with lasalle that legality does not really effect consumption rates. everyone i know who wants to smoke pot smokes plenty. nobody gives a damn about the laws.

 

I remember reading it was reduced 30-40% at some point. completely stopping it was unrealistic as no laws are followed 100%. its just too much of the power, ie money, went to organized crime which created the supply and further consumption eventually.

but prohibition certainly curbed behavior initially and that was the intent.

 

That's because it drove everything underground. Back in those days it was alot easier to compile data on consumption of something that is legal than it is to compile data on something that is illegal. So of course the numbers were reduced. That 30 to 40 % just went underground. Plus i'm willing to bet that tons of the policemen who were enforcing those laws were on the take.

 

i agree with lasalle. it is hard to measure something illegal. the bootleggers were not releasing numbers on sales.

i dont see why the situation would be any different than marijuana. if you want to smoke, you smoke. laws are not relevant. i know for damn sure that if alcohol were illegal i would still drink it is like crazy. i would probably drink more and go to kickass speakeasies and get drunk even more than i do now, which is ****ing constantly.

 

true. i was just pointing out theres somewhat of a myth it didnt curb behavior when in fact it did.

it all just came down to money in the end. not what was best for society.

pot would be far less of a societal negative but here we are. hell, just freeing up the prisons is reason enough for me.

 

Trying to convince drug users that drugs are bad is a futile endeavor.

Call me when your kids start stealing your stuff to pay for their crack and I'll recommend a good rehab facility.